So You're Thinking About Being a Life Coach?

I first heard the term "life coach" when I rented the Metallica documentary, "Some Kind of Monster." The metal band paid their life coach $40,000 a month to teach them how to stop fighting with one another. I had wanted to be a therapist in college, but my mom told me I'd never make any money (For the record, she said the same thing about writing; I just chose not to listen). Life coaching seemed similar to therapy, so I set about learning all I could about the field. There's no one definition of life coaching: The International Coach Federation, the only association of professional coaches, defines it as "an ongoing relationship which focuses on clients taking action towards the realization of their visions and goals…faster than would be possible otherwise." Others say a life coach is "your own personal cheerleader." To me, a coach says to a client, "You have problems. I'm going to help you find solutions." But the definition I like best comes from my own life coach, Sharon. She described coaches as "people who help you figure out where your heart is, and how you can get there." I know where my heart wants to be one day: I love living in New York City now, but in 10 years, I want to be living in a yellow house in the woods, with a bunch of white malteses (my husband's heart is there too, but I think he envisions bigger dogs). I had always thought that to pay that mortgage, I'd be a freelance writer. But after the documentary, I realized I could coach as well. According to the ICF, there are at least 11,000 coaches across the globe, 56% of whom are in the United States. And they're doing well. The New York Times reported that some coaches have noticed a "doubling and even tripling of demand for their services in the last three or four years." So now, I'll coach you on the field of life coaching.

Lesson #1: Decide if you'd really be good at it.

First off, you'll only be happy coaching if you truly enjoy listening to people's problems. I have unofficially advised friends, family members, and people I've met at bars for years. Secondly, you have to like talking on the telephone. Unlike traditional therapy, most life coaching sessions don't happen face-to-face, but over the phone in 45-minute conversions, 3 or 4 times per month. Most schools also hold classes over the phone. And finally, life coaches must have an entrepreneurial spirit. You'll never find a full time job within a company working as a life coach (although a recent study shows companies are hiring more and more life coaches on a freelance basis to help their employees with workplace issues). For me, that's not a problem. In addition to my day job, I run a small business, designing hand decorated flu masks (www.fashionflumasks.com).

Lesson #2: Realize that you might get rich coaching, but you might not.

According to Getting Started in Personal and Executive Coaching, personal coaches, who work with individuals on anything from career to relationship issues, earn between $30,000-$40,000 a year. Business coaches, who are hired by companies to work with executives on leadership development, earn an average of $80,000 a year. Across the country, coaches charge an average of $160 per session. But an established coach, like Andrea J. Lee, can charge far more (She charges $800 per month for 3 sessions and has a 3 month waiting list). Just don't expect the big bucks right away - 63% of first year life coaches (including those still in training) earn less that $10,000 a year. Micki Lewis, a professional life coach in Lisle, Illinois, says, "the important thing is to decide what you want to earn, and if you reach that number, you'll be satisfied. " For me, that number is $20,000 per year. The rest of my yearly income I'll earn through writing. The real lesson here? Don't quit your day job until you reach your magic number.

Lesson #3: Choose a school wisely.

Because the government doesn't regulate the field, coaches don't need a license or certificate to prove they've been trained. You could finish reading this article, knock on your neighbor's door, and say, "I'm a life coach. Tell me your problems." But most people who are willing to pay money for sessions will likely want their coach to have graduated from a coaching school, and be a member of the International Coach Federation. The ICF offers several levels of certification. The first is an Associate Certified Coach and is the easiest to achieve because you only need 60 hours of training and 100 hours of coaching experience (only some of which can be sessions you gave for free). However, you can only remain at this level for two years. At that point, you must have received additional training and coaching experience, enough to qualify for their Professional Certified Coach certification. This stamp of approval requires 125 hours of training and 750 hours of coaching. On the ICF's web site (www.coachfederation.org), they list over 30 coaching schools whose programs they approve of.

