How Do You Know When You’re Ready to Work as a Medium?

I had business cards before I had a standard.

By Karen Baldwin, Evidential Medium

I had about five minutes of training before I had business cards printed.

A website followed. Then readings. Public demonstrations. Fairs. Facebook posts. The whole box and dice.

I had experienced one of those enormous moments when something suddenly makes sense. After years of unexplained experiences and wondering whether I was simply a bit strange, I found myself in a room with people who understood what I was talking about.

More importantly, I discovered that I could connect.

I thought, “Oh my goodness. I can do this.”

So I did what any sensible person with virtually no training would do.

I launched a business.

At the time, I genuinely believed I was doing a good job. My intentions were good. I wanted to help people, understand my ability and explore the world that had opened in front of me.

But good intentions are not the same as competence.

That is the uncomfortable truth at the heart of this story.

Key takeaways

  • An exciting experience can open the door, but it does not make someone ready to work publicly.

  • Confidence and positive reactions are not reliable measures of competence.

  • Proper development requires practice, feedback, boundaries and honest self-evaluation.

  • A good teacher should be transparent about their own training and approach.

  • Readiness includes knowing when to say, “I’ve got nothing.”

I didn’t know what I didn’t know

In the beginning, I had no meaningful standard against which to assess myself.

I measured my work against what I had seen on television, what the people around me were doing and the polite responses of those who came for readings.

Some readings appeared to land. Some did not. Most people were kind enough not to tell me exactly what they thought.

I interpreted their politeness as reassurance.

I also mistook activity for progress. I had clients. I appeared at fairs. I was working publicly. Surely that meant I was becoming a medium?

Not necessarily.

Being busy did not tell me whether I could establish and sustain a clear mediumistic contact. A client becoming emotional did not automatically mean the information was accurate. Speaking confidently did not mean I understood what I was doing.

I had potential and enthusiasm.

What I did not yet have was competence.

Then I saw a completely different standard

A medium from the United Kingdom came to Canberra to give a public demonstration.

I sat in the audience with my jaw on the floor.

The work was detailed, specific and calm. There was no theatrical fuss around it. The evidence developed in a way that allowed the recipient to understand who the communicator was, how they had lived and why the relationship mattered.

It was not about making the medium appear special.

It was about doing the work properly.

Until that evening, I had not known that mediumship could look like that. I had been trying to evaluate myself without knowing what was possible.

That demonstration changed my understanding of the work. It also made me realise how much I still had to learn.

I approached the medium afterwards and asked the obvious question: “How do I learn to do that?”

The answer eventually led me to formal development and training with Paul Jacobs.

The assessment I wasn’t expecting

I arrived at my first training with plenty of public experience and, if I am honest, an expectation that my ability would be recognised.

Instead, I received a very frank assessment.

There might have been potential, but potential was not the same as developed ability. I did not yet understand how to establish the power, blend properly with the spirit world or sustain the communication.

In plain English: I had a lot of work to do.

It was not comfortable to hear.

It was also exactly what I needed.

Paul did more than correct my work during that training. He taught me how to continue developing between courses. He showed me how to structure a development group, evaluate what I was doing and learn from the occasions when things did not work.

That became fundamental to everything that followed.

A good first experience is not a qualification

A powerful experience can change your life.

It can make years of sensitivity suddenly make sense. It can awaken curiosity, create confidence and leave you feeling as though you have discovered something you were always meant to do.

But it does not automatically make you ready to read for paying clients or stand in front of an audience.

I had mistaken an opening experience for readiness.

I had mistaken encouragement for training.

I had mistaken public activity for development.

Proper development asked much more of me.

I had to sit in the stillness and become familiar with my own awareness. I had to learn the difference between my thoughts, psychic information and mediumistic communication.

I also had to understand that having an ability did not give me unrestricted permission to use it.

Consent matters. Boundaries matter. The person in front of me is not there to prove that I am gifted. They are a human being trusting me with something personal, and what I say may affect them long after the reading ends.

That responsibility changed how I understood the work.

I took myself out of circulation

At one point, I stopped working publicly for two years.

There was no dramatic announcement. No shiny rebrand. No inspirational social-media post about stepping into my power.

I simply stopped.

I needed to spend less time trying to prove that I could do the work and more time learning how to do it properly.

So I returned to the foundations. I sat in development. I practised. I received feedback. I was corrected, and then corrected again.

Over the years, I continued training in Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom. I worked with Paul and with other teachers whose approach was consistent with the evidential standard I wanted to develop.

Progress did not come from repeating the same thing until I felt more confident. It came from attempting the work, receiving specific feedback, understanding what had happened and trying again.

Research into skill development in other professional fields supports the value of this kind of deliberate practice. A systematic review of psychotherapy training found preliminary evidence that clearly defined learning objectives, repeated practice and expert feedback can improve specific skills. Deliberate practice and skill development

A separate review of feedback in professional education found that structured feedback generally produced better learning outcomes than no feedback or unstructured feedback. The use of feedback in professional education

These studies were not examining mediumship, and I would never pretend otherwise. The relevant principle is much more ordinary: doing something repeatedly is not the same as practising it well.

The mistakes taught me more

My earliest paid readings were not gentle introductions to the work.

The first mediumistic contact involved a man who had died in a motorcycle accident. The second involved someone’s murdered son.

There was no gradual progression from comforting grandmothers to more difficult circumstances. I was immediately confronted with the reality that mediumship can involve traumatic deaths, complicated relationships and people carrying profound grief.

I made mistakes.

Some of those mistakes taught me more than the readings that went beautifully. They forced me to consider what information was necessary, how it should be communicated and whether I was meeting the needs of the person in front of me.

