Deciding to become a professional Coach is an exciting decision and one with the ability to positively impact your life. You’re embracing a role in which you can support others in reaching their potential- what could be more rewarding? However, simply deciding that you are interested in becoming a life Coach and taking the steps to becoming a professional one are two different things. We’re here to help you through the process.
Here are 6 steps to follow to become a Life Coach
- Make sure you’ve done your research about Coaching
Coaching is still a relatively new profession. It’s important to ensure that you understand exactly how the profession fits into service delivery. This includes understanding the difference between Coaching, mentoring, consulting and therapy. While there are many overlapping elements between the three, Coaching is free of advice giving and is future-focused.
We’d also recommend keeping an eye on some of the latest developments in Coaching such as new niches, new research in neuroscience and psychology that are informing practices, and technological innovations.
Lastly, if you haven’t yet, we’d recommend experiencing Coaching first hand. The best way to understand the service that you’ll be providing, is to be on the other side of a Coaching session.
- Be certain that Coaching is a good fit for you
Ask yourself the following questions…
- Are you inspired by the thought of helping others?
- Are you able to listen without giving advice?
- Are you able to support others without judging them?
- Do you prioritize a focus on solutions rather than problems?
If you answered yes, then congrats- you are already a natural fit to become a coach!
However, there are also some practical elements that are important to consider before becoming a professional Coach.
- Are you able to work online?
- Are you prepared to put in the effort to start a Coaching practice or to find an organization to link with?
- Are you ready to learn a completely new set of skills?
If you’re unsure if it is a perfect fit, we’d recommend booking a call with an advisor for an honest opinion.
- Get the skills!
Now that you are sure that you’ve found the right profession for you, it’s time to find the right course to equip you with the skills that you need to become a professional coach. This process begins by finding the right institute to become credibly qualified with. There are many quick courses on the market, but we’d recommend choosing a comprehensive and established course from an institution with a strong track record.
Coach training courses should be over a minimum of 3-6 months if they are online and more than 8 days if they are onsite. We’d recommend finding a course that offers a balance between practical and theoretical elements. After all, your theoretical coaching framework is the structure and offering that will enable you to provide value to your clients and the more practice you have implementing this structural theory, the better quality of coaching you will be able to provide.
Some key elements to consider when reviewing institutes and courses include:
- Current and past reviews of the training
- Whether the company has a good standing relationship with the International Coaching Federation
- The global footprint and the credibility of the institute
- What kind of support is provided to you during and after the training
If you’re unsure of where to start with your research, we’d recommend asking other coaches in your life where they studied or consulting the ICF’s recommended list of coach training institutes.
Remember that the place at which you study also forms the first professional coaching community that you are part of. It is, essentially, your leg up in the coaching world.
- Consider your Coaching credential
As a worldwide profession, coaching is regulated by the International Coaching Federation, EMCC and a few other coaching bodies. While you can choose to practice as a coach after completing the skills element of your training, it is recommended that you pursue a certification that is underpinned by one of the main credentialling bodies. Erickson's coach training has been registered with the ICF for over 20 years.
Here are some of the reasons that being ICF credentialed is advisable:
- On average, ICF-accredited coaches earn more than non-accredited coaches
- It indicates that you have undergone a rigorous and high-level credentialing process
- Clients who work with certified coaches report better satisfaction and recommend their coach to others
- Your coaching competencies are defined, tested and accredited to set professional standards
For further research on the decision around becoming ICF-credentialed, read more here. With coaching becoming more and more popular, it is important that a clear standard is maintained, and the global credentialling bodies are working hard to protect the good name of credentialed coaches.
- Setup your Coaching business
Coaching is still a business after all! You will need to spend a good amount of time planning your market, how you will reach them and how you will run your professional Coaching business. We recommend starting this during your training process so that you’re ready to work with clients the moment that you become qualified.
If you need a bit more help in this process, we’d recommend finding a Coaching mentor or someone who can share with you the steps that they took to setup their successful Coaching business. Another option is to find a business bridging course specifically for Coaches to assist you in setting up the business side of things.
Here are some blogs that we recommend to help you get your Coaching Business off the ground
- 3 Proven Strategies to Get your First Coaching Clients
- 5 Ways to Plan for a Successful Coaching Business
- Continue your learning
Coaching is constantly evolving as more and more industries realize the benefits of it. Qualified Coaches tend to invest in continuous development courses to deepen their Coaching techniques and tools. This is both for skills development and relevancy and for ICF-credentialing.
To remain an ICF-accredited Coach you are required to earn continuous coach education units (CCEU’s) which are awarded for attending courses and micro-trainings by accredited institutes. The easiest place to find these resources is with your original Coach training institute.
It is also important to note that Coaching is a community. We’d recommend staying connected to the people who you studied with, coaches within your niche and the rest of the community. As an Erickson coach, you are automatically granted lifelong access to Erickson+, our alumni community app where you will have access to resources, networking, peer coaching and further training.
Good luck with your coaching journey! We wish you the best as you join this meaningful profession. Explore the Erickson resource center for more coaching resources and assistance on your journey.
