Choosing a coach certification program can be confusing. You might be asking yourself: How do I know if a program is legit? How much “rigor” is actually necessary?
Because the interpersonal life coaching industry (or as we call it, “coaching”) is not formally regulated, it can be tough to find a program that helps you grow personally and professionally, is seen as legitimate professional certification by prospective employers and clients, and also resonates with your values.
To help you with your process, we wanted to highlight a few key considerations everyone should think about before committing to a coach training program.
1. How do I want to apply my coach certification?
Who are you getting your coach certification for? Is it just for your own learning and curiosity? Are you looking to grow professionally as a leader and manager? Would you like to start your own coaching practice?
Not all people who train to do coaching are going to work as full-time professional coaches (just like not all people who learn facilitation skills are going to be full-time professional facilitators). Some of the most common applications of a coach certification program include:
- Bringing coaching to your existing role (common for leaders, managers, and educators)
- Combining coaching with another skill (financial planning, dance teaching, wedding planning… the possibilities are infinite!)
- Working as a contracted coach for companies like BetterUp or Lyra Health
- Work as an internal coach (sometimes paired with HR or People & Culture responsibilities)
- Open up your own coaching practice (this could be full time or a side gig)
2. Who are the stakeholders for the application(s) I chose?
If you want to open a private coaching practice, your main stakeholders will be potential clients. Does your target client base feel more comfortable working with a coach who has been trained in an accredited program? Do they care if you have an MBA certificate? Would you want to take the extra step of pursuing an ICF credential? Maybe this doesn’t matter to your clients. Maybe it does!
If you want to get hired as a coach for a company or work as an internal coach, many companies are looking for coaches who have completed a Level 2 training that is accredited by the ICF (formerly known as the ACTP path). Some companies require that you have an ICF credential (this is an additional step you complete after your certification program that requires a minimum number of professional coaching hours, mentor coaching, and a rigorous examination process). Our equivalent of this is our signature coach certification program, Coaching for Complexity.
If you don’t plan to have your own coaching practice or coach for someone else, you might not need a full professional coaching certification. Instead, you might want to look for a training through a trusted provider that teaches essential coaching skills but doesn’t necessarily equip you to open a private practice. An example of this is our Fundamentals of Coaching program, which teaches coaching skills but doesn’t necessarily prepare you for ICF credentialing or teach ethical guidelines for opening a private practice.
3. What are your values?
Once you’ve decided what type of training you’re looking for, you’re going to want to figure out where. We hope you might consider embarking on your coaching journey right here at Global Focus Coaching, and we strongly recommend writing down the core values that motivate your coaching journey. Then, take a look at the company values for the coaching program you’re interested in. Do they align? The more alignment, the better fit the program is likely to be for you!
4. What are the different types of programs out there?
On one of the spectrum (the most rigorous and time-consuming), there are MBA certificate programs (receiving coach training as a part of your MBA). On the other end of the spectrum… you can just call yourself a coach. Because the coaching industry is not formally regulated, anyone can call themselves a coach. Between these options are training programs that are accredited by large coaching organizations like the ICF and EMCC Global. There are also numerous coach certification pathways that don’t have accreditation, and they vary in quality.
In our opinion, the MBA certificate route is generally more rigor, time, and money than you need to invest to gain professional credibility in the coaching industry (although it may be valuable for other reasons). We also caution you to be wary of programs that promise you’ll start to earn millions of dollars or tell you that you can become a coach overnight. The options that fit most needs usually falls in the middle. If you want to work as a coach in 1:1 settings, we recommend checking whether your certification program teaches the ICF code of ethics and core competencies. This will help you maintain ethical standards and have a high level of integrity in your practice.