But picking a school wasn't so easy. At first, I thought I'd go the least expensive route with the Coach Training Alliance, which for $2697, would qualify me for the ACC. But then I realized, in two years, I'll have to get more schooling. Why not do it all at once and strive for the PCC? Some of the schools that will qualify you for this level cost over $10,000. This tuition is about twice that of other schools, and all they offered that the others don't is a stipulation that you must to travel to their city a few times per year for face-to-face sessions. Personally, I'd rather spend my vacation days in Mexico, not a conference room. So I narrowed down the field to the two largest life coaching schools, Coach U (www.coachu.com) and the International Coach Academy (www.icoachacademy.com). Coach U's Advanced Coaching program costs $5710, while the ICA's is $3600. Like the Payless Shoe Source slogan says, Why pay more when you can pay less? Another bonus - the ICA offers classes in the morning, afternoon, and night, 5 days per week, so I can take classes at any point during the day when I have free time. Coach U only offers one or two classes per day.

Lesson #4. Start classes and don't panic.

During the orientation teleclass, I learned that among the graduation requirements is a log proving you attended all of the 120 classes, each of which lasts an hour. If you take three classes per week, you'll finish school in a year. I'd only planned on taking one. Fortunately, ICA allows you up to 3 years to finish the program. Most schools, even if you're just going for an ACC credential, will take 6 months. Here are a few things you'll learn at ICA: How to give feedback to clients about their life choices, how to write a business plan, and how to figure out what to charge people. You also take turns with other students, role-playing as coaches and clients. During the final six classes, you coach someone while an instructor listens in and assesses your skills. The best perk? As a student at ICA, you are entitled to your own coach, one who is further along in the process.

During my fifth class, the instructor asked us to share our fears about life coaching. I piped up: "I'm worried no one will want my advice because I'm only 31."

Another woman agreed: "I feel the same way. I'm 30." (We're not alone. Later, I discovered that 40% of their new American students are women between the ages of 25-35).

Instead of assuring me I was wise beyond my years, the teacher said, "I notice you said advice. You know that life coaches don't give advice, right? We ask questions, until the client finds a solution." No, I didn't know that! Why would someone pay me to ask questions?

Lesson #5: Talk to a coach to get over your fears.

"Help!" was how my first life coach session with Sharon, my peer coach, began. I told her that I was worried I'd be a bad coach because giving advice to people is in my DNA, and all the new-agey talk in class, phrases like "drama triangle," were freaking me out.

She laughed and said, "That touchy feely stuff drives me nuts too." She assured me there were plenty of coaches who, God forbid, offered advice.

Lesson #6: Don't wait to graduate to start coaching.

I figured it would take me until mid 2007 to finish school, get my ICF certification, and start coaching. But then my phone rang. My friend had told her boss that I was in life coach school and he was interested in meeting me for a drink. Over a glass of wine, I explained I was still in training and that I may not know everything Andrea Lee does. But he said, "I don't care. I can tell you'll get me."

During our first session, I had him do what my coach Sharon had me do. I asked him divide a large circle into 8 sections-Career, finances, health, love life, living environment, friendships, family, spirituality. Then I asked him to rate his level of satisfaction with each area of his life - 10 being "Things couldn't be better," and 1 being "I'm totally screwed in this department." Confidentiality prevents me from telling you anything about my client. But I can tell you that in the area he rated the lowest, we developed a 4 week plan to improve his situation. Every week, we'd talk, and if he wasn't on track, I'd help him readjust the plan, or give him the kick in the pants he needed. (MEGHANN-POSSIBLE INSERT HERE).

Lesson #7: I'll help you.

So if you'd like some coaching (free sessions count towards my graduation requirements), or just to talk more about the field, email me through www.pattylamberti.com. But I warn you of two things: 1) I'll give you advice and 2) I'll probably be wearing flannel pajamas while we talk.

Side: Insider's tips on coaching

1. Research your school carefully. Although you don't have to be credentialed by the ICF, you'll probably want to be. Many schools don't meet their standards. For ones that do, visit their web site.

2. Download Skype (www.skype.com) onto your computer. Teleclasses will eat up your cell phone minutes fast. You could use a landline, but with Skype, you can make free phone calls over the Internet. You just need to buy one of their phones, which start at $39.99.

3. Have a web site. Godaddy.com offers web site templates easy enough for a grandma to master. And their fees start at $4.95 per month.

4. Start thinking about who you'll market yourself to. Chances are, only a certain group of people will be attracted to you based on your personality and experience. What age are they? What type of field do they work in? Will this group actually be able to afford coaching?