Their clients vary between graduates, career changers, senior executives and all levels of management.
Sectors Covered
Can be highly focused such as conservation only, or can cover corporate sustainability, or the entire green careers sector.
Location
Normally country‐based – many focussing on the UK or USA but can be online and/or global.
1.10 Background
Backgrounds vary for career coaches. Many have university careers services backgrounds or professional experience in the environment sector. Some are psychologists or councillors.
Services Offered
Services from coaches can include:
Packages of training
Careers advice
Subscriptions to ongoing newsletters
One‐on‐one coaching interviews
Events and webinars
Helping with professional network listings, resume development and cover letter advice
Interview skills
Salary negotiation
Offering professional link ups (connecting people)
Job search skills
Careers advice for universities and developing internship programmes for companies as well as being corporate recruiters
Some coaches offer a bespoke service that includes adventure‐based trips and inspirational travel.
Coaching Qualifications and Certifications
There are many different types of career coaching certifications. The main thing is to ensure that the career coach has a certification which requires them to adhere to a strict code of professional conduct for the career coaching profession. However, some companies offer a career advisor service from a professional standpoint, so they are more likely to have professional sector qualifications rather than coaching qualifications.
If additional help is required beyond career coaching (for example, mental health counselling), it is important to seek a Licensed Professional Counsellor (or equivalent) which requires a master’s degree (e.g. in Careers Counselling) with additional training.
Listed below are a number of the career coach, career counsellor and coach instructor credentials (but there are many others):
Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE)
www.cce‐global.org/credentialing
CCE – Global Career Development Facilitator
National Association of Colleges and Employers
www.naceweb.org/professional‐development/coaching‐certification/
National Career Development Association (NCDA)
www.ncda.org/aws/NCDA/pt/sp/credentials
Association for Coaching
www.associationforcoaching.com/
Institute of Leadership and Management
www.i‐l‐m.com/learning‐and‐development/coaching‐and‐mentoring‐qualifications
Career Development Institute
www.thecdi.net/Getting‐Qualified/Masters‐and‐other‐courses
www.thecdi.net/Qualification‐in‐Career‐Development
Should I Consider Using a Green Career Coach?
A key issue is that career coaches are professionals and as such they charge fees, depending on the service given. This will preclude some people from considering using a coach to help them.
Career coaches have a wealth of information and experience and many have detailed insights into the organisations you may want to develop a career with. As in many issues, one needs to research the area and then decide based on affordability and need.
The table below lists some of the coaches available.
Box 1.3 Green Career Coaches and Advisors
Careerfolk LLC
Donna Sweidan
Careers for Social Impact
Catriona Horey
www.linkedin.com/in/catrionahorey
Charly Cox
Founder of The Climate Change Coaches
Climate Change Coaches
www.climatechangecoaches.com/our‐team
Conservation Careers
Nick Askew
Environmental Career Coach
www.theenvironmentalcareercoach.com
Laura Thorne