Life coaches do not have to be certified to begin a coaching career. However, it’s a good decision to get life coach certification. It enhances your credibility and reassures your clients. It demonstrates that you have high professional standards, a high skill level, and a strong code of ethics. It demonstrates that you have an ongoing commitment to professional development. It gives you the satisfaction of reaching a career milestone.

Certification from the International Federation of Coaches has several purposes. Certification establishes and administers minimum standards for coaches and training agencies. It assures the public that coaches and agencies meet or exceed those standards. IFC certifies Associate Certified Coaches (ACCs), Professional Certified Coaches (PCCs), or a Master Certified Coaches (MCCs).

ACCs can be certified via ACTP or portfolio. Both methods require one hundred hours coaching experience. You will have to obtain two letters of recommendation from qualified coaches. You must pay an application fee of $100. If you complete ACTP, simply produce your certificate of completion.

If you complete a portfolio, you will have a more complex route. You will have to complete sixty hours of training. Forty-eight hours of that training must be voice-to-voice or in-person training. This means no online, no mail-in, and no self-study courses. The rest of the hours can come from IFC conferences or chapter events. They can also come from teaching the IFC core competencies. The portfolio route requires a couple of other elements. You must complete ten hours worth of work with a mentor. You will also take an oral exam. The fee for the exam is $100.

PCCs must have 750 hours experience, two letters of recommendation, and a $300 application fee. ACTP certification is the same as it is for ACCs. For the portfolio route, you must have 125 hours of coach-specific training. One hundred of those hours must involve direct interaction with the trainer. You also have to take ten hours of mentoring and pay $275 for an oral exam.

MCCs must have 2,500 hours coaching experience. At this level, you have to have 200 hours of training, 160 of which involves direct interaction. You must spend ten hours with a mentor, obtain three letters of recommendation, and pay a $300 application fee. You will also have an oral exam, for which you will pay $275.

IFC life coach certification ensures that you meet certain core competencies. It demonstrates your commitment to learning for your clients. It helps you set an example for them by obtaining your own career objectives. It reinforces coaching as a distinct and self-regulating profession.

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