The world of coaching is unregulated. Anyone can say they are a coach however there are many things you can consider when you’re thinking about hiring a coach.

Things to consider:
– What is the coaches level of training and accreditation? Although all great coaches aren’t accredited if people have been coaching for less than 5 years you’d expect them to have committed to ICF accredited training. As well as asking about their initial training ask them about ongoing CPD and development : what do they do?

– What is their experience? Find out what types of clients they work with and their range of experience : of course people all start somewhere so if someone is newer you’d expect them to be charging you a lower rate.

– Are they in supervision? Although this isn’t a requirement it shows a level of professional commitment to what they’re doing.

– What kind of approach do they have? This will give you an idea if they are a good fit: they may integrate approaches, they may be more relational or they may use models: ask them and see how they adapt their style for different clients. This will give you a good idea if they will work effectively with you.

– What sort of results do their clients get? Now, everyone is an individual however knowing how they help people and the sort of results they get can give you an idea of what you can expect

Meanwhile, these are some red flags:

– They don’t have appropriate training and say they coach “from experience”

– They are unable to provide details of their insurance or membership to professional bodies

– They talk about things in abstract terms and aren’t able to give examples of results that clients have got from working with them

– They don’t give you space to consider working with them and you feel pressurised into the sale

– They make bold claims or guarantees of financial success: if it sounds too good to be true….

What would you add?