Our Top Life Coach Certification Programs
- Best for Dual Life and Health Coaching: Health Coach Institute Dual Life and Health Coaching Certification
- Best for Group Classes: Coach Training Alliance
- Best for Quick Completion: Certified Life Coach Institute Life Coach Certification
- Best for Support After Graduation: Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching
- Best for Electives: Institute for Life Coach Training Professional Certification
Best Life Coaching Certification Programs 2024
Best for Dual Life and Health Coaching
Health Coach Institute Dual Life and Health Coaching Certification
- Program cost: One-time payment of $5,450 or $850 per month for seven months
- Program length: About six months, committing five to seven hours per week
- Self-paced or scheduled: Self-paced
On Health Coach Institute Website
Why We Picked It
Pros & Cons
Additional details
Best for Group Classes
Coach Training Alliance
- Program cost: $4,339 payable in full or in three, seven or nine installments
- Program length: 22 weeks with 30 in-class hours and approximately two to five hours of homework per week
- Self-paced or scheduled: Scheduled
On Coach Training Alliance's Website
Why We Picked It
Pros & Cons
Additional details
Best for Quick Completion
Certified Life Coach Institute Life Coach Certification
![Best Life Coach Certification Programs Of 2024 (7) Best Life Coach Certification Programs Of 2024 (7)](https://i0.wp.com/thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/fit-in/x/www.forbes.com/health/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/blob-1.png)
4.5
All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
- Program cost: $1,295 for Certified Life Coach (CLC), $2,595 to combine with the Master program
- Program length: 33 training hours for CLC, 37 training hours for Master program
- Self-paced or scheduled: Scheduled
Why We Picked It
Pros & Cons
Additional Details
Best for Support After Graduation
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching
- Program cost: One-time payment of $13,395, $4,665 payable over three months or $1,083 payable over 12 months
- Program length: 320+ hours, with the two phases taking a total of about one year
- Self-paced or scheduled: Self-paced
On iPEC's Website
Why We Picked It
Pros & Cons
Additional Details
Best for Electives
Institute for Life Coach Training Professional Certification
![Best Life Coach Certification Programs Of 2024 (12) Best Life Coach Certification Programs Of 2024 (12)](https://i0.wp.com/thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/fit-in/x/www.forbes.com/health/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Institute-for-Life-Coach-Training-88fb55b34b8c48a88742afacd05fc0f8.png)
3.9
All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
- Program cost: $7,800 in full, or contact the school to establish a payment plan
- Program length: 130 hours, which includes 88 hours of required courses and 42 hours of electives
- Self-paced or scheduled: A combination of both self-paced and scheduled classes over the course of one and a half to two years, depending on your schedule and how fast you can complete the required courses
Why We Picked It
Pros & Cons
Methodology: How We Picked the Best Life Coach Certification Programs of 2024
To determine the best life coach certification programs of 2024, we considered several factors including:
- Program cost
- Program length
- Whether classes are self-paced or scheduled
- Type of instruction (virtual, in-person)
- Availability of one-on-one coaching
- Accreditation
We weighed the factors differently in our scoring based on what seemed most important in selecting a life coaching certification program.
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What Is a Life Coach?
A life coach works with an individual to guide them in defining the ideal version of their life and help them work toward living it, often incorporating goals related to work-life balance, well-being, relationships and more.
“A life coach is a professional who works with people to help them achieve personal and professional goals, improve their quality of life and overcome challenges,” says Sophie van het Erve, an IFC-certified life coach and founder of The 1 Reset. “They do so by providing a mirror, helping spot blindspots and creating action plans to achieve their goals.”
What Educational and Professional Background Should a Life Coach Have?
There are no formal educational or professional background requirements for becoming a life coach, but a non-scientific survey conducted by Zippia, a company that provides online recruitment services, analyzed 5,835 life coach resumes and found that most coaches have completed some form of higher education: 55% of people held a bachelor’s degree, and 21% held a master’s degree. The most popular majors included psychology and business[2]Life Coach Education Requirements. Zippia. Accessed 3/8/2023. .
How to Become a Life Coach
Anyone can call themselves a life coach, but having a certification from an ICF-accredited program is a good idea for a few reasons.
“I would highly recommend going through a coaching program and/or working one-on-one with a certified coach, to not only determine whether this is truly what you want, but also so you can ground yourself in the reasons why,” says van het Erve.
Ultimately, she says, becoming a life coach is a big investment of money and time. “The journey to become a life coach is invigorating but can be a rollercoaster as well,” advises van het Erve. “If you know you want to sign up for a program, I would talk to people who have gone through it recently and attend the free webinars that most schools provide. While the ICF-accredited programs uphold the same standards, their approaches differ, and it’s important to find the right fit.”
