Head Coach Maria Haq writes about her experience leading the City Heights programme this term and why you should consider Head Coaching!
Having really enjoyed my time coaching two different pupils, the opportunity to be a Head Coach seemed a really nice way to come back into CoachBright after a semester abroad in Germany. Being a Head Coach has allowed me to put the leadership skills I developed abroad to the test and to work on other areas of personal development such as my confidence and communication skills.
I’ve really enjoyed contributing to the running of CoachBright on a broader scale, as I have been able to liaise with teachers and make a real difference. It is so important that coachees get as much as possible out of their 7 sessions and it’s really rewarding to be in a position where you can make that happen. I have loved watching the progress that each pair has made and positive feedback from the teachers really reinforces how great the work is.
As well as managing the logistics, I do enjoy doing some coaching alongside my Head Coach duties too! Sometimes it’s necessary to step in and cover for one of the coaches but, with CoachBright expanding the way that it is, there are such a variety of different roles to get involved with alongside being a Head Coach. As it’s such a flexible role, I’ve been able to meet lots of coaches and coachees and I have learned a lot from interacting with such a wide variety of people.
CoachBright is the kind of voluntary experience which is relevant to so many different professions. As I go forwards into my role as a Trainee Pharmacist, I will be equipped with experience in problem-solving and working as part of a large, diverse team. Something which I think is unique to the role of Head Coach is that you’re really able to make it your own and so there’s so much opportunity to use your initiative. I think it’s great that Nicole got involved with setting up a ‘London CoachBright Society’ and she’s done some brilliant work as a ‘Social Secretary’ too!
To summarise the day-to-day role of Head Coach I’ve included a list of roles/responsibilities which you could expect:
Getting to know coaches and coachees – I organised a meet up at the beginning of the program so that coaches could get to know each other and find people to travel to the school with
Ensuring good attendance – Reminding everyone to send out reminders! Also: chasing up absences and making sure missed sessions are rescheduled
Involving the school – Talking to the teacher in charge and keeping them informed
Enjoying watching the sessions take place! – Taking pictures to share on the Facebook page
Getting feedback – From coachees at the end of the session; debrief with coaches + feedback forms; comments from teachers
Workshops – Launch programme at the beginning as well as the mid-training workshop
Graduation! – Contribute to a fun event with your team which marks the end of the programme
Maria is a final-year King's College London student who has been a Head Coach on the City Heights programme in London this term.
Applications to be a Head Coach with us on next year's programme are open until 26th April. You can apply by filling out an application form here.
