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How to become a life coach
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| PART 3 Training, Quals etc This section is different to all of the rest in some much to say that I have gathered all of the questions that I asked regularly with regards to actually HOW TO BECOME A COACH and I have packaged them all up in a Q & A session for this module. Is it like therapy, counseling or psychology? Not really, although coaching does draw from a range of disciplines. Firstly, coaching is often more concerned about results rather than understanding or processing. Hence there is a strong focus on action – just how I like it! Secondly, coaching tends to focus on the future rather than the past: "let's not dwell on your story about why you are like this. Tell me what you want NOW!". Life coaching is sometimes said to be appropriate for people who are at or above "base line", rather than below "base line". Clients will often have several areas of their life which are working well, and one or two areas which they'd like to be much better. What kinds of people become coaches? People who want to contribute; people committed to personal growth; people valuing freedom and independence in a career. Here are some common backgrounds of today's coaches: Consultants, Mental Health Professionals, Managers, Training and Development, Human Resources, Financial Consultants and CPA's, Professional Speakers, Engineering, Sales, Fitness Professionals, Holistic Practitioners. What's the lifestyle like? Can I work from home? This is the major attraction for many life coaches. Set your own hours, and work from a home office - making a big difference in people's lives! – it’s awesome! You might work Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, from 10am to 5pm, walking around your house or garden with a headset and cordless phone. You may have clients locally, from around your country, or even around the world. You'll probably network strongly within a coaching community, and from now on deduct the cost of all your personal development courses and books on your tax return! Since all you need is a phone and a computer, some coaches also take working holidays. What do coaches charge? The 64,000 dollar question as Bob Monkhouse would say! For standard individual coaching, it seems to be around £100-£300 per month in the UK, and $200-$600 in the US. Executive coaching and corporate coaching pay more; group coaching usually much less per person. Can I make a living at it, and how long does this take? Yes - many coaches now support themselves using coaching alone. While we guesstimate more than 95% of coaches still need to supplement their income using other means, this is largely due to the fact that the life coaching profession is so new, with many new coaches being trained. As a rough guide, it would be reasonable to aim to fully support yourself financially from coaching after 1-3 years of coaching. However, I managed to do this in less than 6 months when I started! It’s one thing knowing how to coach, it’s another knowing how to get paying clients! What kind of clients would I have? Depends on who you target! In the beginning - friends, acquaintances, and strangers (not family). Women and men. From kids to seniors. Professionals, creative types, small business owners, employees, executives, corporations, sales people, prisoners, Christians, boating enthusiasts. Do coaches specialise? Sure. It makes sense eventually. Not only in client type, but in WHAT you do for them. Getting organized, health and fitness, relationships, career, finances are just a few areas. Within these you can specialize further: image coaching, weight loss, getting over divorce, finding the perfect job, slashing expenses. I specialise in confidence and self esteem coaching and help. Do I have what it takes to be a life coach? It's been said that each person on the planet has a group of people who can learn from them - no matter how much you know or how skillful you are. If you enjoy making a contribution, then you have what it takes to be a coach.
Here are the four components we believe go into making a successful life coach: a)
Who you are Should I have a coach? Yes. A mentor coach can help you avoid many pitfalls, and coach more effectively. You'll also learn from the client side what works effectively and what doesn't. Plus, your coach may be able to help you build your business, based on what has or hasn't worked for them. And boy have I learned some lessons in this! And, it's hard to REALLY MEAN it when you tell people life coaching is great and they should try it out unless you have your own. Having your own personal success stories from being coached is a great motivator to share the concept of coaching and invite people to be coached. What qualifications or training do I need? Currently, you don't NEED any qualifications or training. Coaches can still make a living without a qualification. However, as competition increases and public awareness grows, this might change and then again it might not! I have detailed some of the courses around on the market at the back of this module. How would I get my first clients? Life Coaches usually start with friends and acquaintances - often offering free or very low cost coaching. It's a win-win - they get coaching and a chance to talk about themselves and their life; you get training. You might then expand to other marketing methods, such as Referrals, Advertising, Mailing, Alliances, Public Speaking, Internet, and Publicity. Some approaches will suit you; some won't. I did my first 3 months of coaching FOR FREE whilst I was still in my day job. Answering emails and having calls during the evening until I wanted to fly the nest! How do I become a life coach? We suggest you get a coach yourself - do a 1-3 months of coaching on your personal goals; maybe have your coach help you work with a client or two to get your feet wet. Which comes first, the course or a coach? If you start with the course they can recommend or require a coach; if you start with the coach they may recommend a course. It doesn't matter - the trick is to start! Would I do this full time? Coaches tend to wait until they have say 10-20 clients and maybe a couple of thousand pounds per month revenue before quitting their day job. However, I quit my day job which was paying me £80,000 when I was earning only £500 per month! I would say that this is the exception rather than the norm however! Many coaches do part time work or run another business to bring in extra revenue and/or keep things really interesting. What is the future of coaching? An ICF poll of 210 clients in 1998 showed that 98.5 percent of these clients considered their investment in hiring a coach worth the money. 94% of them felt coaching was here to stay, and become a recognized profession. U.S. News & World Report published that coaching was the runner-up hottest consulting field in the U.S. in 1997, just behind management consulting. In the Sydney Morning Herald eary in 2000, personal coaching was ranked as the second fastest growth industry in the US, after Information Technology. And still a large percentage of the population have not heard of personal or life coaching. What happens when they do? What about regulations? There is no formal body that regulates the industry just yet. So there are very good coaches out there and some that are awful. What I would say though is that clients will not stay with a life coach who is anything less than excellent when they are paying £200+ per month! A range of companies and courses: Company
Cost of Program
http://www.centreoflifecoaching.co.uk/lifecoahingpractitionerdiploma.htm This Course costs in the range of £1,200 plus for the basic option
Probably the best course you can check out which is well within your reach as far as finances are concerned is the certificate in Life Coaching. The
contact is the School of Flexible Learning, Newcastle College - The address of the college is Newcastle
College Flexible Learning
My Coach Mentoring Program (usually 3 or 6 months) may be for you, particularly if you:
Visit
www.lifecoachingstudio.com/mentoring1.htm
for further details Next time: PART 4
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