Simon Mennell: England Athletics Course Tutor

With our wide range of courses available through a variety of coaching and officiating disciplines, we also have a group of tutors that bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to each course. We know that starting out on your coaching or officiating journey can be nerve-wracking, so we caught up with one of our tutors to talk about what is to be expected on our courses.

Simon Mennell has been tutoring for England Athletics since 2009 and spoke to us after delivering a session for the Coaching Assistant course. Having always wanting to be a PE teacher and with a strong love of learning, Simon's coaching journey started with the delivery of our Leadership in Running Fitness (LiRF) course.

Having been tutoring for over 15 years, Simon finds being a tutor an extremely rewarding job; "watching people develop in their journey to becoming a coach and helping people gain their qualifications is extremely rewarding. It is also great to work within such a wonderful team of tutors that all get on really well."

With a range of courses available, there is a course to suit every need. We also offer courses that are purely online as well as a hybrid of face-to-face and online. When we discussed the differences between the online and in-person courses with Simon, he told us;

"The face-to-face course makes it so much more interactive and engaging. As a tutor, it is so much easier to read the room even though we do try our best to engage everybody online. In person courses also allow the chance for people to come speak to you privately if they have any concerns or questions."

We understand that everyone has a different style of learning and know that not one way works for everyone. Which is why our tutors cater each course to the individual needs of the attendees. "Beforehand, when the application form is done, the course coordinator is informed if the individual has any specific needs which is passed onto the course tutors. This allows us to have some forethought beforehand and ensure that we are making the right alterations to achieve the learning outcomes for each individual."

We asked Simon if he had any advice for those who are looking to start a coaching course: "Do it! The courses are great, and you get real flexibility with how you learn and can do it at your own pace. It is brilliant that we give people the opportunity to learn in a way that suits them, so they can choose their best course of action. Also, don't be afraid of the course and come try it out, we have a great team of tutors who will help you along the way when needed."

It can feel like a great achievement to complete your qualification, but then comes the question of 'what next?' It is important to use your club to your advantage, Simon explains; "once you are qualified, go back to your club and sit down with another coach, explain what you have learnt on the course and if there are any coaching points you would like to develop and get someone to help you with those."

"It is also important to be aware that we have Regional Club Coach Leads whose remit is to help people with their coaching. So, if the help isn't available from the club, be aware that there is help elsewhere"

We are always trying to improve the amount of support available for those undertaking their coaching qualifications. We have recently undergone a recruitment process and are always adding to our fantastic register of tutors in the hopes to be able to provide more online, but importantly more face-to-face opportunities nationwide in the future.

If you have been inspired to give a coaching qualification a go, why not have a look at our coaching qualifications and find the course that is right for you.