Wellbeing
PIVOT - Personal Identity, Values & Intentional Transformation for Teachers
6 days
Teacher retention is one of Europe’s most pressing education challenges. PIVOT addresses the root cause: the loss of professional meaning, identity, and sense of agency that precedes burnout and early departure from the profession.
Using life-coaching frameworks, positive psychology, narrative identity theory, and Ikigai principles, PIVOT guides educators through a structured and deeply personal process of reconnecting with their purpose, reinventing their professional identity, and making intentional choices about their future — whether that means renewed commitment, a shift in role, or a courageous change of direction. The course was developed by a trainer who made a radical professional pivot herself, bringing unparalleled authenticity and lived experience to the content.
Learning Outcomes
Participants to the course will learn to:
Teacher retention is one of Europe’s most pressing education challenges. PIVOT addresses the root cause: the loss of professional meaning, identity, and sense of agency that precedes burnout and early departure from the profession.
Using life-coaching frameworks, positive psychology, narrative identity theory, and Ikigai principles, PIVOT guides educators through a structured and deeply personal process of reconnecting with their purpose, reinventing their professional identity, and making intentional choices about their future — whether that means renewed commitment, a shift in role, or a courageous change of direction. The course was developed by a trainer who made a radical professional pivot herself, bringing unparalleled authenticity and lived experience to the content.
Programme
PIVOT - Personal Identity, Values & Intentional Transformation for Teachers
Monday - Who Were You, Who Are You?
Welcome and community-building: professional life maps (timeline activity).
Identity theory in education: how our professional story shapes our teaching.
Values archaeology: tracing the values that have guided your career choices.
The identity gap exercise: current self vs. future self vs. feared self.
Evening journaling: the moment I knew something had to change.
Tuesday - The Ikigai Compass
Introduction to Ikigai: origin, structure, and evidence base.
Deep-dive workshop: mapping passion, mission, vocation, and profession.
Where does your Ikigai point? Individual analysis and peer dialogue.
Career anchors theory (Schein): understanding what you cannot give up.
Coaching conversation: what would you do if you were not afraid?
Wednesday - Decoding the Past
Narrative coaching: your story is your asset.
Reframing exercises: turning apparent failures into vocational data.
Legal and practical dimension: rights and options when changing direction within or beyond education.
Afternoon: somatic release — letting go of professional identities that no longer serve.
Silence walk and nature reflection: accessing clarity through stillness.
Thursday - Exploring Possible Futures
Future-mapping: generating at least three viable professional futures.
Prototyping conversations: small experiments to test each future.
Decision-making under uncertainty: tools from coaching and cognitive science.
Risk intelligence: rational assessment of the costs and benefits of change.
Workshop: writing a letter from your future self, five years from now.
Friday - The Pivot Plan
Structure of a Pivot Plan: purpose, options, timelines, support, experiments.
Participants draft their individual Pivot Plans (3-hour workshop).
Peer advisory boards: small groups give structured feedback on each plan.
How to use PIVOT tools with your own students facing transitions.
Afternoon yoga and breathwork: embodying courage for the next step.
Saturday - Intentional Forward
Pivot Plans presented in plenary: commitments made public.
Accountability systems: 30-60-90 day check-in structures.
Certificate ceremony: Erasmus+ KA1 completion.
Closing ritual: participants leave one thing behind and name one thing they are moving toward.
Celebration and departure.
Materials, digital tools & other learning resources
Course participants will receive training and engage in exercises designed to develop their skills as trainers. The provision of additional materials or resources will be determined based on the course structure and the instructor’s approach to meeting the learning objectives
Course package content:
Services and activities included in the course package are those described above. Please note that accommodation, transport, and meals are not provided.
Cancellation & changes:
Common sense prevails when it comes to cancellations, which are analyzed on a case-by-case basis.