Life coach training in South Africa - How important is coach certification and accreditation?

Unfortunately, life coaching is an unregulated industry in South Africa at present. Anyone can, for example, call themselves a wellness coach or career coach, print some stationery and start charging for their services. Is it any wonder that many clients tend to put off finding a life coach? Similarly, what guarantees do aspiring life coaches have that the coaches' training institute they choose will qualify them to the highest levels of professionalism, without their having to jump through a whole lot of additional hoops?

What certification or credentialing is available to life coaches in South Africa?

Scan through the promotional material of South African coaches and coach training centres and you will find a number of logos and names put forward as an indication of credibility. These include Coaches and Mentors of South Africa (COMENSA), the Coach [Education and] Training Association of South Africa (CETASA or CTASA), the Services SETA and the Association of Private Providers of Education, Training and Development (APPETD). Some coaches' training institutes are certified by the International Coach Federation (ICF), and most rarely you will find the ICF's coveted ACTP accreditation. What does all this really mean, and what are the differences?

In short: if you are looking for a life coach, it is strongly recommended that you find one who holds an ICF accreditation. If you are a coach (or aspire to be one) and want to find the smoothest route to the ICF accreditation, it makes sense to choose a coach training program that is an ICF Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP). Below is a simple explanation of the various aspects and links to the various organisations if you would like to learn more.

A short article like this can only scratch the surface of the complexity of accredited coach training and life coach certification in South Africa. Please follow the links provided to learn more about the various organisations.

COMENSA membership

Coaches and Mentors of South Africa (COMENSA) is the professional association for coaches and mentors as well as for trainers of coaches and mentors in South Africa. It seeks to support professional practice and a learning culture in this field by defining and upholding professional standards and ethics. (Source: www.comensa.org.za )

Membership of COMENSA gives the coach a level of credibility, but at present this body cannot guarantee the quality of coaching offered by individual coaches since it is currently not able to assess or accredit its members. The organisation does, however, offer the client some assurances and protection in that it can hold its members to certain standards of ethical behaviour and require a commitment to continuous professional development and supervision. As membership standards and criteria are currently under review (April 2010), please refer to the COMENSA website for details both on individual and training institution membership. [Link on COMENSA: www.comensa.org.za ]

CETASA membership

The Coach Education and Training Association of South Africa (CETASA, also called CTASA), mentioned on the websites of several coaches and coach training schools, was created by a group of coach training institutions at the end of 2008 as an independent body to self-regulate the training of coaches. Very little information is available about this organisation on the internet, but it can be contacted via COMENSA.

Services SETA accreditation

Most coaching practices and coaches' training institutes seek accreditation with the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA), even though such accreditation is a complex process that requires much patience and perseverance. The Skills Development Levies Act requires all employers (apart from very small enterprises) to pay a skills development levy. The main advantage of life coach training certification lies in the fact that a corporate can claim back 50% of its levy contribution to pay for its own staff training - but only if the training providers and courses are accredited by the appropriate SETA. It therefore makes sense for any training organisation to consider SETA accreditation.

APPETD membership

The Association of Private Providers of Education, Training and Development (APPETD) is the national body representing the interests of a wide range of private providers of education, training and development in South Africa, including early childhood development (ECD) and adult basic education and training (ABET). Membership may enhance the credibility of a training provider, but is no guarantee of quality, since the organisation does not assess or credential its members, nor is it specifically a coaching-related organisation.

ICF credentials

The International Coach Federation (ICF) offers the only independent credentialing program that is recognised globally. It has been operating for more than a decade, with more than 14,000 members and 5,800 ICF credentialed coaches.

The ICF distinguishes three levels of credentials, namely the Associate Certified Coach (ACC); the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and the Master Certified Coach (MCC) credentials. The basic requirements for the three levels of certified life coach give an indication of the relative difficulty of achievement:

Credential	Hours of coach- specific training	Hours of coaching experience	Hours of work with a qualified mentor coach	Number of clients
ACC*	60	100 (75 paid)	10	8
PCC*	125	750 (675 paid)	10	25
MCC	200	2500 (2250 paid)	10	35

The above table is a summary of a rather complex application procedure.

* There are two different routes of application for the first two credentials, namely the "ACTP application" and the "portfolio application", depending on whether the course you take is an Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP) or not. If you have completed an ACTP, it is easier to obtain the ICF accreditation because the course itself satisfies (and exceeds) the full ICF requirements. Please click here to find out more about the ICF credentialing procedures, which may change from time to time.]

That's a lot of work - why bother?

An ICF coaching credential gives you the competitive edge needed to thrive in today's fast growing coaching profession. It shows potential clients that you are committed to integrity and professionalism and have a sound grasp of coaching knowledge and practice. It also gives you the confidence that comes from holding a qualification that reflects sound and solid training.

So how do I find coach training in South Africa that will help me achieve the ICF credential?

Check that the coach training institution you are considering states that it is ICF certified. This means that the time you spend in training will count towards your 'coach-specific training' requirement when you apply for your ICF credentials. If possible, you want to register with an ICF Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP).

ACTP accreditation of training programs

The ICF Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP) accreditation is awarded to programs that adhere to the ICF code of ethics and meet the professional standards set and monitored by the ICF. Currently only one South African coaching academy holds this accreditation; a few overseas institutions with ACTP accreditation also have branches or offer courses here. If, as a coach, you do your training through an ICF-certified coaches' training institute but not an ACTP, you can still achieve your PCC credential, but it will take additional work, as indicated above. Your ICF application will have to go the route of the "portfolio application" instead of the more streamlined "ACTP application". The more straightforward application option is one of the major benefits of being an ACTP graduate. It may also work out cheaper, as the portfolio applicant will probably have to hire their own mentor coach to satisfy the mentor coaching requirements, which could add several thousand rands to the cost of accreditation.

In short: if you are looking for a life coach, it is strongly recommended that you find one who holds an ICF accreditation. If you are a coach (or aspire to be one) and want to find the smoothest route to the ICF accreditation, it makes sense to choose a training program that is an ICF Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP).

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