The life coaching industry is a fast-growing industry that is very flexible and open to people from all walks of life. The main purpose of a life coach is to help their clients improve their relationships, careers, and day-to-day lives. However, life coaches are not therapists. A life coach’s goal isn’t to solve someone else’s problems for them but instead to encourage their clients to think deeper within themselves to maximize their potential.
Unlike other professional fields, life coaching is a non-regulated industry, meaning there are no laws governing the field. You do not require a degree to become a life coach, and life coach training organizations do not need to be accredited by a governing body. Does this mean you need a certification to work as a life coach?
The short answer to this question is no. At the current moment, becoming a life coach doesn’t require certification. However, this may not last forever, and it doesn’t mean you should not get a certification.
While you can become a life coach with no certification at all, you shouldn’t. A life coaching certification program gives you many benefits when it comes to your life coaching practice. It will provide you with a plethora of coaching tools, peer group sessions, and even one-on-one coaching from an experienced life coach in the industry.
It’s not uncommon to see people with no certification working as a life coach. This doesn’t mean they are bad coaches, but it can mean that they haven’t spent time to expand their knowledge on coaching or looked into becoming a certified coach through the International Coach Federation (ICF). A certified coaching program will give you a solid knowledge base of coaching techniques, prepare you for ICF certification, and give you the tools you need to succeed in business.