Career coaches can do everything from helping people identify their ideal career to dealing with a layoff.  We help people who wish to do their dream job now that they’ve “retired” from their 9 – 5 position, help mothers re-entering the work force and work with executives who want to be CEO’s.    We help clients develop a terrific resume, write a killer cover letter, hit a grand slam in the interview and negotiate for the best compensation package.   . What type of coaching you do, and with whom, is up to you.  This is a young field and you can design your coaching career to fit your life.

There are over 500 coach training programs in existence today. Which one is right for you? If you are evaluating different coach training programs, I want to give you some criteria or elements you absolutely, positively must have in any coach training solution you buy:

• Does it offer training in your desired niche? To choose a coach training program, you must first evaluate what kind of a coach you want to be.  There are dozens of coaching specialties (e.g., life coaching, retirement coaching, executive coaching, spiritual coaching, career coaching) and hundreds of potential target client markets.  A key to success is narrowing your focus, and that begins with your coach training!  You must also evaluate what knowledge you may have already obtained about your desired specialty (e.g., college degree or on-the-job training) and how coach training can supplement that – or if you have none, then be sure your coach training program is designed for beginners.

• What is the school’s history? In 2000, there were only 15 coach training schools in existence, and now there are over 600.  Many have emerged in just the past few years.  Does the school you are considering have a history of sound business practices and a track record of success, or has it just opened its doors?  If possible, email or talk with graduates of the school to find out what the training is like, how satisfied they were with their training, and similar questions.

• Does the school offer a recognized certification? The “gold standard” for certification is that of the International Coach Federation (ICF), but there are more than 65 bodies that accredit coaches.  What credentials are most important to your clients?  If you work mainly with corporate clients, ICF certification may be required.  But if you work, for example, with people in job transition or clients with relationship challenges, they may not be as concerned with what certification you have as whether you instill confidence that you can help them reach desired results.

• What are the qualifications of the founder, leadership, and instructors? To teach coaching, people must have generally completed coach training themselves and/or be credentialed by a recognized body.  If our young industry suffers from any obstacles, it is lack of coach-specific training prior to one calling oneself a coach.  If the coach training company’s staff are former managers, therapists, software engineers or other unrelated profession and have not obtained coach training as well, question their credibility to teach you how to coach.

• Does the program fit your learning style? Coach training is offered in a variety of media, from in-person training over several years to webinars (by phone), webinars (interactive web-based live classes) and distance or e-learning.  How do you learn best?  Even if you are considering a webinar program and have never experienced telephone learning, see if you can attend a free preview of the program to see if the delivery fits your style.  Distance learning and e-learning are emerging training methodologies well accepted in the training world, and are accepted by the ICF for 20 percent of your coach training hours.

• What is the true cost of your training? The published tuition rate may not include incidental charges that add significant sums to your total investment.  If you choose an in-person training, you will also need to calculate travel expenses to attend, such as airfare, hotel, and meals not included with your tuition.  For webinars, or live classes with follow-up telephone exercises, you will need to factor in your long distance charges.  Finally, many programs (as well as ICF certification) require that you obtain mentor coaching.  Is there an additional cost for that?  That must also be included to calculate the total cost of your training.

• What is graduation/completion/certification rate? Enrolling in coach training is one thing, but completing the course and getting certified are two different things – or can be!  You should ask the staff: (a) what percentage of their students complete the training? (b) what percentage of students continue to get certified (and what are the requirements)? (c) what do people do with their coach training once they finish?

• Does your learning stop once you complete the course? Making the decision to become a coach can be thought of as entering a lifestyle of learning and growth.  Successful coaches frequently engage in additional training to update and freshen their skills.  Does your school continue to update you on trends in your niche and/or offer continuing education courses for your re-certification as well as professional development?

• Does the school support you in setting up and growing a successful business (if that is your plan)? Most programs teach some variety of coaching, but don’t give you hands-on assistance in choosing a business name, using the internet effectively, demonstrating what marketing strategies the successful coaches use, and help you launch and grow a practice that is successful!  Only a small percentage of coaches in practice today are “making it” financially — largely because they don’t have the guidance and support of someone who is successful teaching them how to do it.

• Clarify the financial and business policies of the school. Finally, be sure to inquire about the refund policy (including any prorating that may be done), as well as dispute resolution processes in the event a student is dissatisfied.  Reputable schools will be happy to disclose this information.

• Coaching is more results-oriented, empowers and draws from client, and is short-term, uses assessments sparingly, no degree required but practical, specific training recommended; coaches generally work in half-hour sessions over the phone and bill by the month
• Counseling is directed by counselor, has stated agenda, uses more assessments, and can get into therapeutic applications; counselor must have Master’s degree in counseling in 48 of the 50 US states; counselors usually work face to face in one-hour segments and bill by the hour
• Practice Development Coaching involves passing along skills and knowledge from one experienced person to another. While coaching methods may be used in the Practice Development Coaching process, it is more directive than pure coaching

The basic program requires that you complete all 12 modules of the career coach training program.  This includes primarily watching the 12 video modules for the course on the Virtual Learning Community.  Completing these modules will require reading select chapters from Marcia Bench’s 408-page textbook, “Career Coaching: An Insider’s Guide,” for each session; completing exercises in the study guide, doing an online feedback form for each class, and completing a quiz on each of the chapters of the text.  Optional audio learning materials are provided containing Audio Lectures and Coaching Demonstrations. Upon completion of all 26 quizzes, you then request a password to the Final Examination (also online). You must score at least 75% on the Final Examination to graduate from the self-paced training. Other elements of the CCC certification include 50 practice hours of coaching with friends or other contacts, some of which can be paid coaching if desired.

We accept all major credit cards as well as electronic checks and Paypal Credit for the program. To fit your budget, we also provide payment plans which may spread payment out between 3 and 6 months. Details are provided on the registration pages at www.careercoachinstitute.com

Virtually all of the national business press has featured articles on coaching in the past 2-3 years, and many organizations are beginning to offer coaching to their employees, particularly at the senior executive level. Not only is coaching “legitimate;” you will be getting in on the beginning of the growth curve of a dynamic new (about 20 years old) field.