As a profession, coaching is quite young, but it's growing quickly.  And as the demand for coaches grows, so does the supply.  In fact the whole profession is undergoing a bit of a boom right now because more and more people are finding significant value from working with a coach. 

However in any fast growing profession there are challenges.  One challenge professional coaching faces is the large number of people jumping on the bandwagon and calling themselves coaches without formal training or relevant experience.   

So to ensure you are among the over 98% of all coaching clients who are completely satisfied with their coaching, here are some suggestions to help you choose a great coach:
Talk to several coaches and find one you have a rapport with. Does the coach listen well?  Do you feel they clearly understand what you want to achieve through the coaching?   Choose wisely and don’t make it long term. You should be able to move on rapidly.
Choose a life coach that has sufficient experience.  How long have they been coaching?  Do they do it on a full time or part time basis?  And if you are looking for specific help on various career or business agendas, make sure your coach has the relevant business background. If the background does not suit you then move on to the next one.
Choose a coach that fully understands and knows how to work with emotional intelligence. Our belief systems are the core issue to work with, these are our make or break issues that propel us or hold us back. Working with someone where this is an academic exercise or does not fully understand it, would be doing you and themselves a disservice. Simply put, don’t do it. After all it is your life, your business career, you are entitled to get the best for you!.

Remember that the best qualified people are often not at the top of the pile.  There are thousands of highly qualified people who are in the lower ranks, in this country and around the world. Industry is littered with them. Just look around. Consider that for a moment and wonder why?. The answer invariably lies in the emotional intelligence quadrant. Qualifications help but are not everything. You need to find a coach who is a good all-rounder. Find one who can help you get over that hurdle and propel you. You deserve nothing less.

Have potential coaches spell out what services they deliver, and what the total cost of those services will be. Also, what sort of commitment does the coach ask for?  Some coaches ask for a commitment of 3 months or more, but stay away from long-term-pay-in-advance contracts. (In my practice I suggest clients make a mental commitment for 3 months, but I do not require any contract.) 

Ready To Choose A Life Coach?

If you would like to learn more about how to choose a life coach, feel free to call me at 27 11 478 2633 or on cell 27 82 855 4793 and I would be happy to answer any questions and give you a free, no obligation, coaching demonstration. You can also e-mail me at  peter@iempowerself.com or you can Skype me using my email address. If you want to find out more about Skype then go here.

Links To Help Choose A Life Coach

The following are a few links that may be of use to you.
The International Coach Federation at, Choosing a Life Coach   
The Coach Training Institute at, www.thecoaches.com 
The Newfield Network at http://www.newfieldnetwork.com 
The Academy of Coach Training at  http://www.coachtraining.com 
CoachU at www.coachu.com  
Coachville at  Coachville.com