Frequently Asked Questions

What is a midlife crossroad?
Midlife is a pivotal time in our lives. In our 40’s and 50’s, it’s not unusual to find ourselves at a crossroad. Midlife is a time of change, choices, uncertainty, loss and opportunities. These are influences on the next chapters of our life. It’s also typically a watershed where aspects of our multi-facetted lives can collide and create emotional turbulence. You may have been feeling emotional turbulence bubbling away below the surface for a while or a sudden life event has caused a wake-up call. All this can bring us to a crossroad including a career crossroad where we start to ask questions that centre on legacy, purpose, meaning, finances, health and death. Decisions on what to do next can be complex, complicated and sometimes intimidating particularly around our working lives which is why good career conversations are important.    

How can career coaching help at a midlife career crossroad?
Here’s what clients often say when we first talk about their situation: 

• Is this it?

• I want work to fit into life now

• I can’t see myself carrying on with this kind of work for the next ten years.

• Am I really in the right career?

• I want to do something different

• I want to do something that’s more me, more aligned to my values

• I want to make a difference

• I don’t want to keep working like this

If you’re recognising yourself in any of these situations, you’re probably at a career crossroad. There’ll be a host of reasons that have brought you to this crossroad ranging from feeling stagnant, redundancy, wondering what the next ten years looks like and sudden changes in your personal life. These questions don’t go away. They need answering or they might be harbingers of regret later. Career coaching can help you answer these questions using a systematic, professionally managed, non-judgemental process.

What is your one to one career coaching process?

It’s a tailored step by step tried and tested process, professionally designed and managed by myself, that fully evaluates and explores who you are, what’s going on, what you would like, what needs to change and the all important action. The conversations are holistic and typically from the 'inside out'. These include your career history and how you have got to your current role; your skills, interests and values; what a role may look like in the future and how to start researching and planning to get there. A planned well thought out change or set of changes alters the landscape for a number of years. Which is why it is so important to get it right.

How do you help clients address work/life balance issues?

The coaching will range from being highly practical around tools and techniques to manage the day to day to looking at your work/life from different perspectives. It also means clarifying who you are in terms of your values, your motivations, your interests and so on.  Depending on objectives, a client is usually looking for systemic change which means some deep changes to the day to day with a clear sense of what a more balanced and fulfilling life should look and feel like.

What are typical career coaching outcomes for clients?

If there is one coaching outcome I would like to achieve with a client is that they feel better able to take charge of their career. Any one I coach will gain greater clarity on who they are, what they want and what they have to offer. In terms of change, change means different things to different people. It doesn’t necessarily mean a wholesale change. Nor does it mean a straight bee line into the so called ‘dream’ job. It’s often a more messy, less direct route with stepping stones in between. Changes can be big and small - they may be more psychological than tangible. Above all, many clients are looking for a working life that brings fulfillment, purpose and balance as well as the required financial reward. There will be other client specific outcomes.

What are your career coaching workshops?

I run workshops for small groups of people who are looking to take stock and review their career. Often, it is a great opportunity to kick start the conversation on ‘where am I?’ and ‘where do I want to go?’ The simplest of questions, but often hard to answer on your own. A workshop is typically tailored to group requirements. But I can make space and time for individual conversations.

What are your fees?

Subject to a client’s situation, a typical coaching program consists of six hours of coaching and six sessions of varying length. This would cost £800 which includes my preparation and post session time.

There is always an initial conversation which is free of charge; then a proposal in writing which includes objectives, a coaching pathway, fees and an estimated number of sessions. This is then formally discussed and agreed.

Career coaching workshops are individually priced.

What kind of tools do you use in your coaching?

At the heart of my coaching is good conversations and discussion. These will often lead us to the real questions and issues. The coaching will also be guided by objectives that a client will set. In support of this, I use a range of tried and tested lenses to look at situations and topics. These can be questionnaires, assignments and other techniques to help get us to the right level of detail. They are often done in a client’s own time and then brought to our coaching sessions.  

What's important to look for in a good coach?

For me, a good coach is professionally qualified and accredited by a recognised institution. I’m a qualified coach and career coach. A good coach should be able to explain the tools and techniques that he/she is trained to use. In addition, an important question to ask is whether the coach undertakes any supervision and professional development. And, perhaps one of the most important factors is that you, as a prospective client, feel you can work together through the highs and the grittiness of coaching. I always have past clients that you can talk to. 

How long is a typical coaching relationship?

This is something we will discuss from the outset and agree. If you are looking to make a major change in your work life, and you want to take the 'inside out' coaching approach, then you should expect to have around at least 6 sessions. The sessions vary in length and often towards the end of the coaching they are shorter and less frequent. Sessions are spread over several months.

What is also important to understand is that change takes time. More often than not, a client’s expectations is to have the coaching ‘done and dusted’ and new job found quickly. Change can take far longer. And at the midlife stage, with the complexity and interdependencies that exist, taking a steady pace, step by step, is the way forward.

What is your policy on keeping client data?

Three months after the completion of our coaching programme, I will shred all paper records of our coaching and delete all electronic files and folders. I will keep the invoice for accounting purposes.