The Researchers' Newsletter – Sept 2025
Does research coaching work?
Feedback from RCA coaching clients is that they value what they gain from coaching.
Does research coaching work?
Feedback from RCA coaching clients is that they value what they gain from coaching. This varies from the obvious – a researcher gets promoted to the next academic level, to the more subtle – a researcher feels more confident in their goals, narrative and future plans.
Why research coaching?
Mentoring has been an effective tool in past decades – but workloads and workload models have changed. Coaching compensates for any loss of effective research mentoring.
Coaching aims to provide an independent and confidential assessment of your strengths and areas for development, as well as tailored advice and guidance.
Who coaches?
Typically coaches are recently retired (or semi-retired) research leaders. They support researchers to strengthen all aspects of their research and research careers.
It can be a surprise to learn that coaches don’t need to be a discipline expert for them to be helpful and ‘a fresh set of eyes’. For example, coaches can provide a “helicopter” overview assessment of a researcher’s track record and research standing because they have sat on most of the relevant research and grant committees.
What happens in coaching?
A researcher chooses a coach and you complete a brief questionnaire and forward your CV to the coach. You then typically meet 3 times for around one hour over the following 6-9 months.
Coaches look wholistically at your research career as part of the coaching process. If a researcher does not have a clear sense of their identity –who they are as a researcher, and therefore what they stand for, what they hope to do and what they wish to be known for – then that is the starting point from which all other decisions follow.
Coaching is undertaken within a formal RCA Framework and RCA Code of Practice and is quality assured by the CEO and by RCA’s Academic Practice Lead. It costs $600 plus GST per session and many individuals fund this from their development or consulting accounts.
Outcomes
Researchers development strategies to manage blockages to research success including unsuccessful applications. Workload management and work / life strategies have been a particular focus in recent years.
Coaching is not a ‘one size fits all’ and we tailor to the needs of the researcher, including:
- early career researchers to understand what is expected as well-rounded scholars,
- mid-career researchers to manage time and competing demands to obtain the required research outcomes,
- senior researchers seeking Professorial promotion, and,
- leaders, including for Directors and Heads and those seeking higher roles (Dean, PVC, DVC).
Routinely, researchers report ‘being heard’ through explaining their career trajectory to an eminent and impartial research leader together with the opportunity to undertake some long-term research career planning.
Next steps: Coaching is one tool that usually assists researchers to clarify their research identity, career and research goals and next steps.
Coaching over 6 – 9 months assists most people to both focus on what they need to do to strengthen their research and their careers, but also to take the first important steps – and to have these ‘looked over’ by their coach.