In this post we’ll outline the steps you need to take to qualify as a life coach.
What Is a Life Coach?
A life coach basically supports people to be the best they can. Through lots of advice and plenty of encouragement, life coaches help their clients make key decisions about their personal or professional lives.
Can Anyone Become a Life Coach?
Please note – life coaching is an unregulated industry. On one level this means that anyone can become a life coach. But if you want to stand out in an increasingly competitive market, then you should aim to get formal qualifications. Potential clients will explore your background before they agree to work with you. And the more training and experience you can demonstrate, the more willing they’ll be to pay for your services.
How to Become a Life Coach
Life Coaching Qualifications
Some colleges and universities offer specialist courses, including postgraduate awards in coaching. Often, these courses will have a specific area of focus, such as sport, organisational performance management, mentoring in education, or coaching psychology.
For any postgraduate course you’ll usually need a degree in a relevant subject, though some institutions may also specify some equivalent entry requirements.
If you do not have a degree, you could also contact a professional coaching authority, such as the Coaching Federation or the Association for Coaching. These bodies may run their own training courses, or else they may have a list of approved colleges where you can get accredited.
In any case, if you want to become a life coach, contacting a professional authority for general advice is an excellent place to start.
Alternatively, you could do a coaching professional higher apprenticeship, which usually involves a mix of studying and work experience over the course of 14 months. You could also try applying directly for a relevant course near you.
How to Set Up Your Life Coach Business
There are some legal processes you’ll have to complete before you can start offering your services as a life coach. You’ll have to register your business (which will involve choosing a good trading name), and it’s a good idea to undergo some enhanced background checks.
After this, there are many things you’ll have to think about. For example, where will you operate? What sort of equipment will you need to conduct your business? Will you need to hire any additional staff, such as an assistant or an accountant? How will you market your services and where will you find your first clients? And apart from anything else, how much will you charge for your services?
We cover many of these questions in our essential guide to starting a consulting business. Even though life coaching isn’t quite the same as consulting, this guide should still point you in the right direction through acting as a step-by-step guide to getting your business off the ground.
Record Keeping, Consent Forms & More
If someone hires you as their life coach, they may eventually start relying on your guidance to help them make informed decisions on their finances, their relationships, or even their mental health.
It’s a mistake to think of a life coach as a substitute to a therapist, a counsellor, a financial advisor, or any other specialist. But nonetheless, if your clients follow your advice and it doesn’t pay off, they – or their families – may take legal action against you.
This is why it’s crucial that, as a life coach, you manage client expectations with solid contracts, good record keeping, and even consent forms. But while such measures can make legal action less likely, certain insurance products can act as the most reliable safety net of all.
Life Coach Insurance
Professional indemnity insurance will cover you should your support and guidance not deliver the results your clients expect. You might also consider treatment liability insurance to cover you and your clients against the specific risks associated with life coaching.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss your options please contact our Tapoly team at [email protected], call our helpline on +44(0)2078 460 108 or try our chat on our website.