ALMOST five months have passed since Francis Cummins was unseated as Bulls head coach.

After going away to lick his wounds, he is now doing what all out-of-work coaches do – he is waiting for a call.

The right call has yet to materialise but Cummins has not sat idle during his sabbatical.

For a start, he has been going to the gym most days, while he is also coaching his son Mitch's North Leeds Leopards Under-13s side and Yarnbury RUFC on a voluntary basis.

Perhaps above all, though, he has sought to increase his knowledge, contacts and job prospects by visiting several professional clubs.

There have been trips to Southampton Football Club, to Bath and Sale Sharks in rugby union, and a meeting with England coach Stuart Lancaster.

He recently joined Warrington boss Tony Smith in paying a visit to Nottingham Forest manager Stuart Pearce.

Cummins explained: "It's something I've probably been doing for the past five or six years.

"I spent an afternoon with Mike Ford at Bath and we just talked about where rugby union was and where it might be going next.

"Mike's story is interesting – how he started at Oldham and worked his way up to Bath.

"I travelled down there and you actually go past Bradford-upon-Avon on the way to Bath's training ground.

"It's a little bit different from our Bradford! It's a picture postcard place and Bath's training complex is like a stately home.

"I then went to Southampton and spent the day with Martin Hunter, who is their technical director.

"He was at Bradford City previously and obviously Southampton have produced some great young players.

"They're punching well above their weight and doing really well.

"I went down there with Aleks Gross, who I worked with at Leeds Rhinos and is now Southampton academy's head of sports science.

"There were some cross-references and I was able to share some of the things that we did at Bradford and were trying to put in place.

"We discussed the difference between football and rugby league players – it's always good to bounce ideas off other people and just have a good think about what you're about.

"Also, given the opportunity again, what might you do differently?"

Cummins also met with legendary former Bulls star Mike Forshaw, who is proving a notable success as Sale's defensive coach.

Although Cummins' heart remains in rugby league, the prospect of working in the 15-man code appeals to him.

"Rugby union has been inundated with league coaches to sort their defences out but the thing that really interests me in that code is improving skill and attacking structures," he said.

"They like the skills set we have in league and that's where I'm probably in a good position. I reckon I could make some really big improvements somewhere from an attacking perspective.

"I recently met Stuart Lancaster, who I knew when he was at Leeds Tykes.

"When we got made redundant at Bradford in 2012 after the first administration, he was really good and asked how I was.

"It was great to chat to him about how he has changed the environment with England. He gave me some quality time and I appreciate that."

Warrington boss Smith is a close associate of Forest manager Pearce and Cummins was delighted to spend a day with them both.

"I've always loved Brian Clough and was intent on getting some stories from Stuart about him!" said Cummins.

"What Cloughie did with a provincial club like Forest – winning two European Cups – was unbelievable.

"It was good to spend a bit of time with Stuart and chat about my own experiences at Bradford and what I had to deal with.

"We had a great day down at Forest and meeting different people makes you reassess yourself.

"I'm not going to pigeon-hole myself any more because ultimately it's 'Team Cummins' who I've got to look after."

Part of Cummins' story is easy to forget. He worked without pay for three months after being made redundant during the crisis-torn 2012 campaign.

Back in June, and following the club's second spell in administration, he was shown the door by Bulls owner Marc Green.

Cummins is taking legal action over his dismissal and the case will be heard early next year.

He was linked with Halifax before they appointed Richard Marshall but is exploring all opportunities.

"I just need to position myself where I can pass on my knowledge," said Cummins.

"It's a strange situation because I'm probably a little bit too qualified for some jobs that were knocking around – assistant roles perhaps.

"One, I could be looked on as a threat, and two, I would be helping someone who would be getting the benefit of a coach who had more experience than them. But it has to be the right job for me.

"It makes you re-evaluate things and the industry has just got a little bit smaller at the moment. I need to look to other things and I'm starting to do that.

"I'm even having meetings with people about lecturing at universities – that would be the last thing I thought I could do!

"I've got the applied knowledge to give to students, and that's a possibility for the future, but ultimately I'm a coach.

"I need to make sure my next job is a good one and what's right for me and my family.

"The ideal job would be in league. We had a tough time at Bradford but I enjoyed every minute of it, strangely.

"You learn a few lessons but I've come out of it intact. Although financially it wasn't the best time of my career, I gained some great experience that will help in the future.

"But with everything I had to deal with, I've probably clocked up a lot more miles in my coaching career than most.

"I've been at Leeds, arguably the best-run club in the game, and then had to deal with some terrible situations at Bradford.

"We had to stick together and we had no players, so I've experienced both sides of the coin.

"The main thing now as a head coach is having standards about yourself and how you want to do things.

"Crucially, I never compromised myself. I always stuck to what I was about and my beliefs."

As Cummins continues to build up his contacts and his subsequent job prospects, he continues to wait for a call.

"I could see the merry-go round starting again as clubs try and get into the top eight next season," he says.

"Until then I need to keep educating myself and try a few different things. But I'm raring to go again."