Assistant Coach Program
Our assistant coach program is now available for students that have successfully completed the Five Day Barista course (or equivalent experience and skills). The program is designed to give you, the assistant coach, a further opportunity to integrate your knowledge and skills by being an assistant trainer.
Before reading further we want to be clear that the coaching program is in its infancy stage. We’re still not exactly sure how this will work, but the only way to find out is to start the “trial and error” process so that we can discover how to make it effective.
We want be upfront about that so you know what to expect!
It is highly likely that things won’t go as smoothly as we plan for the next few weeks / months. Should you decide to join as an assistant coach through this period, and something doesn’t work out so well, the important thing is that you don’t take it personally (if things go wrong its our fault not yours!).
That said, we’re very excited about the potential of this program because it will provide beginner students with an even better experience in the Two Day Barista course, as well as providing you, the assistant coach, the opportunity to expand your capacity by discovering different perspectives from different people as you help them develop their knowledge and skills.
The Assistant Coach Role
We can accommodate up to 2 assistant coach’s for every Two Day Barista or Five Day Barista course that runs (the course only runs when the min 2 pax is confirmed).
The commitment from you, the assistant coach, is to give the students your full attention and support, and to behave in a professional manner (our business is running a public service and the students will likely think you are part of our staff, so your behaviour can have an affect on our reputation).
It is also incredibly important that if you register for a class that you are committed to coming to (anyone changing plans last minute or not turning up to the course dates they signed up for may be disqualified from the program).
Another thing we’d like to mention is that you are more than welcome to sign up for more than 1 course as the assistant coach, you are welcome to sign up to as many courses as you like (just make sure you’re committed to come to each course you sign up for).
An assistant coach is expected to;
Dress appropriately: wear clothes that look neat, but that you don’t mind spilling coffee on (black is never a bad choice), with closed shoes so you don’t burn your feet with hot coffee. Shorts are ok but they should be at least knee-length (no short-shorts or mini skirts). Also, please ensure you don’t have an offensive odour (either body odour or strong perfume/ cologne).
Use appropriate language: as you're fully aware the course is delivered in English, and this is the advertised language. We’d prefer you to speak mostly English when talking to students. However, if you and any of the students are fluid in another language, you're welcome to communicate with each other in it. Just be mindful that if you chit-chat in a language that other students aren’t familiar with, it can cause them to feel left out, so keep it to an absolute minimum.
Put your phone away: please keep the use of your mobile phone to a minimum (try to do your calls, emails, social medias or whatsapping during the breaks). However, if you're using your mobile to take photos and/or videos of the class to later post on your social medias, or using it to capture pictures or videos of students that you plan to give to them, we highly encourage you to use your phone! Just make sure it’s not a distraction from the main objective (coaching).
Things you can do to be an outstanding coach;
Observe: excellent observation skills will ensure you can identify areas the students could improve upon.
Listen: its easy to presume what someone is talking about, or interpret the things people say incorrectly, pay very close attention to every word students say so you can respond effectively
Explain: your ability to communicate to the learner a more effective way for them to succeed in any of the activities is one of the strongest assets you can provide.
Enable: there are definitely situations when you should simply show a learner exactly how you do it, but its important you don’t interrupt their creative process, so make sure you provide them with ample chances to practice and discover how to do it themselves before deciding to step in.
Compensation
The number one goal for our academy has always been to provide a quality service that supports the community and assists the growth of the coffee industry. We prioritise this over our ability to make a profit.
The student fees for our courses are set to be as low as as possible to ensure that our courses are highly accessible to everyone (indulging low income earners), but this unfortunately means that there isn’t much available from the course income to remunerate an assistant trainer.
We understand that this means the assistant coach role won’t be for everyone, please don’t feel like you have to take this opportunity just because it was offered.
However, for some of you this will be a very useful investment of your time and energy that excels your knowledge and skills to new levels and ultimately opens up new opportunities that will more than likely eventually increase your earning potential.
That said, here is the current compensation plan;
a complimentary light meal (lunch) each day
free flow of coffee beans and milk
Additionally, you are welcome to practice and continue developing your skills with an unlimited supply of coffee and milk at any point over the 2 days (whenever the coffee equipment is not being used by students your welcome to practice).
Registering as an Assistant Coach
If everything above sounds good to you we are very excited to welcome you as an assistant coach!
The registration process is very simple (explained below), but just keep in mind that we can only have 2 assistant coach per class so if you find a date that’s suitable for your schedule we suggest registering for it promptly so you don’t miss out.
Here’s how to register;
Select the date you want to join as the assistant coach from the list below
Select “ADD TO CART”, then enter your details in the form that pops up
Select “"ADD TO CART” again, then go to the top right hand corner of the our website and select the checkout icon (don’t worry you won’t be charged anything)
Enter your details to complete the checkout process and you are then confirmed as the assistant trainer for your selected date!
Before moving on to the rest of your daily activities we suggest saving the date in your calendar