How to choose a coach/mentor
How to choose a coach/mentor
We recommend that you choose a coach/mentor trained from a trusted organisation, such as ACC, EMCC, ICF, ILM and AfC. Coaches/mentors who are trained from these organisations usually display badges of accreditation.
In the current situation, there is no legislation to safeguard you against people who advertise themselves as a coach/mentor with no formal training experience. It is up to you to ask good questions and decide whether you want to work with someone.
The following questions might help:
- How long have you been working as a coach/mentor?
- Where did you train and how long was the training course?
- Are you accredited professionally? Is your accreditation up to date?
- Do you have a supervisor?
It is a good idea to think about what you would like to work on. There may be a specific area of life you want to focus on, for example, what kind of career you want to embark or retrain for, moving forward with certain relationships, or increasing your wellbeing.
Sometimes it is hard to express what you want to work on; there might be a feeling of being stuck in your current situation. Coaches/mentors can assist you to work out what the current situation is.
Often, coaches/mentors may offer an initial discussion for a set amount of time (usually 20-30 minutes), to discuss your needs and for you to find out about them. Following this, you may want to take some time to decide if you want to go ahead. You may know straight away that you do or do not want to work with someone. It is your decision. An experienced and trained/accredited coach will always leave the decision to you.
Before you begin to work together, the coach will give you information about their accreditation, ways of working, fee structure and ethical guidelines. They will also work through the contracting process with you. This will include how you will work together, (online, face to face, telephone), cancellation policies and review dates.
Sometimes coach trainees (those training on a recognised training course) may charge a reduced fee, reflecting their training status.