Just got my PCC! But… do you need to be ICF-accredited to run an abundant coaching practice?
I reluctantly applied for my PCC accreditation via ICF just before giving birth this year… Here’s why I decided to do it in such a tender moment.
I’ve been a Career Coach for 5 years before becoming a Business Mentor for Coaches last year.
I received my ACC accreditation in year 3 of my coaching practice.
Strangely, not a single client asked me about it in previous years.
After I got it – 2 potential clients I spoke to knew what it was (out of hundreds!).
Newer coaches often ask me whether they should sort out their ACC before fully emersing themselves in building out their coaching practice.
The simple answer is NO!
You don’t need to be ICF accredited to be earning really well from coaching or be a great coach – so far as you got your proper 100+ hours of quality training done and practiced coaching.
Most individual clients never heard about ICF…
BUT
If you want to be working with Associate Coaching companies or Organisations – then about 90% of them WILL REQUIRE that you are ICF accredited. Usually ACC level is plenty.
I worked for an Associate Coaching company for a year and with a start-up for 3 years after completing my ACC, but they never asked for it…Yet if I wanted to discover more opportunities like that – most likely it would be required.
Coaches wear the ICF badges proudly and talk about the value of “keeping up professional standards”.
No doubt ICF is a pioneer and has done fantastic work in professionalising this new and exciting industry we’re part of, and observing the ethics of it.
At the same time, there are also other ways of keeping up your professional standards and ethics – eg by taking on other coaching trainings for the cost you’d pay to get your ICF accreditation.
After all the mentor hours, ICF fees, CCEU top-ups you’ll end up paying min of £2500. And that’s on top of approx £5000 coaching training program you already paid for…
If your time or financial resources are tight, here’s a quick test to decide if you need to focus on getting your ICF accreditation right now:
✅ you’re looking to work with organisations/ corporates/ associate coaching companies ➡️ DO IT!
❌ you’re looking to work primarily with individual clients ➡️ DON’T BOTHER (at least for now).
Focus on ‘paying yourself back’ but figuring out the business side of it.
So, why did I decide to apply for my PCC amongst all the stress of preparing to birth a baby?
I shifted my focus from Career Coaching to Business Mentoring for Coaches last year.
Since all of my clients are now Coaches themselves, guess what? THEY ALL KNOW WHAT ICF IS!
And actually care for me to be accredited and ‘progressing through the ranks’.
I made up enough hours to apply for PCC a couple of years ago, but finally it made sense to make the time and money investment to get it sorted.
What are your thoughts and experience with getting ICF-accredited?
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