How to Become a Life Coach in Georgia

Working as a life coach in Georgia can be both rewarding and lucrative. This is a growing industry with more people realizing that money invested in a coach is well spent, helping them achieve wellness, career goals and more.

To be a life coach you don’t need a lot of education, but you do need to go through some basic training. You should also be a compassionate person, a good leader and communicator, organized, and someone who enjoys working with and helping others.

Requirements for Life Coaches in Georgia

The state of Georgia does not have any official requirements for life coaches. You can begin working immediately, without training or a degree. Most clients, however, will prefer to hire a coach with official training and even certification.

Training programs for life coaches range from an intensive week of study to a year of online and in-person courses. To prove your skill set, you can also choose to get certified through the International Coach Federation (ICF).

Georgia Training Programs for Life Coaches

With little regulation in the industry, you should take care when choosing an education program for learning to be a life coach. Look for those that are approved by the ICF.

Life Coach Workshops. This program is based in Arizona but hosts in-person training programs all over the U.S., including in Georgia. You’ll need to contact the organization to find out when the next program begins in the state. Life Coach Workshops offers a quick and intensive way to get your first level of ICF certification. The program includes two weekends of in-person courses for a total of 60 training hours.
Work Life Destinations Training Academy. Work Life is another organization that offers ICF-approved programs, including in Georgia. With just a few hours of self-study and three days of intensive training in person, you can earn your first level of ICF certification and be ready to start working as a coach.

Certification for Life Coaches

While certification is not strictly required for working as a life coach, it is strongly recommended. Most clients and any employers who might consider hiring you will prefer that you have training and a certification. The ICF is the most widely recognized certifying agency and offers three levels.

You can become an Associate Certified Coach with just 60 training hours and 100 work experience hours. Next, you can become a Professional Certified Coach by gaining a total of 125 hours of training and 500-plus hours of work with clients. To become a Master Certified Coach, you’ll need 200 or more hours of training time and 2,500 hours working with clients. Most ICF-approved schools have continuing education courses you can use to get additional training hours.

Career Outlook and Salaries in Georgia

Salaries and industry growth for this career are not officially recorded by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). In one report, though, the BLS found that the average life coach salary in 2015 was $61,900 across the U.S.

Other groups record more specific data. For example, according to Ziprecruiter.com, life coaches in Georgia in 2019 earned $56,801 on average. That average salary jumps up to $63,820 for the city of Atlanta.

Working in Georgia as a Life Coach

You should find work quickly as a qualified life coach. The most opportunities will be in and around Atlanta because of the large, cosmopolitan population. You may choose to find a full-time job as an employee, working for coaching, wellness, health or consulting companies. In these positions you can expect to work fairly normal hours, although there may be some evenings and weekends to accommodate clients.

Or, you can set out on your own and become a freelancing coach or start your own small coaching business. Working for yourself you’ll have more flexibility in choosing clients, setting hours, and in deciding how much or how little to work and earn.