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As a consumer how do I do my due diligence?

Introduction

The IRCM's remit is to protect and ensure that the consumers benefit from the services and products available in the coaching and mentoring industry.  To achieve this, the IRCM partners with all coaches, mentors, education/training, coaching/mentoring organisations, and non-industry related commercial organisations to raise the professionalism of the coaching and mentoring industry.
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As part of your Due-Diligence, the following is recommended:

Click here to understand how to determine Credibility, Competence, and Professionalism.

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As a client wishing to benefit from the services of a coach and/or mentor, we recommend that you check their professional status by:

  • verifying the Coach's and/or Mentors' credibility.
  • verifying the Coach's and/or Mentors' competence..
    • The IRCM recommends that only Coaches and/or Mentors that can demonstrate their competence through their accreditation/credential from a Professional Body that is Registered with or Accredited by the IRCM should be selected.
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Where the Coach's and/or Mentors' credibility and/or competence cannot be verified, you may select to verify the Coach's and/or Mentors' qualification (training), which should be:

  • through a full training course that provides a qualification with a Formal Education Body that is REGISTERED with the IRCM, or
  • through a full training course that provides a qualification with a Commercial Training Company that is REGISTERED with the IRCM and has gained an independent verification of material and trainers through accreditation/credential with a Professional Body that is Registered with or Accredited by the IRCM.
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It is difficult to verify whether the Coach and/or Mentor has been trained at the right level as there is currently no determination of training levels.  For this reason, the IRCM recommends that you only select a Coach and/or Mentor who has been trained on an in-depth full and detailed training course that incorporates all the IRCM's Codes of Conduct.  The IRCM recognises that a number of short courses and/or workshops may also provide the right level of training.
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Researching the Coach's or Mentors' background and coaching and/or mentoring experience is important.
This is extremely important if the Consumer is searching for a mentor.  The mentors' background and personally gained experience is an important element in their mentoring ability.
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Following up references and/or testimonials provided.
Although often it is only the positive references and/or testimonials that will be provided, it is important to follow them up and ask the individual about their experience.  What worked, what went well, were there any challenges, what didn't work, and how successful they were at achieving their goal with this level of support.
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Confirming that the coach and/or mentor abides by the IRCM's Codes of Conduct and recognises the industries Ombudsman Service.
If the Coach and/or Mentor is REGISTERED on the IRCM's Coach and/or Mentor Directory, they will have agreed to adhere to the IRCM's Codes of Conduct, Disciplinary Procedures, and recognise the industry Ombudsman Service.  It is beneficial though for the Consumer to ask the question as it does confirm that, for coaches and/or mentors who have been registered for a longer period of time, that they are still up to date with the Codes of Conduct, etc.  Where the Coach and/or Mentor is not REGISTERED on the IRCM's Directory they may not be aware of the industry recognised Codes of Conduct and the Ombudsman Service.
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If the coach and/or mentor has selected not to REGISTER with the IRCM, has not agreed to abide by the industry recognised Codes of Conduct, and has not agreed to recognise the industry Ombudsman Service, your experience may result in inadequate or ineffective coaching or mentoring.

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As a student wishing to train on a course and/or workshop with a Formal Education Body (University, College, School), we recommend that you check their credibility, competence and quality by:

  • focusing both on the course/workshop and the Formal Education Body
    Where a specific Formal Education Body may have a fabulous reputation, it may not have the same level of reputation for the actual training and qualification of an individual course/workshop.  Therefore, it is as important, if not more so, to focus on the quality and competence of the actual course, training material and faculty; as it is on the reputation of the Formal Education Body.
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  • Competence is determined by verifying:
    • the creators/authors of the course/workshop material, especially their background, credibility, competence, and coaching and/or mentoring experience.
      There are many courses/workshops available that do not meet the minimum standards required for training therefore, it is important to be fully aware of the creator's/author's credibility and competence to write a coaching and/or mentoring training course.

      • specifically for Mentoring courses/workshops, it is important to know the creator/author/faculty background and experience.
        This is extremely important if you are searching for a mentoring course/workshop as the mentor's background and personally gained experience is an important element in the training.
    • the detail of the course/workshop material. e.g.
      • does it include all or only a range of the IRCM's Codes of Conduct?
      • does it include a reference to the Ombudsman Service?
    • the methods used to assess your training and your final qualification.
      • there are a number of methods that can be used to assess your final qualification, and it is important that you understand how you will be assessed for your qualification.
        For workshops, if the assessment is based on attendance and not on a qualification, this may not be a requirement; but it is important for you to know that you will not be gaining a qualification and may only receive a certificate of attendance.
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  • Credibility is determined by verifying: 
    • the creators/authors of the course/workshop material, especially their background, credibility, competence, and coaching and/or mentoring experience.
      There are many courses/workshops available that do not meet the minimum standards required for training therefore, it is important to be fully aware of the creator's/author's credibility and competence to write a coaching and/or mentoring training course.

