I want to become a certified life coach

So you’re planning to become a life coach, and wondering if getting a certification is the right step for you? Or maybe you are set on earning a certification, but don’t know where to start?

The life coaching industry is gaining traction and pursuing a career in life coaching is becoming more lucrative. So what exactly is a life coach? Simply put, a life coach puts clients on a roadmap to achieve their goals and become a better person.

Becoming a certified life coach takes effort and one of the key steps to success is to earn credibility through certification. In this article, we will explore what a life coach is, whether becoming a certified life coach is worth it, the existing governing bodies and the advantages and disadvantages of practicing life coaching in-person compared to online.

What to expect from life coaching and how it compares to being a therapist

So you might be pondering if becoming a life coach is worth it. Is it any different than being a therapist? People who seek out life coaches and therapists often look for the quality of the relationship, and they want someone who they can trust, and feel comfortable sharing personal information with. While both professions seem similar on the surface, there is an important distinction. A therapist examines an individual’s past and focuses on repairing any emotional problems. They have a set goal of rehabilitating patients so that they can regain their mental stability. They focus more on the why, and figure out the root cause for their patient’s problems so that they can address it in an effective manner. A life coach helps an individual achieve their goals. A person who seeks a life coach may not necessarily have any mental traumas, but often seeks guidance in life. Life coaching targets the present and creates a path for the future and focuses more on the how. When selecting the right life coach, individuals tend to examine experience and the amount of training and guidance they received from qualified supervisors. A reputable life coaching body will require that you have sufficient experience and guidance before awarding a certification.

Who governs accreditations anyway?

Now that you know a little bit more about life coaching and its mission, it’s time to know about the governing bodies. There are over 500 accreditation bodies which provide institutions the authority to award certifications. The governing bodies set the standard for institutions to follow, including levels of certifications, and how many hours of training and experience is required to earn them, among some others.  We will describe three accreditation bodies that stood out to us the most for its recognition and influence around the globe.

Top of our list, for the USA & worldwide

The ICF or the International Coaching Federation, is the most widely recognized life coaching body, with over 41,500 members across130 countries. The ICF has three levels of accreditation: Associate Certified Coach, Professional Certified Coach and Master Certified Coach which require renewal every 3 years.  To be an Associate Certified coach, you need to put in 60 hours of training and over 100 hours of experience. Earning an ACC means you have demonstrated knowledge and emerging proficiency of the ICF core competencies. To rise up to a Professional Certified Coach, you have to have 125 hours of training, and 500+ hours of on-hand experience and demonstrate knowledge and proficient application of the ICF core competencies. The final level of certification is the MCC certification, which requires 200+ hours of training, and 2,500 hours of experience and demonstrates knowledge and high proficiency in the application of ICF core competencies.

Another option, for Europe only

Our next organization is for those that are based out of Europe. EMCC Global is based out of Brussels, Belgium and founded in 2002. It is internationally recognized, with over 5000 members based out of 85 countries. To become a member, you need to reside in an approved nation mainly in Europe, and you need to pay a fee of 150 euros. EMCC accredits individuals, organizations and training programs. They award four levels of individual accreditation: Foundation, Practitioner, Senior Practitioner and Master Practitioner with fairly strict requirements that include a set number of clients you helped. To earn a foundation certification, you need at least one year of coaching experience, 50 hours of client contact hours and coach at least 5 clients. To level up as a practitioner, you need to gain 3 years of coaching experience, have 100 hours of client contact and have coached 10 clients. The Senior Practitioner certification that comes after requires 5 years of coaching experience , 250 hours of client contact hours and 20 clients. Then the final level of certification is the master practitioner, which requires at least 7 years of coaching experience, 500 hours of client contact hours and have coached at least 40 clients. These certifications also require that at least 5 clients leave feedback within the past 12 months.

If you are in the UK

The final accreditation body on our list is the Association for Coaching based out of the UK. Founded in 2002,  its accreditation is internationally recognized and has members from 80 countries. They also collaborate with the two organizations mentioned in this article, ICF and EMCC. To get certified life coach training, you first have to become an associate member, which costs 139 dollars. To earn accreditation, you have to apply for full membership and undergo 50 hours of training and pay 195 dollars in monthly fees. The organization features four levels of individual training: Foundational Coach Accreditation, Coach Accreditation, Professional Coach Accreditation and Master Coach Accreditation.

To earn the foundational coach accreditation, you must complete 35 hours of coach training and earn 75 hours of experience. You also have to be under 3 months of coaching supervision. The next level is coach accreditation. To obtain that accreditation, you have to put in 40 hours of training, 200 hours of coaching experience and be under 6 months of coaching supervision. Rising to a professional coach requires 60 hours of training, 1500 hours of experience and a minimum of 9 months coaching experience. Finally, a master coach certification requires 80+ hours of training, 1500+ hours of coaching experience and a minimum of 12 months of coaching supervision.

These accreditation bodies set rigorous processes, which requires several hours of training and experience, but it can be worth it in the end. We will discuss the best institutions that you can attend that will leave you a knowledgeable and experienced life coach.

Certification Institutions