How do I hire a life coach?

Before I leap into my response to the question “How do I hire a life coach?”, I thought it might be a good idea to address the question that usually precedes that one which is “Why should I hire a life coach?”.

Why should I hire a life coach?

There are times in our lives, all of our lives, when we need support. It might be advice, help, listening, money or something else that will help us with whatever is going on in our life. Some of us need more help than others. It’s tough but some of us just have more crap going on. We are all different and how one person deals with something will differ to how another person deals with the same or similar thing. During our life all of us will need support at one time or another.

So where do we get that support? If we’re lucky, and have worked on our relationships, we might have people who we trust to be loving and caring who can offer us what we need. We might have great people around us but they don’t have the skills we need. We might just not have people in our life who can help. That is when we can choose whether to sort it out by ourselves or seek help from someone independent, like a life coach or a therapist, counsellor, healer or other practitioner. I am all for DIY if you can but there comes a time when going it alone doesn’t work.

There are so many different sorts of coaches it can be confusing at times. If you know your specific struggle, say it’s confidence, then you might look for a confidence coach. In reality most coaches who work with individuals are doing some sort of life coaching because confidence, mindset, stress, etc all have an impact on our life. Life coaching is a more general term for someone who helps people with their life.

So, you’ve got something going on in your life that you are finding hard (for any number of reasons) and you are struggling to find a way though. It might be something like:

• You want to improve a particular relationship or relationships in general

• You need to decide whether to leave a relationship

• You are going through a divorce or the end of an important relationship (this might be family and friends as well as romantic partner)

• You want to make your life better or feel better about yourself

• You have heard about how important it is to have a good relationship with yourself and have no idea where to start

• You feel angry all the time and don’t know why (or do know why and want to work through it)

• You experienced painful events in your childhood and the way you dealt with those is impacting your adult life today

• You want to change your reaction to situations and how you feel about yourself

• You are struggling with stress and anxiety

• You’ve had some counselling or CBT and you feel there is still more work to

  ….and so many other scenarios that you might be experiencing.

You’ve been trying to deal with it on your own, or with help from friends or family, but you want some help from someone else and you decide to look for a life coach. Decision made but now what.

Things to consider when hiring a life coach

1.      Research - don’t worry too much what they call themselves. Instead read what they say about their work, what they can help you with and how they will work with you. If you found them on a directory (like the Life Coach Directory), read their profile and then go to their website and read what they say there. Check out their social media accounts if they have them. Look at their photos. Does what they say resonate with you? Do they seem like the sort of person you want to work with? You don’t necessarily need to like them but do you feel they could be the right person to help you.

2.      Initial call – most coaches offer a free initial call so you can chat through what you want help with and you can both see if you are a good fit.

3.      Ask them questions – in the initial call make sure you ask them any questions you have. Don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you need to. If you don’t feel comfortable asking questions, then perhaps they’re not the coach for you.

4.      Type of coach – get clear (as far as possible) what sort of coach you’re looking for. Do you want someone who is going to push you to set goals and take action? Are you looking for accountability to ensure you take the actions you say you’re going to? Are you looking for a gentle, safe space to explore possibilities? Do you want it to be fun or more serious? Do you want to work creatively with a coach? Are you more of a talker? Do you have a preference on the gender or sexual identity of your coach? Or religion? If any of these things are important to you, then make sure you ask. You may be working with a coach for a while, and you will be spending your money on that work, so make sure you are finding the right one for you.

5.      Methods – are you looking for a coach that uses particular methods (such as NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), Timeline therapy, solution focus, positive psychology to name but a few)? Perhaps you want to work on mindset or mindfulness? You might want a coach that has a more intuitive or holistic approach? In reality you might not know, which is fine, but if any of those stand out to you that could inform your search.

6.      Individual or Group – do you want to work 1:1 with a coach? Are you looking for a group programme? Sometimes group programmes are available at a lower cost point so you can get to know the coach better before committing to 1:1 coaching.

7.      Testimonials – ask the about feedback they’ve had from clients they’ve worked with. Read what people have said on their website.

8.      Qualifications – coaching in the UK is unregulated so anyone can call themselves a coach. There are coaches out there with lots of qualifications that are not great and some great coaches that don’t have any qualifications. It’s worth asking about their qualifications but I believe it is their experience (in coaching and in life generally) that makes a better coach. What personal work have they done so they can work with you on your stuff?

9.      Cost – make sure you know how much coaching will cost. Most coaches will have a range of packages so make sure you are clear on the coast of each. Most coaches offer instalment options so ask, even if they aren’t mentioned on the website.

10.  Availability – ask how long you will ha e to wait to work with them. There is no point deciding a certain coach is for you when they are fully booked for the next 6 months (or have no space for you on the programme you have chosen)

 It is entirely possible that you do none of the above and manage to pick a great coach who you work well with. You could do all those things and end up with a coach you just don’t get along with. Or somewhere in between.

Speak to as many coaches as you need to before deciding who to work with. We are all different and your choice will depend on your situation, your coach and you. You might even work with a few coaches over the years as you work on different things. It’s entirely your decision. It’s an important decision so take your time!