How to Become a Life Coach in Minnesota

A life coach is someone who listens to a client’s problems, frustrations and hopes and then helps them create goals and work to achieve them. You’ll act like a sports coach, but instead of trying to win a game, you help people become better versions of themselves.

Working as a life coach in Minnesota is a great career option for you if you enjoy working with people, are a good listener, are organized and want to make a difference in the lives of others. As a life coach you may work for a company with regular hours, but many coaches choose to be self-employed. This allows for more flexibility in hours, earnings and client choices. With a year or less of training, you could begin taking on clients and earning a living as a life coach.

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Requirements for Becoming a Life Coach in Minnesota

Minnesota does not regulate life coaches and has no requirements for anyone using this title and taking on clients. In spite of the lack of regulations, in order to work in this industry employers and clients will expect that you have at least completed high school or earned a GED. Most will also want to see that you have completed some level of post-secondary training in coaching.

Life Coach Training in Minnesota

There is no real regulation in this industry, but you can still find excellent training opportunities online and on-site in Minnesota. Look for programs that are approved by the International Coach Federation (ICF), like these:

  • Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), Minneapolis. The training programs iPEC offers are developed around three in-person, weekend sessions. In the 12 weeks between sessions, which are available in the Minneapolis area, students learn through self-study, webinars, mentor coaching, and field work with peer clients and coaches. iPEC also offers students resources for starting a small business.
  • University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis. If you’re interested in specializing in business and workplace coaching, St. Thomas offers an executive coaching certificate. You should already be experienced in business or coaching, but this certificate can help you add to your offerings. As part of the program you’ll work with and get feedback from a mentor and spent over 20 hours in field work.

National Certification

You do not need to be certified to work as a life coach in Minnesota or anywhere else. But if you complete an ICF-approved training program, you will be prepared to get certified through that agency. ICF is not the only certifying organization for life coaches, but it is the most widely recognized and accepted. ICF offers three levels of certifications with varying requirements:

  • Associate Certified Coach, ACC. To be an ACC requires 60 hours of educational training and at least 100 hours of coaching experience.
  • Professional Certified Coach, PCC. PCCS have completed at least 125 hours of training and have 500 or more hours of coaching time under their belts.
  • Master Certified Coach, MCC. To become a master you must have 200-plus hours of training and at least 2,500 hours of work experience.

Salary Expectations for Life Coaching

While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) doesn’t officially track salaries or job growth for life coaching, it does occasionally check in on the industry. The most recent report from the BLS indicates that the life coach average annual salary across the country was $61,900 in 2015.

The BLS includes life coaches in other categories of careers, including counselors and personal and service workers. These industries are all growing, which means there should be more job opportunities as you become a trained coach working in Minnesota.

Specific information on coaching salaries state-by-state comes from other sources. For instance, Ziprecruiter.com reports that life coaches in Minnesota make an average of $59,942 per year.

Working as a Life Coach in Minnesota

If you are hoping to begin a career as a coach in Minnesota, you can decide if you prefer to be an employee or to start a coaching business. Coaching and consulting companies hire life coaches, and some large corporations also hire coaches to be on staff as a benefit for employees who want those services.

As an independent life coach you may choose to work part-time while you hold down another job or go for it full-time. For the best opportunities, look for jobs and clients in and around Minneapolis and St. Paul, Rochester, Duluth, St. Cloud and other larger cities and college towns in the state.