Transitioning into a coaching career: what you need to know

You’d like to transition into a coaching career, but (understandably) you feel some resistance. 

Changing career can be daunting. You might’ve invested a lot of time, energy and money to get to where you are now. Perhaps, you’ve followed a particular path for a while and have even become accredited in your field. By choosing to transition into coaching, it can feel like you’re walking away from all you’ve accomplished to start again. 

But you’re not starting again!

What you’ve done so far still counts. Everything in your career history remains relevant. Our CEO, Ruth Kudzi, wants you to know about her work history. Before she was a coach, she worked in recruitment and sales, and then education. And all of the experience she gathered in those positions is relevant now – more than she’d have ever imagined. So, if you’re about to discount your experience, we encourage you not to! 

Let’s really think about this. Reflect on the skills you’ve developed that can be carried over into your coaching role. Maybe you’ve worked closely with people before, or have learned how to lead large projects. Maybe you’ve developed business skills that can drive a coaching business forward.

And don’t forget, you could combine coaching with your existing experience. Are you a marketeer? Then why not become a marketing coach? Or if you’re a teacher, you could coach teachers! Why not? The possibilities are there. 

Even if you choose to step away from your career entirely, you bring your experience and knowledge into your role as a coach. Of course, coaching isn’t mentoring, so you can’t tell your clients what to do. But your lived experience will help you understand your clients better. It can encourage you to come from a non-judgemental place.

Here’s an example. Perhaps, you’ve experienced working in a fast-paced environment and understand those pressures – this understanding can be helpful if your client works in that kind of environment, or if you’re working with corporate clients! 

If you’re ready to move into a coaching career, here are some steps to take to begin your transition.

• Get onto a certified training programme 
  Coaching is heading towards accreditation. In the future, we strongly believe it’ll be a requirement to be accredited. Besides, if you’re serious about coaching, why not demonstrate that by getting your credentials? Accredited training shows your commitment to excellence, and it tells your clients you care about meeting strict standards. 
• Create a realistic plan you can stick to 
  You don’t need to leave your job to train. That might not be an option for you. So, think about what could be an option. When can you fit in your training around your day-to-day tasks? How much money will you need to earn to be able to switch to coaching fully? And if you do want to leave your job first, how long can you sustain yourself for? A transition plan is important and keeps you on track. Luckily, our training is extremely flexible – that’s why so many of our students complete it while working full-time. Whatever your choice, create a plan around it. 
• Find a course with business support and career guidance built into the programme 
  If you envision running your own coaching business, then you’ll need to learn about business – there’s not getting around that. Make sure you think about how you’ll acquite this knowledge. Our diploma covers all aspects of business and makes it easy for you to see where you’re going next
• Get some coaching!
  If you think coaching could be for you, but you haven’t been coached yet, then why not get coached? Find out for sure if this is the right path for you. Maybe this will be what you need to do to commit to your new journey. This is great advice if you’re still unsure or doubtful.  
• Don’t forget about the opportunities available to you 
  Sometimes, it seems like there are too many coaches out there. But in reality, only 1.6% of all coaches are ICF-accredited. Plus, coaching is a growing industry that isn’t about to slow down. The opportunities are out there and they’re plentiful! Know that you CAN have a successful coaching career. 

So, what’s it going to be? Are you going to take your step into coaching? 

We might be biased, but we believe coaching is the best job in the world. You get to make a difference in the lives of others. You get to empower them and guide them to becoming the best version of themselves. You get to help them unlock the answers they’ve been needing all along…