Introductory video from Jeremy Behrmann
Important Questions you may have
What are my credentials
I am an international coach and facilitator who specialises in leadership, personal branding and career development. On the corporate level I have worked with clients from Santander, FairFX, HSBC, Clarins and McKinsey. Working with younger people I have delivered career guidance talks and workshops with private school and university groups in the UK, South Africa and the Netherlands.
I am the author of the Breakaway Book which is a coaching guide to navigating career transitions and discovering innovation through gap years and sabbaticals. I was a visiting professor of leadership at the University of Southern Maine in the USA where I helped emerging leaders understand how technology was going to impact society, especially around the world of work. I am a contributor and have been featured in Fast Company, Entrepreneur Magazine and on the BBC Magazine
What is coaching and how is it different from traditional types of careers advice?
Traditional career advice involves giving children industrial personality assessments which suggests careers based on limited evaluations of strengths. Research suggests that the assessments do not engage young children nor provide an accurate picture of the career options that will be best suited for them. Children are driven by passions, values, interesting trends and role models that current assessments do not capture. What's more these assessments are often used because they are cheap and can provide some insight to hundreds of students in a cost effective way. Coaching does not make judgement or interpretations but rather asks explorative questions that meet the individual in their world and inspire them to learn more and test their assumptions through real experience.
What is the ultimate purpose of this program?
- To help a child explore everything that they find meaningful which has career potential to inspire them to gain more work experience before making big decisions around further study
- To identify specific career or start up ideas that support their unique profile of passions, values, abilities, interests and related trends. This will help them to identify specific companies and thought leaders that they can connect with to learn more about a specific vocation that they are interested in.
- Teach students to learn to network and take ownership of their own career journey. This also includes supporting parents to guide their children without fear, bias or lack of information.
What are the specific stages of the coaching program?
Stage 1. Meaning Canvass: Children are asked explorative questions that help them clarify their passions, values, abilities, interests and related trends. Children who do not engage will be coached by Jeremy via video conference. At the end of the stage each child will receive their Meaning Canvass –See Example HERE. Then with permission it will be sent on to their parents and adviser.
Stage 2. Career Constellation: Students Identify all the traditional careers, start up ideas and passion projects that support their unique realms. Students are invited to create online groups that include their parents, family friends and SIS mentors/alumni. Jeremy is included in these groups and acts as a facilitator to the guiding the group along.
They say it takes a village to educate a child. We will be able to coach your son or daughter to appreciate what they are passionate about, what they value and what they are good at. Where we will need your support is helping your child to create an online community of mentors including yourself, older siblings and family friends. This connected learning community will help your child crowd source specific career ideas that relate to their unique profile.
These online communities are hugely liberating to parents who often feel a huge amount of pressure to guide their children in the right direction yet are not always aware of how the career landscape is changing and what new opportunities support their child's specific needs.
Students are sent their Career Constellations when finished – See example HERE
How will you communicate with my child will their privacy be protected online?
I will coach your child through live workshops at the school, video coaching at their morning check in with advisers and through an online messaging tool called Slack. Slack provides a secure way for teams to collaborate and share ideas. The app can be downloaded on a smartphone or accessed by the web.
In Stage 1, when the children are coached by Jeremy on Slack to create their Meaning Canvass, the child's adviser will have access to the conversation and will be part of the process. Parents can also request access to the conversation strings from Slack at any time
In Stage 2, the parents will be part of the online conversation the whole time and can see how their child is being supported by the online community.
No private information will be shared without the child or parents permission. Sotogrande International School will be using the macro data (areas of interests, passions and values shared by cohorts) to shape the learning experience at the school.
When will you work with our child
We have designed the program so that your child can be coached and explore during free time so as to not impact their academic program or other responsibilities.
How long will the program with M4 last?
From Nov to mid January.
Have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly on jeremy@timetobreakaway.com