Recently I’ve been asked, “How do I BECOME a certified coach? What’s the path?”.
Getting a coaching certification and credentials can be confusing.
Understanding why you should be certified (and by whom), the different levels of credentials and how to choose the right program is important both for people who want to become coaches and also for those who want to hire a coach.
So let’s demystify the process! Along the way, we’re going to talk about what the term “coach” really means, and how that ties into ethics in coaching.
What’s Inside
In this post, we’re covering the full landscape of ethical coaching practice and what it takes to build a credible career in the field. We’ll start with the foundations: what coaching actually is, the different types of coaches, and what the path to becoming one looks like. From there, we’ll dig into the International Coaching Federation (ICF): what it is, how its certification and credentialing process works, and what the three credential levels (ACC, PCC, and MCC) actually mean. We’ll also look at Continuing Coach Education (CCE) and break down the difference between Level 1, 2, or 3 Paths and the Portfolio Path option, so you have the context you need to make a confident decision about which coach training program is the right fit for you.
Ethically, who gets to call themselves a coach?
Have you noticed that “coaches” are coming out of the woodwork these days?
I don’t know about you but every time I look at one of my social media channels I see someone else promoting coaching services or coach training services.
All too often when I look at their profile to find out more about their coach qualifications, I find out they are not offering coaching services at all but rather consulting, training, workshops or a mix of the three.
When it comes to coach training specifically, there are way too many people out there that have very little credibility and make empty promises about establishing lucrative coaching businesses.
Coaching and ethical practice go hand in hand. Behaving in an ethical way is foundational and essential if you are presenting yourself as a coach or offering coach training courses.
What is ethical practice in coaching?
Ethical practice is part of a coach’s professional foundation and certified coaches sign off on these practices when we enter the profession.
Professional coaches pledge to be honest about their qualifications, credentials and experience.
Professional coaches know the distinctions between coaching, consulting, training, psychotherapy and other support modalities so we know how to avoid entering conversations that we are not qualified to deal with.
We know how and when to reinforce boundaries when needed, and refer clients to other support professionals as appropriate.
What is the definition of coaching?
Coaching is working through a thinking process. Being a coach means partnering with another person in a thought-provoking and creative conversation that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment.
Coaches honour the other person as the expert in his or her life and their work, and believe that they are creative, resourceful, and whole.
Standing on this foundation, the coach’s responsibility is to discover, clarify, and align with what the person wants to achieve, encourage self-discovery, elicit solutions and strategies generated by the other person (not the coach), and hold the person responsible and accountable.
This process helps people dramatically improve their thinking and outlook on work and life while drawing out their skills and unlocking their potential.
Coaching is not training, consulting, advising, or therapy
Let’s help define what coaching IS by clarifying a few things that it is NOT.
Coaching is not:
Consulting and Advising: A person engaged to provide professional information, recommendation and direction.
Teaching: To cause someone to know something by providing new information.
Therapy, or psychotherapy: The treatment of a mental or emotional disorder. Read: When To Refer A Client To Therapy here.
Telling: To reveal, disclose, divulge, tell, betray, to make known what has been concealed.
Directing: To cause to turn, move, or follow a course.
Ministering: Religious context, aid or support.
Mentoring: Sharing insights from personal experience.
What types of coaches are there?
There are many ways that you can serve as a coach:
External coach practitioner:
This is a coach who is in private practice and works with clients on a contract basis.
Internal coach practitioner:
This is an employed person, where coaching is part of their job description and they conduct coaching sessions with other employees who are not their direct reports.
Managers who use coaching as a leadership style:
These are leaders who prefer and will favour the coaching approach over directing, telling and using a command and control style.
Coaching does not require subject matter expertise
You will notice that I did not list niches like: business coach, marketing coach, life coach, financial coach, sales coach, etc.
This is because these are sub-specialties that imply a subject matter expertise.
You need to hire a subject matter expert when you have little or no knowledge or experience with a problem that needs a solution so the expert comes in to tell you how to solve the problem or solve it for you.
