Early impressions and unintended consequences
Having been in the same role for over 15 years, I have been thinking of a career change for a while. Post-pandemic I really struggled with the return to the office and hybrid ways of working and this has helped me to prioritise the career change. While I am still not clear what I want to do next, after a lot of contemplation and research, I decided to sign up for the Certificate in Coaching with The Coach House Ltd.
I found researching the training options for coaching a little overwhelming as there are so many providers and courses to choose from. I didn’t know much about coaching and found myself falling into a social media black hole of how to become a life coaches, coaches for qualified coaches, to coaches training to become coaches. Thankfully I was able to extract myself with the knowledge that I was looking for something UK based, accredited and a course that would give me options to apply what I’m learning in a professional context. The Coach House Ltd easily ticked all these boxes.
I am currently two modules in, and my first impressions of the course are excellent. For each module we typically work with a different tutor. I like this as each tutor has their own area of expertise and a different ‘style’ of coaching to learn from. The tutors are recognised experts in the field, some have written books, and all of them have many years of experience to share. The intakes are small, and this means we can easily contribute to conversations and ask questions. And best of all the course is very practical. After the first module we were ready (and expected) to start coaching with the support of a supervisor. I am currently coaching three people and have over ten hours of formal coaching under my belt, this has helped my confidence significantly.
To my surprise the course is having an impact outside the modules and formal coaching sessions. I am learning so much, not only from the tutors but also from the people I’m coaching. I am a better listener and the skills I am learning help me to have richer conversations with friends, family and colleagues. For me, the course is also creating unexpected career options. For example, I had originally taken this course with the idea of starting up my own business, however I can see it is preparing me very well for a management position which is not something I’d considered before.
I’m still not sure where this coaching certification will take me, but it doesn’t really matter as I’m really enjoying the journey and I trust it’ll become clear in the months ahead.
If you are considering a coaching course and unsure how to choose the right course, click here.
