Many of us dream of giving up our boring jobs to do something more interesting, but unfortunately, thinking about it is often as far as many of us get. So what if you could help people get out of ruts and realise their dreams, at the same time as resolving your own career problems?
Becoming a life coach is a rewarding and viable occupation for anyone seeking to do exactly that; and even better, you can do it at any age, with any type of background. So how do you become a life coach and where should you start? Read on to find out.
What does a Life Coach Do?
Although coaches used to be synonymous with American lifestyle fads, today more and more people in the UK are turning to life coaches for help with creating a more fulfilling career, relationship or lifestyle.
Coaching is best seen as a process, in which a coach encourages clients to look at old problems in new ways, powerfully question motivations for change, identify goals, create objectives, and find ways to put those changes into action. Overall, the role of the coach is to support clients into positive transformation.
Once you have trained as a life coach, you’ll be equipped with an effective toolbox for counselling clients. Life coaches generally work as individuals in private practice, or within corporate companies who seek to support their workforce in career and personal development. The average salary is around £27,000 per year
Entry Requirements
Life coaches require no special skills or background other than a willingness to learn, a desire to help people achieve their goals, and excellent listening and communication skills. The area is unregulated in the UK, so you can start to practice once you have undergone suitable life coaching training. It’s advisable however to join a professional coaching organisation for greater professional legitimacy and support.
Training
There are plenty of professional life coaching trainers providing training, however you may wish to specialise in a certain type of life coaching such as NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) or CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) life coach training. CBT training course providers recommend that you train only with those who are accredited by a professional coaching organisation such as The Association for Coaching. Other considerations when choosing a life coaching training course, include being sure to answer these questions before signing up for a course; you should be able to answer yes to all of these points:
- Does your course offer supervision with an assessor or practicing coach?
- Does your course offer the necessary 60 hours of training as required by the International Coaching Federation?
- Are you able to achieve a professional CBT coaching diploma?
- Are the tutors and course leaders practicing life coach therapists?
- Does the faculty offer the necessary ongoing support and advice involved with setting up a coaching practice?
- Can the course provide testimonials from past trainees?
- Is your course affiliated with and accredited by a professional coaching body?
Harry Price is a mutli talent young man who lives on the south coast with his wife and 3 dogs. In his spare time, he loves to play various musical instruments, rock climb and run marathons.
