Is this course OK What is NCFE? Want to be a life coach

HappySad

I am looking at this home study course so that I can train and still look after my young family

http://www.openstudycollege.com/courses/ocn-life-coaching-course.html

It offers a NCFE Diploma in Life Coaching. Is NCFE recognised.. What is it equivalent to?

angel2010_2

Currently I dont think Life Coaching is regulated unlike massage training.

MrsManda

NCFE is an awarding body, just like AQA is an awarding body.
As the website says, the course you are looking at is the equivalent of an A-level or NVQ level 3.

There are accreditted courses for life coaching but much more expensive than the NCFE course. Depends on what you want to do with it. A few links which may be useful to you:
http://www.coaching-life.co.uk/life-accreditation.htm
http://www.coachingnetwork.org.uk/resourcecentre/trainingandaccreditation.htm

paulwf

Try and work out a rough business plan first. Do as much research as possible and if it still looks viable then work out what courses are required. There are two questions to ask: what skills do you need to learn and more importantly what qualifications will customers look for you to hold?

I know the business plan bit is boring but it is important, there is no point becoming a life coach unless you can turn it into a viable business.

HappySad

MrsManda wrote: »

NCFE is an awarding body, just like AQA is an awarding body.
As the website says, the course you are looking at is the equivalent of an A-level or NVQ level 3.

There are accreditted courses for life coaching but much more expensive than the NCFE course. Depends on what you want to do with it. A few links which may be useful to you:
http://www.coaching-life.co.uk/life-accreditation.htm
http://www.coachingnetwork.org.uk/resourcecentre/trainingandaccreditation.htm

Thanks you both for your advice and link above. What does accredit mean?

HappySad

Just had a look at those courses. They are very expensive. The market I am going into are not really aware of these courses and just want you to be qualified at a level and be able to resolve their problems.

Just wanted to ask. Do you know any good UK bases life coaching forums. I googled and found USA based forums.

I just found this free 2 day course. Is this course enough to coach?
http://www.the-coaching-academy.com/coaching-course/free-coach-training.asp
Is the qualification you get from this 2 day course accredited?

Savvy_Sue

All accredited means is that some 'official' body has agreed that the course meets their minimum standards, and sometimes they'll do that by actually checking, and sometimes they'll do that in exchange for payment, no checks carried out. Whether that one is worth the paper it's written on depends on whether that 'official' body does more than take money of people offering the course in exchange for them saying they're accredited, IMO.

And if you think you're going to be able to resolve anyone's problems, rather then help them see how they could resolve their own problems, I'd be mildly concerned.

But then I'm slightly sceptical of the whole notion of 'life coaching'.

HappySad

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

All accredited means is that some 'official' body has agreed that the course meets their minimum standards, and sometimes they'll do that by actually checking, and sometimes they'll do that in exchange for payment, no checks carried out. Whether that one is worth the paper it's written on depends on whether that 'official' body does more than take money of people offering the course in exchange for them saying they're accredited, IMO.

And if you think you're going to be able to resolve anyone's problems, rather then help them see how they could resolve their own problems, I'd be mildly concerned.

But then I'm slightly sceptical of the whole notion of 'life coaching'.

Thanks for your words on accreditation. Looks like it depends on who is doing the accreditions and anyone can say they are accredited if they choose to .

Yes life coaching is a bit of an unknown entity. As with counselling, life coaching offers the ability for clients to resolve their own problems... if they feel they have any to be resolved. I will be coaching those with specific goals in mind.

paulwf

HappySad wrote: »

I just found this free 2 day course. Is this course enough to coach?
http://www.the-coaching-academy.com/coaching-course/free-coach-training.asp
Is the qualification you get from this 2 day course accredited?

If you think that a free 2 day course (that is clearly designed as a marketing technique to get you to sign up to their full courses which conveniently don't mention prices) is enough to then work through the issues that someone has then quite frankly that scares me.

Paulina_Fortune

Hi,

The coaching academy two day course is a two day hard sell for their coaching courses. I have been on it. It will not equip you to coach people.

I would suggest that if you are interested in coaching, then the two day free course will give you a taster.

If you are then interested in taking it further, then you can do one of the lower priced courses to get you going.

I am a qualified but not practicising Life Coach. I know a lot of coaches and none of them makes a living from it.

The hardest part after you are trained is getting clients. Most coaches don't like selling or marketing and this makes it very difficult to succeed in this area. There are plenty of people who are interested in free coaching, getting them to pay for it is another matter!

However, the skills and insight that you will get from the training will be useful to you (even if you don't make any money from it).

Good luck,

Paulina.

HappySad

Paulina_Fortune wrote: »

Hi,

The coaching academy two day course is a two day hard sell for their coaching courses. I have been on it. It will not equip you to coach people.

I would suggest that if you are interested in coaching, then the two day free course will give you a taster.

If you are then interested in taking it further, then you can do one of the lower priced courses to get you going.

I am a qualified but not practicising Life Coach. I know a lot of coaches and none of them makes a living from it.

The hardest part after you are trained is getting clients. Most coaches don't like selling or marketing and this makes it very difficult to succeed in this area. There are plenty of people who are interested in free coaching, getting them to pay for it is another matter!

However, the skills and insight that you will get from the training will be useful to you (even if you don't make any money from it).

Good luck,

Paulina.

Thanks for your input. I have now enrolled in a college course to home study with tutor support via phone & email. The course runs over a year and covers the coaching and also the business side.

I was thinking that just going on this freebie I could get a certificate from them that is recognised by some people. Another set of letters to my name. .. I am not interested in spending thousand on their course as I don't have that sort of money.

I can see that will little knowledge in marketing and sales that finding customers can be hard. What sort of price did you trade at? What sort of price did your customers usually pay? Did you work with corporates?