Question 1

In what language are you doing the training?

Accepted Answer

The entire program - the training, the coaching - is in Romanian. However, most of the slides and many of the books and handouts are in English, so an intermediate level of knowledge of the language is necessary.
 
We are also thinking about designing a version of the program entirely in English, so if you don’t speak Romanian (yet :)) and would like to join our training, give us an email. We’ll keep you updated about it.

Question 2

Online or offline?

Accepted Answer

At this point, all the learning is done 100% online, Bucharest Time zone.

Question 3

Is the school accredited?

Accepted Answer

The school is accredited by ICF (International Coaching Federation), the leading global organization for coaches and coaching, at ACSTH level, for 160 hours of development. This means that with the training provided, you would be able to apply to the first level of credentialing (ACC – Associate Certified Coach) and second (PCC – Professional Certified Coach) as soon as you complete the other requirements as well (number of hours of experience, knowledge test, application fee, etc).
The certification process is directed by ICF, and you start it only after completing the school requirements first. At the moment, ICF is revising their credentialing policies, so please follow their website for updates. We will also update our program and the information here as well, as soon as the changes will be in place.
The school is not accredited at this point by the Ministry of Labour in Romania, nor are we looking to obtain that accreditation. We do not find a significant enough reason to go on that path as the complications significantly outweigh the potential benefits.

Question 4

How much does it cost?

Accepted Answer

The fee is 4.500 EUR (includes VAT)/participant. Or, 3719.1 EUR + TVA,  if you want that number and be precise)

But keep in mind that it’s also an investment of time and energy on your side.
 
For people who play active roles in NGOs and want to incorporate coaching to support others through their work, we offer full scholarships. This is our way of supporting someone already doing great work in their communities. We only ask that you make a financial contribution of your choice, regardless of the amount, so that you have a “stake in the game.” If you want to apply, just send us a brief email with what you do and what role coaching will play.

Question 5

Can I pay in instalments? And if yes, how would it work?"

Accepted Answer

We understand that a Coaching School is sometimes quite an investment and want to support you in joining. Therefore, you can pay in full, 2 installments or more - up to 9. There are no discounts for paying upfront or otherwise.

Question 6

What is included in the fee?

Accepted Answer

We don’t like to think about the individual “items” that compose the fee but rather about the whole learning experience that we build and the learning process. You can read more about it in the testimonials from participants, and you can also talk to them about it. But if you need to see the breakdown, here it is:
The training and learning (160 Hours of ICF approved coaching education – x synchronous, y asynchronous; delivered in 9 modules of 2 consecutive days each; every session is 4-6 hours long)
Mentoring (8 hours of group mentoring: 4 during the learning process and 4 after completion & 2 hours of individual mentoring)
Coaching (2 hours of individual coaching sessions with any of the facilitators)
Access to the program library (a repository of coaching related materials: books, contracts, whitepapers, tables that can make your life easier as a beginner coach)
Access to the MindLearners Coaching Community (a place where you can connect with more than 170 like-minded people, support each other, and grow as coaches and people)

Question 7

After I finish the school, how do I become certified as a coach?"

Accepted Answer

The first level of accreditation you would obtain with ICF is ACC (Associate Certified Coach). We strongly advise you to take it one step at a time and try out for ACC before PCC. At the moment, the requirements are:
60+ hours of training
100+ hours of experience with at least 8 clients
10 hours of mentoring
1 coaching recording (including transcripts)
Passing the CKA (Coach Knowledge Assessment test)
ICF Application fee 
We’d like to equip you with not just the best chances to succeed in the application. But with the knowledge and tools to be an awesome coach from the beginning, some of the items above are covered in the School “Package”: training, mentoring, part of the coaching experience. The remaining requirements would need to be covered by you afterward. But we’ll be with you along the way so you can reach out to us or to your more experienced colleagues in the community anytime you need.

Question 8

Is becoming certified by ICF mandatory?

Accepted Answer

Not at all. Even though we highly encourage you to join the ranks of professionalism in this line of work, at the end of the day, it’s a personal choice, and it’s a matter of your target client population, priorities, finances and probably your relationship with authority :)

Question 9

If I want to join, what do I have to do?"

Accepted Answer

Go through the Website, Program description and Testimonials to have an idea regarding whether or not this is the kind of experience you are looking to have. Send us an email (the contact form on the website works just fine) to schedule an admission conversation. 
For us this is a very important part of the process, and we talk with each of the people that join the group. After this conversation, if you’d still like to join and we’re also comfortable with you doing so, we start the admin part of the pre-journey. A few weeks before the program, we will reach out to you with the final details: contracts, invoicing info, zoom links and everything else.

Question 10

What happens in the admission discussion?

Accepted Answer

This is a meaningful conversation for us, as we are mainly looking to see if we are a good “fit” in values and principles. We love the fact that our groups are incredibly diverse, with people joining us from various industries, with different backgrounds, experiences, and philosophies of life :) But they are all awesome people that are willing to be at least a bit honest about themselves, open for growth and ready to support others on their development journeys.
The conversation is usually 30-40 minutes long, preferably on Zoom with either Alecs or Carmen. We aim to get to know you a bit and are open to being asked anything you might find relevant about ourselves, the school, the learning process or the industry.

Frequently asked questions