In Australia (as elsewhere) at the present time, there are no Government registration requirements -- anyone can call themselves a coach!
Selecting a coach to work with you is a very personal thing. It's a bit like choosing a dentist or doctor or chiropractor. Usually we do so on personal recommendation.
If you don't know anyone though who has been to see a coach, it makes the choosing somewhat more difficult.
Probably, in that regard, the most appropriate action would be to make contact with the prospective coach and have a telephone conversation asking them about themselves, their experience and their qualifications.
Ask the Right Questions of the Coach
You may like to ask your prospective coach 6 main questions:
- Have you had formal training in a profession or a particular field (eg, psychology, human resources)? If so, which?
- What coaching training have you had? How long was the training? How detailed was the training?
- What experience have you had as a coach? With what type of clients? Can you give me some examples?
- Do you have past clients that I can talk to or testimonials available?
- What professional associations do you belong to?
- Are you accredited as a coach? If so, who by?
Ask the Right Questions of Yourself
Ask yourself the following:
- What is my "gut feeling" about this coach -- do I feel comfortable with this potential coach? -- if not why not?
- Who do I know who has been coached by this coach -- what was their experience?
- Is this coach making wild and extravagant claims -- for example "I can help you make your wildest dreams come true" - claims like this are probably unrealistic and based more on marketing than fact.
After all, you have to feel happy with your coach - it's a kind of matching process where the relationship must work for the coaching to really be effective.
Click here to find out what do people say about Darryl as a coach?