I PASSED THE EXAM – WHAT NOW ? 🤔🤔🤔
A huge congratulations again to all those who managed to sail through the agents exam (don’t forget to pay your $600 within 90 days) 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽.. and to those who didn’t make it this time, don’t be too disheartened. See it as part of the journey. I know it sounds very cliché but remember that it’s not how you start the race, but how you finish 🏁💙⚽️.
After passing my exam many years ago, I was on cloud nine (as you’d expect). As I already had one foot in the industry, I thought that armed with this new knowledge, I knew everything I needed to know to get started, but I realised very quickly that what I knew was just the tip of the iceberg 🤦🏽♀️😅.
Passing the exam is just the beginning and you will continue to learn on the job. It’s similar to obtaining a university degree, going through the process of applying for jobs and trying to work out the “best fit” employer, only for “theory” to finally meet “practice” and leave you a little despondent 😆. Don’t be… just take your time until you find your “best fit” market ✌🏽. I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to focus on the African market, but for others it may be a case of trial and error.
I have been receiving messages asking for advice on what to do next. Should I attend conferences? Should I work on building a network first? Should I work for an agency and shadow another agent? Should I start signing up players? I honestly wouldn’t say there is a right or wrong way of starting out because different things may work for different people, but certainly finding a mentor who you can lean on and seek advice from every now and then, is definitely a good idea. I would also encourage you to obtain Professional Indemnity Insurance, especially if you plan to work with high profile, high net worth individuals. I plan to touch on this in another article.
All in all, I won’t sugar coat it… it’s a tough, but rewarding industry, and I’m not referring to financially only! You will have some good experiences, some bad experiences, some funny experiences and some awkward experiences just like any other job. A funny early memory for me was meeting a now ex-head coach of a Scottish Premier League club at Gatwick airport. I think I caught him off guard when I introduced myself as a “football agent”. He shook my hand, smirked and in a strong Scottish accent said, “I’ve never met a football agent that looks like youuuuuuurrr”, (referring to my heels and polished nails I guess) 😂🤣. We (the physio and other coaching staff) all burst out laughing, which broke the ice. He (and the club) went on to be a great support to me in the industry 🤗💖.
A shout out to The Football Association, especially Robert Marsh for the help and support in my early days. If you are in England, feel free to contact the FA. I’m not sure how much assistance other MAs give its agents.
Feel free to add your thoughts 😊
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