Apprentice FAQ

This should cover most of your questions about the Coach Core apprenticeship, but if not, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Coach Core is not an employer or a training provider. Instead we bring together a local network of employers in a region or town, together with our training provider partner to create a cohort of 10 to 15 apprentices who will go through the journey together. Coach Core also supports employers with a grant towards the costs of bringing on an apprentice.

An apprenticeship is a formal training scheme where you are placed with an employer to earn while you learn. You can read more about apprenticeships in the UK here.

The minimum wage varies depending on your age and how far through your apprenticeship you are, but it starts at £6.40 per hour. However, employers may choose to pay more – the Apprenticeship Pay Survey in 2019 estimated the average hourly pay received by Level 2 & 3 apprentices was £7.56 an hour.

The apprenticeship lasts a minimum of 15 months, usually up to 18 months.

No qualifications are required. However, if you do not have your Maths and English GCSEs you will be supported by your Learning Coach to achieve these ‘Functional Skills’ by the end of the apprenticeship.

Yes, we just ask that you be honest about it on your application.

There will not be a guaranteed job for you at the end of the apprenticeship. Many of our apprentices do impress their employers enough to be offered a job when they finish, but it is not guaranteed.

We have programmes across the country – you can find the complete list on our Locations page.

This very much depends on your employer. In some cases you may have a single site of work (e.g. a leisure centre), in others you might travel around the region to run sessions.

You will meet with your Learning Coach regularly, in person and online, along with all the other apprentices in your cohort, for a group session. This will cover theory and practical learning, and will prepare you for your End Point Assessment, as well as making you better at your job! Your Learning Coach will also visit you at your place of work.

Typically your application will go to the training provider (the company the Learning Coach comes from). They will contact you to check you meet the eligibility criteria (that you are available 30 hours a week etc) – this is not an interview, and all eligible candidates will move to the next step. At that point you will be invited to have an informal interview with the employers on the programme that you are interested in working for. You will be given information about where they are based, what work they do, etc. You will then be asked to tell us which employers you would like to work for and we will match you with the employers who have said they would like to hire you.

A Level 2 apprenticeship is equivalent to 5 GCSEs and is a great first step into the world of work. Level 3 apprenticeships are equivalent to 2 A-levels and can be an entry into the world of work, a great next step for those finishing a Level 2, or a way of upskilling within your current employer. The specific apprenticeships Coach Core offers are the Community Activator Coach (L2) and the Community Sport & Health Officer (L3). Both these will give you lots of experience in planning and delivering sport and physical activity sessions to a range of potential participants. They also provide you with a wide range of transferable skills that you can take into other areas of work if this sector isn’t where your future lies.

You will typically work 24 hours a week for your employer and spend an additional 6 hours with your Learning Coach or studying. You will be paid for the full 30 hours.
Due to the nature of the sport-coaching sector, you should not expect to be working the typical 9am-5pm – you will very likely have to work some evenings and weekends.

You are very unlikely to be coaching full time. Coaching work will make up the bulk of your time with your employer, but your hours will also include planning and reviewing coaching sessions. It is also likely you will be required to do other work for your employer, such as some office admin, social media etc.

No, no prior coaching experience is required.

No. Many of our successful apprentices haven’t considered themselves “sporty”. The main thing is that you have a passion and a commitment to helping others.

Yes. We’d recommend telling this to your Learning Coach and/or employer so you can access any additional support, if required.

Yes. We’d recommend telling your Learning Coach and/or employer so you can access any additional support, if required.

Yes, but only on a temporary/part-time basis.  We would always recommend speaking to your employer and Learning Coach about other such commitments at the beginning of the programme.

A traineeship is a skills development programme that includes a work placement. It can last from 6 weeks up to 1 year, though most traineeships last for less than 6 months. Traineeships are a level below apprenticeships.

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