FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

GENERAL QUESTIONS

  • ICF: International Coaching Federation. It is the main professional organisation for coaches worldwide.
  • ACC: Associate Certified Coach. It is the first-level accreditation delivered by the ICF which validates completion of a coaching training and a minimum of 100 hours of coaching.
  • PCCProfessional Certified Coach. It is the second-level accreditation delivered by the ICF which validates completion of a longer coaching training and a minimum of 500 hours of coaching.
  • MCCMaster Certified Coach. It is the third and last level accreditation delivered by the ICF which validates completion of an extensive coaching training and a minimum of 2,500 hours of coaching.

ABOUT OUR COACH CERTIFICATION PROGRAMME

The theoretical part of the certification is covered in videos you will watch before each class. You will do some reflections in the coursebook as well, which you will discuss in the class with the rest of the group and the trainer.

There are 12 modules of 4 hours each. The class is highly interactive and energising (no slides!). They include group discussions, breakout rooms, group activities, and coaching practice.

Once you are finished with the classes, you will complete some self-study and the individual mentor coaching.

We pride ourselves to offer a unique approach to online learning. We didn’t have to transform our coach training into virtual courses because we had already designed them that way.

  • ICF-approved programme: our Professional Coaching Skills Certification was granted the Level 1 programme accreditation by the ICF.
  • It includes Mentor Coaching: most coach trainings for the ACC credential do not include Mentor Coaching in their fees, which can represent an additional cost of up to €1,000. It is included in our programme.
  • Small groups: we work with groups of 8 participants maximum, which is a really great number for participants to get to know each other and ask questions during classes.
  • Additional resources: we give our participants and alumni access to an online platform where we share the course agenda, important links, downloads of tools and models, as well as additional resources on credential and setting a coaching business. 

You can start coaching clients after the first day of the training. In fact, we recommend that participants practice coaching with one or two clients while they are still attending classes.

You can practice paid coaching in different ways. The ICF defines “paid coaching” as follows:

  • Peer-to-peer coaching (coaching another coach and receiving coaching in return)
  • With paying clients (payment may be in any amount, or exchange of goods or services)
  • Internal coaching (as part of the coach’s employment)
  • Third-party coaching (when the coach receives payment from an organisation for coaching a client. Payment may be in any amount or barter of goods or services).
Visit the ICF website for more information on the experience requirements.

Yes the course is enough to practice as a coach. The ICF accreditation is not mandatory. However we encourage coaches to aim for an ICF certification, which validates your training and experience, and is highly recognised and sought-after.

ABOUT OUR ADVANCED DIPLOMA IN COACHING

It is important to note that receiving our Advanced Diploma takes a lot of time, commitment, and hard work. We expect participants to:

  • Attend to all classes and individual mentor coaching sessions,
  • Show an open-minded and curious attitude,
  • Take feedback onboard and apply it in coaching sessions,
  • Aim for quality in their self-study work,
  • Coach at a PCC level by the end of the programme.

Our Advanced Diploma in Coaching is unique because it focuses on evidence-based psychological theories like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), psychodynamics, Transactional Analysis, Gestalt and developmental coaching. Participants learn to work with different approaches and get to pick the ones they want to explore further or that speak to them the most.

ABOUT MENTOR COACHING

According to the ICF, Mentor Coaching “provides professional assistance in achieving and demonstrating the levels of coaching competency and capability demanded by the desired credential level” (source).

It is a mentoring process focused on the ICF Core Competencies and on your coaching practice to prepare you for credentialing.

We receive a lot of requests from people who completed a coach training with another provider and don’t know if they can apply for an ICF credential. Before going ahead with Mentor Coaching, you should contact your training provider directly if you are unsure about the type of training you completed.

We can mentor ACC and PCC applicants.

CHECK UPCOMING COURSES

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