I'm trying to get on the bottom rung of the ladder into a career in coaching, but trying to find the course which is best accredited and will give me the best possible start in the industry. I am considering the Certificate in coaching and mentoring run by the CIPD...any advice?
Also is it the case that I could get this qualification and then start as a low-level or trainee coach/mentor? How does the 'ladder' work in the coaching industry?
Any replies appreciated!
Kathryn
Kathryn Priest
2 Responses
Coaching options
Kathryn
I have held back from commenting on this in the hope that someone more expert than me would make a contribution. But as no one else has posted – come on folks! – here is my view.
Firstly, there are many different types of coaching – executive coaching, life coaching, coaching to develop skills in a particular field, and various hybrids of coaching that cross over into mentoring, training, therapy and career guidance. If there is a particular angle you are coming at this from then you would do best to pursue a qualification in that area.
There are many suppliers and bodies in the world of coaching and you will get partisan views over who is best. Being as objective as I can I would suggest you find out more about the International Coaching Federation – they have come on a lot in the last couple of years. For beginners in the UK, the Oxford School of Coaching, the ILM and the CIPD are all worth considering. The CIPD is a fairly new entrant to this field. I don’t know enough about the specific programme to comment in detail but it seems a fairly practical and broadly based option for those who want that type of HR institituoional accreditation.
As to a career ladder – I don’t think there is one. That is to say, you either work as an internal coach (and probably get promoted into other roles, with the option to revisit coaching with more senior staff probably on an occasional basis) or you work freelance or for a coaching company. No single career path seems dominant.
The key to success is, today, having a qualification as a foundation – sometimes it just helps you get in the door. But it is your skills, experience and expertise; your relationship management and the results you help people acheive that ultimately counts.
Best of luck
Graham
CIPD
Hi Kathryn,
I am currently studying the cert in coaching and mentoring with CIPD. I have worked as a full time coach for the last 18 months. I chose to study this course really to get the recognition from the CIPD. I am on the course with quite a few people who have had no experience of coaching and they are finding difficulties around “what does a coaching session look like”. This course is totally non directive, and is supposed to be blended learning, but if you are a novice you may need a course with more direction. Contact me if you would like any more info.