Interest in global health and opportunities to conduct clinical research at international sites have increased markedly for health profession trainees. With this increase in demand comes an increase in the need for mentors at international and home institutions to provide guidance with designing, implementing and analysing clinical research projects that benefit both the trainees and the research site. In this article, we provide an overview of our insights gained through mentoring in the international setting and suggest a series of key points to help ensure an enjoyable and productive international clinical research experience for both trainees and mentors.