Advice on retraining as a mediator, please

[zone6mum]

I'd love some advice on this please: I've been thinking for a while about training as a mediator. I used to be a commercial solicitor (in-house in the film & television business) and haven't practised since 2007. Lots of solicitors train as mediators in their own area of specialism but film & TV companies don't tend to use mediation. I'm contemplating family mediation, work-place/employee relations and possibly general commercial mediation.

The training is very expensive - between £2.5 and £5k depending on the provider and then there is CPD on top of that. You then get into the vicious circle of "need experience to get work; need work to get experience". Does anyone have any advice on (i) which course to recommend; (ii) how to get the experience and (iii) how likely it is that I might recoup the investment.

I'm going round in circles

I completed a course in mediation at the beginning of the year. It was for 'interpersonal mediation' so everything bar family and commercial mediation.

Have you thought about contacting your local mediation service as many local authorities have them and will train you for free in return for voluntary work. That way you can get some experience at the same time.

The problem I have found with mediation is that it is voluntary, and as both parties have 'nothing to loose' by attending, it can fall apart quickly and the disputants will blame you, as he mediator.

Gosh that's interesting about the blame thing. Good tip about the local authority though. It might be a way of finding out how much I want to do it. Thanks for responding.

My advice would be don't. There are far too many mediators for the work available.