6 Responses

1. Contact Solutions Focus
   Alice,
   You could do no better than to embark on the Solutions Focus Professional Training Programme. Amongst other things you will learn how to coach other and be coached. Apart from that they are a great team to work with, Contact Mark McKergow
   mark@mckergow.com and/or visit http://www.thesolutionsfocus.com

2. Oxford School
   Alice,
   The Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring offer a range of internationally recognised qualification programmes. These are both open access and incompany.
   You can check them out at OSCM.co.uk

   Mel

3. It’s all there
   Hi Alice:

   There is a key report which lists all the UK-available qualifications, from the CIPD at http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/lrnanddev/coachmntor/coachbuyservs.htm?IsSrchRes=1.

   The EMCC has just completed a survey of coaching qualifications which concludes there are three levels: 1 Fundamental (=internal manager-coach), 2 intermediate and advanced Practitioner (=HR specialist or standard executive coach), and 3 Master (=high-level provider). Ask dor details from the EMCC at emcc@adinternational.com.

   Finally, I’d personally be wary of coaching qualifications which put forward one powerful process or model as ‘the answer’: you may risk becoming, in the words of David Megginson, ‘one of those coaches with a solution, in search of a problem’. In other words, not centred on the customer or their issues, at all!

   Better to get a professional qualification which gives you a range of techniques, tools, and processes which YOU can choose from and which can become your own approach to this area of work.

   Hope this is of interest –

   Nick McB

4. Qualification and training
   Alice,

   there is no single qualifying authority in coaching. The ICF is probably the largest organisation which accredits individuals and training courses. There are others in Europe and the UK, such as the Association for Coaching (which I mention specifically because I’m involved in it).

   There are also courses at UK universities and those provided by commercial organisations which are credit-rated or accredited by universities.

   I think the key questions in choosing training routes are:
   – the balance between depth of understanding and the acquisition of operational skills
   – practice and supervision
   – whether you want to ‘learn’ a particular approach
   – how much value you attach to having a credible qualification
   – how credible you assess the qualification to be
   – how much you want to spend in time and money
   – how you rate the learning experience

   I imagine some of these criteria will be in conflict.

   On the plus side, I’ve known people who have taken all sorts of routes and the complaints I’ve heard have been primarily about – no surprise – sheep dip events.

   Best of luck.
   Peter.

5. IITT
   Hi,
   You might want to consider taking the Institue of IT Training route as well – they recommend a course called TAP by the Training Foundation – the course is not specifically aimed at IT Trainers – they run a range of courses – and having just attended one I would not hesitate to recommend them. http://www.trainingfoundation.com email info@trainingfoudation.com

   Hope this helps.
   Susan

6. Find a good organisation
   Alice
   Have a good look at the major coach training establishments and see what they offer. Do they have ongoing commitment, professional support, indemnity, excited working members?
   I would advise you to have a look at UKCLC(UK College of Life Coaching) a coaching organisation that trains and then supports their coaches very well. I am a member and although not cheap, is very good. Do look up the website and I happy to answer any questions.There are many courses that do not do what they say on the packet and it seems to be getting more of a minefield with unethical, unprofessional coaches (sorry to ethical, professional ones)purporting to give value and giving coaches a bad name.