Or, you might hire a trainer who will come in and teach you the steps you need to take to solve the problem in the future.
In the purest sense, coaches do not need subject matter expertise to coach because we are not consulting or teaching.
That being said, many professional coaches have a specialty and that is perfectly ethical if the coach is qualified in the subspecialty.
In this instance, the professional will primarily be a coach or a consultant and will clearly communicate to the client where the boundaries between the two are.
Often a professional coach with subject matter expertise will share their knowledge with the client but is comfortable letting the client stay in the driver’s seat when it comes to what they want to do with the information.
What is not ethical is when a subject matter expert uses the title ‘coach’ when they have no coach specific training.
In this case, you would be getting advice, consulting, training or a mix of the three — but not coaching.
While consulting and training are much needed services on the market, if the professional does not have coach training, you will not be getting coaching.
So how do coaches become coaches, ethically?
Coaches become coaches by earning the title through study, practice, ongoing self-improvement and ongoing credentialing.
In its simplest form, to become a coach an individual must get certified coach training through a school or program like The Coaching Academy for Leaders, and then they are eligible to earn a credential through the International Coach Federation (the ICF).
Credentialing is the process of obtaining, verifying, and assessing the qualifications of a practitioner. Credentials are documented evidence of education, training, and experience.
This is important to know if you are interested in hiring coaches to work with your employees or if you are thinking about becoming a coach.
If you are responsible for hiring coaches to come in and work with your employees, it is essential that they have an ICF credential or, at the very least, are actively in the pursuit of earning one. In fact, the 2025 ICF Global Coaching Study found that 73% of coaches globally say that clients expect their coaches to be certified or credentialed.
If your candidate does not have a credential or is not working on one, they are simply not a coach but rather a consultant, advisor, or trainer.
If you or one of your employees has coaching in their job description, then coach specific training is essential for them to be able to fill that function of their role.
What is the ICF?
The International Coaching Federation (the ICF) itself does not provide training but it does oversee the standards of training programs.
A quick visit over to the ICF Website provides a great overview of what they do:
We’re a force for transformation. Inspiring current and future generations to become their best selves so that they can champion a thriving society.
We shape the coaching landscape. For 30 years, we have empowered coaches, set the gold standard in coaching practice, and served as the hub for all things coaching.
We lead through innovation, collaboration, and forward-thinking.
Specifically, the ICF is recognized worldwide by coaching professionals and the industry as a whole for their work in:
- Developing coaching core competencies
- Establishing a professional code of ethics and standards
- Creating an internationally recognized credentialing program
- Setting guidelines through accreditation for coach-specific training programs
- Providing continuous education through world-class events, Communities of Practice (CPs) and archived learning
How to become an ICF Credentialed Coach
ICF Credential-holders are part of a self-regulating group of elite coaches who provide accountability to clients and the coaching profession as a whole. They pursue and complete rigorous education and practice requirements that provide unquestioned legitimacy to their commitment to excellence in coaching.
As of 2025, the ICF has a membership of more than 62,000 trained coaches in over 150 countries.
But many people take one look at the journey and they see that it is quite a commitment, so they opt-out of the process. All too many continue to use the coach title anyway.
Let’s look at the 3 levels of credentials available in the coaching profession, ACC, PCC and MCC.
Associate Certified Coach, ACC
To become an Associate Certified Coach (ACC) you start out by completing at least 60 hours of coach-specific training through an Accredited Coach Training Program. If you have prior coach education, you may qualify to earn a credential via the ICF’s portfolio path instead. You can learn more about the difference below.
In addition, you must have 10 hours of Mentor Coaching over a minimum of three months. The Mentor Coach must be an ACC who has completed a full cycle of the credential through renewal, or is a PCC or MCC in good standing.
The student records coaching sessions with their actual clients, sends the recordings to the mentor who then listens to the recording with the aim of highlighting where the coach was able to demonstrate the competencies and how to strengthen their skills.
