Wondering how to become a life coach? The field of life coaching is growing rapidly as more and more people are seeking others to help them achieve their goals in life.
Confident self-starters who love the idea of helping others succeed will be drawn to this expanding field!
However, with so many people joining a profession with no set barriers to entry, how does one stand out and be successful?
What Is A Life Coach, And What Do They Do?
Just as a sports coach will help you to be the best athlete in your sport, a life coach can help you achieve your best life.
Essentially, people employ life coaches to help them to meet certain goals.
There are no regulations around what a life coach is, unlike a therapist who needs specific credentials to practice.
Coaches may focus on a certain area of expertise, from nutrition, family, career, leadership- and even romance!
A life coach can be thought of as an unbiased accountability partner. Often they will have set weekly meeting times to discuss the client’s progress, give tips, and provide motivation. Like a therapist, they will usually have a one-hour weekly session with each client.
Who Can Become A Life Coach?
While no regulatory authority exists to stop anyone from calling themselves a life coach, there are certificates aspiring life coaches can get to add credibility to their names.
As the market is currently flooded with people calling themselves life coaches, clients will likely seek out the ones with recognized credentials.
Anyone can be a life coach. However, to succeed, you will likely need to have a particular personality type. Being confident, open, approachable, empathic, and curious will all help to get people to trust and want to work with you.
Discerning clients will also likely look for coaches with plenty of experience and proven results. This can make it difficult for those just starting!
How To Become A Life Coach: A Concise Guide
You can take two main routes if you want to be taken seriously as a life coach, and have the credentials to back you up.
The Traditional Life Coach Training Path
Life coach certification programs can give students knowledge of the subject, practical exercises, mentoring, supervision, and accreditation.
However, with so many options, doing proper research into these options is crucial.
The program you chose should be accredited by one of the three main boards for coaching standards. These include the International Coaching Federation, the Association for Coaching, and the European Mentoring and Coaching Council.
As with most things, you get what you pay for! Programs that provide its students with proper training under supervision with knowledgeable mentors will be more expensive, but will also yield more competent graduates.
There are different levels in the programs based on the hours of training and experience required. These qualifications include Associate Certified Coach, Professional Certified Coach, and Master Certified Coach.
Becoming a Coaching Psychologist
Those with psychology degrees can take a different path to become a life coach.
Recently, graduate degree options have become available, such as a Master of Coaching Psychology degree.
While this is a longer and possibly more complex path to life coaching, certified psychologists may earn a better reputation due to their background knowledge.
They also may be more trusted by clients due to the ethical standards they learned in their practice in psychology.
How Long Does It Take To Become A Life Coach?
This can depend on the path you take and the level of the degree you choose to pursue.
Generally, on the traditional path, you can expect to spend at least a year studying.
There are non-accredited programs that will push you through much quicker, and while this will give you something to put on your business card, the training you get will be minimal and may not prepare you to give your client’s your best.
If you go the graduate degree route, it can take you five years all up. However, if you already have an undergraduate degree in psychology, you will only need a year or two to finish your Master’s.
Tips On Becoming A Life Coach
Find your Niche
Specializing in a particular area can help you in this competitive market.
With so many life coaches to choose from, someone with a specific goal will likely be drawn to a coach who has chosen to focus on that area.
Pick an area in which you are passionate or have experience and knowledge. For instance, if you self-guided your own personal growth or health journey in the past, you may choose to help others in theirs.
Get a Life Coach Certification
Being certified will help you stand out from those that just call themselves a life coach.
It will tell your client you are serious about this career, and that you have training and knowledge that will help you to help them.
Set Up a Coaching Business
Once you have the training and are ready to start finding clients, you’ll want to create a brand for yourself.
Promoting yourself on social media and having a stand-out website is a good start! Being a legitimate business will increase your chances of clients picking you as their coach.
While it can take time to build up a business, another option is to join a company with an external pool of coaches. While the hourly pay will be lower, this can be a good starting point.
FAQs
How Much Does a Life Coach Make?
Life coaches typically earn $100-400 per session, which tends to be an hour long.
How much they make in a year will depend on how many clients they can obtain and keep. However, the average salary in North America is around $60,000 per year.
How Much Does It Cost To Become A Life Coach?
This will vary among the program, the hours involved, and the level of credentials you are pursuing, but the range is from $3,000-$10,000.
Are There Life Coach Training Programs Online?
Yes, there are many online programs for life coaching. Be sure to thoroughly research the program, as many are not accredited.
Can I Coach my Clients Online?
It’s common for life coaches to meet with their clients over video calls. Similar to the increase in teletherapy, there is no need to meet in person as the meetings are talking-based.
It’s important to find what works best for you and your client. However, you want to ensure you are using a secure platform for video calls, as your client’s privacy is fundamental to the process.
The Bottom Line
Before launching into a career as a life coach, it’s vital to consider carefully whether you are the right person for the job.
Are you willing to put in the hours of training? Are you someone people want to take advice from? Can you motivate others to be better?
Are you excited to start your own business and market yourself? Are you ok with the stress of having to build a business and not have a steady paycheck? Can you stand out in a flooded market?
These are just some of the questions that you’ll need to have an answer to in order to be a successful life coach.
If you answered yes to all of the above, research your training options thoroughly before getting a program!
Life coaching can be a very rewarding career, as others’ triumphs will be your successes as well.
Thanks for reading!
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