Can you get your coaching paid for you?

The cost of coaching can be one of the main obstacles to having it. But what if you can get it paid for by someone else?

It's that 'use it or lose it' time of year with unused budgets, which can offer the perfect opportunity to explore whether you can get the financial support for your coaching and/or CPD that you've been coveting for months, or maybe even years!

You might be surprised at the places you can look for financial support...

Benefits package

Many organisations offer health and wellbeing benefit packages for their employees. It's widely recognised that you can use these for private healthcare appointments, but in some cases you'll find your benefits package will either completely or partially cover coaching programmes that offer resilience, stress management, mindset and wellbeing support.

Alternatively, you or your spouse might have a family wellness plan benefit, or an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), which could cover you.

It's worth checking out your policy details and any benefits your spouse has, to see if you are eligible!

Individual financial awards

You don't need to wait for your annual review to ask for financial support for coaching and training.

Although larger training and coaching budgets are set during an organisation's annual planning rounds, most companies have smaller budget pots kept for discretionary, one-off funding.

Grants can be awarded on the basis of performance or need (including an employer meeting their duty of care responsibility to you), and they may cover all or partial costs of a programme.

These pockets of funding don't always sit with HR, so it's worth asking questions in your team and wider organisation to find out who the owners of these smaller discretionary budgets could be.

These budgets are particularly relevant at the end of your organisation's financial year, because they tend to fall under the 'use it or lose it' category.

In short, if you don't ask, you don't get!

Trade association bursaries

In addition to any grants, sponsorship or bursaries that your organisation offers, in the UK many established industries have significant trade associations.

Where financial means are the obstacle to accessing what you really need (especially if it impacts your wellbeing and financial security), many of these trade associations have charity arms, to which you can apply for financial support.

These trade organisations don't necessarily require you to be working currently in that industry: just to have been employed for a set period of time e.g. 6-12 months, at some point in your career.

DEI bursaries

Diversity, equity and inclusion covers many aspects of making the world fairer and more inclusive and it is a priority for HR and L&D leads.

If you feel you are at a disadvantage, have a particular need, or are under-represented at work, these all open up a discussion with HR about what support is available to you, to redress that balance.

If you are overwhelmed or stressed, it may be that the source of that is related to a protected characteristic.

Ask your coach if they offer bursaries

By the nature of their work, the vast majority of coaches are invested in creating a better world.

If you need financial support to make coaching a possibility, your coach might be open to a partially- or fully-sponsored bursary place on:

✅ DEI grounds

✅ If you work for a charity or not-for-profit, or

✅ If your goal for coaching is aligned with the impact that they, too, want to have in the world.

You are welcome to get in touch, if you'd like to explore if you fit that category with me.

Personal L&D allowance

Although in the minority, some organisations will give you full agency in how you spend your own CPD/L&D allowance.

In the best case scenario, you might only need to confirm that your preferred programme meets outline criteria, and then provide an invoice.

Even so, I recommend you have an introductory enquiry call with the coach of your choice.

This is a significant commitment in terms of time, money and focus, and so it's important to check that you have the right dynamic for a powerful coaching relationship over the length of the programme.

Writing a business case for coaching

If your HR policy requires a business case for L&D budget approval, you will need to prepare a solid proposal to ask your employer to pay for coaching, demonstrating how it can be a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Your L&D department may ask you to complete a form, but in case you need to supply a free text case, these are areas to consider:

1. Evaluate the relevance

Before you approach your employer, carefully assess the relevance of the coaching engagement you intend to pursue. Is it pure (non-directional) coaching, or does it integrate mentoring or training?

Like me, many coaches offer a blend of coaching, training and mentoring, weighted specifically to meet the unique needs of each individual, so you can design the programme that works best for you.

Which would serve you best right now, that your company would also consider valuable?

You may be surprised to know that a lot of forward-thinking companies value personal development in its own right, without professional development skills training alongside.