To be recognized as an ACC, the coach needs to submit a log that proves that they have completed a minimum of 100 hours of coaching experience with at least eight clients following the start of their coach-specific training. At least 75 of these hours must be paid, and at least 25 of these hours must occur within 18 months of the application date.
You must also undergo a performance evaluation. This will be part of your accredited coach training program, or if you are going through the Portfolio Pathway, you must submit a recorded coaching session with a transcript.
Finally, you must write the ICF ACC exam and receive a passing score.
Professional Certified Coach, PCC
To become a Professional Certified Coach, PCC, you build on the work that you did as an ACC. To obtain this certification you must have:
- Proof that you’ve completed a Level 2 program, or for the Portfolio Path, proof of at least 125 hours of coach-specific training.
- Mentor Coaching and a Performance Evaluation completed as part of your Level 2 program. If you are pursuing the Portfolio Path, your Mentor Coaching must included 10 hours with a PCC or MCC credentialed coach, and you must submit 2 recorded coaching sessions with a transcript for your Performance Evaluation.
- A minimum of 500 hours of coaching experience with at least 25 clients, at least 450 must be paid hours and at least 50 must have occurred within 18 months of applying.
- Passing score on the ICF Credentialing Exam.
Master Certified Coach, MCC
To become a Master Certified Coach, MCC, you must demonstrate the following competencies:
- Currently holds (or previously held) a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) Credential
- Submission of your program certificate as proof you have successfully completed a Level 3 program, or for the Portfolio Path, you must prove 200 hours of coach-specific training
- A minimum of 2,500 hours (2,250 paid) of coaching experience with at least 35 clients
- Mentor Coaching is completed as part of your Level 3 program, or for the Portfolio Path, you must show 10 hours with an MCC credentialed coach. The hours must be completed over 3 or more months and include 3 hours from one-on-one sessions.
- Performance Evaluation for both pathways requires the submission of two audio recorded coaching sessions with written.
- Passing score on the ICF Credentialing Exam.
Continuing Coach Education: Your CCEs and Ongoing Development
As part of the coaching ethics and mindset, coaches are dedicated to a lifelong pursuit of keeping their coaching skills fresh and sharp. To that end, all coaches invest in ongoing coach-specific training throughout our careers.
In addition, ongoing coach training and experience are necessary to advance your credentials and to maintain them.
You are not obligated to advance your credentials but you are obligated to keep training if you wish to keep your credential.
Your credential needs to be renewed every 3 years and to do so you need 40 hours of ongoing training, 24 hours of which must be focused on the ICF Core Competencies and Ethics and 16 hours can be a mix of resource development.
ICF Certification Routes: Level 1, 2, or 3 Path, or the Portfolio Path
As mentioned above, there are two pathways to achieving your ICF Certification. The most straightforward way is to enroll in a Level 1, Level 2, or Level 3 Path program at an accredited coach training school, such as The Coaching Academy for Leaders.
However, if you have accrued coach training schooling via other avenues, you can also apply via the Portfolio Path.
How to choose the right coaching certification training program
Choosing a Coach Training Program often comes down to how the program itself fits in with your current life and schedule. Of course, you also want to make sure it is an ICF accredited coach training program so you can go on to receive your certification if you wish. This accreditation also tells you the school holds itself to a high standard.
Our training program, The Coaching Academy for Leaders, is an ICF accredited program which has many benefits for students, including freedom and flexibility.
Regardless of if you are considering The Coaching Academy for Leaders or are still looking at your options, here are some questions to ask yourself to ensure you find the right fit:
The coach certification program you choose for your training will ultimately shape the rest of your coaching career, so it’s important to take the time to find the right program for you. The best program for you might not be the best program for someone else; so be sure to ask these questions to see if a program is the right fit for your training.
Is the program ICF Certified?
If your goal is to become a professional coach with credibility, then it’s essential to enroll for a training program that is certified by the International Coaching Federation. To become ICF-accredited, programs must complete a rigorous review process and demonstrate that their curriculum aligns with the ICF Core Competencies and Code of Ethics.
Has the Program been Updated to the 2026 ICF Standards?
