Planning to take up accredited life coaching courses online? An online life coaching course can help you build your people skills and get in touch with your empathetic side, but you may not know what to expect when you sign up. There are a few different things that you need to consider before you commit to an online life coaching course. Here are 4 considerations that will help you select the best accredited online life coaching course.
How to choose accredited life coaching courses online
There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing an accredited online coaching course , including:
Accreditation Status
Before taking up an online life coaching course, you need to ensure that the course is accredited. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is the gold standard for accreditation and certification in life coaching.
For a school to be accredited, it must meet certain standards of quality. In other words, it must teach skills that are valuable and necessary for life coaches.
If a school has been accredited by the ICF, you can be sure that they uphold the highest standard of quality with their courses and training. Two other major coaching accreditation bodies are European Mentor & Coaching Council (EMCC) and Continuing Coach Education (CCE).
Cost
One of the first considerations in selecting an online coaching course is how much it’s going to cost.
You’ll want to make sure you budget for the actual cost of the course itself, but there may be other costs involved. For example, if you’re taking a course with a certification option, then you will likely have to pay for the exam and any materials related to that as well.
In addition to the actual cost of your course, make sure you consider your time investment. You will likely need to set aside time on a regular basis to complete your online coaching course, so keep this in mind when considering topics like work/life balance and other priorities in your life.
Length of the course and how flexible it is
Most of us have busy schedules, thus, it’s crucial to find a life coaching course that suits you in terms of length and flexibility. After all, if you’re always rushing from appointment to appointment or from one thing on your to-do list to the next, you’re going to feel burned out. And nobody wants that.
The last thing you want is to be stuck with a course length or schedule that doesn’t fit your situation. This can happen all too easily if you don’t think through what kind of commitment you’re signing up for before you enroll, which is why we recommend taking time to consider it beforehand.
This is especially true when it comes to online courses—because they tend not to have any set schedules at all; they’re often much more flexible than other kinds of courses. But this also means there’s less structure compared to traditional courses, so it can be harder to keep track of how long each individual session lasts for.
Qualities of the trainer
Before pursuing any life coaching course, it’s important to find out more about the trainer. The qualities you should look for in a life coach trainer are:
- Relatability
- Competence
- Relevance
Relatability is important because you want a trainer who can understand your problems and challenges. Competence is also vital; you don’t want to take an online life coaching course with someone who doesn’t know what they are talking about. Finally, relevance is necessary for a trainer to be effective; if their experience doesn’t relate to your current situation, it may not benefit you as much as another trainer would.
Conclusion
Whether you’ve known for a long time what you want to do as a life coach, or you’re completely unsure, try to be open when it comes to choosing accredited life coaching courses online. Avoid dismissing a course until you know more about it and take time to consider topics that you haven’t given much thought before. If you have your heart set on a course, it’s still a good idea to look at what else is out there so you can be sure you’re making the right decision.
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