Cost of Life Coach Training
The cost of life coach training varies widely. Because you don’t officially need a certification to be a life coach, becoming a life coach is technically free. But if you’re going a more formal route, you can expect life coach training to cost between $2,500 and $12,000[3]How to Become a Certified Life Coach. Become. Accessed 3/8/2023. . The programs on our ranking range from $995 to $7,800.
How Long Does Life Coach Training Take?
The amount of time it takes to complete a life coach certification program varies depending on which program you choose. Some programs offer intensive training over the course of a few days, while others require a few hours of classes per week over several months, or even a few years.
Life Coach vs. Therapist: What Is the Difference?
The difference between a life coach and a therapist is an important distinction. Therapists need a bachelor’s degree and typically, a master’s degree in order to practice, while a life coach doesn’t technically need a certification or any formal education to call themselves a life coach.
Additionally, life coaches and therapists have different goals in working with clients. “The way I often explain it is that a therapist is a mental health professional who is trained to diagnose and treat mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression and trauma,” says van het Erve. “A therapist helps you heal. A life coach helps you build for the future and supports you through developing strategies to achieve goals in a way that is aligned with your dreams, your values and how you want to live your life.”
Life Coach Benefits
There are plenty of benefits to becoming a life coach, says van het Erve. They include:
- The ability to work with individuals to help them make more conscious choices
- Helping people transform their lives with small changes
- It can bring a sense of joy and contentment to your career and life
Additionally, life coaching is a growing field that can be lucrative: According to data collected from Glass Door, life coaches can make around $61,000 per year[4]How Much Does a Life Coach Make? . Glass Door. Accessed 4/20/2023. .
Above all, van het Erve says, being a life coach is fulfilling. “[As a life coach], you see that one step at a time, we can change our end destination with purpose, passion and energy,” she says. “And it absolutely fills me with joy and creates a fulfillment in and contentment with my life that I had not yet experienced before.”
Summary: Best Life Coach Certification Programs
Programs | company_logo | Forbes Health Ratings | forbes_advisor_rating_image | Best For | View More | learn_more_cta_below_text | Learn More |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Health Coach Institute Dual Life and Health Coaching Certification | ![]() | 5.0 | ![]() | Best for Dual Life and Health Coaching | Get Started | On Health Coach Institute Website | https://issa.sjv.io/c/1955282/2004725/12162" rel="nofollow" |
Coach Training Alliance | ![]() | 4.5 | ![]() | Best for Group Classes | Learn More | On Coach Training Alliance Website | https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=2163431&u=2719178&m=60575&urllink=&afftrack=" rel="nofollow" |
Certified Life Coach Institute Life Coach Certification | ![]() | 4.5 | ![]() | Best for Quick Completion | View More | https://www.forbes.com/health/wellness/best-life-coach-certification-programs/#certified_life_coach_institute_life_coach_certification_section | |
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching | ![]() | 3.9 | ![]() | Best for Support After Graduation | Learn More | On iPEC's Website | https://ipeccoaching.pxf.io/c/1955282/1776368/20198?u=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.ipeccoaching.com%2Fprogram-guide&subid1=P1197674730_1696412344979868947&subid2=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2Fhealth%2Fmind%2Fbest-life-coach-certification-programs%2F&subid3=Health" rel="nofollow" |
Institute for Life Coach Training Professional Certification | ![]() | 3.9 | ![]() | Best for Electives | View More | https://www.forbes.com/health/wellness/best-life-coach-certification-programs/#institute_for_life_coach_training_professional_certification_section |
Become a Certified Coach and Create Your Dream Career
Whether you choose the full 7-month program with 320+ training hours and 3 certifications, or you start with 3 days of high-impact Coaching Fundamentals training, there's a path for you at iPEC to kickstart your coaching journey.
On iPEC's Website
Sources
Footnotes
- 2020 ICF Global Coaching Study: Executive Summary. International Coaching Federation. Accessed 3/8/2023.
- Life Coach Education Requirements. Zippia. Accessed 3/8/2023.
- How to Become a Certified Life Coach. Become. Accessed 3/8/2023.
- How Much Does a Life Coach Make?. Glass Door. Accessed 4/20/2023.
References
- Certified Life Coach: What It Means to Become One. Coursera. Accessed 3/8/2023.
- What Degree Do You Need to Be a Therapist?. Point Loma Nazarene University. Accessed 3/8/2023.
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Leigh WeingusContributor
Leigh Weingus is a New York-based freelance writer and former senior editor at HuffPost, Elite Daily and Mindbodygreen. Her work has been featured in Well+Good, Glamour, Parade, Bustle, NBC News and more. When she's not writing, Leigh can be found taking a (virtual) yoga class, running in Central Park or whipping up her latest smoothie creation.
Valerie WilliamsEditor
Valerie is a seasoned writer and editor who has spent her career creating content in the parenting and women's wellness spaces. Before joining Forbes Health, Valerie was the trending news editor at Scary Mommy. When she's not helping women and families live their best and healthiest lives, she's spending time with her family, walking her dogs, reading or exercising.
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