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Home | Expert career advice | Choosing a career coach

Choosing a career coach

• Do some initial homework considering the questions below, draw up a shortlist and then talk to a few coaches before you make your mind up - you need to feel that the chemistry between you is right as much as anything. Professional coaches will not charge a fee for an initial consultation or chat but you can't expect them to keep extending 'free advice' further than that - it is a business for them after all. 
• Ask your friends, colleagues and family if they have used a particular coach or if they could recommend someone. Coaches get a lot of their work through referrals work just like good plumbers, hairdressers and tailors do!
  
• What are the coach’s *qualifications/credentials and what kind of specialisms, experience, market sector knowledge and professional background does the coach have? Will that package of experience be a good match for what you need? Some coaches specialise in Executive coaching, others have experience working with young people, career break returners, professional women or with redundancy and outplacement counseling and coaching.
  
• Will the coach work with you independently or as part of a coaching company or team of associates? Will the person you talk to or 'buy from' be the one that delivers your coaching? Many coaches run their own companies and team up with other specialists or associates to enable you to access more specialised help.
  
• *What form of redress do you have if you're dissatisfied with the coach? 
• *Which professional code of conduct does the coach subscribe to and professional standards organisations are they members of?
  
• Do you understand how you and the coach will work together? Most adopt a goal-setting approach to coaching and you'll have to work hard too. Coaching is not just about having a cosy chat once a week.
• Where is the coach based in relation to where you live? Will you meet the coach in person most of the time, perhaps meeting in a central location, or work together over the phone? A mixture of the two is quite normal but never meeting the person who will coach you is inadvisable in our view. 
  
• How will you fund your coaching? Will your employer fund your programme or will you fund it yourself? Either way you need to come to a mutually acceptable agreement regarding fees and payment. Coaches need to charge a fee that reflects the value of their expertise, the amount of time they will need to spend with you and cover the costs of running their business in the same way that any other professional adviser needs to. The fee that you pay should always be viewed in relation to the gain you expect to make over time. Coaching programmes can range anywhere from £3,000 to £20,000 from career coaching firms. Private coaches have a different cost model as their overheads are usually lower.
  

• Professional membership and training organisations for career coaches