Thinking of becoming a life coach?
People often request to have an information interview me when they are considering becoming a life coach, since I’ve been in the business officially since 2002. They are wondering which training program I’d recommend, what it’s like to build a coaching business and for a glimpse of ‘a day in the life of’ a coach.
While these are great questions, I answer them by asking them some in return. For example:
Regarding coach training programs, as Stephen Covey says, ‘begin with the end in mind. Consider reflecting on:
· Who would you like to coach? (who would be your target market)
· What would they want to be coached/help around? (What would your target market ‘buy’?)
· What skills do you need to develop, in addition to coaching skills? Perhaps sales and marketing?
· Where do you live? Would you want to attend training in person, or virtually (over phone / internet)?
· Do you ultimately want to become certified? If so, by the school or an organization such as IAC or ICF?
· What else do you want? Such as an ongoing community with the school? Ongoing training?
How you answer these questions can play a large part in which training program would be best for you. For example if you want to coach executives, a corporate training program would most likely be best for you. If you are currently a therapist and want to add a coaching branch, another school would be better suited that is designed exactly for therapist-turn-coach students.
Some schools (using ‘schools’ interchangeably with ‘coach training programs’) offer their programs in chunks, meaning you can take one class, then take a month off, then take another class, etc. Others are set for a fixed 12 month period. Some schools include the certification process as part of their program. Others have it separate and may charge additional fees. Some include mentor coaching, others expect you to hire your own.
Most coach training programs offer a complimentary tele-class that would give you a taste of their program, philosophy and culture. I strongly encourage you to take them up on their offer, to help determine which would be the best fit for your long term goals.
For a list of International Coach Federation’s (ICF) accredited coach training programs, and learn more about their credentialing process, visit http://coachfederation.org and click on ‘research and education’.
International Association of Coaches (IAC) http://certifiedcoach.org is another credentialing organization. I don’t believe they offer or accredit any training programs, but do offer credentialing.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out by emailing me at gaf@personaljourneycoaching.com.
Tags: become a coach, career, coach, coach training, mentor coaching, personal journey coaching
I can see that you are an expert at your field! I am launching a website soon, and your information will be very useful for me.. Thanks for all your help and wishing you all the success.
Sure – feel free to email me at gaf@PersonalJourneyCoaching.com. No spam please. Thank you!
I had to read your post twice to get the full impact of it. I enjoy reading what you have to say. It’s too bad that more people do not understand the benefits of coaching. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, Joseph! More and more people are experiencing the benefits of coaching, though sometimes it takes helping them to understand how they can benefit before then invest.
For how long have you been doing this?
Eric Hoffer~ You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.
When the world says, Give up, hope whispers, Try it one more time. -Author unknown
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Since 2002 – where has the time gone?!
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