Life coaching is certainly a gratifying occupation. Every day, life coaches facilitate decisions that propel people towards fulfilling their dreams. And, if they want to, coaches can work from home. If a job like this appeals to you, you might make a good life coach.
Current legislation does not require life coaches to have any qualifications. Becoming a life coach is, therefore, just a question of finding some clients.
This is not recommended, however. At first glance, life coaching may appear straightforward, but in fact it requires great skill - helping people to conquer their fears and make radical changes to their lives is not a simple task. The reason they haven't done all this earlier is that talking it all over with friends and family is not enough. A life coach provides much more than a listening ear and friendly advice; a life coach is an accomplished professional who can see through the situation that is presented to the root cause of what is holding the client back.
Some training, then, is a sound investment. There are all sorts of different courses available in how to become an effective life coach - intensive or longer term, face to face or distance learning - and you should have no trouble finding one you like.
As well as some training, it is a good idea to get some life coaching for yourself. Your coach will help you to understand exactly what the job involves and to make sure you really want to do it. If you do, the coaching will give you the momentum to carry you over the initial hurdles. Another benefit is that you get to see first-hand how an experienced coach operates, so you have a benchmark for your own work.
It is true that most successful life coaches charge substantial fees. The overheads are low and, yes, life coaching can be very profitable. However, if you are mainly interested in making money, look elsewhere for a job because life coaching is founded on genuine concern for the clients.
Remember too that, as a life coach, you are paid only for the time you spend working with or for a client and at the beginning you may not have enough clients to provide you with a living. If you are contemplating leaving employment, try just cutting back your hours (if the job allows it), until you are established as a life coach.
Life coaching, as a recognised job, has been around for a good twenty years but it is still very much a growth industry. More and more people are realising what life coaching can do for them and there is plenty of work out there for coaches. On the other hand, there are also more and more life coaches. If you want to become a coach, don't delay!
Being a life coach can be very hard work but it can also be immensely rewarding. If you think life coaching might be the job for you, go out and make it happen!
