The New Zealand Schools’ Debating Council is opening applications to apply to be a Regional Team Coach or Assistant Coach for all of our 12 regional teams.
The general requirements of coaching the teams are as follows:
- Attend the relevant regional competition (see dates: http://www.debating.org.nz/2021/01/10/2021-regional-championships-dates/)
- Train your team: Generally, you should aim to train the team for a few weekends between Regionals in March and Nationals in May, but it is at your discretion as to how you arrange this.
- Attend Nationals from Friday 28 May to Monday 31 May
Application Process
Applicants may apply by completing the following google form:
https://forms.gle/5vCK3s6a5twZnGYU6
Applications close on Friday 5 February at 9pm.
Following on from its introduction in 2020 Council will be instituting a feedback process for coaching applicants. The feedback process will be used as a mechanism for individuals to express concerns about the suitability of an applicant to coach students and is not a general feedback process that you may see at the university level for adjudication cores.
Feedback will open on Saturday 6 February and close on Wednesday 10 February.
Assistant Coaches
An assistant coach is a coach that does not lead training but assists the coaches through tasks such as debating the team and providing feedback to the team. The assistant coaching pathway is aimed at providing meaningful opportunities for the development of younger coaches under more experienced coaches.
Those wishing to be an assistant coach can also apply using the same google form. Regional selection panels will appoint assistant coaches in consultation with the appointed coaches for each region.
Selection of Coaches
Coaching appointments will be made in line with NZSDC’s Coach Selection Policy found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14LavWHLahMCJBXGJI2VRLwsxhzU0X-3dUE7lfDCvdXA/edit?usp=sharing
In 2021, Council will appoint 3 regional selection panels which will consider applicants wishing to apply as regional coaches.
- Upper North Island Regional Selection Panel – Northland, Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty
- Central New Zealand Selection Panel – Hawke’s Bay, Central North Island, Wellington and Kahurangi-Marlborough
- South Island Selection Panel – Canterbury and Otago-Southland
All regional selection panel processes will be run simultaneously but independently. In regions where there is more than 1 region being contested, candidates will be asked to indicate which regions they wish to be considered for. They will also be given the opportunity to state and explain the ranked preference of regions for which they wish to be considered.
An applicant can apply as an individual coach, or in a combination with one other applicant.
Where a selection panel has multiple regions under consideration they will appoint coaches with the goal of achieving the strongest possible coaches for all regions under consideration in accordance with the regional preferences of candidates.
Please send any questions to Zachary Wong ([email protected]) who is managing the process.
