Life Coach Career

A Life coach career can be very satisfying and rewarding because you get a chance to help and guide others in various spheres of their lives.  In the recent times, life coaches are much in demand because of the stresses and tensions of our everyday life, be it on personal or professional front.

You can become a life coach if you have the right aptitude and skills and combine it with the requisite training and qualifications.  You would do well as a life coach if you are a good and empathetic listener, have instinctive knowledge of what people like and dislike, have good problem solving skills and are an out of the box thinker.

Types Description, Information

There are many types of life coach careers.  There are a number of options for specialization and it is best to select the specialty based on your own personality-type.  Careers, Finance, Relationships, Spirituality and Weight-loss are just some of these fields.

There is no strait-jacketed description of what entails the role of a life coach career.  You must be able to help the candidates to set easily achievable goals, motivate them to realize these dreams, help them to plan and guide their action path in a firm and convincing manner.    You must have the tact and knack to give customized solutions to your clients as there is no one-solution-suits-all formula.  Each person who comes to you is unique and you must have the ability and creativity to come up with unique solutions.

Qualifications: Courses, Training, Certification

Many institutes offer courses and training to become a qualified life coach.  Courses in management, organization, leadership can be useful when you want to pursue this career.  It is best to pursue these courses in accredited institutes as they would lend credibility to your learning.

You can also get certifications of experience by volunteering in local schools or by serving as interns under qualified life coaches.  Such on-the-job training and hands-on experience can prove to be invaluable when you move out on your own.

Some of the organizations which offer life coach certifications are:

International Coaching Council (ICC)

International Guild of Coaches (IGC)

International Association of Coaching (IAC)

International Coach Federation (ICF)

It is very useful to have certifications as these can improve your credibility and job prospects.

A degree in psychology, psychiatry, social welfare, humanities or other related subjects can be very useful while wishing to purse this career.  Manyschools, colleges and universities offer these courses.

Job opportunities and Salaries

There are a number of job opportunities for life coaches as more and more people rely on them to guide them in their professional and personal lives.

Salaries of life coaches vary greatly depending on the experience, qualification and credibility that he/she has achieved.  It also changes with the location and type of employment one is in.  Many life coaches choose to be self-employed.  However, many companies and organizations are actively recruiting these professionals in the recent times.