In response to that article I received an email from a coach in which she shared that “while some coach training programs are over priced… I don’t think $6K is too much. Coaching is a profession that requires commitment, time and investment, just like other professions.”

All of this lead me to these two questions:

1. How does the cost of coach training compare to the cost of training for other professions?
2. How many hours of training are needed for certification?

Challenges With This Type of Comparison

There are some inherent challenges with this. Are we comparing apples with apples or apples with oranges? Or even apples with eggplants? (I believe it was the latter.) Some professions have regulations stipulating what training must be taken in order for someone to get a license and practice in that profession. This will differ between countries and even between individual states and provinces. For the purposes of this article I chose U.S. based training and professions regulated in Washington State.

Given all that…. just use these figures as a ballpark comparison… I didn’t include exam fees or books unless they were included in the total price. The sources of data for each profession can be found at the bottom of this article.

* Tuition is based on credits. The cost per hour calculation is based on 1 credit being equal to 16 hours of class time. In addition, the tuition is for a Washington State resident. Out-of-state students would pay quadruple that rate, effectively moving the cost per hour on par with coach training.

All professions above, with the exception of coaching and personal training, are regulated professions in Washington State that require a license to have a private practice. (For details visit: www.dol.wa.gov/listoflicenses.html)

Observations

Coach training is more expensive, on a per hour basis, than the other professions noted. As noted under the comparison table, tuition at the universities would be on par with coach training if out of state tuition fees had been used.

Personal training, like coaching, is not regulated as I write this article (Feb 2011). In other words coaches and personal trainers do not need to be licensed to call themselves a personal trainer or a coach. Most of the associations that certified personal trainers in the U.S. did not require any previous training or education, other than CPR and First Aid. Some required a high school education. Most, but not all, coach training organizations do not require any previous education or professional training/experience either. The exception would be coach training programs designed for therapists and helping professions.

This, however, may change for personal trainers. In 2008, the Fitness Professional Licensing Act was proposed in New Jersey. It if passed it would require professionals to have a minimum of 300 in-person hours of training, including 50 hours of supervised unpaid internship. Exempt would be those with Associate or Bachelors in PE, Exercise Science, Exercise Physiology or Adult Fitness. (Maryland and Georgia also tabled proposals in 2008 to license personal trainers).

I was surprised by the number of hours (both training and apprenticeship) required to practice as a manicurist and barber. A barber needs twice as many hours of training as a licensed massage therapist!

The number of hours needed to become an ICF Professionally Certified Coach (PCC) pales in comparison to the other professions notes here, with the obvious exception of personal training. The Master Certified Coach credential requires 200 hours of training. But… you do not need to be certified in order to have a private coaching practice, like you do with the regulated professions noted in the table.

What Do You Think?

What are you thoughts about the training and fees for coaching as compared to the other professions? Should the ICF require coaches have more than 125 hours to be certified?

Source of Data Per Profession:

Coaching: I used the average tuition calculated for the Affordable Life Coach Training post. 125 hours is the minimum hours of training needed to apply for the ICF Professional Certified Coach credential (in addition to the other requirements such as coaching hours, passing the exam etc.)

Certified Counselor: Based on the tuition fees and 180 credits required for a 4 year undergrad degree from the University of Washington. Tuition fees are for a Washington State resident. Fees quadruple for non-residents. A Certified Counselor can have a private practice.

Certified Dietician: Requires a 4-year undergrad degree in human nutrition, foods and nutrition, dietics or food management. The fees are from Washington State University for Washington state residents. To call yourself a Certified Nutritionist you must get a Masters or PhD in the topic area.

Personal Training: There are no minimal training requirements that I could find. This profession is not on the list of regulated professions in Washington State (link below above table). The 7.5 hour training is from ACSM and the 32 hour ACE exam prep training is from Triton in Texas. Other than an undergrad degree in Kinesiology, the only lengthy training I found was the 500 hour training provided by the National Personal Training Institute.

Massage Therapy: 500 hours of training are required from a state approved school. Fees and hours are the average of those for: NW School of Massage, Cortiva, and Massage Connections.

Animal Massage: 300 hours of training for either small animals or large animals is required. Fees and hours from the NorthWest School of Animal Massage. They actually offer 450 hours of training but since only 300 hours are required, I used the tuition cost for 300 training hours.

Manicurist: 600 hours of training and 800 hours of apprenticeship required. Fees and hours from Total Cosmetology Training Center.

Barber: 1000 hours of training and 1200 hrs apprenticeship required. Fees and hours from Total Cosmetology Training Center.

If so, you’re not alone. The tuition for an ICF accredited coach training program (ACTP), which are at least 125 hours in length, averages approx. $6355 US.¹

Many prospective coaches don’t have access to that much money all at once.

While you do need to invest money and time into learning the profession of coaching (or any profession), there are ways to start coach training without going into debt. Here are some suggestions:

1. One Course At a Time

Instead of registering for a complete certification program, pay for and take one course at a time. This allows you to get a feel for coaching and what types of questions to ask etc. The ideal course would be one that allows you to watch/listen to coaching demos, practice coaching and get feedback.

