How Do I Become a Coach?

Discover an Exciting Career Field!

Topics

What really matters if you want to become a coach
How to find the right training for you
Which coaching method suits you best
How to get started
Typical coaching fees
Bonus: Coaching Structure Model

I’m glad you’ve downloaded this e-book and started reading it. We want to show you the possibilities you have to become a coach and achieve success in doing so.

How Can I Become a Coach?

Maybe you’ve already given advice or support to someone making a decision— and you’re thinking of developing that talent further, or perhaps even using it professionally.

Maybe this idea has turned into the desire to become a coach. But how do you start, and what are the next steps? In this e-book, I’ve gathered some information to make it easier for you to choose and decide.

Coaching is indispensable in business and high-performance sports; it’s steadily finding its way into other sectors. More and more individuals are hiring qualified coaches when they’re in a time of personal or professional transition and want to develop new strategies. There is a solid demand for professional support, both at work and in private life.

It’s not surprising, then, that the job description “coach” sounds very appealing to many.

But how does one actually become a coach?

Do I Need Coaching Training to Become a Coach?

The job title “coach” is not regulated. Consequently, many self-proclaimed coaches populate the market. Certainly, having good common sense is a useful starting point, but on its own, it won’t suffice in the long run. You’ve probably experienced that yourself, whether within your circle of friends, with family, or in your workplace during your first attempts at coaching. Sometimes it might be enough just to encourage or motivate someone. But often, you’ll find you reach your limits with that alone.

Professional coaching is much more than life advice or simply giving tips. Without appropriate expertise, methods, and techniques, self-proclaimed “advisors” often have slim chances of success. Your personality also plays an important role, especially if you want to earn a living and be successful as a coach. Clients can sense whether you really have the competence and the relevant qualifications. You can see that good coaches don’t just drop from the sky—they have solid training and rarely get there by self-teaching alone.

If you already have relevant knowledge or training (e.g., in NLP, as a Heilpraktiker in Germany, in the fields of education or psychology, etc.), you may only need a targeted short training—perhaps a few workshop days—to deepen and expand your abilities.

A training that you can build in modules is also recommended if you’re not certain how much time you can invest in coaching training.

That way, you can start by specifically expanding your expertise or learning certain abilities, such as conflict resolution in the workplace or in HR development. The training schedule can be customized to your needs. More on that later.

Another strong case for taking coaching training or specialized workshops is that companies wanting to provide coaching for their executives hire coaches very selectively. They want professionals who can show a solid coaching qualification and have pursued regular continuing education. They should also be experts in their field, able to present the proper credentials.

Which Requirements Do I Need for a Coaching Program?

Enjoyment and interest in people and their personal development are definitely key requirements.

In general, anyone can train to be a coach, regardless of occupation or educational background. Age is also initially not a factor. However, the DVNLP (German Association for Neuro-Linguistic Programming) does require that anyone wishing to become a coach be at least 25 years old. This age limit applies to the time of certification. You can begin your training earlier than that.

The idea here is to ensure a certain level of maturity and life experience in trained coaches. Some might argue that such open access standards are too low, yet in practice, they allow professionals in any field to get additional training and qualifications.

Coaching skills are increasingly essential in many professions. Whether you’re a future manager or you sometimes moderate team meetings, fundamentals of communication, conversation facilitation, negotiation skills, and question techniques are beneficial in any sector—especially when combined with your existing work experience.

And who knows? Perhaps the blend of your past career and your coaching skills will fill a niche and be highly sought after.

Which Criteria Should I Use to Choose a Coaching Program?

Whether you want to use a coaching qualification for your current job or are thinking about starting your own coaching business:

Anyone who wants to become a coach today faces a sometimes overwhelming variety of training programs and methods. How do you pick the right coaching program for you?

Many questions arise. Should you choose in-person or distance learning, weekend or extended courses, or a part-time program? NLP training, systemic or integral courses? Life coaching, team coaching, or kids’ coaching?

Or should you aim for a certificate in life counseling? How can you recognize a quality coach-training program?

Does duration or the number of hours matter? Some programs last a few workshop days, while others run part-time over two or three years. Costs range from three figures to five, yet a higher price doesn’t necessarily mean higher quality.

We’ve compiled some criteria to help you pick the right program. After all, a program should not only be high quality; it should also match your personal needs.

But First: What Makes a Good Coach?

Become the kind of coach you yourself would hire!

If you drop your car off at the workshop, you expect the mechanics to know what they’re doing—that they don’t just randomly tinker with this or that part. Similarly, if you’re paying a coach to help you develop personally, you have every right to expect that they know what they’re doing and why.

Coaches should not just be technically and methodologically adept; they must also be capable of establishing a professional, reliable coaching relationship. This requires a high level of emotional, social, and personal competence—qualities you can’t just pick up from reading textbooks.

Your personality plays a central role. This includes learning to reflect professionally on your own actions and to manage your limitations and unresolved personal issues.

What Should I Look for in a Quality Coaching Training?

Duration and Timeframe of the Program

It should be clear by now that you generally can’t become a skilled coach in a single weekend or by taking online courses alone. Many coaching associations therefore recommend that training take at least 150 classroom hours, spread over one to two years part-time. According to its own quality criteria, Germany’s Stiftung Warentest even recommends a minimum of 250 hours.

Within that training period, you won’t just learn theory and techniques. The program will also include professional reflection on your coaching practice, through in-class exercises, peer group practice, mutual coaching, and supervision.

