"The Career Practice" Networking group

[MPwannadecentincome]

They found my CV on monster and emailed me to join The Career Practice - Home

I googled them and couldn't find much info other than their own site and linkedin pages.

Has anyone joined them, is it worth joining?

Cheers

[northernladuk]

They question I think you need to answer is, Is there anything on their site that looks realistically useful to you? For a bum on seat contractor I would probably say there isn't. Once you think it has something to offer then go investigate that option and see if it fits the need you have. Just getting it cause it looks cool and you have no goal or desired outcome then it will be a waste of time IMO.

[majoruser]

They found my CV on one of the job sites (reed or monster) and contacted me both by phone and email. I went to find out what they were about as I had to go into Central London on some other business anyway.

They're a 'career coaching' company (although they don't pitch themselves as that).<mod snip>

What I found very interesting about the Career Practice was that they tend to use a sales technique known as the 'challenge close'.

They basically tell you, "we help people get what they want in career by working with them but not everyone qualifies for it. It will take a couple of free sessions with you to know whether you have the potential or not. If after the initial sessions we find that you have what it takes to go through our coaching then we'll take you on board and there will be a fee. The fee by no means covers any business costs as our real business is delivering corporate training. That is something we source through people we coach and help get high profile jobs in companies / be successful in their career."

Now, in this kind of scenario, most people feel compelled to prove that they are better than 'those who do not qualify' and sign up. (By the way, I didn't!)

Their 'coaching' costs in excess of £3500 +VAT for senior manager candidates and £5000 +VAT for excutives. They just tell you their 'fees' verbally, without ever showing you a fee structure, details of services etc.

Now, in my view, theirs is a business with a specific sales pitch. Although many may deem it unethical trying to extort money from the jobseekers under the cloak of 'helping' them, technically, it still is a business. Albeit pretending to be based at an address which is actually not their company address.

So I did a little more digging...

I found that although their website shows them as being based in Holborn, the office address is 31 Southampton Row, Holborn London WC1B 5HJ is run by a company called Avanta.

Avanta is a company that provides serviced office spaces.

For those who do not know what a 'serviced office' is, read on...

Serviced office in London is an office space that can be rented by businesses and individuals that are not based in London but want a 'prestigious' London address.
Serviced office providers offer a range of facilities for such businesses including 'virtual office'. Without going into too much detail, virtual offices are facilities businesses and individuals can purchase for a fee. Virtual office services can include reception and secretarial services, telephone, furnished office, photocopying and printing facilities and so on. In a nutshell, the callers never get to know that the company or individual they are visiting, is in fact not based at that address.

So where is their registered office?
After a little more digging, I found that in Companies House records The Career Practice is based at First Floor, Woburn Court 2 Railton Road, Woburn Road Industrial Estate, Kempston, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK42 7PN.

The Verdict: I am not going to declare them legit or scam. It's up to the readers to decide for themselves. But I would not get involved in anything to do with them.

[wantacontract]

They found my CV on one of the job sites (reed or monster) and contacted me both by phone and email. I went to find out what they were about as I had to go into Central London on some other business anyway.

They're a 'career coaching' company (although they don't pitch themselves as that).<mod snip>

What I found very interesting about the Career Practice was that they tend to use a sales technique known as the 'challenge close'.

They basically tell you, "we help people get what they want in career by working with them but not everyone qualifies for it. It will take a couple of free sessions with you to know whether you have the potential or not. If after the initial sessions we find that you have what it takes to go through our coaching then we'll take you on board and there will be a fee. The fee by no means covers any business costs as our real business is delivering corporate training. That is something we source through people we coach and help get high profile jobs in companies / be successful in their career."

Now, in this kind of scenario, most people feel compelled to prove that they are better than 'those who do not qualify' and sign up. (By the way, I didn't!)

Their 'coaching' costs in excess of £3500 +VAT for senior manager candidates and £5000 +VAT for excutives. They just tell you their 'fees' verbally, without ever showing you a fee structure, details of services etc.

Now, in my view, theirs is a business with a specific sales pitch. Although many may deem it unethical trying to extort money from the jobseekers under the cloak of 'helping' them, technically, it still is a business. Albeit pretending to be based at an address which is actually not their company address.

So I did a little more digging...

I found that although their website shows them as being based in Holborn, the office address is 31 Southampton Row, Holborn London WC1B 5HJ is run by a company called Avanta.

Avanta is a company that provides serviced office spaces.

For those who do not know what a 'serviced office' is, read on...

Serviced office in London is an office space that can be rented by businesses and individuals that are not based in London but want a 'prestigious' London address.
Serviced office providers offer a range of facilities for such businesses including 'virtual office'. Without going into too much detail, virtual offices are facilities businesses and individuals can purchase for a fee. Virtual office services can include reception and secretarial services, telephone, furnished office, photocopying and printing facilities and so on. In a nutshell, the callers never get to know that the company or individual they are visiting, is in fact not based at that address.

So where is their registered office?
After a little more digging, I found that in Companies House records The Career Practice is based at First Floor, Woburn Court 2 Railton Road, Woburn Road Industrial Estate, Kempston, Bedford, Bedfordshire, MK42 7PN.

The Verdict: I am not going to declare them legit or scam. It's up to the readers to decide for themselves. But I would not get involved in anything to do with them.

good on you for providing this information!