Jose García got in touch recently to share his experience with The Coaching Academy and share his coaching success story. Read on to find out more, Coaches currently in training you may find this particularly useful ...
My first contact with coaching goes back to 2002 during my first working experience in UK. At the time I was too young and I was advised to gain further life experience to get the most of the training and this is what I did for the next 10 years.
During this period I kept learning about personal development and my activities allowed me to gain further skills as a mentor and advisor. Finally the coaching bug came back and I saw the free 2-day course from The Coaching Academy… synchronicity?? Next thing I know, I'm in Birmingham meeting a bunch of great, like-minded peers and really enjoying my time learning all about coaching Skills.
The 2 days are really good fun even if someone doesn’t feel comfortable with meeting new people or this sort of event. The most important thing about this event is that it allows anybosy to grasp the main ideas about coaching and to check whether it is what we are looking for. We are all in the same boat and hence both speakers and attendees make the experience extremely welcoming. The event speakers know their jobs inside out and make sure the concepts are easy to follow and fun to practice!
It took me about two months to sort out things and to take action towards becoming a qualified coach … as Elvis Presley's song goes … It’s now or never! I enrolled in the Life Coaching Diploma course in the summer 2012 and I managed to graduate in January 2013 with Distinction, something I am especially proud of!
To quote Kris Robertson, Trainer and Opertations Director of The Coaching Academy …”you get what you put in”. I admit I am rather a determined and goal driven person but I knew 100% I wanted to train to become a professional coach so the process has been more fun than hard work for me.
My top tip for those currently looking to qualify - be determined, like when you are underwater and you need to breathe and do not let anything get in the way to achieve your goal!
There are of course highs and lows, moments where it seems nothing works and of course there is a lot of personal work to be done. With this in mind, I cannot strongly recommend enough to create a support network. Get active on the e-group and LinkedIn and do not hesitate to ask. Use the mentoring provided by TCA when it's needed to avoid getting stuck and check all the free tools available in the TCA website. If you still need more help then use the internet to find complementary free resources.
Identify some coaching buddies that share your same goals regarding the course. I am very grateful for having found amazing coaching buddies that brought me support and guidance along the way. As for the course paperwork, start with the end in mind and just do a little bit every day, even the final assessment paper (trust me, I don t especially like paperwork!)
Finally, book well in advance the first pre-assessment and do it as soon as possible!!! It’s not assessed and the feedback is awesome! Don't be afraid, just do it.
I am now creating my path as a Networking Coach and Entrepreneur's Mentor and I use (on a daily basis) the knowledge and skills that TCA has provided me. It has completed my tool-kit and my training has made me feel more confident when addressing specific situations.
Anyone can do it, just one step at a time.
Happy Coaching!
Jose M. Garcia
The Coaching Academy was established in 1999, and is now the world's largest coaching school.
In that time we have trained over 14,000 people to become life coaches.
We are accredited by the International Coach Federation and the Association for Coaching, and we're rated 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
