How To Become A Life Coach In Australia: A Complete Guide

Do you aspire to become a life coach in Australia? Do you need help figuring out where to begin? If yes, you have come to the right place.

This article will help you become a life coach in Australia to fulfil your dream career.

You will learn about the requirements, life coaching courses, qualifications needed, how to start step by step, how much life coaches earn, their duties and responsibilities and more.

1. What Is A Life Coach?

Life coaches act as advisers helping others in their professional and personal life. Another name for a life coach is a lifestyle guru. Life coaches fulfil the duties of a mentor who counsels people so that they can improve their lives and walk towards success and fulfilment.

Each one of us requires a life coach in our life. It helps to have someone there to advise us on decisions in our personal and professional life. Slowly and gradually, it leads to self-improvement and growth in our character.

You can share all your worries and woes with a life coach. They are like the most trustworthy friend you come across. A life coach is a professional adviser who will walk alongside you and help you reach your highest potential and success.

You will feel good, communicate better and will be able to maintain a good relationship with everyone in your life by following the advice that the life coach gives you.

2. Who Needs A Life Coach?

People who feel lost in life, uncomfortable with changes, indecisive at some point or just in dire need of life advice seek a life coach.

A life coach comes in handy when making difficult decisions and becoming comfortable with the new flow of life. A life coach will help you become happier and lead a healthier life.

Mentioned below are some of the reasons why you might want to visit a life coach:

• You notice that your stress level has increased visibly, and you get anxious about the little things.

• You are irritated very easily.

• You cannot come out of habits you feel are draining your energy and unsuitable for you.

• You suddenly do not feel fulfilled in life. 

• You are experiencing writer’s block or just being demotivated to work.

• You are constantly feeling aggrieved at work.

Every organisation and company should have a life coach to ensure they are on the right path towards success.

3. What Is The Purpose of A Life Coach?

The purpose of a life coach in any individual’s life is more than you can ever imagine. Let us have a glance at the purpose and benefits of life coaches:

• Life coaches will boost your confidence level.

• They will help you get a fresh outlook towards life and help you to see things in a different light without any biased opinions.

• You will start recognising and realising your faults and assessing your behaviour towards the world. It will help you improve your relationship with the people in your life.

• They will help you restore and bring balance to your life. 

• They will also help you to strengthen every kind of relationship.

• When you are walking on the right track in life, you will reach your goal more smoothly than ever.

• You will be much happier and contended.

• They will help you meet your true self and purpose in this lifetime. 

• They will help you to stay consistent and motivated.

• You can distinguish between your weaknesses and strengths and use them to your advantage.

• Your time management will improve, and you will become more productive.

• You will have the courage to face your fears and work on overcoming them.

4. What Qualifications Do You Need To Become a Life Coach In Australia?

Anyone can become a life coach, and you do not need any specific qualification to be a professional life coach.

When you search for “how to become a life coach online” on Google, you will find plenty of online courses that will help you with all the materials to become a good life coach.

However, you can directly search for these reputable associations if you are very serious about becoming a life coach:

• European Mentoring and Coaching Council UK

• British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

• Association for Coaching

• International Coach Federation

There are numerous life coaching courses for free available on the internet. So, if you want to become a life coach for free, type in these keywords, and you will come across various online platforms that provide such material for free.

5. Can You Become A Certified Life Coach Online?

The answer is yes. You can become a certified life coach online. Platforms like International Coach Federation, Life Coaching Institute, etc., provide unique and comprehensive life coaching courses. These courses will prepare you thoroughly and give you a certificate after completing the course. 

If your question is “how to become a life coach without certification?” the answer is yes. You can become a life coach without certification. But if you want to be a true professional, studying for a life coach course is always recommended to provide you with a certificate. 

When you enter the field, people will first ask for your certificate to check if you are legitimate.

6. Steps To Become A Life Coach In Australia

We finally made it to the main section of this article that everybody was looking forward to. Most people confuse life coaching with therapy when they are two different things. Treatment is where you can vent your thoughts and free your mind from the burden. Life coaching takes you towards personal growth and development. 

Life coaches are both great listeners and speakers. They have to be good at communication. Every life coach is an entrepreneur or possesses the qualities of an entrepreneur. If you think about it, they work on marketing by themselves and sales and are a leader too. 

Now is not the time to back down and get scared. If you have the proper determination and choose the right course, you can excel in this career. You need to follow specific steps and slowly climb your way up.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Cultivate The Required Skill Sets You Need To Become A Life Coach

If you choose to become a life coach, you need to see if you possess the skills and qualities of a life coach. If you become a life coach, you will face many common questions.

