Category Archives: Coach Certification

Coach Training versus Other Professions – A Comparison

One challenge potential coaches have shared with me is how to find affordable coach training. In December I wrote an article with six suggestions on how to start coach training without going into debt. (Link with title of article)

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?

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Can Coaching be Regulated?

Coach Pervin Shaikh believes it’s time for the coaching industry to be regulated, as per her article “Opinion: A new dawn for coaching?”  In her opinion, not only would this prevent unqualified coaches from offering coaching services, it would also make it easier for clients to sort the qualified from the unqualified.

I’m curious – if regulation were to occur, who would be the head regulator?  Would it be at the
international, national, regional or municipal level?  Who would deal with offending coaches?  And how?  Would they be fined?  How would all the internet marketing professionals, for instance, who offer ‘coaching programs’ be dealt with?    It could be a logistical nightmare!

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A Certified Coach in Just 2 Days?

The other day I read an ad in a local publication offering a 2-day course for coaches. That in itself is not unusual.  The ad claimed that participants would learn everything they needed to succeed and implied that they could become a certified coach.  I checked their site and it clarified that certification was possible as long as the participant passed an assessment on the 2nd day.

Let’s just say I was a wee bit (ok a whole lot) skeptical.

First of all, how can you learn ‘everything’ you need to to succeed in just 2 days? I think that statement is a bit misleading.  You could learn what you need to get started as a coach, both coaching skills and basic business building concepts, but not everything.

Unless a prospective coach has previous business experience or training, it takes time to learn how to build, market and operate any business, including a coaching business.

Secondly, can a person be skilled enough to be worthy of certification after just 2 days of training?

That aspect warranted further investigation.

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