Life Coach Certification

Life coaching is a growing industry. Many people who have always loved to help others are seeing the benefits to getting their life coach certification. While there are many avenues you can choose to go, there are some that are easier to follow then others.

Life Coach Certification

The first and most obvious choice is to go to an accredited school that can take up to two years to learn all the skills needed to prepare you to pass the life coach certification exam. If you do choose a school you can choose one that is an accredited ICF school. ICF stands for International Coaching Federation. The ICF administers but does not train individuals for the exam. An accredited school will offer an Accredited Coach Training Program or ACTP for short. This course has a set minimum hours of preparation as well as set minimum coaching hours that need to be completed before you can sit down and take the exam. This ensures that the examinee is prepared to take the exam. If you decide to go to an ICF accredited school you must complete 250 paid coaching hours before you can take the exam.

Many of you reading this have had some sort of coaching experience already and do not want to sit through an accredited program that takes so long to complete. You do have options. You can choose to go to a school that will take your training into account and you can decide what courses you would like to take in order to be prepared for the life coach certification exam. This can be an excellent option for you if you have previous coaching experience. All that is required is you study for the exam and take it. If you choose to go this route you are not required by the ICF to have any minimum number of paid coaching hours.

The first thing to do when deciding between the two options is to look at your previous coaching work. Paid or unpaid it does not matter when you are assessing your experience. Once you have assessed your prior experience consider talking to an accredited ICF school about their ACTP courses. No matter how much prior experience you have you may still be able to derive some important career education from the course. Those of you that have enough prior experience and just may need to go over some things will find that the school that takes your prior experience into account and allows you to choose the courses you want to take will adequately prepare you to sit in and pass the life coach certification exam.

Life Coach Certification – The Conclusion

Life coach certification can be received through different avenues. Your prior experience will play a pivotal role in deciding if you you need a few courses before you sit in for the exam of if you need to go to an accredited school in order to be well prepared for the exam. No matter the route you choose you will be well prepared to get your life coach certification.