What are the "requirements" to become a coach?

Requirements to Become a Life Coach

• Answer:

  Life coaches advise people who need help planning and making changes within their own lives, or help them get back on track after some serious life changes occur. However, there are no legal requirements to become a life coach; you do not need to present a certificate to give people advice and charge them money for it. There are requirements within the life coaching profession which others who have made a living doing this advise you fulfill before coaching others. Legal Requirements As mentioned above, there are no legal requirements needed for anyone to become a life coach, as life coaches are considered, for all intents and purposes, to be on the same level as consultants. Consultants don't need a license to call themselves consultants or practice the trade. Life coaching is basically providing advice, good or bad, so if your customers take your advice and it doesn't work, chances are they won't use you as a life coach. This will probably hurt your professional reputation. However, this lack of need for certification is why many people are hesitant to use life coaches, for fear they could be manipulated. Coach Credentials The International Coaching Federation, or the ICF, is one of the top and most respected coach credentialing agencies on the market. While it is not legally required to be credentialed by the ICF or any other agency, having a certificate is generally respected within the profession. These accredited programs often include three-day stretches of intensive classwork, followed by 12-week programs that entail mentoring people who need basic life coaching needs, reading and studying. The Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) offers these programs with different modules, taking eight to nine months before applicants become certified coaches. For coaches to retain their certification, they must pay yearly dues to the ICF. Educational background While no specific level of education is required to become certified as a life coach, it is usually advised that life coaches have college degrees or at least a higher education degree that focuses on the life coaching profession. A degree in social work would be one of the best general degrees to have earned before starting a career as a life coach. However, life coaches come from all walks of life and past educational experiences, as knowledge of the world around them and a large amount of experience is often helpful when trying to give good advice for a living.