What is a Life Coach, and what do they do?
We’re a month into 2020, and it’s that time of the year where you sit down with your inner self to determine whether the previous one was successful and set the goals for the days ahead. Was your desire to lose a couple of pounds or finally learn how to swim? Or did your resolutions encompass ditching that tedious day job to do what you love? And did you manage to do any of that? If you did, great for you! If not, better luck this time!
There’s no better time than the present to kick your resolutions or dreams into action. If you yearn for a career in life coaching, we unravel what the path ahead is like by dissecting your job description and other important aspects of the role.
The purpose of a life coach?
A life coach is not a therapist; unlike the latter, they don’t offer ‘expert’ advice with exact details for your next course of action. Instead, life coaches help clients come to the realization of what they need to do, offering that gentle push necessary to get going. They are excellent communicators and listeners and assist clients by providing fresh perspectives and through their positivity and optimism. Life coaching revolves around the concept that everyone is able to uncover the answers to their problems, and via particular questions, the coach can make clear a foggy situation so that clients can figure out the path ahead on their own. Coaches focus on pushing clients to follow-through and be accountable for their actions.
A lot of the times, people are held back from moving forward because they feel trapped in certain dimensions of their lives. A professional, third party can acknowledge trepidations, fears, or other emotions that may be shacking them still, and work out a plan entailing a positive attitude change and doable goals. The role of a life coach spans personal and professional growth, and it heavily advocates for self-initiated change.
In a nutshell, a life coach’s duties include:
- Encouraging good habits
- Figuring out goals for clients
- Helping people navigate hard life changes such as a death or divorce, among others
- Promoting a good work/life balance
- Fueling passions and motivating others to take charge of their own lives
- Sifting client priorities to work out a criteria
- Enabling personal relationships to thrive
- Encouraging people to make that leap of faith into a new career or daring project
- Identifying distracting habits or beliefs that are making clients stray from their objectives
How to get started as a life coach
So you’ve made up your mind, and you can’t wait to jump into the future. That’s great! But an essential question springs to mind: how exactly do I get started as a life coach? Not to worry, we have a few pointers to help your transition:
- Settle on a niche you like
You’ll need to work out your niche so that you can shape your skills toward meeting the demands of your clientele. If you aren’t settled on any specific area, don’t worry about it too much. You can start on a general foundation and tweak things later as you begin to realize which aspects of life coaching you like most or are very good at. - Get life coach certification
Clients tend to be more trusting of certified coaches, and you stand to gain a lot in terms of expertise and industry knowledge. A life coaching certification sets you apart from the crowd and adds huge credibility to the title. - Identify what you’re good at
Are your organization skills on point? Do you excel with numbers or are great with children? Or did past experiences, maybe a divorce, make you more knowledgeable of handling certain situations? By identifying your strengths, you can work out your place in the life coaching industry. - Ask us your chosen life coach training school questions
Most life coach training programs are comprised of professionals with countless years of experience and a team that has seen everything to do with life coaching. Let the pros iron out your fears, concerns, and expectations for the job ahead.
Misconceptions about life coaching
- You can get started without training
The truth and the lie in this are as far apart as the east is from the west. While a couple of personal traits, e.g. being a good listener or social, can help you hit the ground running, a proper life coaching career requires careful training to attain expertise and learn how best to package yourself. - It isn’t a “real” job
Life coaching has evolved into a fully-fledged profession entailing education programs, credentials, and standardized ethical practices. It’s come a long way since the 1980s, and it’s now a respectable career with a handsome paycheck. The International Coach Federation estimates that there are well over 50,000 people in this line of work in the US alone. - Coaching is a form of therapy
A therapy-patient relationship is a pretty one-sided affair, and it’s completely against the purpose of a life coaching job. The latter is a two-way traffic profession that teaches clients to take a more proactive role in their lives as opposed to being told what to do and vice versa. - Clients couldn’t be bothered if you’re certified or not
This is probably the biggest lie in the book, with findings of the ICF bringing to light that more than 8 in every 10 clients consider certification a big deal when choosing a life coach. After all, would you trust a doctor who hasn’t been to medical school but says he/she is good at surgery?
Finally, is a life coach salary worth it?
Is the paycheck worth the trouble of switching careers or getting started? While passion is an excellent motivation for a job, it doesn’t pay the bills. If you’re wondering whether this job is rewarding beyond the fulfillment aspect, the answer is yes. A past study by the US Bureau of the Census placed the average annual income of a person in the country at about $32,000, but the yearly average of a life coach stands at $14,000 more. Depending on your line of coaching, you may even earn up to $100,000 or more in the same period.
What is the next step?
Are you interested in becoming a life coach but don’t know how to go about it? There are many resources on the web to guide you. It’s a good idea to vet the educational program you choose and assess their reviews, how long they’ve been in business and the follow-up support they offer. Once you’ve decided on the life coach certification program you’ll be enrolling in, you’ll be on your way to a long and promising career of making the world a better place, one person at a time!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Fern Gorin
Owner/Founder Life Purpose Institute
Life Coach Certification & Career Coach Certification
Fern Gorin was one of the first to pioneer the Life Coach Training field, starting her company in 1984. Life coaches trained by Fern’s company, have helped over 1 million people worldwide. Graduates of the Life Purpose Institute ICF accredited program, go through a life-changing process intended to not only teach practical ways to help people through life changes but to also transform lives.
EDUCATION
Professional School of Psychological Studies
Degree: M.A. Counseling Psychology
Activities and Societies:
International Coaching Federation Alliance of Career Counseling Professionals
California Association of Marriage & Family Counseling Shared Vision Network
