Are you a woman in academia with young children to care for? Are you wondering how to juggle your different priorities and navigate academic life now you have additional caring responsibilities?  

You may have one child or more, may be currently on or recently returned from maternity or adoption leave, and/or have children in nursery or school. If so, our supportive, coaching circles for academic women with young children, facilitated by academic leader, coach, equality and diversity specialist, and mother of four Professor Tamsin Hinton-Smith could be exactly what you’re looking for. Read on for more details and express your interest in joining a group here.

We know that academic and professional service staff of different genders have care responsibilities for child and adult dependents in different circumstances. However, we also know that there are gendered patterns of responsibility for caring, and care responsibilities for young children in particular impact women at the early to mid-career stages in academia. This all too often creates particular tensions in terms of being pulled in multiple equally demanding directions at exactly the career point at which women feel they are having to ‘prove’ themselves at work and lay effective foundations for ongoing career development. Add to this the insecurities and concurrent widespread anxiety levels expressed by many academics in the current sector, and you have myriad causes for sleepless nights that aren’t restricted to the crying baby. The responsibilities of both academia and the family are recognised to stretch insatiably to fill the time available and are both jobs in which we never truly ‘clock off.’ 

It is with this in mind, that our online group coaching circles have been developed to offer a safe, facilitated space away from both family and university to gain connection, support, insight and strategies. Through these groups, you will developing sustainable networks of support with other women in academia with care responsibilities for young children. Our coaching circles use tried and tested methodology led by a facilitator with 30 years’ experience in academia; researching, teaching, leadership, and living the experience of motherhood and care responsibilities in academic life.

Professor Tamsin Hinton-Smith is a sociologist of gender and education, and an academic leader in higher education equalities and inclusion, with four grown up children of her own. She is a professionally accredited coach specialising in coaching academic women around challenges and experiences at intersections of professional and personal life.   

 Through your group coaching circle Tamsin will support you to develop supportive relationships, tools and approaches to navigate your own unique path through this journey, including focus around boundaries, imposter syndrome, prioritising, and targeted future-thinking. Central to the approach is an organically developing focus on guided approaches to the particular challenges and priorities that group members bring to the sessions, ensuring the maximum relevance of group participation to you. We will employ insights and techniques from a number of approaches, giving you the tools to continue to navigate challenges yourself and with peers beyond the life of your facilitated group participation, and to support other women in your own professional practice. 

Tamsin explains what you can expect from group coaching

Online group coaching costs £250 for participation in our six month programme, which includes 6 x monthly 1.5 hour long sessions. After this time you will have the option to continue on an ongoing rolling group programme should you wish, and/or to book one-to-one coaching follow up session(s) with Tamsin.  

If you are interested in participating in a group coaching circle for academic women with young children, please complete our expression of interest form at the link below and we will be in touch with further information. 

EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST IN JOINING A GROUP COACHING CIRCLE HERE 

Please note that Research Coach is proud to be an inclusive organisation. Our coaching groups for academic women with young children welcome trans women, and non-binary people who feel comfortable in a women’s space.

If you have any questions about the group coaching circles, please contact us at enquiries@researchcoach.co.uk