      • specifically for Mentoring courses/workshops, it is important to know the creator/author/faculty background and experience.
        This is extremely important if you are searching for a mentoring course/workshop as the mentor's background and personally gained experience is an important element in the training.
    • the Formal Education Bodies ability to deliver the training material, and to determine the qualification of each student.
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  • Quality is verified through the faculty (tutors/trainers/teachers) used to train the students.
    This is important and the faculty may or may not include the creator(s)/author(s).  Is each member of the faculty:

    • REGISTERED on the IRCM’s Coaches and Mentors Directory, and
    • accredited/credentialed by one or more Professional Bodies that is Registered with or Accredited by the IRCM.
    • specifically for Mentoring courses/workshops, it is important to know the faculties background and experience.
      This is extremely important if you are searching for a mentoring course/workshop as the mentor's background and personally gained experience is an important element in the training.
      .
  • Validation is determined by the Formal Education Bodies REGISTRATION on the IRCM’s Training/Education Directory, and
    • the Formal Education Body has included the course/workshop in the Registration details in the IRCM’s Training/Education Directory, and
    • the Formal Education Body is approved by the countries Government Education Department.
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  • should you have a recourse to use it, understanding the Formal Education Body’s Complaints policy and process.
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  • asking how many students have applied for the course/workshop and how many have qualified.
    This is important as the Formal Education Body may have a large number of students registered for one or more courses/workshops; but the key is to know how many have qualified and are practicing.
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  • following up references and/or testimonials provided.
    Although often it is only the positive references and/or testimonials that will be provided, it is important to follow them up and ask the previous student about their experience.  
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  • confirming that the relevant department in the Formal Education Body, creator/author, and faculty all abide by the IRCM’s Codes of Conduct and recognises the IRCM’s Ombudsman Service.
    If the Formal Education Body, creator/author, and faculty are all REGISTERED on the IRCM’s Coaches/Mentors Directories, they will have agreed to abide by the IRCM CIC’s Codes of Conduct, Disciplinary Procedures, and recognise the industry Ombudsman Service.  It is beneficial though to ask the question as it does confirm that, for the Formal Education Body, creator/author, and faculty who have been registered for a longer period of time, that they are still up to date with the Codes of Conduct, etc.  Where the Formal Education Body, creator/author, and/or faculty is not REGISTERED on the IRCM CIC’s they may not be aware of the industry recognised Standards and Ethics, etc.
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If the Formal Education Body has selected not to REGISTER with the IRCM, has not agreed to adhere to the industry recognised Codes of Conduct, and has not agreed to recognise the industry Ombudsman Service, your training and experience may result in inadequate or ineffective training and qualification.

As a student wishing to train on a course and/or workshop with a Commercial Training Organisation, we recommend that you check their credibility, competence and quality by:

  • focusing both on the course/workshop and the Commercial Training Organisation
    Where a specific Commercial Training Organisation may have a fabulous reputation, it may not have the same level of reputation for the actual training and qualification of an individual course/workshop.  Therefore, it is as important, if not more so, to focus on the quality of the actual course, training material, and faculty; as it is on the reputation of the Commercial Training Organisation.
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  • requesting credibility, competence and qualification of the course/workshop creator/author and all faculty members.
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  • Competence is determined by verifying:
    • the creators/authors of the course/workshop material, especially their background, credibility, competence, and coaching and/or mentoring experience.
      There are many courses/workshops available that do not meet the minimum standards required for training therefore, it is important to be fully aware of the creator's/author's credibility and competence to write a coaching and/or mentoring training course.

      • specifically for Mentoring courses/workshops, it is important to know the creator/author/faculty background and experience.
        This is extremely important if you are searching for a mentoring course/workshop as the mentor's background and personally gained experience is an important element in the training.
    • the detail of the course/workshop material. e.g.
      • does it include all or only a range of the IRCM's Codes of Conduct?
      • does it include a reference to the Ombudsman Service?
    • the methods used to assess your training and your final qualification.
      • there are a number of methods that can be used to assess your final qualification, and it is important that you understand how you will be assessed for your qualification.
        For workshops, if the assessment is based on attendance and not on a qualification, this may not be a requirement; but it is important for you to know that you will not be gaining a qualification and may only receive a certificate of attendance.
        .
  • Credibility is determined by verifying: 
    • the creators/authors of the course/workshop material, especially their background, credibility, competence, and coaching and/or mentoring experience.
      There are many courses/workshops available that do not meet the minimum standards required for training therefore, it is important to be fully aware of the creator's/author's credibility and competence to write a coaching and/or mentoring training course.