Course Content

When choosing a program, pay attention to what content is covered. Is there a curriculum or a clear structure? Are the methods and techniques used made transparent (for instance, on the website or in brochures)?

Are you able to tailor the course to your needs? For example, is it set up so you can complement your existing knowledge and training—or focus on skills you’d like to cultivate?

Trainer Expertise

Who conducts the coaching programs? Are the trainer and lead coach mentioned by name, or is there only a vague statement such as “qualified coaches”? What can you learn about these trainers? Do they possess expert knowledge and experience in the topic area?

Especially for courses that shape your personality, the trainers themselves are a decisive factor. Trust yourself and pick trainers you’ll enjoy learning from.

Number of Participants

Professional bodies recommend a group size of 10 to 15, maximum 25 participants, to ensure optimal learning. For courses that focus on theoretical knowledge transmission, more participants may be acceptable.

Think about whether you learn well in large groups. Some people do; sometimes that can be a cost-effective way to start.

However, for seminars where personal development is key, the group shouldn’t be too large.

Certifications and Credentials

Of course, you can always attend workshops simply for personal growth and skip obtaining a formal certificate. There are certainly participants who do a coaching program primarily for their own development. They’re curious about psychological and systemic relationships, enjoy practicing with other participants, and find personal fulfillment in it.

If you do want to complete a course with a certificate, you might wonder about your prospects with that certificate out in the market.

Some coaching academies provide their own certificate of completion, which might not be recognized outside their institution. It could still be a first-rate program.

Another frequently requested quality marker is if you also earn a certificate from a recognized national professional or coaching association. These associations typically define the standards and curricula.

That ensures a certain level of quality, because it clarifies the requirements you must meet for certification.

Typically, that includes regular attendance and active participation, supervision, reflections on the coaching you’ve conducted, and a written coaching paper or case documentation. Your trainer certifies that you’ve successfully completed the program once these requirements are fulfilled.

Which Coaching Method Is Best?

With so many possible training options, it’s easy to lose track of which method or field is right for you. Should you specialize in business, system, or life coaching? What do these labels really mean?

In my experience, most training courses—no matter if they’re marketed as business, team, or mental coaching—include elements of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). Often, NLP questioning techniques, rapport basics, anchoring, reframing, meta programs, and work on values and beliefs are integrated, but NLP isn’t mentioned by name. Some of these methods are taught thoroughly; others are merely touched upon. The graduates are then familiar with them in theory, yet seldom have learned them in-depth. That deeper understanding is missing.

Therefore, we recommend NLP as an important foundation or supplement for a coaching education.

Do I Have to Wait Until I’ve Finished My Training to Start Coaching?

You don’t have to wait until you’re fully certified. You can begin whenever you feel ready. Some participants in our NLP programs start as soon as they’ve learned their first formats. In their practice groups, they may notice that a certain format doesn’t fit or something is missing, and then they adopt a different one. This gives them practical experience.

Through feedback from fellow participants, they learn to reflect on their own actions. By the end of the training, they already have a solid set of tools, techniques, and question methods.

During coaching training, you can also coach other participants and expand your knowledge. Take advantage of that and ask for feedback.

If you’re coaching clients outside of class, it’s only fair to mention you’re still in training. If you get stuck or reach your limits, discuss it in your training group or during supervision. This is a professional way to reflect on your own coaching and to keep developing.

How Much Does a Coach Earn?

According to a 2016 coaching survey in Germany, the average rate for business coaching was €184 for a 60-minute session. Private clients paying out of their own pocket paid around €125.

How high you set your fees will depend, for instance, on your target audience and industry. Business coaching typically commands higher fees than, say, coaching teenagers as they enter the workforce.

Your coaching experience also matters. As you get older and gain more professional experience, you can negotiate higher rates. In larger projects, for example within a company, you might negotiate a flat fee for the entire change process.

Still, note that even highly sought-after coaches typically earn only about a third of their annual income from coaching—often less. Coaches usually work in related fields such as training, consulting, or as subject-matter experts.

Of course, if you’re a leading authority in your niche, that might make you particularly attractive as a coach within your target market.

Bonus: The NLP Coaching Structure Model

As a practical supplement, here is a possible structure for a coaching conversation—something to help guide your initial steps as a coach.

Step 1: Establish Rapport

That means creating…

a positive relationship level
a climate of mutual appreciation

Clarify:

Where does the other person stand right now?
What does their model of the world look like?
What are their needs?

Step 2: Maintain a Firm Goal Orientation

Gather well-formed outcomes—i.e., concrete, realistically attainable, and positively stated goals. Also explore your coachee’s mental map with questions like:

What’s your goal?
How will you know when you’ve reached it?
If they mention something they don’t want, ask: “So, what do you want instead?”
How will it be/feel once you’ve solved your problem?

Step 3: Organize Resources

Develop a strategy with the coachee. Help them activate their resources by asking:

What do you need to achieve your goal?
How can you get what you need?
Who or what can help you?

Step 4: Ecology Check

Test the solution with probing questions and integrate possible objections into the future plan. The following questions can help:

Are there any objections still in the way?
What are the risks involved?
What’s the price you’re paying for this plan?

Step 5: Future Pace

Place an anchor in the future and schedule concrete action steps to initiate the plan’s implementation. For example:

What exactly will you do, and when and how?
In which order?
What’s the first thing you’ll do?