Guide to Online Life Coach Certification Training and Subsequent Employment Options
Being a Life Coach against the Backdrop of Human Resources and Services
Should you pursue online life coach certification training? In a somewhat humorous look at the coaching profession in general, Bright Hub’s own Trent Lorcher – in an article entitled “Careers in Education: Benefits of Being a Coach” – points out that coaching provides the kind of interaction with others that builds close relationships and thrives on the human contact aspect. That being said, earning an online life coach certification may not be something you have initially envisioned for yourself.
After all, it is not the kind of job title you usually find in the Sunday want ads. The Bureau of Labor Statistics itself does not even have a line item for life coaches as a stand alone profession; nevertheless, in conjunction with the social and human service assistant field(1), it becomes quickly apparent that there is a lot of growth potential for a trained life coach. Such professionals work in conjunction with gerontologists, within the social services sector, and find employment with a host of government programs. Moreover, a specialized college degree is not generally required.
In addition to the foregoing, the business world itself holds a lot of promise for life coaches. Unlike with human resources professional – where the fear of job loss or an adverse notation in the personnel file may leave an employee tongue-tied – employees feel comfortable with a professionally employed life coach. S/He has the opportunity to get to know a good many workers and help them reach the next level of their employment potential. These professionals are sometimes on the company’s payroll, or they may be independent contractors who are contacted by business entities desirous of boosting workforce morale.
What Does an Online Life Coach Certification Training Get Me?
A look at the Spencer Institute reveals that an online life coaching certification may refer to lifestyle coaching, life strategies coaching, general wellness coaching, and also stress management and small business coaching. It is noteworthy that this institution is accredited only by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, which is not a recognized accreditation agency by the Department of Education. That being said, the life strategies coaching classes offered via online life coach certification training do count as continuing education credits for licensed clinical social workers.
Accreditation Questions
Becoming a certificated life coach in a distance learning institution accredited by the national governing bodies is hard to accomplish. Business insiders recommend that students should look to the International Coach Federation – a professional organization for life coaches in the private and public sector – for a list of programs that offer at least a professionally recognized certificate program.
Complementing this information, the Coach Federation(2) reports that coaching is actually such a fast growing field that it ranks only behind information technology in popularity. A study of a wide array of life coaching professionals reveals that those working under the title of executive coach earned the highest level incomes – the median was $77,339 – while those who simply worked as personal coaches only earned about $30,732. Receiving the appropriate certifications pays off in the long run.
In the alternative, master’s level graduate certificates – such as they are offered by the University Of Texas At Dallas’ School of Management in the executive and professional Coaching program – may also appeal to professionals ready to enter this field, yet loathe to rely on an online life coach certification training that is not considered mainstream.
