Tips for Heading Down a Life Coaching Career Path

Much of this rise in the number of coaches around the world has been because of the ability for people to work and coach from home.

If you’re planning a career change for 2019, and a coaching role is on your radar, make sure you think about ways you can prepare yourself to find success with this kind of self-employment. While more and more people are looking for coaches, there is also a lot more competition, so you need to be sure you stand out for the right reasons and will be able to get enough work to sustain yourself.

To help you with this, read on for some ways you can prepare for a coaching career.

economic review • search programs • pay for continuing education • manage your career

Module

Continued Education

Educate Yourself

For starters, one of the best steps to take is to educate yourself. Although the coaching industry isn’t specifically regulated, by having relevant qualifications and training you will be more likely to attract the interest of clients who feel comfortable knowing you have completed education and aren’t just calling yourself a coach without warrant.

There are a variety of organizations globally that run training for coaches, with many specializing in single fields of coaching. There are some good, well-respected courses out there, but make sure you do your research and invest your money into one of these and not a provider that doesn’t give much in return for payment.

In particular, when it comes to your education and coaching, it helps to have completed a university degree relevant to your coaching field. For instance, consider getting a degree in social work. If you already have a bachelor’s consider looking into online MSW requirements for a post-graduate degree. The good thing about social work is it teaches psychology, counseling, business, management and communication.

Another way to educate yourself in preparation for a coaching career is to seek out an experienced mentor. By being guided by someone who has already “been there and done that” in your preferred area, you will learn lots of tips on what to do and what not to do as you go down this career path.

Find a Niche for Yourself

To make enough money to live as a coach, you’ll need to land plenty of clients, sooner rather than later. However, with thousands of coaches working around the world, and with technology allowing them to be accessed by clients anywhere, it’s necessary to find a niche for yourself, so you get noticed.

As such, research your competitors to see what people are currently offering and if there are any gaps in the market you could cater to. Be clear on exactly who your competitors are targeting and how and where they advertise — and what kinds of price points they charge at.

Once you learn this kind of information, it will be easier to narrow in on a specific niche you can direct your time and attention to, as you focus on serving these particular customers effectively. Look for a currently underserved market full of people who will be excited to find someone who can help them. Make sure you know a clear problem you solve for people or specific benefits you can provide to them.

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Hone the Personal Skills Required to be a Top Coach

Keep in mind that being a top-level coach with plenty of clients doesn’t just come down to your specific knowledge or customer targeting, either. On top of these things, you also need to have a variety of personal skills which help you to be remarkable.

For example, make sure you hone your ability to listen actively, have empathy, read body language, notice what people might not be saying when they talk and communicate well verbally and in writing. You will also need to have focus and vision, so you don’t get distracted by opportunities or tasks which won’t move your coaching business forward; plus, you’ll need to be adept at organization, problem-solving, time management and negotiation.

Learn how to not take other people’s energy on board, too, particularly if you have clients who display a lot of anger, frustration or sadness. Other traits to work on include being persistent, resilient, adaptable, positive and confident.

Work on all of these areas and you will be much better prepared for a career as a coach and more able to make a real go of it.

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