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How Long Does It Take To Get a Coaching Certificate?

Conventional coaching is designed and intended to help individuals achieve their goals and objectives by drawing out their strengths and helping them overcome various barriers and limitations. This can be especially useful when aiming for a specific or short-term result.

Whether you are seeking to become an executive coach or a leader in an organization, integrating coaching competencies into your day-to-day operations will require you to get the proper credentials. An executive coach certification online is one way to get a fresh leadership approach.

Life and executive coaching are not just about running a profitable company. For most coaches, it is all about encouraging others who may be struggling in different aspects of their lives to make positive changes and stick with them. As a result, you should know what ICF certification is and the benefits of ICF accredited coaching courses. Success is at least partly determined by your level of personal growth and the amount of time you intend to invest toward getting your certification.

A Look at Online Coaching Training Programs

When researching how to become a certified professional coach, you will find that there are a number of online coaching training programs to choose from. Each program will have unique requirements and processes–the key is settling on the one that aligns with your goals and objectives and is capable of meeting international coaching standards.  

How Much Time Does It Take?

Coach training programs vary in numerous ways, ranging from the time required to complete the coursework to passing all of the tests and assessments. Some can involve thirty hours of training each week, while others can take over 300 hours over several months.

There are two main factors that one should consider when trying to determine how long it would take to get a coaching certificate. These include:

  • The length of the coaching certification program–The length of a certification program differs on a case-by-case basis, as do most educational programs. It can be anything from a weekend training program to a two-year commitment, depending on the path you wish to take. One can also receive a coaching certification in a mere six months or take as long as five years to finish.
  • The time needed for you to become confident in coaching people–Most new life and executive coaches will acquire the knowledge, skills, and expertise to make them more confident in their profession within six months after finishing their training program. However, this will depend on the individual and the effort they put into their new profession.

The bottom line is that how long it takes for someone to secure coaching certification will depend on the program selected and the time invested. The time to get certified will vary from one person to the next, but it generally takes anywhere from a couple of weeks to three months, and sometimes up to five years for one to complete an entire coaching training program.

In Summary

Taking a life or executive coaching training program, regardless of how long it takes to complete, will help you enter a career that will be fulfilling and meaningful to you. The amount of time you will have to invest into the program will usually depend on a range of factors, including your mode of learning and whether your program is a standalone program or part of a more extensive curriculum.

When you choose Symbiosis Coaching, your coaching education and training will provide you with the opportunity to serve individuals who need your services and expertise. Having the proper certification will give all those you work with the much-needed peace of mind that you have received training from professionals who are experts in their field. They will also know that you are up-to-date with the most current, science-supported, and ethics-based rules and principles of coaching.

Certified NLP Coach

Program Description: The Certified NLP Coach program allows you to incorporate very powerful NLP techniques you’re your day-to-day coaching practice.

ICF Training Hours: 65

Duration: 25-weeks

Schedule: One 2-hour class per week

Includes certificate: Yes

Certified Organizational Development Coach

Program Description:

The Certified Organizational Development Coach program is an exclusive and very unique program, designed for coaches who wish to coach entire organizations with their Organizational Development and Change Management goals. This program provides you with 65 ICF training hours - more than enough for the ACC credential. Over a series of 25 weekly lectures, it prepares you to deal with volatile group dynamics across entire organizations. Topics including OD interventions, Team Engagement, Buyer Behavior of internal customers, The Tripod of Success, Ensuring Sustainability, Performance-Retention correlation, Strategies to influence behavior - and many more - are covered in detail.

Coaches are introduced to the ARCS Model, as well as to the Organizational Culture Audit Toolkit. Employee motivation, satisfaction, and productivity are discussed, as well as their impact on the performance of the organization as a whole. Students are introduced to various Change Management models including Lewin's Planned Change model, the ADKAR Change Management model, and Kotter's 8 steps of Change Management. Resistance to change and its manifestation are discussed, as is Behavior Modification.

Upon completing this program, Certified Organizational Development Coaches will have all the tools they need to affect positive transformation within organizations, and will be able to coach teams and personnel at all levels - including initiators, decision makers, influencers, and intervention implementers.

In addition to coaches who are launching their own Corporate Coaching practices, this is an essential program for HR professionals, Training and Development Professionals, Managers, and Corporate Leaders who wish to implement internal policies and OD processes to guide their companies and people through ongoing change.

ICF Training Hours: 65

Duration: 25-weeks

Schedule: One 2-hour class per week

Includes certificate: Yes

Certified Executive Coach

Program Description

The Certified Executive Coach program has been designed for coaches who wish to coach managers, executives, and corporate leaders. The goal of this program is to cultivate a deep understanding of how the executive coaching process works as well as some of the challenges that come up in executive coaching conversations.

This program has been approved by the International Coaching Federation for 32 hours, and it comprises of 12 live, instructor-led, fully interactive virtual classes offered over zoom. These classes cover various aspects of executive coaching including, but not limited to Effective Collaboration, Performance Management, Upskilling, Conflict Management, Effective Collaboration, Developing Team Members, and many more.

This program has a very unique, hands-on, experiential structure. Classes are focused on active participation by students through real life Coaching Challenges and discussions of real life executive coaching situations.

ICF Training Hours: 32

Duration: 12-weeks

Schedule: One 2-hour class per week

Includes certificate: Yes

Certified Life Coach

Program Description:

The Certified life Coach program is an essential program for anyone considering coaching as a profession. The goal of this program is to create a deep understanding of the coaching process, along with how and why it is effective in catalyzing shifts in the mindset to create positive, sustainable transformation.

The training is based on the ICF’s core coaching competencies. It focuses on skills that lead to effective coaching conversations and that are required to build a successful coaching business. It evokes awareness about how identity, thoughts, and feelings determine mindset; and why a change in Think Feel Do impacts the achievement of goals though a change in this mindset.

This program is approved by the International Coaching Federation for 95 hours and comprises 24 live, instructor led, fully interactive virtual sessions offered over Zoom. These lectures cover all aspects of coaching – topics such as Human Emotions and the Brain, Coaching through Emotional Intelligence, The Belief System, Coaching Process and Structure, Deep Listening, Setting Worthy Goals, Asking Insightful Questions, Addressing Client Resistance, Coaching Groups, The Business of Coaching, and many more. These are complemented with a library of reading and reference material, coaching challenges based on various real-life coaching situations, extensive hands-on coaching practice, and assignments designed to trigger reflection on and mastery of coaching skills.

ICF Training Hours: 95

Duration: 24-weeks

Schedule: One 2-hour class per week

Includes certificate: Yes

Class Schedule
ProgramStart DateClass TimesClass Schedule
Certified Life CoachTuesday, June 13th10:30am ET
3:00pm ET
8:00pm ET
Once a week, 2-hours, for 24-weeks
Certified Organizational
Development Coach
Monday, July 17th10:30am ET
3:00pm ET
8:00pm ET
Once a week, 2-hours, for 25-weeks
Certified Executive
Coach
Thursday, July 20th10:30am ET
3:00pm EST
8:00pm ET
Once a week, 2-hours, for 12-weeks
Certified NLP Coach
Practitioner
Wednesday, July 19th10:30am ET
3:00pm EST
8:00pm ET
Once a week, 2-hours, for 25-weeks
Platinum - ACC/PCC
Mentoring
Friday, August 18th10:30am ET
3:00pm ET
8:00pm ET
Once a week, 1-hour
for 7-sessions PLUS 3 one-on-
one sessions with mentor