They also taught me that a reading is not successful simply because I have said something impressive.

The real questions are more demanding.

Was the information clear?

Was I respectful?

Did I allow the recipient to disagree?

Did I remain with the communication, or did I begin filling gaps?

Did I meet the needs of the recipient and the person communicating from the spirit world?

Those questions remain my compass.

What does readiness actually look like?

There is no single moment when a certificate drops from the heavens and declares that you are now officially ready.

Bugger. That would make things much easier.

For me, readiness is not about believing that every reading will be brilliant. No responsible medium can guarantee that.

It is about having enough stability, understanding and discipline to work without making the recipient responsible for your confidence.

Readiness means being able to:

  1. Establish and sustain the work.
    One accurate statement is not the same as a developed communication. You need to remain with the information and allow it to build.

  2. Communicate clearly.
    Pretty spiritual language is not a substitute for saying what you actually have. The recipient should not have to decode a cloud of words to find the point.

  3. Accept a no.
    If the recipient cannot understand the information, you must listen. You may clarify what you mean, but you cannot bully someone into accepting it.

  4. Recognise your own influence.
    As I explain in Why Is Mediumship Development an Inside Job?, knowing your own reactions and assumptions helps you recognise when your story is intruding on someone else’s.

  5. Work with appropriate boundaries.
    Sensitivity does not give you permission to read everyone around you. Consent and discretion are part of competence.

  6. Say when you have nothing.
    Sometimes the connection does not establish itself. Sometimes there is not enough information to continue. Saying so is not a failure of character. Pretending is far worse.

How should you choose a mediumship teacher?

I do not believe there is only one worthy teacher or one correct path of development.

Different teaching styles suit different people. What matters is finding someone whose experience, standards and philosophy can be explained clearly.

Before joining a development circle, workshop or course, ask:

  • Who trained the teacher?

  • How long did their own development take?

  • Do they continue to receive feedback or undertake further development?

  • Can they explain what students will actually learn?

  • How do they teach consent, boundaries and responsibility?

  • How do they respond when a student’s information is not understood?

  • Are students encouraged to evaluate their work honestly?

  • Does the teacher rush beginners towards paid or public work?

Direct feedback from the person receiving a service can also be valuable. A systematic review of healthcare education found that 11 of the 12 included studies reported improvements when students received feedback from patients. Again, this is not research into mediumship. It simply reinforces the value of listening to the person on the receiving end of your work. How recipient feedback supports skill development

Watch a prospective teacher work if you can.

Listen to how they explain their approach. Notice whether questions are welcomed. Pay attention to how they respond when something goes wrong.

You are not looking for perfection.

You are looking for transparency, competence and someone capable of helping you learn rather than merely making you feel gifted.

Development is not a fast track

People understandably want something to happen.

They attend a workshop hoping to discover whether they have an ability. They want practical exercises, encouraging results and some indication of where the path might lead.

I understand that because I was exactly the same.

Beginners should be welcomed. Curiosity should be encouraged. A first experience can be extraordinary.

But development takes time.

It takes time to understand your own mind. It takes time to become familiar with your sensitivity. It takes time to develop steadiness, communication skills and appropriate boundaries.

Most importantly, it takes time to become comfortable with not knowing.

I began training properly in 2016. Even after years of travelling, practising and learning, I continued returning to the foundations. Not because nothing had changed, but because the foundations are what hold the work together.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to develop as a medium?

There is no standard timeframe. Development depends on the individual, the quality and consistency of their practice, the teaching they receive and their willingness to learn from feedback. Completing a workshop may begin the process, but it does not automatically make someone ready for paid or public work.

Does everyone have the ability to become a medium?

People may experience different degrees and forms of sensitivity, but curiosity alone does not establish what someone can develop. A responsible teacher should allow ability to unfold through experience rather than making immediate promises about a student’s potential, destiny or future career.

Do I need formal qualifications to work as a medium?

There is no single qualification governing every medium, but the absence of a universal credential does not make training unnecessary. Ask practitioners about their development, teachers, experience, professional boundaries and continuing education. Their answers should help you decide whether their standards align with yours.

How do I know whether a development circle is suitable?

Speak with the facilitator before joining. Ask about their experience, teaching approach, group expectations, safety boundaries and the practices involved. A good facilitator should answer clearly, avoid promising rapid results and be honest about whether the group suits your experience and needs.

When should a developing medium begin offering paid readings?

Paid work should begin only after the person can work with reasonable consistency, communicate clearly, respect consent, accept correction and stop when a connection is not working. A trusted, experienced teacher should observe their work and provide honest guidance before they take on paying clients.

The business cards came too early

I sometimes look back at that early version of myself with a mixture of affection and horror.

She was enthusiastic. She meant well. She was also in an enormous hurry.

I would not recommend following her example.

But I do not need to disown her either. She began the journey that brought me here. Her mistakes eventually made me seek better teaching, stronger boundaries and a standard that demanded more from me.

Years later, Paul told me there was nothing more he could teach me.

Coming from a teacher with his standards, that meant an enormous amount. It did not mean I had become flawless or finished. It meant I had learned how to evaluate myself, continue developing and take responsibility for the work.

That is what the early business cards could never give me.

They made me look ready.

The real learning taught me what readiness costs.

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About Karen Baldwin

Karen Baldwin is a Canberra-based evidential medium who has trained extensively in Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom. Since beginning her formal development in 2016, she has trained with Paul Jacobs and other teachers working within the same evidential tradition. Karen offers private readings and public evenings of mediumship.