As alluded to above, the ICF regularly updates their standards and certification processes. Last year, the ICF updated their Code of Ethics and Core Competencies, and they made changes to their certification process beginning January 1, 2026. You’ll want to ensure the program you are enrolling in has adjusted its teachings to align with updates.
Does the Program Schedule Align with My Current Schedule and Goals?
Different programs take place over varying lengths of time. More condensed programs require you to show up on live calls more frequently than others. While this is possible for some, for those balancing work or other commitments, a more spread out schedule might be better.
What Happens When The Program Ends?
Ask if there is ongoing support for Alumni after the program ends. At The Coaching Academy for Leaders, we offer graduates a spot on our Coach Bench and also have The Elevation Network, which provides ongoing support and resources to graduates, including Continuing Education Credits.
Conclusion
So, why do so many people call themselves “coach” when they aren’t certified?
Simply, because they can. Unlike the professional designations of doctor or lawyer, there is no law against using the title so they don’t feel as though they are breaking a code of ethics by using a title that they didn’t earn.
People who are not certified but use the term coach are usually well meaning. They believe that they are very good at what they do and deliver great value, and so there is no harm in calling what they do coaching.
But given the investment of time, energy, and money that goes into earning credentials, it’s understandable that many professional coaches want to clarify what it really means to be a “coach”.
Because anyone can use the title, it’s the buyer who has to know what good quality coaching is and then make sure that they are hiring a qualified person. One of the most important things a buyer can do to set themselves up for the best possible success is to ensure that their coaches have ICF credentials.
If we reserve the title “coach” for those who have earned professional certification, there would be much less confusion in the market about the coaching profession, and more clarity and transparency for those who want to hire a coach, or become one themselves.
If you are interested in separating yourself from the field and obtaining coaching certification, I invite you to watch our complimentary, on-demand webinar called Coach Training 101. This webinar will walk you through what to expect throughout the process, what to look for, and how we do things here at The Coaching Academy for Leaders.
If you still have questions, I welcome you to book a one-on-one Discovery Call with me.
How to Become an ICF Certified Coach – FAQs
Do I need to be certified to call myself a coach?
Legally, no. There is currently no law that prevents someone from using the title “coach” without certification. However, professional certification through an ICF-accredited program is what distinguishes a trained coach from someone offering consulting, advice, or training under a different name. If you want to build a credible, sustainable coaching practice, certification matters.
How long does it take to become a certified coach?
It depends on the credential level you are working toward and the program you choose. Earning your ACC credential requires a minimum of 60 hours of coach-specific training plus 100 hours of coaching experience, which for most people takes anywhere from several months to a year or more. Programs vary in how they structure that time: some are more condensed, others more flexible. The right timeline is the one that works for your life.
What is the difference between an ICF credential and an ICF-accredited program?
These are two separate things. An ICF-accredited program is a coach training school or curriculum that has been reviewed and approved by the ICF. An ICF credential is the certification you earn as an individual coach after completing your training and meeting the ICF’s experience and performance requirements. You enroll in an accredited program; you apply for a credential.
Can I become a coach if I already have experience in a related field, like HR, consulting, or therapy?
Yes, and many excellent coaches come from those backgrounds. Your prior experience can be an asset but it doesn’t replace coach-specific training. The ICF’s Portfolio Path is an option for individuals who have accumulated coach training through various sources rather than a single accredited program, so there is some flexibility in how you get there. What matters is that you meet the ICF’s training, experience, and evaluation standards.
How much does it cost to get ICF certified?
The cost varies depending on the training program you choose and the credential level you are pursuing. Tuition for an accredited coach training program can range significantly, and there are separate fees for the ICF credentialing application and exam. It is a meaningful investment, but one that the data supports. According to the 2025 ICF Global Coaching Study, credentialed coaches earn considerably more and work with more clients than those without credentials.
Do I need to renew my ICF credential?
Yes. ICF credentials are renewed every three years. This ongoing commitment is intentional and reflects the professional standard that coaching is a practice you continue to develop, not a box you check once.
