Online Life Coach Certification Program

Coaching is a global industry that is rapidly growing. The past few years have witnessed a dramatic increase in the number of coaches as well as coaching institutes worldwide. International Coach Federation (ICF) has played a monumental role in making coaching an integral part of the society. In light of ICF’s continual support to the growth of professional coaches more and more coaches are coming forward to become ICF certified. If you are one of those aspiring or experienced coaches who want to know how to become an ICF certified coach, here is an article for you. This article focuses on the Online Life Coach Certification program, and how to become a Life Coach in India, as ICF Certification is widely in demand.

The purpose of this article is to outline the steps to become an ICF ACC Coach after attending a classroom-based or online life coaching program 

And the scope of this article is restricted to guide your understanding only on how to meet the ICF’s criteria of becoming an ICF ACC coach. All ICF credentials are required to be renewed periodically as they do not have a lifetime validity. The process of renewal and upgrade of ICF credentials is beyond the scope of this article.

It is recommended that you look at this article with attentiveness in full detail. However, if you are in a hurry, here is the summary on how to complete the online Life Coach Certification program, and how to become an ICF Certified Coach.

1. Attend ICF approved coach training program with an institute of repute. (60 hours towards ICF ACC)
2. Complete the coaching log (100 hours+) and secure at least 10 hours of mentor coaching with an ICF mentor coach
3. Submit ICF application with ICF, along with a session for evaluation
4. Clear the ICF exam

About ICF Credentials

ICF backs up professional coaches by offering ICF credentials. ICF offers three credentials; each level has an increasingly higher standard. They are:

1. Associate Certified Coach (ACC)
2. Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
3. Master Certified Coach (MCC)

The eligibility to these coaching credentials is determined on the basis of overall coaching experience and duration of coaching training undertaken for professional coaching competence development because the minimum number of hours of coaching training and the total hours of coaching practice experience have both been identified as key determinants of the professional competency level of a coach.

Keeping in mind the cost involved in attending ICF approved coach programs, ICF ACC level training is more than enough to get started as a Coach, and to work towards developing a coaching practice. Below mentioned is the eligibility requirement for ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC) level coaching credentials:-

• 60+ hours of coaching training
• 100+ hours of practice with coaching clients
• 10 hours feedback by ICF mentor coach on practice coaching session.

In addition to these minimum requirements, the aspirant ICF coaches must demonstrate their coaching competency in the coach knowledge assessment (CKA) – a rigorous examination conducted by ICF to evaluate and assess the expertise level of coach.

Important note:

If you take a look at professional websites like LinkedIn, you will notice that some of the coaches have only attended ICF approved training program, and they have labeled themselves as ICF certified coach.

It is therefore crucial to call your attention to an important fact that you need to earn ICF credentials if you want to be called an ICF certified coach. Mere attendance in an ICF approved training program does not qualify you to brand yourself as an ICF certified coach.

If you are someone who is curious to know more about how to attend an online Life Coach Certification program, and become an ICF Certified Coach, continue reading further-

Step 1: Attend classroom or online ICF approved coach training program with an institute of repute

To become an ICF certified coach, attend a coach training program with an academy that has a reputation of being the best in the industry.

It is essential to undergo training with a leading coach training institute because reputed institutes usually have better resources, training aids, and professionals to offer you superior training. And all these further become an important determinant in your success as a professional coach.

Do due diligence before you enroll for the program.

There are many ICF approved courses available. Here are some useful tips to help you select the right ICF training program:

• Stay informed about how the program is structured, how many days are in-classroom and what modules of the program will be offline. Understand the program content in detail such that you clearly know the topics that will be covered in the program. These days many programs are offered as an online Life Coach Certification program, or online Executive Coach certification program, or online Emotional Intelligence Coach program. The name can be different, but the important part is to check whether they lead to ICF ACC or not. Whether a person wants to attend classroom-based or online, depends entirely on their schedule, their geographic location etc.

This is imperative to be done because many times training programs claim to be extensive advanced-level programs, however, they end up being normal introductory programs that are not very helpful.

So, check the program content for the following:

• Behavior change based framework

Ensure that a strong behaviour change based framework is well-built throughout the length and breadth of the program. When you attend a coach training program in which coaching methodology is fully integrated with a behavior change based framework, you will be better equipped and prepared to start your coaching business on a powerful note. Coaching programs not backed by a strong methodology generally do not give flexibility to the coach to be totally present with the client.

Some of the most popular behavior-based coaching concepts are: Results based Coaching – Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Meta-Coaching (Neuro-Semantics), Emotional Intelligence, Cognitive Behavior Coaching, and Coaching using NeuroScience.

Further, it is advisable to attend a coaching program where one methodology is being covered in-depth. This way, you will have appropriate knowledge of the subject. Coaching programs that mix various methodologies often just provide superficial knowledge on the subject.  If you want to use NLP as your coaching methodology, then look for the best NLP Practitioner program in India .

