Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions about North★STAR Career Compass, ELLA AI coaching, pricing plans, data privacy, and the STAR & GEMS methodology.
What subscription plans are available?
We offer Explorer (free) with phases 1–2 and 1 ELLA conversation per day; Career Confidence Collective (£24.99/month or £249.90/year) as our full membership; and Family (£39.99/month or £399.90/year) for up to 4 family members. Employer, Education, and Charity/Not-for-profit plans are available for organisations.
Who is ELLA?
ELLA stands for Empowering Luminary Life Ally. She's your AI career guide and coach, built into the North★STAR platform. ELLA guides you through reflective conversations across your 10-phase journey, helping you uncover your strengths, motivations, and ideal career direction. Explorer members get 1 ELLA conversation per day; paid members get unlimited access.
What is the NorthSTAR Career Compass?
North★STAR Career Compass is an AI-supported career clarity tool designed to help individuals understand their strengths, preferences, and direction. It provides structured insight to support informed career decisions and is used alongside human-facilitated development through the Career Confidence Collective.
Is North★STAR an AI career coach?
No. North★STAR is not an AI career coach — ELLA is the AI career guide and coach within the platform. North★STAR provides structured insight and clarity using AI, while interpretation, reflection, and development are supported by humans. It complements education, coaching, mentoring, and employability programmes rather than replacing human judgement.
What is a STAR profile?
A STAR profile summarises an individual's career direction across four areas: Service, Talent, Authenticity, and Reward. It is designed to support clarity, communication, and practical next steps, and is not intended to label or diagnose people.
What does GEMS mean?
GEMS stands for Gifts, Energy Sources, Motivators, and Skills in Demand. It is a human-centred model that captures your innate strengths, what lights you up, your core drivers, and your market value.
Is North★STAR inclusive and neurodiversity-aware?
Yes. North★STAR is designed to be inclusive, non-diagnostic, and respectful of different thinking and communication styles. It avoids deficit language and focuses on understanding, capability, and development.
How is my data handled?
North★STAR is fully GDPR-compliant. We follow responsible data principles with transparency around purpose, usage, and human oversight. You can export your data, request deletion, and manage your consent preferences at any time from your Your Data page. We record consent server-side, log all data requests for audit, and never share your personal information without your explicit permission.
What coaching is included?
Every paid Career Confidence Collective or Family membership includes group cohort coaching — a 12-week programme with peers, led by ILM Level 5 or Level 7 actively studying or certified coaches. This includes structured group sessions, weekly drop-in calls, and foundation courses designed to run alongside your North★STAR compass journey. For personalised, one-to-one support, optional 1-2-1 coaching programmes are available as add-ons.
Is North★STAR free?
We offer both free and premium tiers. The free Explorer tier gives you access to the first 2 phases of your journey and 1 ELLA conversation per day. Premium plans like the Career Confidence Collective (from £24.99/month) unlock all 10 phases, unlimited ELLA conversations, group cohort coaching, and access to human coaches.
Who is the NorthSTAR Career Compass for?
The NorthSTAR Career Compass is suitable for students, apprentices, early-career individuals, career changers, and organisations supporting career development. It is designed for mixed cohorts and does not assume a lack of confidence or capability.
Does North★STAR screen candidates for hiring?
North★STAR is not a traditional screening tool. Our GEMS matching engine uses strengths-based, neuroinclusive matching to connect talent with opportunity — helping candidates discover roles that genuinely fit, and helping employers find people whose strengths align with the role. Match scores are explainable, auditable, and designed to reduce bias. However, hiring decisions should always be made by humans.
What is the Skills Hub?
The Skills Hub is your self-directed assessment space for the 8 essential skills: Listening, Speaking, Problem Solving, Creativity, Adapting, Planning, Leadership, and Teamwork. Powered by the Skills Builder Universal Framework, each skill has 16 progressive steps you can work through at your own pace.
What is Career Skills Match?
Career Skills Match compares your essential skills profile against real UK career data from the SOC 2020 classification. It shows you match percentages, highlights gaps, and helps you discover careers that align with your strengths.