This can be especially true during times of transformation, overwhelm or stress, as an investment in both employee wellbeing, and longer-term commitment and performance.

2. Research the coaching programme and coach

Gather information about the coaching programme you are interested in. Look for a provider with a well-regarded certification and accreditation, a strong track record of delivering results, and positive testimonials from previous participants.

The two main global bodies that certify professional coach training programmes and accredit coaches are the International Coach Federation (ICF) and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC), although there are also other ILM Level 7 accredited courses and academic courses offered by well-regarded academic institutions.

HR and L&D leads recognise these bodies and usually require a coach to have ICF or EMCC certified training and/or accreditation.

Presenting your employer with well-researched information will showcase your commitment and seriousness about the opportunity, making it easier for them to support your request.

3. Qualify (and where possible, quantify) the benefits

Highlight the potential benefits the coaching program will bring to you, your role, your team and the organization.

Demonstrate how participating in the programme is a win:win opportunity by being explicit about the direct connection between it and your current role. This could include your:

✅ Job responsibilities

✅ Professional relationships

✅ Performance and productivity

✅ People management style

✅ Soft skills and communication skills

✅ Challenges

✅ Gaps

✅ Career progression and

✅ Growth plan

Consider what your personal objectives might be, including increased:

✅ Confidence

✅ Emotional intelligence

✅ Self-awareness

✅ Headspace for clarity and focus

✅ Positive mindset

✅ Resilience

✅ Wellbeing and

✅ Soft skills development.

How will this coaching programme support you to bridge the gap where your personal objectives overlap with benefits to the business?

What about the organisational strategic goals, culture and values: how does this proposal align with and support them?

**4. If required, prepare a comprehensive, short proposal**

The good news is that many organisations already recognize the value of coaching in developing their workforce to improve their performance, and also in attracting and retaining their best talent.

They are often willing to invest in their employees' priorities for growth and development - even if they haven't, yet.

Sometimes people assume that this funding is hard to secure and can let that be an obstacle to proceeding, but often it only requires a simple enquiry.

If you do need to create a persuasive proposal, be sure to include:

✅ The coaching program's details, including the coach's credentials, duration, cost and terms.

✅ Explain how the programme aligns with your current role, responsibilities, team and organisational priorities.

✅ Any time commitment it will require during working hours.

✅ Highlight how the coaching program will contribute to your mid- and long-term career development within the organisation.

✅ Express your commitment to stay with the company and how the skills gained from the coaching can be leveraged for the company's benefit in the future.

Demonstrating a clear return on investment will appeal to your employer's business-oriented mindset.

Employers are more likely to invest in employees who see themselves as long-term assets.

Follow up

If it is not a straightforward 'yes' from your potential funder, make a point of following up to demonstrate your commitment.

This might mean requesting a formal meeting with stakeholders to discuss your proposal. If that means your employer, choose an appropriate time when they not swamped with other pressing matters, but when budgets are still available.

Not getting a reply to your first enquiry is not a clear sign to back off - no answer is more likely to mean the person you sent it to hasn't had a chance to reply, and they may well appreciate a reminder.

Present your proposal confidently and be open to answering any questions or addressing concerns they may have.

It's worth remembering that...

...asking your employer to pay for coaching is a thoughtful and strategic move towards enhancing your career trajectory while also contributing to the organisation's success.

By showcasing the relevance of the coaching, researching the program, quantifying the benefits, and presenting a well-prepared proposal, you can make a compelling case for employer sponsorship.

Remember, employers are usually invested in the growth and development of their employees, recognising that a skilled and motivated workforce is the foundation of a successful business.

This is not them doing you a favour: this is a business case with a win:win outcome.

Last but not least, if you're self-employed

Professional development and business coaching are allowable business expenses, provided that you can demonstrate that that the investment is primarily/wholly to support you to run your business.

That might be mindset, self-awareness, emotional intelligence and confidence for leadership, or leadership skills, or creating and working towards business objectives.

The main requirement, is that you can evidence how the benefits are directly related to your business.