Why did you become a job coach?
To challenge myself, develop my skills and because I wanted to help someone else. My role involves a lot of coaching and I saw this as a chance to test my abilities. Wragge & Co offers its people a lot of ways to work with the community and this appealed most to me.
What does it entail?
To start with, I attended a training session, which challenged all my preconceptions about homelessness. Before an hour was out, I d realised how easy it is for anyone to become homeless. After that I met my client, Fiona. We agreed to meet once a week and focus on different things at each meeting - why she wanted to get back into work, what work might be suitable, preparing a CV, getting ready for interview and so on.
What are the challenges?
The main challenge is uncertainty because you are going to be working with someone new, whose life and experiences might be very different to yours. BAOH has considerable experience in matching clients to coaches. I soon realised I would be working with someone bright, articulate and determined to succeed. That made my job a lot easier!
What was the best bit?
When Fiona called me to say she had been offered a job she was so thrilled to have re-discovered her independence. That is when it hit me. I had made a real difference to somebody's life.
What’s next?
I have signed up to coach again and am waiting for my next client. I'm also spreading the word to anyone who will listen!
Wragge & Co has been active with Business Action on Homelessness since January 2004 and supports the Ready for Work programme in London and Birmingham.
