This site is designed for the public to experience life coaching and to provide a way for people to find the best coach in our international coaching directory. We do not offer any coach training programs at this time. However, since we get so many questions about how to become a coach, we'll try to answer them here as well as refer you to some of the best coach training programs available and other important resources you should know about if you plan on becoming a coach.

Coach Training Schools/Programs:

CoachInc.com

My personal favorite is Coachinc.com as I took their CoachU.com personal coach training many years ago when coaching was in its infancy as a profession. It is still the best, most comprehensive coach training program out there as far as I can tell, but go take a look yourself and see what you think.

Coach Training Institute

Another highly reputable and well-established coach training program is the Coach Training Institute (CTI).

International Coach Federation

For a complete and up-to-date list of all the accredited coach training programs, please go to the International Coach Federation (ICF) website at coachfedertation.org. The ICF is the governing body or coaching association that determines what coach training programs are sufficiently robust to merit accreditation. If you bump into a coach training course that is not accredited with the ICF you may find that your training hours do not count towards your coaching credentials. At the moment, there are various levels for credentials established by the ICF. The highest credentials one can receive is that of Master Certified Coach, below that is Professional Certified Coach.

If you are planning to become a coach, it would be sensible to enroll in one of the ICF's accredited coach training programs to ensure that you will be able to use your training hours and apply for your credentials. That being said, there is no law out there that governs who can call themselves a coach or not. It is a completely self-regulated industry at this point. This means that you can call yourself a coach right now if you want and no one can stop you. This doesn't bother me in the least, because if you are getting great results with someone, who cares if they have credentials or not? That being said, the best coaches are usually highly trained and are graduates of an accredited coach training program. Beware of being roped into a six month contract with any coach, whether accredited or not. All the coaches listed in The Coaching Directory are accredited and are either in a coach training program (in which case their profile will say Trainee) or are graduates of an accredited coach training program. And, all the LifeCoach.com coaches work on a month-by-month basis. This means that you are never paying for more than one month of coaching in advance. This protects you as the customer from getting into a long-term relationship with a coach that you aren't happy with. Within one month of coaching you'll know if you've made the right choice or not. If not, do not hesitate to hire a different coach. Even the best of coaches may not suit your particular style or needs.

How can I become a coach?

Some of you may be interested in becoming a life coach. Here are the basic steps to get started:

1) Hire a coach.
One of the best ways to become a coach is to hire a coach yourself. In fact, if you are not sure coaching is the right profession for you, definitely hire a coach first to support you in whatever goals you wish to work on. If you don’t enjoy being coached, you probably won’t enjoy becoming a coach so you might as well find that out first. The most successful coaches have a coach and new coaches in training have mentor coaches to help them build their coaching business and develop their coaching skills. Ever since I had my first coach (who helped me realize that I could be a great coach!) I have had a different coach every year of two. I’m continually growing my businesses and growing myself so it makes sense to have a coach support me in this process. The few times I’ve taken a break from coaching, I’ve noticed a drop in my productivity. All good coaches, have a coach as well. I wouldn’t hire one who didn’t because they aren’t walking their talk. You may wish to search for a mentor coach if you are considering becoming a coach. Search here.

2) Get the best coach training.
If you enjoy working with a coach, then the next step is to get coach training. There are a huge number of coach training programs available with widely different fees and qualities. I would recommend that you get your coach training at an ICF Accredited Coach Training Program. All of the LifeCoach.com Accredited Coaches are required to have this professional training. The reason being is that their training programs are rigorous to meet the ICF qualifications to becoming a certified coach. If you attend some other program, you might not be able to qualify for your certification.

These would include such reputable institutions as Coachinc.com and the Coach Training Institute. These two were some of the first training programs available and both are accredited programs. For a full list of accredited programs please go to the ICF website at www.coachfederation.org. While LifeCoach.com has many great resources, we do not offer coach training.

3) Practice your coaching skills.
Once you are enrolled in training, then you will immediately begin to practice your new skills on “guinea pig” clients—grab any acquaintance that is willing and start practicing. After you have coached 100 people, you will feel a level of mastery and confidence and have a track record of successful results behind you.

4) List yourself with various coaching directories so clients can find you.
Lifecoach.com averages 7000 unique visitors a month—all people looking for coaching. Once you are enrolled in an ICF accredited coach training program, then you may list yourself as a “coach in training” in our international coaching directory. This will help you get exposure to new clients and you can offer coaching for free or a deeply discounted rate in order to get practice-- which is what you will need now more than anything. Do NOT quit your day job! It took me two years to complete my coach training at CoachU and develop my skills sufficiently to become a self-sufficient coach. I kept my full-time job at Chase Bank in the meantime so that I could enjoy the process and not worry about how to pay the rent in New York City. If you have already quit, then get a part-time job to support yourself while you develop your coaching skills. It takes most coaches an average of two years to develop a full coaching practice.

5) Enjoy the process!
It takes years to become a Master Certified Coach (the highest possible credentials available.) Don’t rush it, but keep on developing your skills until you get there.

How to Become a LifeCoach.com Accredited Coach

Requirements:
In order to qualify for listing on The Coaching Directory you must agree to the following:

1. You must be a MCC or PCC through the ICF to be listed as a Certified Coach.
2. Or, you must be a graduate of an ICF Accredited Coach training program.
3. Or, you must be a student enrolled in an ICF Accredited Coach training program. If you are not one of the above, then you may not list yourself in The Coaching Directory. This is an exclusive, international coaching directory and we intend to uphold the professional standards of the coaching industry. There will be no exceptions for any reason whatsoever so don’t ask, just get yourself into the right training program! If the coach training program you are enrolled in is currently in process of getting ICF Accreditation, great. However, you must wait until it has been officially approved before you can list yourself on The Coaching Directory. No exceptions.
4. You must agree to uphold the Standards and Ethics of the profession as stated by the ICF. Any coach who fails to uphold these standards and ethics will be removed from The Coaching Directory without recourse or refund.
5. You must agree to provide an initial free half hour coaching call with prospective clients.
6. You must agree not to pester the prospective clients with follow-up calls or emails. If the client wants to work with you, they will notify you. Nor may you put them on any of your mailing lists or newsletters without their express permission. Any complaints of this nature will result in your being removed from The Coaching Directory without recourse or refund.
7. You agree not to practice therapy unless you have a valid and up-to-date license to do so and the client specifically requests it.
8. You agree not to hold Lifecoach.com, The Coaching Directory, Talane Miedaner, or Talane, LLC liable in any way for your experience with any coaching clients you may obtain by being listed in The Coaching Directory.