Coaching is a relatively new profession that is growing rapidly. The demand for coaches is growing, and so is the supply of new coaches. The coaching industry is undergoing a huge growth spurt as more and more people are discovering the significant value of working with a coach.

You may be wondering how to find just the right coach for you. To ensure you are among the vast majority of all coaching clients who are completely satisfied with their coaching this page was created to help you make the best decision for you and your circumstances.

What Do I Want?

Decide what type of life coach you want to hire. There are general life coaches as well as those who have a specific focus such as career, business growth, work and personal life balance or health and wellness. Choosing someone whose experience matches your desired area is more likely to help you achieve your goals.

Start The Search

Search locally or online for a coach.. Ask friends, colleagues, associates and successful people for a referral. Because most coaching is done by phone you needn’t focus only on coaches in your area. Most coaches have a website through which you can get many questions answered.

Check Out Their Credentials, Experience, Background and Commitment

As in any fast growing profession there are challenges. One challenge professional coaching is facing is the large number of people calling themselves coaches without formal training or relevant experience. And at this time there are no formal requirements or licensing bodies to regulate the profession.

Credentials: Learn about the credentials of your new potential mentor. Life coaching requires training and certification. Ensure your coach has completed advanced training, and become certified, at one or more International Coach Federation (ICF) accredited schools. There are hundreds and hundreds of coaching schools popping up. Some of these are good, many are not.

The ICF, is a governing body of the profession, and has a certification process that is not required: associate level coaches (ACC), professional level coaches (PCC) and master level coaches (MCC). Each level reflects the type and quantity of training the mentor has had as well as the number of hours of experience the life coach has with training and mentoring clients.

Relevant Coaching Experience - Look for a coach with relevant coaching experiences to what you're hoping to achieve. To be effective at coaching, it is not necessary for the coach to have experienced exactly what you're trying to accomplish. For example, you may want to pursue a writing career and the potential coach is not a writer but has helped several aspiring writers to further their writing careers.

Relevant Pre-Coaching Background - What did the coach do before becoming a coach? It may be relevant to what you want to work on. For example, if you want to grow your business has the coach run at least one or two successful businesses?

Coaching Commitment – How long have they been coaching? Do they do it on a full time or part time basis?. Regrettably, many people are trying to sell themselves as coaches when they're really therapists, trainers, speakers, or consultants, or only do coaching part-time while keeping their ‘day job’. It's not that they aren't competent; it’s just that most coaches need at least several hundred hours of 'practice' to really sharpen their skills. Just because someone calls themselves a coach DOES NOT mean they have same the commitment needed to be a coach.

Do They Have A Coach? – Ask if they have their own coach. If a coach doesn’t think she needs a coach for herself what does that say about her commitment to and belief in coaching? We, as coaches, know how valuable coaching is in supporting us to get where we want to go and achieve the life we desire.

You can read about my background and qualifications on the About The Coach page.

Ask For a Consultation

Ask for a consultation. Most coaches offer a complimentary coaching consultation, sample session or assessment. A consultation can help you understand what you might achieve as the result of coaching. It can also help you determine whether the potential coach is a good personality fit for you. Finding the right personality fit can impact your ability to get where you want to go in your life.

As you interview each of them ask yourself these questions: Were you able to feel connected with her. Did the coach listen well or did he do most of the talking? Were you motivated by her ideas, insights and feedback? Did you feel he clearly understand what you wanted to achieve through the coaching? Could you see yourself enjoying an ongoing working relationship with her?

Ask About Rates, Packages, Contracts, Services

Inquire about rates and find out what the coaching package includes. A coach's credentials and experience level can impact the rate that they charge so don’t base your decision completely on price.

Have potential coaches spell out what services they deliver, and what the total cost of those services will be. Some coaches will do face-to-face meetings, unlimited e-mail support and regular telephone conversations for a set price. Compare pricing and be sure you understand exactly what services will be received for that cost.

What sort of commitment does the coach ask for? Most coaches ask for a commitment of 3 months or more, and some offer long-term-pay-in-advance contracts and programs (not necessarily the best way to go). In my practice I ask that clients make a commitment to themselves and the coaching process for 3 months, but I do not require any contract.

You can read my rates and packages on my Invest In Yourself page.

Check References

Check references. The best way to determine the type of results that you can expect from choosing a coach is to find out about their success with other clients. You can check out some of my successes on my Coaching Testimonials page. Some of the former clients have their websites listed and you can contact them directly. If you see someone on that page that you would like to speak to let me know and I can contact them to see if they are available.