How to Become a Life Coach in Kentucky

Kentucky is a great state to begin a new career as a life coach. As people become more interested in self-care and wellness they open up to the idea of hiring a coach. Life coaches help their clients set and achieve goals, perform better at work or get new jobs, make health and fitness improvements, work on their relationships and more.

If you love working with people, get satisfaction from leading and helping others and you are organized, a good communicator and self-motivated, working as a life coach could be a great option. You won’t need years of training or a college degree to get started.

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How to Qualify to Be a Life Coach in Kentucky

In Kentucky, there are no official requirements for calling yourself a life coach and taking on clients. However, the best way to get started in this career is to complete an appropriate training program. This doesn’t mean you have to go to college. There are several schools dedicated to training coaches, and they have programs that are online, self-paced, in-person and a combination of all of these. Some are intensive courses that take a week to complete, while others are several months long.

Just be sure to find a program that is approved by the International Coach Foundation (ICF), the most widely-recognized certifying organization for life coaches. There is no government regulation of the industry, so being trained in a program approved by the ICF is important for ensuring you get the right education to start your career.

Life Coach Training Programs in Kentucky

While there are no regular in-person coaching programs in Kentucky, you do have a few online options that are ICF-approved:

  • Coach Training for Leaders. This faith-based organization caters to religious leaders but is not restrictive. Anyone can sign up for the online program, which includes progression through seven learning modules and group mentor coaching. The modules are conducted virtually on a set schedule, so you do have to be available during those times.
  • American Life Coach Academy. You may choose to travel to one of the locations where American Life Coach Academy offers four-day intensive training, but there is also on online course. The online program takes 16 weeks to complete and can prepare you for ICF certification. The Academy also offers mini courses that provide additional training hours for higher levels of certification.

Getting Certified as a Life Coach

You don’t have to be certified to work as a life coach, but ICF certification will help you show potential employers and clients that you have the training necessary to be able to guide and help people. The ICF offers three levels of certification, and most training programs will prepare you for at least the first level.

  • ACC – Associate Certified Coach. For the first level of certification, you must have at least 60 hours of approved training and 100 hours working as a coach. Many training programs prove those work experience hours.
  • PCC – Professional Certified Coach. For the professional level, you have to complete 125 or more hours of training and 500-plus hours of coaching.
  • MCC – Master Certified Coach. This is the highest level of certification. Master coaches have more than 200 hours of training and coursework and 2,500-plus hours of work experience.

Life Coach Salaries

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that in 2015 there were 17,500 life coaches working in the country and that the average salary was $61,900 annually. The BLS does not report on this career regularly or by state, and salaries can range widely. This is because many life coaches work part-time and have other careers that contribute to their salaries. According to other sources, life coaches in Kentucky earn $58,844 per year on average.

Beginning a Career as a Life Coach in Kentucky

As a trained and certified life coach you’ll be ready to find work in Kentucky. You may choose to work for yourself, part-time or full-time, setting your own schedule and rates, or you might want to look for a position with a company. Some companies hire coaches to help their employees, but others employ life coaches for their clients, including consulting companies, behavioral health centers, and even community and family organizations.

In Kentucky, demand should be good for trained and qualified life coaches. Most opportunities to find a job or to enlist clients will be in the state’s bigger cities and suburbs. Start your search in and around Louisville and Lexington.