1. Enjoy coaching
There's a reason this one is number 1: only start supervising and coaching apprentices if you actually enjoy it yourself. That way you'll pass on your love and passion for the trade best, and you won't see it as a chore.

2. Agree on freeing up time for coaching
Supervising takes time. Make that clear to your manager and your colleagues, so you don't end up having the conversations in your own time or getting into trouble with your work. Make sure the basic conditions for supervising are properly arranged.

3. Make clear agreements
Make sure it's clear what the apprentice wants to learn, what work and assignments they can do, how you'll supervise them and when you'll have progress meetings. Put the agreements in writing, including the ones with the school.

4. Set clear rules about what is and isn't OK
Take the apprentice and their way of life into account, but not too much. Leaving early for a side job isn't on in real working life. Turning up on time and not constantly checking your phone is completely normal.

5. Never take anything for granted
Don't be too quick to assume that apprentices understand how things are done or what's ‘normal’ at work. Above all, explain why those things are so obvious and logical to you. Apprentices can learn a lot from seemingly simple, obvious things.

6. Take your role as a coach seriously
You're increasingly getting interns and apprentices from competence-based programmes. Apprentices sometimes arrive on the job better prepared and more independent. But don't assume they'll take all the initiative themselves and tell you what they want to learn. Your role as a coach on the job is and remains important.

7. Find out your apprentice's learning style
Find out how your apprentice learns: do they want to shadow first and then carefully try a few things, or be thrown in at the deep end? Do they want close supervision or would they rather work independently? Don't automatically assume the way you yourself like it best.

8. Give your apprentice the right tasks
It's tiring to have too little to do or to shadow someone for too long without a task of your own. Apprentices want to get to work. On the other hand, don't immediately hand over an important job that absolutely mustn't go wrong.

9. You don't have to be friends with your apprentice
Everyone wants to be liked, but don't let that stop you from taking a critical look at the apprentice's behaviour and work. If you say nothing, you take away the apprentice's chance to improve. These situations often blow up when criticism piles up too much. You don't have to be friends with your apprentice.

10. Don't compare your apprentice with previous apprentices
Only compare apprentices with each other in your own head. Nothing kills motivation faster than telling an apprentice how good, enthusiastic and clever the previous one was.

I'm looking for an apprentice tradesperson

There's quite a lot to good coaching, but when it goes well, you both get better. Ready to take on and supervise an apprentice tradesperson at your company? Get in touch. We know plenty who are itching to get started.

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