These include working on personal growth and development, my actual life goal and purpose, how I can achieve my goals, and how to accept changes.

Life coaches will help you walk on the right path in life and will help you to achieve success. So, if you aspire to become a life coach, you need to work on these skills:

• Leadership

• Entrepreneurship

• Active listening

• Marketing and sales

• Networking

• Basic ethics

• Persuasive communication

• Being considerate

Step 2: Figure Out What Kind of Life Coach You Want To Become

After you have worked on your skills, it is time to figure out the niche of life coach you want to work on. Doing so will help you become an expert in one particular field of life coaching. 

It will also help you determine the questions you can expect from your clients and the kind of clients you will deal with.

When you centre yourself on one particular niche, it will help you bring in one kind of client. How many kinds of life coaching niches are there? They are as follows:

• Health and fitness coaching niche

• Business and executive coach

• Relationship coach

• Mindset and accountability coach

• Family and parenting coach

• Career coach

• Personal growth and development life coach

• Spirituality life coach

• Organisational life coach

Now the main question is how you will choose your niche. First, see which area you are already good at or are interested in. Then start your research on the difficulties people face in those niches.

Work on the kind of questions you can expect from your clientele.

Step 3: Do A Life Coaching Course and Get Yourself A Certificate

To become a well-renowned life coach, you must gather your knowledge and earn a certificate. 

Your experiences and talents are secondary when it comes to your education. Before hiring, people will check your knowledge and if you have a legitimate certificate.

You will get different certificates from International Coaching Federation, like Associate Certified Coach, Professional Certified Coach, and Master Certified Coach.

Step 4: Setting Up Your Life Coach Business

When you finish the steps mentioned above, it is finally time to fulfil your dream of entering the market. 

Research the market correctly and do something that will make you stand out from the crowd and attract the right niche of audience you are looking for. Get your business certified as well.

Step 5: Make Your Presence Known In The Online World

After you have set up your business, work on the price range and the levels of services you will provide. Make various social media accounts for your business and share your services as content for your target audience. 

You need proper research and planning for this stage. You need to work the hardest in this particular stage.

Make sure your profile has these:

• A good profile picture that will be both alluring and professional.

• Information on the services that you provide, including the price range.

• You also need to mention how you do the sessions: hourly, weekly, or monthly.

• Your website and social media accounts should have testimonials of your previous clients, which will add validation and act as proof for your new potential clients.

• Write an innovative ‘About Me’ section that will tell people about your product and services.

• Your audience should find it easy to contact you. So, share your contact details correctly and vividly.

7. How Much Do Life Coaches Make in Australia?

As per Pay Scale, the average hourly salary for a Life Coach is AU$70.79 or a yearly equivalent of AU$81,927 per year.

Significant factors influencing their salary include:

• Their training (Certified life coaches are highly valued and earn more than average coaches.)

• Their individual experience

• Nature of employment (full-time employed, part-time employed, or self-employed)

• The number of hours they work

• Area of work

Area of specialisation (health and well-being, family, image, spiritual, career, leadership, dating, and business)

• The hourly rate they charge (may vary between life coaches)

• The frequency of their coaching sessions

• The number of active coaching clients they are presently working with

• Source of additional income such as membership programs, keynote speaking, or products 

Many beginner life coaches charge around $30 per hour, whereas experienced life coaches can charge up to $150 per hour. If you build a reputation, earn your client's trust, and promote your business well, you may charge higher rates as you advance in your career.

Salary Based on Experience

• Early career (1-4 years of experience): AU$50.57 per hour 

• Mid-career (5-9 years of experience): AU$81.39 per hour 

• Experienced (10-19 years of experience): AU$115.00 per hour 

• In their late career (20 years and above): AU$125 per hour 

8. Ways Life Coaches Can Money in Australia

Life coaches may work for themselves or someone else. They primarily work on a freelance basis, like running an independent business.

Here are a few common ways in which life coaches make money:

Self-Employment

They may work from their home or office supporting clients. They do not earn a fixed salary but have a high earning potential if they gain expertise and a solid reputation as a life coach. Their actual earnings depend on their hourly rate and the number of ongoing clients.

It is usually between $150 and $650 per hour on average. They may need to spend a part of their earnings on business administration, marketing, website hosting, and recruitment of staff members.

Part-Time Employment

Some life coaches do life coaching part-time while working on other projects, such as volunteering and public speaking.

