High-Performance Coach
Occupation scope and impact
High-performance coaches are employed or deployed in the sport and physical activity sector to coach performance and/or elite athletes/players. They may work in specific environments or programmes, such as podium potential, prepare for podium and podium (or equivalents in professional sports). In this role, they:
- develop athletes and players to improve their performance
- plan, design and implement curricula, practices and training sessions
- build relationships with athletes/players to consider and adapt to their wants and needs
- work with a wider performance support team
- keep up to date with trends and contemporary issues in high-performance sport
- apply and share their own, organisational, and wider coaching philosophies.
*discounts apply if your organisation is a CIMSPA employer partner
- Verifiable professional status accreditation
- Exclusive benefits and offers
- Access free endorsed CPD
Professional status
Having a professional status is a way to show the world that you are a trained and highly skilled high-performance coach. Gain professional recognition for your knowledge, skills and experience by sharing your status with employers, clients and your peers.
As you progress in your career, gain new professional statuses that celebrate your expertise and allow you to explore more opportunities in your work.
High-Performance Coach Chartered Practitioner
Chartered Coach Developer is the highest level of professional status available. It shows that you are delivering an outstanding, specialised service to your clients and are leading the way in influencing positive change in high-performance coaching.
Benefits
Title
You will gain the professional status title of Coach Chartered Senior Practitioner. You will be able to use this to ensure that clients and employers understand exactly what you are capable of, linked directly to the sector’s professional standards:
- Try using your title in your website or social media bio to show clients that you’re a trained expert. Many other professions such as healthcare practitioners and financial advisers use these to demonstrate their credibility.
- When applying for jobs, your professional status title is an important addition to your CV. Employers will be able to see your skill level and are assured that your qualifications are quality assured – all from a quick glance.
Postnominals
You will gain the postnominals of MCIMSPA (Chartered) or FCIMSPA (Chartered).
Many established professions, such as accountancy and medicine, use postnominal letters to show that an individual is accredited by a professional body.
You will be able to use yours after your name on social media, your website and business communications to demonstrate that you are a recognised professional.
Find out more about postnominals
Accreditation credentials
Your accreditation credentials – which take the form of a digital badge – will offer a verifiable visual representation of your professional status which you can use on your website and social media to showcase your expertise. When you click on them, anyone will be able to see further information about your status and that it is verified and up to date.
Entry requirements
You will need to completed the Coaching in High-Performance Sport professional standard by evidencing all of its competency statements. You will also need to complete the CIMSPA chartered assessment process, through which you will demonstrate your experience and sustained positive impact within your role. To be considered for this process, you must hold an existing CIMSPA professional status.
Learn more about the assessment process
Apply for your professional status
To start your journey to the highest levels of professional status in sport and physical activity, please complete the enquiry form linked below.
Our accreditation team will then contact you to guide you through your first steps to chartered success.
Supporting your career
Take complete control of your career progression and stay at the forefront of our sector.
To help you maximise your professional status and develop your knowledge and skills, we offer a range of exclusive benefits that complement your professional status:
- Receive discounts on endorsed qualifications and CPD from a range of training providers.
- Enhance your career prospects – many of our Employer Partners commit to only employing professional status holders.
- Gain exclusive access to Move Professional, our quarterly online publication giving you the latest sector news and tips for progressing your career.
- Get regular bite-sized sector updates via email with our tailored monthly bulletin.
- Learn and develop through CIMSPA’s member-only webinars featuring cross-sector experts.
- Make connections through CIMSPA and partner events and conferences and at our professional development boards and consultations (by invitation).
- Be the first to hear about opportunities to be involved with CIMSPA consultations and insight, helping to influence sector policy and future research.
- Take part in focus groups and committees to help shape the sector’s future.
Membership join FAQs
Your account will be required to be linked your employer’s organisational account to issue your membership at the discounted price. If your account is not currently linked, we will require some information from you. Please email us on info@cimspa.co.uk
If your CIMSPA recognised entry qualification is dated over 5 years from the date of your application, you will be required to evidence:
- At least 1 CPD point of endorsed
- Or 4 hours of non-endorsed CPD.
Awarding organisation certificates display some or all of the following:
- Awarding organisation’s logo e.g. Active IQ, YMCA Awards, Innovate Awarding, Focus Awards, VTCT
- Award title e.g. Active IQ Level 3 Diploma in Fitness Instructing and Personal Training
- Qualification Accreditation Number (QAN) e.g. 600/4941/8
- Date of issue
- Certificate number
- ’Ofqual’ logo
Please note: A Unit Credit certificate, letter of confirmation or certificate issued by a Training Provider are not accepted to ensure a standardised and robust application process.
The name of your educational institute can range from the university, college or training provider that you are currently completing your course with.
If your entry qualification was not issued by an awarding organisation (see FAQ above), the letter of support aims to recognise the diversity of approach across all comprehensive courses, whilst ensuring core consistency and providing employers confidence that they are employing competent individuals. Once submitted, your letter of support will be reviewed by the Membership Services team. For confirmation of the requirements of the letter of support, please see Entry Requirements.
A signed letter of support will be required for alternative qualifications from your Training Provider or Teacher on letterheaded paper confirming that you have achieved the minimum areas of practice:
- 200 hours of training with 160 hours of direct contact with your mentor or teacher
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Psychology
- Self-awareness
- Safety and care
- Practical skills of teaching, planning, evaluation, adaptations
We require the contact details of your referee should additional verification be required for audit purposes. The following reference details will be requested:
- Name
- Email address
- Telephone number
- Job role
- Organisation
- Your relationship
Your membership will be approved within the affiliate membership category to bring you onboard as a CIMSPA member. We will email you with guidance to support you with your next steps towards becoming a practitioner or associate member.
If your qualifications have not been mapped to the industry professional standards, they may be submitted for the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process. For further information, please email info@cimspa.co.uk
If you have successfully met the professional standard following completion of your CIMSPA endorsed course for your chosen practitioner category, your professional qualification certificate issued by CIMSPA and awarded by your education provider will clearly confirm this and should be submitted with your application.
EREPS/REPS Ireland
We have an agreement with and can accept a Letter of Portability during your membership application from the following organisations, providing it is transferrable to your chosen CIMSPA membership category:
Other countries
If your qualification was completed in a country outside the above organisations’ jurisdiction, please email info@cimspa.co.uk with a copy of your letter of portability or qualification, confirming the country of issue, for further support.