Becoming a certified life coach is an exciting professional journey that will impact your career in the long term. Hundreds of online certification programs exist to educate and train you on what it means to succeed as a coach, but only some set the gold standard for qualifying you to master the profession. Learning to become an expert of habit change requires choosing a reputable program that teaches you foundational techniques such as motivational interviewing, experiential exercises, and more.
If you are researching life coaching certification programs, explore these top affordable options to narrow down your search of high quality schools. Each option below is ICF accredited, meaning you are guaranteed a comprehensive learning experience to prepare you for a successful coaching career.
- Price: $3347
- Length: 6 months
- Learning Style Includes: Live online classes, interactive software, group coaching, self-study, trademarked Coach Training Accelerator, instructor feedback
- Bonuses: Seasonal deals including an option to save $350, marketing and business, small class sizes (10-15), directory website to promote business
The Coach Training Alliance (CTA) coach certification program is an affordable online school with a six month long program. The program investment of $3347 is a competitive price point given that most online certifications range from $2500-10,000 total. Luckily, CTA offers seasonal deals to help new students save upon enrollment, including a recent promotion with the option to save $350 using early enrollment. Taking advantage of early enrollment promotions is an exciting way to begin your coaching program, especially if you are certain that this is the career for you. You can expect your program to last about six months depending on your learning schedule.
The learning style of CTA is diverse and interactive while also easily accessible with online learning. Live online classes are the main method of delivering the trademarked Coach Training Accelerator course curriculum, and these lessons are supplemented with interactive software. The self-study feature is perfect for the flexible learner, with study tools available for you to catch up at your own pace. You will also benefit from professional feedback on your growing coaching style through small group coaching classes of 10-15 people. If you are new to the idea of coaching, an attractive bonus of the CTA program is its marketing and business lessons, which teach you how to land clients and support your new business. You will also benefit from post-program marketing tools including their alumni directory website used to promote businesses. The CTA delivery style and flexible learning are perfect for a new coach looking for a comprehensive and affordable learning experience.
While not the cheapest life coach certification program on this list, CTA is by far the best value training program on the market. Click here to learn more.
#2: iNLP Center
- Price: 2 packages ranging from $2400-3200
- Length: 200 self-paced hours
- Learning Style: 100% online, practice partners, virtual training sessions and workshops
- Bonuses: Neuro-linguistic practitioner (NLP) add-on combination for additional certification, hypnosis certification included, business + marketing training
The iNLP Center is a flexible learning course designed for the self-paced learner. The fully-online coach certification program contains the foundations of coaching delivered through virtual training sessions and workshops for skill building. A unique competitive aspect of the iNLP center is its focus on creating habit change through the mastery of neuro-linguistic programming in the brain, a technique that can add dimension to your future coaching style. The iNLP center offers this perspective in varied detail both of its coaching programs, with price ranges between $2400-3200 depending on program add-ons.
An additional attraction for a new coach looking to immediately specialize in certain techniques is the iNLP Center hypnosis certification. This training is included in both program options and is a form of experiential exercises available in the “toolboxes” of new coach skill sets. As an iNLP student, you can also take advantage of the business and marketing trainings included in both program packages. The option for practice partners and complete self-study makes this program a sensible choice for new coaches who are specifically interested in an NLP approach who need a flexible learning style to fit into their busy worlds.
- Price: $166-397 depending on payment plan
- Length: Immediate online access
- Learning Style: Self-paced
- Bonuses: Business worksheets and tools, practice coaching calls, coach community, exercise and session structure packets
The Universal Coach Institute (UCI) is an immediate all-access coach certification program designed for the self-study student who would like to direct their own program experience. The surprisingly low investment price is due to the certification process resembling an online course experience completely directed by the learner. There are support infrastructures in place to enhance your learning, but there are no live classes or workshops as in the previous programs. UCI does provide live group support sessions for both business and general coaching techniques, which are beneficial if you come across questions or challenges during your self-study.
One competitive aspect of UCI’s program is their collection of downloads and worksheets designed to help your new coaching practice run smoothly. These range from experiential exercises to client financial email correspondence templates, and even include scripts for business calls. This 100% online learning style is helpful for the hands-on coach who prefers compiling their tools into binders and easy-to-access collections in their practice. This course is not recommended if you rely on feedback and interactive sessions with instructors throughout your course, but may be a great fit if you are self-directed and require a flexible self-study method. iNLP is the best fit for a new coach who is thinking to specialize in a specific method (NLP) but still has yet to learn the foundations of coaching before mastering their niche.
Choosing a life coach certification is no easy task, so weigh these program benefits based on your specific learning style and specialty preferences. Based on the in-depth curriculum delivery along with supportive group coaching and varied learning methods, the Coach Training Alliance program best prepares new coaching students to master the craft. Receiving feedback is a powerful learning style for new coaches and the proactive CTA staff support available sets it apart from other programs. As a new coach, your foundational skill set is what matters most, and CTA boasts a comprehensive strategy to help you learn and apply those skills with feedback along the way. Investing in the trademarked Coach Training Accelerator program will ensure you are receiving the gold standard in education as you prepare for a successful coaching career.