Employed in an Institution/Organisation or Consultancy

Coaches may work in coaching institutions like sports training institutes to enhance the sporting performance of athletes.

Some are employed in psychology clinics or counselling practices in major cities, offering life coaching services to positively change their client's mental, physical, andemotional health.

Besides these, some organisations also hire life coaches or counsellors to support their staff or clients. The average salary of Corporate life coaches is $500 per hour.

9. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How Do Life Coaches Get Clients?

To pursue a life coach career, you must know how to generate income. Besides paid-life coaching services, you can earn as a life coach through multiple means, such as:

• Personalised coaching with regular clients

• Group Coaching

• Public speaking at conferences or events

• Creating and selling life coach programs to clients

• Career advising with recruitment agencies

• Leading corporate team-building sessions to strengthen team spirit and collaboration.

• Monetising digital content, such as social media channels or blogs 

• Writing and selling self-development or motivational books

• Training new coaches

• One-one coaching with peak performers in a company like executives

The area in which you specialise greatly determines your work opportunities as a life coach. Having pristine credentials and specialisation in a most-sought niche increases your chances of finding lucrative positions and consistent work.

Is Life Coaching Regulated in Australia?

No official body regulates the "Life coaching" profession in Australia. It implies that anybody can be a Life coach, and they don't require adhering to rules or protocols. Also, life coaches can set their rates for their services.

Is It Hard To Be a Life Coach?

The career path to becoming a life coach can be gratifying yet difficult. You need the right personality, a helping mindset, and a background in coaching and business.

Earning your certification can be rigorous and require fixed hours of training before you can work as a certified life coach. Therefore, you must be serious about pursuing a life coach career before taking on this workload.

How Long Do Life Coaches Work?

Around 49% of people employed as Life Coaches (ANZSCO ID- 172199) work full-time for an average of 42 hours per week.  

Life coaches primarily work standard business hours, but their actual work hours depend on the employer and the type of employment.

Working in private practice, fitness clubs, or gyms may require working outside these hours to suit their client's needs.

Life coaches working at schools may work during school hours, while those employed at healthcare facilities may work at any time of day or night.

Self-employed life coaches usually have a flexible work schedule, and their work hours depend on the number of clients they have.

What Exactly Do Life Coaches Do?

Life coaches usually work with people of all ages, and some specialise in working specifically with students or older adults. Regardless of where they work, their general duties are as follows:

• Provide consistent support, a positive outlook, a feeling of self-sufficiency, and motivation that may be lacking in a person's life.

• Help people boost their inner strength and turn that into inspiration and drive.

• Help people overcome their mental and emotional blockages and lead a healthy lifestyle.

• Guide individuals struggling with the organisation of their life.

• Talk to clients to identify obstacles preventing them from making the desired progress.

• Explain and coach clients in workable strategies to remove those hindrances and achieve their goals.

• Record their skill assessments, recommendations, and all other interactions.

• Use the best practices, such as cognitive and behavioural therapy, to enhance their client's physical and psychological well-being.

• Supervise and track their client's progress.

• Meet clients regularly to assess their progress and plan the following action steps.

• Help clients achieve success through goal-setting, guidance, and discipline.

How Many Clients Should A Life Coach Have?

According to a survey, active coaches usually serve 11 clients.

While a beginner life coach with less than one year of experience usually has six clients, experienced life coaches with at least ten years have 15 active clients on average.

What Is The Work Environment of a Life Coach?

The profession of a life coach gives a lot of freedom and flexibility in terms of work hours, type of clients, and workplace.

• Life coaches can work with individual clients or lead larger groups alone or in a team of other life coaches. 

• Some specialise in working with children, while others focus on coaching older people, corporates, athletes, etc.  

• They usually work standard business hours but may sometimes require working outside these hours to match the client's availability. 

• In terms of workplaces, self-employed life coaches often work in home or corporate offices and spend most of the time sitting behind a desk. Based on their client's comfort and privacy needs, they may meet them in other settings, like parks or cafes.

Life coaches working as employed usually work indoors in various settings, including schools, gyms, fitness clubs, sports institutions, and even hospitals. Working outdoors or visiting clients' homes may be necessary to teach specific exercise regimens.

Life coaches may travel around as part of their job to support schools and businesses or to address the public at events.

Why is Life Coaching Becoming so Popular?

Life Coaching is popular among people because of the helping attitude of the occupation. Assisting someone on the path of self-inquiry and personal achievement is extremely exciting and brings immense personal satisfaction.