After the program start coaching and building your business. Then pay for and take another course. It’s the pay as you build your business method…

(If you have no background in building a business then you may want to consider coach training organizations that include that in their curriculum.)

2. Payment Plans and Scholarships

Some of the coach training schools offer payment plans. Instead of making an upfront investment of $6000, you pay a monthly fee of $300 (for example). You could ask if they have any sort of scholarship program for those with limited funds. You just never know until you ask.

3. Local Community Colleges

Do any of the local community colleges offer coaching courses or certificates? These courses may be offered via regular college courses or through the continuing education department. In some cases these courses may be less expensive than those offered by private coach training organizations.

If you’re over 60, you could check to see if the local community college offers a discount based on age.

In addition, there may be bursaries or grants you could apply for.

4. Government Funding

Some states may even offer financial support for career training for those who have lost their job or are on unemployment insurance. There may also be government programs, like those in Vancouver, BC, for people who want to start a business. If a program like this exists in your area, there may be pre-requisites for entry.

In addition, are there any stimulus funds in your state for career training?

5. Does Your Current Workplace Offer Professional Development?

Does your workplace have a professional development budget for employees? While this may have been an option before the economical problems of the past two years, it may not be true now.

6. Ask Local Coaches

Do you have a local coaching association, such as an ICF chapter, that meets near you? You could go to a meeting and ask the coaches if they know of any affordable, quality coach training. Or just ask coaches in your area.

Have you found affordable coach training that allowed you to start coaching? Do you have suggestions to add to the above list? Please leave a comment below (or contact me if you’re averse to leaving blog comments.)

1. This figure is based on five ICF accredited coach training programs (ACTP) that met the following parameters: offered via telelclass, in English, and niche was life coaching (vs executive or corporate coaching). Many of the other accredited programs were taught via a combination of in-person and teleclasses. The tuition fees the noted figure is based on are for the ACTP programs of Coach U, Coachville, Erickson, International Coach Academy, and InviteChange.

Thanks for sending in your question.  As you have probably discovered in your research – life coach training is an investment!  In a previous article on life coach training I shared that tuition fees for accredited coach training programs range from range from $3,900 to $10,000+ US.

I came up with nine ways you could find funding or ways to pay for coach training.

1. Some coach training programs have affiliations with loan agencies.  At least three of the accredited coach training programs have partnered with SLM Financial to offer student loans for students in certain US states.  In the UK there are government backed interest free career development loans.
2. Some companies have paid for coach training for their employees.  Find out if the company you work for pays for personal or professional development courses.
3. Many coach training schools have payment plans.  You may end up paying more in the end, due to a financing charge, but it will allow you to break down the payment into manageable chunks. If the fees are too high, call and see if you can create a customized plan that you can make work.
4. Instead of taking and paying for the entire program at once, take your training on a per course basis and pay as you go. It’s usually cheaper to buy the package but if you need to break up the cost, this may work for you.
5. More and more colleges and universities offer coach training, so you may have access to loans and/or grants that are available to all students.
6. Apply for scholarships, if available. If you can’t find note of it on a website, contact them and find out.
7. Coach as you train and pay for your training. You need to put the skills you learn into action so sell your services as a coach while you’re in training. If you’re not comfortable charging the ‘going rate’ – charge less while you’re in training.  As your competence and confidence increase, so can your fees.  Remember – clients pay for results.  You may already know how to support people to get results in a certain area of expertise.
8. As with anything we really want – find a way.  Is there something you can sell?  Can you make some money on the side with a part-time venture or hobby? Can you hold a fund-raising event?
9. Can your new coaching skills result in a promotion (with more pay) at work?  Even if your company doesn’t pay for your training, the increase in pay may.

Before investing in a coach training program, take the time to research the profession and see if it’s a fit for you. Once you know that, then take the time to research the training programs to find the right one for your learning style and goals.

Have you found a way to fund your coach training?  Let us know by leaving a comment below.

I found the article on page 11 of the this edition interesting.  In “The Value of Coaching in Career Development Made Clear to UK Government” they shared how more callers to the government’s Career Advice service are asking to speak to career coaches vs information advisors.  A huge shift in percentages from 2000 when the numbers were reversed.

I would think this is due to the rise in the awareness by the public that non-sport coaching exists.  If you mentioned coaching in 2000, most people thought you meant sport coaching.  Many had never heard of life or career coaching.  Obviously the media and the growth of the internet helped in spreading the word as well.

“The big idea is to create DEEPER public awareness of the power of personal coaching.”

If you want to know more about this 2 hour public presentation about the power of personal coaching visit their site.  Dave will also share a new business model that will help coaches build a thriving practice.

Read more at:  CoachVille Tour

P.S.  If you’re thinking about taking coach training with CoachVille but you haven’t decided, this is an opportunity to get a feel for the company.

CTI’s coaching program is ICF accredited.  This is an in-person course that takes place from Friday-Sunday in various cities throughout the world.  If it resonates with you, check it out.

For more information visit:   http://www.thecoaches.com/explore/