Have you considered using coaching in teaching?

Research has shown that coaching in teaching and education can have a powerful impact on teachers and students, including on staff retention, improving confidence, learning outcomes and overall well-being.  In this article, Lisa Read, Coaching Academy trainer and successful coach shares with us her journey from being a primary school teacher, to running a successful business specialising in coaching in teaching, education and the public sector.   

It was May 2011 and the last day that I could hand my notice in for my teaching role at a local primary school. With resignation letter in my shaky hand and tears in my eyes, I walked out of my house. Was I about to make a huge mistake? I was leaving teaching to become a self-employed coach. I'd been a qualified coach for a number of years and had been running my coaching practice part-time whilst teaching and also being a mum to three young children. It was too much. I love teaching, I love education, and I love coaching! So arriving at the decision to leave my job was not easy.    

With a cocktail of fear and excitement within me, I handed in my notice that day. I didn't have any particular coaching contracts to go to, I didn't know how I was going to make it work. All I knew was that I was going to give it 100%! Fast forward to 2023 and I'm happy to say that I am a full-time coach, and a trainer of coaching. I now work with socially minded organisations, which include many schools. I’ve been privileged to travel the UK and work with schools bringing coaching to teachers. I now have associate coaches who work for me, a business partner and paid admin support.  

Not once have I regretted my decision to leave my job that day. Every day I get to see the impact coaching is making in those around me and the benefits coaching brings. For example, I have helped teachers to feel more confident, manage behaviour in positive ways and improve their work/life balance, leading to much better outcomes for all.  

I wonder if my story resonates with other teachers who are also passionate about coaching in teaching?

Perhaps you’re an educator who, like me, wants to see huge positive changes within the education system. Maybe you’re an educator who is fearful of making a leap into coaching? If you are a teacher who is thinking about becoming a coach, or using coaching skills in teaching, here are my top tips:-    

1. Get qualified! Train to be a coach

While coaching remains an unregulated profession, there is a huge shift towards the need to train to become a coach and gain a recognised coaching qualification by a top provider such as The Coaching Academy. Within the education sector, you have to prove your credentials when working with schools, so you will need to make sure you are well-trained and have your qualifications certificates and accreditations to show.  

 2. Use your coaching skills within the establishment you work in

This will help you to get more of a feel of where you're coaching brings value, and it helps to raise awareness of your additional skill set. There is a strong evidence base now for coaching in schools. Research conducted by National College for Teaching and Leadership on ‘Creating a culture of coaching’ (2011) found that the schools studied:-  

• Reported a shift in culture, promoting a dialogue around what constitutes ‘good teaching’ and more collaborative team working, more effective planning, more efficient behaviour management strategies and more productive learning conversations
• Impact was seen in the deepening of learning for pupils that was backed up by attainment and progression data, observed both formally and informally

 3. Get clear about your vision for yourself

We need to believe that things are possible before we have the proof. Writing down a clear vision and using visualisation techniques to work to build up your self-belief is a good way to do this. As you train to become a coach, you will find that you are able to use powerful coaching tools to challenge your own limiting beliefs, as well as helping those you are coaching.

 4. Build your network.

If you want to make education better by using your coaching skills you need to have contacts where you can make offers, share information, and provide value. Schools talk to each other, and a good provider of coaching will be shared with others.

 5. Hire a coach while you’re still a teacher

This sounds obvious, but if you believe in the coaching profession then you know it pays to work with one. A good coach will help you work out your next steps and decide whether you want to stick with education, shift into coaching, or even blend the two. It was through working with my coach that I felt strong enough to hand in my notice that day, even though I was scared I might be making a mistake.  

Finally, remember you have nothing to lose! If you’re a teacher or teaching assistant, you already have a fantastic qualification and a great skill set that will always be needed. You will find that adding a coaching within education qualification to your existing skill set will give you the exciting opportunity to use powerful life coaching skills and tools in your current role. It will also give you a potential extra income alongside teaching, or a future business you can run from home.

We need great educators, and education needs great coaches. Fancy joining me?

If you’re feeling inspired about using coaching in teaching and would like to learn more about positively impacting the lives of children and young people, why not join us for our free Introduction to Life Coaching webinar? Plus, you may also be interested in our free follow-up session: Insight into Coaching Within Education which shares insight to our Coaching within Education coaching qualification.      

Lisa Read is an award-winning coach and trainer who is passionate about helping coaching professionals understand how neuroscience supports and enhances the coaching process. As well as coaching, Lisa’s professional background is as a teacher, special needs coordinator and senior school leader. She has coached and trained in 100s of schools, multi-academy trusts, and teaching school alliances, as well as universities. She was one of just 16 coaches UK-wide selected to deliver coaching to schools for a London 2012 Olympics national development programme which ran from 2011 to 2019. In addition, Lisa is a trainer and coach for The Coaching Academy, the UK’s largest coaching training organisation.