Life coaching is an empowering and satisfying journey that instils self-discovery, self-responsibility, and self-awareness. Being a life coach is an enriching and enjoyable experience. You get to work with interesting people and help them identify and achieve their personal and professional ambitions.

Furthermore, a coaching qualification frees you from the constraints of working long office hours. You can pursue a self-employed career to support people of all ages and businesses to realise their highest aspirations.

Are Life Coaches in Demand?

Life coaching, as a service and occupation, is on the rise. As people's lives become increasingly complex, there is a greater need for timely and apt guidance to help them stay on the right path.

Once a little-known position, this profession has experienced substantial growth in recent years. It is now considered a recognised and respected occupation throughout Australia.

Be it career coaching, health coaching, date coaching, confidence coaching, or life coaching, life coaches are needed everywhere.

Besides individual goals, life coaches are also valued in the corporate sector. Companies increasingly hire leadership and executive coaches to improve their bottom line and boost retention and productivity.

Furthermore, rising relationship issues have led couples to turn to wedding coaches, divorce coaches, relationship coaches, and more for valuable guidance.

Besides these, nowadays, parents also need life coaches to help reduce their kid's screen time. Many baby boomers also seek professional coaches to help them re-imagine what comes next.

All these translate to robust job growth and demand for life coaches now and in the coming years in Australia.

How To Become A Life Coach in Australia Online?

Three leading institutes in Australia offer 100% online life coaching courses and certification programs.

• Certificate in Life Coaching - ACS Distance Education, Approx. 600 hours

• Life Coaching Certification- Australian Institute of Coaching

• Certificate IV in Life Coaching Practice - Life Coaching Institute (LCI) 

The above certification courses prepare you to offer life-coaching services to others as a Certified life coach and support yourself when going through a personal change.

How To Become a Life Coach and Get Paid?

Follow the learning path below to become a professional life coach and earn money.

Step 1: Complete Secondary School

Gain your secondary school certificate with good grades in mathematics and English. Other helpful study areas of study include psychology and sociology.

Step 2: Consider a Bachelor's Degree

Though optional, a university degree in psychology, sociology, or communication (journalism, media, or English) could benefit prospective life coaches.

Step 3: Complete a Formal Life Coach Qualification

Due to being an unregulated profession, anyone can be a life coach in Australia. Getting proper training in life coaching will help you look more credible and knowledgeable than an average life coach with no qualifications.

Becoming a certified coach improves your ability to find clients and make money. The 18-month online Life Coaching Pathway course at TAFE introduces you to the fundamentals of life coaching, the human mind, and the counselling process.

You can also find various other relevant methods on TAFE to start your professional journey as a life coach.

Step 4: Pick a Niche To Specialise

Most life coaches specialise in a niche to refine their skills, better promote themselves as a life coach and help find clients. Some of these areas include:

• Business

• Relationships

• Personal growth 

• Health and Lifestyle

• Career

Once you choose a speciality of interest, consider further study in that area to gain specialised knowledge.

Step 5: Market Yourself

Many newly trained life coaches wonder - How do I sell myself as a life coach?

Here are some trusted ways to market yourself and attract potential clients:

• Develop an online presence and promote yourself through social media. Post life coaching tips and helpful content regularly on social media profiles.

• Another good marketing strategy to find clients is to start a blog and post helpful blogs on life coaching. Use SEO to optimise your content and add a call-to-action at the end of the post to invite clients to book a session with you.

• You can also create a website with main web pages such as a homepage, an about page, a services page, a contact page, and a blog. Publish photos and articles consistently to demonstrate your skills and experience. 

• Attend networking events, workshops, or seminars in your area of expertise to find networking opportunities. 

Step 6: Start Earning

Budding life coaches generally have this question - How do you charge someone for life coaching? Initially, when building your client base, offering discounts, freebies (planner, diary, etc.), or a free introductory/initial session can help you draw in more customers.

As you build a regular client base, you can expand your business by getting referrals through word of mouth. Making money as a life coach is just like any other business. You will offer paid services to your clients and charge them at the end of a session.

Those who work online receive payment for their services via bank transfer.

8. Conclusion

You must work hard in every career field to earn a handsome living. While this may seem like a pretty easy job, the reality is far from it.

You need to work on yourself every day and keep yourself motivated. You need to reflect on yourself to help others do the same.

So go ahead and find your niche in life coaching. If you genuinely want to help others find their true purpose and keep them motivated, choosing to become a life coach is a good choice. All the best!

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