What is Life Coaching?
Life coaching aims to help people shift their lives from satisfactory to amazing. It teaches them how to work proactively on their current situation in order to achieve their goals. Contrary to what many think, it's not like therapy which focuses on assisting people with deep-rooted psychological disorders.
More like an athletic coach, a life coach's ultimate goal is to help their client win in life by providing them with effective strategies. Winning means being able to maximise one's full potential to realise what they want in life, whether it concerns their career, relationships, family or health.
Why Study Life Coaching?
People need self-confidence to attain their goals in life. Unfortunately, not everybody has it. By studying to be a life coach, you will be able to help others develop this important quality and motivate them to work on their dreams and aspirations. If your friends and family always turn to you when they feel stuck in a problem because you have the ability to change their perspective on things, then that's an indication that you were born to be a successful life coach.
What Does It Take to Study Life Coaching or Become a Practitioner of It?
Certified life coaches have varied expertise and experience, but all of them have gained qualifications in their respective fields. Before signing up to a course, identify the area you want to specialise in. This will help you lay out the learning pathway you will need to pursue. Besides the determination to establish a career as a life coach, you must be compassionate, patient, supportive and a great listener — these are important traits inherent to a coach.
What are the Differences Between Studying Life Coaching Offline and Online?
In order to become a qualified life coach, you have to complete a Certificate IV in Life Coaching or a diploma or bachelor's degree qualification. Many Australian universities offer life coaching courses on-campus and online. In the former, you will learn in the traditional classroom setting, while an online course allows you to study at your convenience.
Distance education, or remote learning, is the preferred choice of many students as it allows them to study full-time or part-time. Signing up to an online life coaching course gives you the freedom to work your study time around your 9-to-5 job and other daily commitments, so weigh your options carefully to ensure yourself of the best learning experience.
How Do I Choose a School or Course?
Several factors need to be considered when choosing which school or course to enrol in as the outcome of your decision will affect your lifestyle, budget and career path. Once you have come up with a list of potential schools, take the time to speak with each institute's admissions officer or course adviser to get all of the information that you need.
It's also important to clarify if the courses that the schools offer are recognised by major professional associations for life coaches in Australia such as ICF Australasia, Asia Pacific Alliance of Coaches (APAC), Australia and New Zealand Coaching Alliance, and Association for Coaching. Feel free to browse the courses listed on this page to get started with your journey to a fulfilling life coaching career.
To start your journey in becoming a life coach in Australia, check out the different online life coaching courses listed above.
