The Career Change Accelerator

The Career Change Accelerator is for…
- People who are feeling stuck in some way but who are determined to make a change.
- People who think they know what they want to do but need help with the process.
- People who don’t know what they want to do but are prepared to work to find it out.
- People who are prepared to step outside their comfort zones to create new opportunities.
- People who are honest about their excuses and who are prepared to transcend them.
- People who are prepared to change the way they see the world in order to change their place in it.
- People who want to solve problems, create things, work hard, and have an impact.
- People who are prepared to graft and work hard to become excellent at something.
- People who understand that this process is hard and that it will take time.

It’s not for dreamers who aren’t prepared to become doers. It’s not for people whose excuses will sabotage any meaningful forward action. It’s not for people who believe that work is something to be endured rather than enjoyed. It’s not for people who are hoping for a path to a rewarding career that is both quick and easy. It’s not for people for whom external symbols of success are more important than finding ways to do work that is meaningful and fulfilling to them.

By the end of the programme you will:

- Be a lot clearer on your “blockers” — the real and perceived things keeping you stuck.
- Have taken stock of your career history and highlighted the ingredients of fulfilling work that are missing for you.
- Have a good understanding of the unhelpful narratives you’re telling yourself and begin to articulate new potential narratives for yourself.
- Have a better sense of your unique values and what truly matters to you.
- Tap back into your inherent creativity.
- Begin to explore new areas of interest.
- Understand how successful 21st century careerists create opportunities on their own terms.
- Begin testing your way into new career directions by spearheading new projects and kickstarting experiments into the world based on your interests.
- Be clear on how to present yourself in the world of work and build a solid personal brand.
- Understand how to apply to jobs in new and creative ways to increase your chances of success.
- Have a greater understanding of how you can quickly and easily demonstrate your value to others.
- Learn methods and tools to build authentic relationships and enriching connections.
- Apply entrepreneurial tactics to your career change.
- Be connected with a strong community of likeminded people who are on a similar mission to you.
- Have ongoing long-term support for your career aspirations.

In terms of your plans, you may:

Be considering resigning from your job to work full-time on a new project or pursue a new career path.
Line up a new full-time or part-time opportunity in your same industry, but with an organization that’s more aligned with your values.
Line up a new full-time or part-time opportunity in a completely new industry that you’re interested in.
Negotiate part-time or full-time off to allow yourself time to focus on something new.
Begin to freelance or generate income part-time with a “pocket skill” you develop or build up.
Start experimenting with new career idea(s) and building traction before deciding to pursue it full-time.

Each Career Change Accelerator has a leader aka your Escape coach.

Wherever possible they will help you with useful information but they will also encourage you to figure things out for yourself. We learn best by doing, not by being told.

The best people to learn with are escapees, career change coaches, and people who have been through big changes themselves. Escape Leaders are people with credible track records in helping others escape into more fulfilling work, and who can act as role models for the group.

The Leaders aren’t teachers (or gurus!).

Your leader is your guide for this experience. They will steer you through the process – helping you troubleshoot, problem-solve and brainstorm your way through the challenges.

Accelerator members typically cover a diverse range of backgrounds (this is part of their strength). A snapshot of sectors previous Escapees have worked in:
Media, Financial Services, Publishing, Advertising, Education, Transportation, Banking, Software Development, Law, Consulting, Technology, Accounting, Events, Law, Media, Communications, Medicine, Charity, Oil & Gas, Teaching, Architecture, Civil Service, Creative Arts, Fashion, Hospitality, Marketing, Property, Retail, Sustainability, Wine, E-commerce, Customer Service, Automotive, Consumer Goods, Military, Travel.

The ideal Accelerator applicant is someone who is prepared to test their way into a new direction through doing, not through more researching, planning or talking.

It doesn’t matter whether you have no ideas on your potential direction of career change travel, or have a bunch of ideas. Nor do you need to make a complete 180-degree turn on your career; it’s possible you just need to make a small 1% shift. All we ask is that you be open to making exciting new things happen in your career.

If you already know what you want to do with your career and you are relatively confident about making it happen then The Career Change Accelerator probably isn’t for you – get on and make it happen!

If you have a good idea about what you’d like to do next but you don’t know how to make it happen, you don’t feel confident about executing on your plan at this stage, or you would like a guided path to turning your idea into a reality then The Career Change Accelerator may be for you.

If we’ve learned anything from ten years of running Career Change Programmes, it’s that change is much more likely to happen (and will be a lot less lonely) when you’re doing it alongside a group of allies who are on a similar mission. You’ll go much further and sustain much longer with a community.

We are asking for applications for two reasons:

1. To determine whether we can help you – whether this is right for you.
2. To allow you to demonstrate that you are serious about this.

We aren’t judging your quality as a person or how impressive your CV is. We are simply figuring out whether this experience is a good fit for you. We are committed to delivering amazing experiences for the people who join the Accelerator and that starts with finding people who we believe we can really help. It is completely OK if you have a good idea, many ideas or no ideas about where you want to head with your career.

We’re not accepting people based on their skills, experience, credentials, or bullets on a CV. What we are looking for is simply a can-do attitude, a hunger to transition into more fulfilling work, a willingness to take responsibility for your own actions and progression, and the desire to help your fellow Escapees in their own journey.

This is a two-way assessment. You are figuring out whether The Career Change Accelerator is for you and we are figuring out whether we can help you.

If we feel we can’t help you we would far rather tell you than enrol you on an experience that doesn’t work for you. If this is the case, we will do our best to suggest resources, books, or support that might be more appropriate for you based on your current stage.

We strongly encourage you not to commit to The Career Change Accelerator if you are not going to be able to prioritise it. We know that life changes but please make sure that your intention is to engage fully if you do accept a place.
Please do be sure before accepting. If we are over-subscribed for places it will be unfair on the people who missed out if you cancel after a few weeks, as it will be too late for someone to take your place.


REFUND POLICY
1. If you withdraw from the programme more than 6 weeks before the start date: We will refund your full fee.
2. If you withdraw from the programme between 6 – 3 weeks before the start date: £700 of your payment will be kept and the rest will be refunded. (Early bird payments £600 will be kept, and the rest refunded)
3. If you withdraw within 3 weeks of the start date: £900 of your payment will be kept and the rest will be refunded. (Early bird payments £750 will be kept, and the rest refunded)
4. If you withdraw on or after the start date: Your payment is non-refundable.

Please note that super early bird and fast-track places are non-refundable.
Extraordinary circumstances (serious illness or bereavement) will be taken into consideration in extreme cases and will be discussed on an individual basis. In these cases our priority will be to defer you to a later programme if suitable so we can continue to support you. We can also discuss transferring you to a different programme if we feel this might be more suitable for you.

Deferral requests will also be considered on a case by case basis. If your request to defer to a later programme is within 6 weeks of the start date, we will do our best to accommodate you but cannot guarantee a place on a future programme.
You are only able to defer your place once. Once a place has been deferred, it is non refundable.