Frequently Asked Questions

The International coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential.

The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership.

No, coaching isn’t mentoring.

A mentor shares stories of his experiences, gives advice, and encourages his mentee "you can do it!".

A coach asks powerful questions to get his coachee to think hard, come up with his own solutions, and come to the self-realisation that "I can do it!".

We believe that self-motivation, arising from self-realisation, is ultimately more impactful and long-lasting.

No, coaching isn’t counseling. 

Counseling is for emotional issues that involve looking back to the past to understand how they started.

In contrast, coaching is for non-emotional goals and is forward-looking. It's also action-oriented as it involves developing an action plan to achieve the coachee's goals.

If the coach assesses that the student’s issue requires counseling rather than coaching, he'll encourage the student to talk to his family and school counselor.

No, coaching isn’t teaching. The coach discusses with the student how he can self-help in terms of improving his grades, if that's the goal that he wants to work on. If the student requires some topics to be retaught, he may wish to approach his teacher or his school's academic support programme.

Anyone can benefit from coaching! The only real prerequisite is an open mind willing to be coached.

The goal will be what the student wants to work on, which can be either academic or non-academic.

No, this is against the ethos of coaching to empower the student to take ownership of his own goals.

The beauty of coaching is that the student coachee takes ownership of his own outcomes. If a coach were to take over ownership of the outcome, it would defeat the purpose of empowering the student. You may wish to be skeptical of anyone who claims to be able to guarantee outcomes in life.

Timelines depend on what the student/coachee believes is realistically achievable, because he has to ultimately take ownership of his goals in order for him to achieve them. The coach will work with the student on the practicality of his goals and corresponding timelines. There are no magic solutions in life that can change things overnight, and you may want to be skeptical of anyone who over-promises on timelines.

It's a nominal fee to cover our costs as a nonprofit. Lower fees may be possible based on the grants we receive. Please contact us to discuss further.

Coaches and students will be matched based on gender, location and interest.

This depends on student's goal, which differs from student to student. For a start, let's plan for about 6 sessions, typically over 6 months, give or take. 

Whether it ends up being fewer or more sessions is entirely up to the student, parent, referring school/organisation (if any), and the coach.

Students can discontinue, pause or resume at any time (again, depending on the referring school/organisation). So why not give it a try? As they say, the proof is in the pudding!

About an hour, but again this depends on the specific issue being discussed.

Each session involves an in-depth discussion on the student's goal, his progress in achieving it, the challenges he’s facing and possible solutions to overcome them. The coach will facilitate the student to develop solutions that are concrete and feasible, and an action plan to implement them within his desired timeline.

No. Coaching is about empowering the student to take ownership of his own goals. This means he has to decide for himself what he can commit to achieving, and the coach will work with him to set appropriate goals. When he does this, he’s far more likely to actually do it, and be happier when he accomplishes it. It’ll also be more sustainable than trying to meet someone else’s target of X number of hours.

Success takes time, and real success driven from self-motivation may take longer, but is ultimately more rewarding.

The coach will encourage the student to update his parents regularly. It’s best that parents hear from their child directly, as such conversations form the bedrock of healthy family relationships. 

Parents: During such conversations, please respect your child’s decisions and trust the coaching process. Let your child learn from any mistakes that he may make in the process instead of dictating to him the “correct answer”. Continue to be supportive, like a fan in the grandstands cheering on the soccer player, and not like his sports coach telling him how to play.

Certainly, if there’s a specific need or urgency to discuss, or perhaps if there was something that arose during your conversation with your child that you weren’t too clear about and you need some clarification. We ask that you respect the coach’s time, especially during quiet hours.