Also, make sure that your grasp of the behavior-based methodology of your choice enables you to understand the concepts in detail, and allows some reflection to work on your own self as well.

• Business development skills

A lot of coach training programs available in the market do not teach you the intricacies of building a successful coaching practice.

If you have completed your coaching course and you do not know yet how to find coaching clients, or how to brand or market your services, etc then sad to relate, your coach training isn’t actually complete. Unless you know how to growth hack in your coaching business, you are not ready to start a flourishing coaching practice.

• Sign up with a coach who has been doing both coaching as well as delivering coach training programs. 

Coaching and training both require distinct and different types of skill sets and expertise. Every client is different. Every coaching session provides a unique learning experience for the coach as well.

ICF Coach trainers who have not been active coaches themselves generally do not have their finger on the pulse of present-day coaching challenges. So make sure that your coach trainer is also a coach who actively practices coaching. Online Life Coach Certification program enables you to work with mentor coaches who can be accessed even if they are not in your geographic location.

A lot of coach trainers out there showcase themselves as coaches just for the sake of it. Beware.

To assess the trainer’s expertise & credibility, check the following:

• Know the profile of the Master trainer

Coaching and training are trainer driven, so make sure you are aware of who is the person who will facilitate the program. Don’t be lured by the massive photo galleries, because catchy photo gallery and great websites can also be misleading.

Better check the profile of the coach who is going to facilitate the program; their background, their qualifications, and their mentors. Also take a look at the program/institute where they pursued their Coach and Training credentials. Make sure that the profile of the coach trainer is brilliant, and has a reputation to be the best. If you are India based and want to become a Life Coach, then specifically look for a coach who is the best Life coach in India.

All this is important to check because it will give you a brief idea about the quality of their training and learnings. If the learning has been sub-standard, then the coaching service cannot be expected to be up to the mark.

• Participant testimonials

Take a look at the testimonials given by program participants. Read between the lines. Check if they can speak about coverage across different realms of Coaching like Life Coaching, Business Coaching, Executive Coaching, and Entrepreneur Coaching, etc.

Step 2: Complete the coaching log (100 hours+) and secure at least 10 hours of mentor coaching with an ICF mentor coach

As per ICF, a minimum of 100 hours of practice coaching and at least 10 hours of mentor coaching (supervision) is required to be eligible for ICF ACC Coach credentials.

The competence of becoming better at coaching comes over time by coaching clients. The more you coach, the better will be the shape your coaching skills take.

Further, a proficient ICF mentor coach will guide you on how to make the coaching process more effective. Many of the listed online Life Coach Certification program do not show inclusive price, so make sure that you understand that 10 hours of mentor coaching needs to be inclusive of the ICF ACC level course training.

ICF mentor coaches usually help aspiring ICF coaches to improve upon their questioning skills, inter-personal skills, coaching presence, etc.

The implementable tips from your ICF mentor coach will further enable you to be flexible as a coach.

Step 3: Submit the ICF application with ICF

All applications are submitted online on the ICF’s website. ICF takes around 12-14 weeks for the review of the submitted application.

ICF will contact you via email with a status update containing the next step in the review process.

You will receive the link for the Coach Knowledge Assessment (CKA) exam once ICF has validated your application.

After receiving the email, you can take the exam.

The exam duration is 3 hours and there are multiple-choice questions.

Step 4: Clear the ICF exam

Once you clear the Coach Knowledge Assessment (CKA) exam, you become an ICF Certified Coach. How you want to brand yourself as a coach is your own choice. You can call yourself a Life Coach, a Business Coach, an Executive Coach, a Leadership Coach, or an Entrepreneur Coach.

Professional coaches are dedicated to helping individuals be the very best version of themselves. Coach training enables coaches to unlock their client’s full potential. Online Life Coach Certification program enables a person to learn the dynamics of how to handle their clients in digital space as well, and that is an important element that one must consider.

Coaches with specialized training and a top-level coaching certification are known to be more effective coaches. Also, they are able to attract clients more easily because coach certifications from ICF – the world’s largest coaching association enables them to distinguish themselves and get an edge over other coaches, especially if a person is looking to work with corporate clients.

It is often said that becoming a coach is easy; the magic lies in becoming an ICF credentialed coach. That’s because ICF is recognized as the global standard for professional coaches.

The aim of ICF is to represent the highest quality in professional coaching through establishing high standards in coaching, and building a worldwide network of credential coaches. The procedure to become a certified ICF Coach is the same globally.

If you are someone who is interested in attending an online Life Coach certification program and to make a career as an ICF credentialed coach, then to see details of Combo-III ICF approved program in India of our flagship integrated NLP Practitioner and ICF credentialed Coach Training Program.

Write to us on info@nlpcoach.in should you need any further updates.