      • specifically for Mentoring courses/workshops, it is important to know the creator/author/faculty background and experience.
        This is extremely important if you are searching for a mentoring course/workshop as the mentor's background and personally gained experience is an important element in the training.
    • the Commercial Training Organisations' ability to deliver the training material, and to determine the qualification of each student.
      .
  • Quality is verified through the faculty (tutors/trainers/teachers) used to train the students.
    This is important and the faculty may or may not include the creator(s)/author(s).  Is each member of the faculty:

    • REGISTERED on the IRCM’s Coaches and Mentors Directory, and
    • accredited/credentialed by one or more Professional Bodies that are Registered with or Accredited by the IRCM.
    • specifically for Mentoring courses/workshops, it is important to know the faculty's background and experience.
      This is extremely important if you are searching for a mentoring course/workshop as the mentor's background and personally gained experience is an important element in the training.
      .
  • Validation is determined by the Commercial Training Organisation REGISTRATION on the IRCM’s Training/Education Directory, and
    • the Commercial Training Organisation has included the course/workshop in the Registration details in the IRCM’s Training/Education Directory, and
    • the Commercial Training Organisation is accredited/credentialed by a Professional Body that is Registered with or Accredited by the IRCM.
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  • understanding the Legal Entity structure of the Commercial Training Organisation.
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  • should you have a recourse to use it, understanding the Commercial Training Organisation’s Complaints policy and process.
    .
  • asking how many students have applied for the course/workshop and how many have qualified.
    This is important as the Commercial Training Organisation may have a large number of students registered for one or more courses/workshops; but the key is to know how many have qualified and are practicing.
    .
  • following up references and/or testimonials provided.
    Although often it is only the positive references and/or testimonials that will be provided, it is important to follow them up and ask the previous student about their experience.  
    .
  • confirming that the Commercial Training Organisation, creator/author, and faculty all abide by the IRCM’s Codes of Conduct and recognises the IRCM’s Ombudsman Service.
    If the creator/author, and faculty are all REGISTERED on the IRCM’s Coaches/Mentors Directories, they will have agreed to abide by the IRCM’s Codes of Conduct, Disciplinary Procedures, and recognise the industry Ombudsman Service.
    If the Commercial Training Organisation is REGISTERED on the IRCM's Training/Education Directory, they will have agreed to adhere to the IRCM's Codes of Conduct, Disciplinary Procedures, and recognise the industry Ombudsman Service.
    It is beneficial though to ask the question as it does confirm that, for the Commercial Training Organisation, creator/author, and faculty who have been registered for a longer period of time, that they are still up to date with the Codes of Conduct, etc.  Where the Commercial Training Organisation, creator/author, and/or faculty is not REGISTERED on the IRCM’s they may not be aware of the industry recognised Standards and Ethics, etc.
    .

If the Commercial Training Organisation has selected not to REGISTER with the IRCM, has not agreed to adhere to the industry recognised Codes of Conduct, and has not agreed to recognise the industry Ombudsman Service, your training and experience may result in inadequate or ineffective training and qualification.

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As a Coach, Mentor, or individual interested in Coaching and/or Mentoring wishing to benefit from the accreditation/credential and support offered by a Professional Body, we recommend that you check their validity:

  • is this Professional Body REGISTERED with the IRCM CIC?
  • has this Professional Body gained ACCREDITATION with the IRCM CIC?
  • what credibility, competence and qualification does the accrediting/credentialing team hold?
    - ask about the accreditation/credential team's background and coaching and/or mentoring experience.
    - ask how this team was selected.
  • what is the Legal Entity structure of the company?
  • research other members and how they have benefited.
  • what Continuing Professional Development does this Professional Body provide?
  • what industry support does this Professional Body provide?
  • what other support does this Professional Body provide?
  • ask about the team's background and coaching and/or mentoring experience of those providing Continuing Professional Development and/or Industry Support.
  • follow up references and/or testimonials provided.

Does this Professional Body adhere to and include the IRCM's Codes of Conduct?

  • Standards and Ethics,
  • minimum level of Core Competencies,
  • Disciplinary Procedures, and
  • recognising the Ombudsman Service.

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ACCREDITATION with the IRCM provides an additional level of verification for Professional Bodies who have successfully completed the IRCM’s independent verification by demonstrating transparency and openness about their policies, processes, and procedures.

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There may be the situation where organisations and individuals use the IRCM’s logo without approval or incorrectly.

We recommend that you confirm the details on the relevant IRCM Directory prior to starting your due-diligence and contracting for the service.

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Currently, all information provided by and correspondence with the IRCM is in English.