Become a Life Coach
By Steve Gillman
You might be surprised to learn that you can become a life
coach this week. That's right, this profession does not require
a college degree. In fact, there are no formal requirements,
and although certification is a good idea, it can be accomplished
in a few days.
Sometimes called professional coach, the job/business (most
coaches are self employed) consists of helping people. More specifically,
you will be coaching them toward success, or helping them set
goals, overcome obstacles, and so on. If you are the one that
your friends turn to for good advice, you are probably suited
for this work.
Within the general designation of life coach there are numerous
specialties that you can choose from. For example, you might
be a career coach and help people find the right job for them.
You could specialize in helping people create and follow a budget,
or eliminate their debt. A life purpose coach guides clients
toward discovery of what is most important to them. Other specialties
include spiritual life, stress management, health and fitness,
and parent coaching.
One of the best things about this profession is that you can
work entirely from home. It is common now to do professional
coaching sessions by telephone or online. In fact, you can set
it up so you only coach through the internet, which would allow
you to travel or live where you want while working. Email, chat
rooms, and Skype (telephone over the internet) are all the tools
necessary for providing your service.
How Much Can You Make?
This is a quickly growing and evolving industry, so reliable
figures are hard to come by. How much you make depends on how
much you charge, how many clients you have, and how frequently
you have coaching sessions scheduled. In general you will charge
at least $40 to $50 per hour. Some in the profession advise that
you aim to make that $100 once you have a couple years of experience.
I found this in Forbes Magazine;
About 20% of the 10,000 registered coaches earn six figure
incomes, according to estimates from industry veterans. No special
degree or training is required. And while some provide specific
expertise, such as those hired by large companies to train a
sales staff, others rake in money from those looking for little
more than a cheerleader as they open a business or try their
hand at writing a book.
Ways to Make More | Related Opportunities
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There are numerous related opportunities. For example, you
can be a public speaker, either for pay, or as a way to promote
your coaching business. You can write a book based on the "system"
you develop for helping people. You can sell other author's books
to clients.
Qualifications / Requirements
As mentioned, there are no legal requirements to call yourself
a life coach. You could hang a sign out right now. But to be
taken seriously you should get certified. There are dozens of
companies, schools and institutes offering training and certification.
Their courses can be as much as $5,000 and take several weeks
to complete, or they can be two-day classes that cost as little
as $200. One of the more reasonably-priced organizations I found
is linked to in the resource section below.
Since most clients will not have a clue about the quality
of the various certifying organizations, the most important element
of your professionalism will not be the certificate you get,
but the way you do business. Offer quality help and coaching
and (at this point in history anyhow) almost any certification
will be sufficient.
First Steps
Get certified. Get educated on how to market your services.
Get clients.
Resource
Fowler
Wainwright International (FWI) - This institute can help
you become a life coach with training and certification that
can be completed in less than a week.
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