Should You Become A Life Coach?

People like Tony Robbins and Les Brown have made the world of coaching and motivation more widely accepted that people from all walks of life are now using these types of services to improve their life or business.

Because of this, the coaching industry has seen significant growth over the last decade which is why many people are considering this as a viable career path. But before you fork over your hard-earned cash, there are many things you will need to consider being a life coach.

What Does A Life Coach Do?

Coaching involves more than just providing advice or tips to your client. It requires that you assess their goals efficiently and get to know your clients fast and invent strategies to help them meet their objectives. You will want to create stepping stones for your client that makes their goals more attainable otherwise they can become overwhelmed.

According to coachinginst.com, during your sessions, you’ll function as a type of counselor to your client, meeting with them to go over their achievements and advancements so that they can asses whether things are moving in the right direction. You’ll also be responsible for motivating and encouraging people as they work toward lifestyle progress.

Coaching Regulations & Qualifications

When considering this career path, you need to be aware of the fact that your certification can be obtained through the International Coach Federation that offers varying degrees of credentials depending on your training and expertise.

While the industry is unregulated and is not demanded by law, it is strongly advised that you become certified through the ICF. These certifications are recognized internationally, meaning that they also make you more marketable to potential customers and are able to enhance your credentials which makes you more trustworthy when dealing with high profile individuals or businesses.

Along with this, certification credentials are often preferred by employers when they sift through résumés. Because an employer is going to be trusted to hire someone to work with their staff, it is vital that you present yourself as being highly qualified and trustworthy.

Different Career Paths Of A Life Coach

Once you have been properly certified, you can work from those going through major life transitions to people who want to make some improvements, with an assortment of clients. Possible workplaces include:

1. Family and personal services: If you operate as a life coach for individual and household services, you might work with households and people that are currently experiencing a period, like relocating to a new town or state. Very often when people are going through major life transitions they will need some guidance.
2. Employment services: Should you decide to work in vocational services, your clientele might be coping with unemployment and will be searching for career changes jobs. You may function as a resource and incentive for people in need of coaching.
3. Agencies: Many agencies employ lifestyle consultants, coaches, and counselors as a value add the program to provide more support to their clients. With many different customers, you’ll work in an agency setting to give advice and problem-solving procedures.
4. Private Practice: Running your own life coaching business can be rewarding since it is going to provide you the benefit of focusing on a particular area of coaching and choosing your own hours. However, you should be aware that you will need to manage your own marketing so that you can attract clients.

As you can see, becoming a coach does have many avenues you can explore to create a viable income stream. Just make sure you research it thoroughly before diving in.