Wikipedia:Admin coaching

This page is currently inactive and is retained for historical reference. Either the page is no longer relevant or consensus on its purpose has become unclear. To revive discussion, seek broader input via a forum such as the village pump. It was last substantively updated a while ago, and the project was first tagged as inactive in March 2009. In 2010, a discussion was started about refactoring the project; this discussion stalled out, and in 2012, a second discussion concluded that it should be tagged "historical".

Admin Coaching is a program designed to match experienced users with administrator hopefuls for one-on-one coaching. The experienced users, being better versed in the qualities expected of a prospective admin, help the hopefuls learn the ways of Wikipedia.

This program is designed for people who have figured out the basics of editing articles; they're not newcomers any more, but they might want some help in learning new roles. Some might like suggestions about how to learn vandal patrol, or mentoring on taking an article to featured status, or guidance with a proposal they plan to make at the Village Pump, for example.

Admin Coaching does not guarantee that you will pass RfA nor is it necessary. Ultimately, this is your responsibility, not the responsibility of your coach. A coach may teach you the ropes, but what you do with the ropes is up to you. Good luck!

Do not wait for the coordinator to do anything. The project coordinators do, at times, make efforts to contact people and connect students with coaches. However, if you wish to speed up the process, do this yourself. If you are a student who wants a coach, look at the status page and look for a coach without a student. If you are a coach and want a student, contact one near the top of the request list. Just do it. But please be sure to update the status and requests pages, so everyone knows what is going on.

• If you need a coach, list yourself on the requests page.
• If you would like to be a coach, please list yourself on the status page.
• If you are a coach or coachee, please update your status on the status page.
• If you have finished receiving coaching and want to thank your coach, consider leaving them The Mop and Bucket Manual or the Admin coaching barnstar.

The current project coordinators are MBisanz and Malinaccier. Please contact them if you have a question or concern.

A glance at the Requests for Adminship page will show that there are no official requirements for becoming a Wikipedia administrator. Anybody can apply regardless of their Wikipedia experience. However this does not mean that there are no standards to be aware of. The reality is that adminship is evaluated in terms of communal trust and confidence, not percentages and numbers, and each editor will have their own way to assess a candidate's readiness for the role. While anybody can apply, a review of failed RfAs will quickly show that members of the community have many unwritten expectations. Applications that are judged to have little chance of success are often closed early; such failed candidacies illustrate cases where expectations clearly are not being met.

Areas where many or most editors may have expectations include the breadth and duration of experience, stability and professionalism as a community member (quality of interaction), and understanding of the Wikipedia ethos and main policies. Other signs of helpfulness or work undertaken in the community are also looked on favorably. Whilst no specific numbers exist for any of these, it is often possible to identify areas where a number of editors will feel that sufficient experience has not yet been obtained.

In short, RfA is a process of discussion and assessment.

The purpose of the Admin Coaching Project is to help ensure that potential candidates are adequately prepared for adminship. Generally your admin coach will review your edits and provide insight as to areas where you should get more experience, or changing your editing style, before submitting an RfA. Your coach will help you to assess potential stumbling blocks and help prepare for your RfA.

Whilst it is possible that you will be accepted for coaching or pass an RfA despite not meeting the basic criteria below, if the quality of your work and your ability to get along with others merits it, in many cases editors who are very much below RfA standard should apply for adoption as a first stage, before applying for admin coaching.