This one page summary aims to give an overview of the Testing the Water® questionnaire:
The questionnaire was created following 18 months of research with Birkbeck, University of London.
It aims to help people to assess their readiness for self-employment, and to identify their areas of strength and areas requiring personal development.
As part of the research, 20 candidates were interviewed at length. Their 2-3 hour interviews were transcribed and coded for elements, which supported their transition to self-employment.
The candidates had all made the transition into self-employment within the last 3 years. They saw themselves as being successful in the transition, and they came from a range of business sectors including: landscape gardening, human resource professionals, creative design, architecture, physiotherapy, reflexology, business consultancy, amongst others.
The findings illustrated that eight elements accounted for 80% of the areas to focus on to facilitate the movement into self-employment. No new findings were discovered after candidate number 12 was interviewed. In other words, candidates 13-20 confirmed the findings.
These eight elements can be clustered into three groups:
- The momentum for change
- Personal competencies
- Physical support
The questionnaire is a 24-page publication. It is both qualitative and quantitative in style and typically takes 60-90 minutes to complete.
The price of the Testing the Water questionnaire is:
- Pack of one £15 (£15 per copy) + £3 postage and packaging + VAT
- Pack of five £60 (£12 per copy) + £5 postage and packaging + VAT
- Pack of ten £100 (£10 per copy) + £7.50 postage and packaging + VAT
It is recommended that the price of the Testing the Water questionnaire is passed on to the client as part of the pricing structure.