Credential Readiness

Level123 Credential Readiness

Know where you stand. Know what you need. Know what to practise.

A delegate should be able to answer:

Training

Have I completed the required education?
Do I understand the competencies?

Experience

How many coaching hours do I have?
How many are paid?
How many clients have I coached?

Evidence

Are my coaching logs complete?
Do I have the required documentation?
Do I have suitable recordings?

Skills

Can I demonstrate the required coaching behaviours?
Am I coaching rather than advising, consulting or mentoring?

Assessment

Could I pass an assessment today?
What are my three biggest weaknesses?
What should I practise next?

Application

Do I understand my credential pathway?
Do I have everything required for the application?

Don't just complete coach training. Know whether you're ready to become credentialed.

And importantly, ICF Level 1 programmes are specifically designed as a pathway toward ACC, with 60–124 hours and requirements including mentor coaching and performance evaluation built into the accredited programme.

For COMENSA, we have a separate "COMENSA Credential Readiness Checklist" rather than mixing its requirements with ICF requirements, because the two bodies have different processes and terminology.

Get our free survey:

The 50-Point ICF & COMENSA Credential Readiness Checklist: Are You Actually Ready to Apply?

Questions people want answered about credential readiness

A. "Can I actually become credentialed?"

What is a coaching credential?
Why should I get credentialed?
Do I need a credential to call myself a coach?
What is the difference between being trained and being credentialed?
What is the difference between certification and credentialing?
Do employers care about coaching credentials?
Do clients care whether I am credentialed?
Is ICF really worth it?
Is COMENSA recognised?
Which is better, ICF or COMENSA?
Can I pursue both?
Can I become credentialed if coaching is only a side business?
Can I become credentialed without a psychology degree?
Can I become credentialed without a university degree?
Can an HR professional become a credentialed coach?
Can a manager become a credentialed coach?
Can a consultant become a credentialed coach?
Can a trainer become a credentialed coach?
Can a therapist become a credentialed coach?
Can an unemployed person become a credentialed coach?

B. "What exactly do I need?"

How many training hours do I need?
How many coaching hours do I need?
How many clients do I need?
How many paid coaching hours do I need?
How much mentor coaching do I need?
Do I need recorded coaching sessions?
Do I need transcripts?
Do I need an assessment?
Do I need an exam?
Do I need supervision?
Do I need continuing professional development?
Do I need to belong to a professional body?
Do I need insurance?
Do I need a coaching business?
Do I need testimonials?
Do I need a website?
Do I need paying clients before I start training?
Can my existing coaching experience count?
Can internal workplace coaching count?
Can volunteer coaching count?

C. "How do I get my coaching hours?"

Where do I find my first coaching clients?
How do I get my first 10 clients?
How do I get my first 100 hours?
Can I coach friends?
Can I coach colleagues?
Can I coach family?
Can I coach employees?
Can I coach other coaches?
Can I coach for free?
How many hours can be unpaid?
How do I convert free clients into paying clients?
How much should I charge?
How do I prove that someone paid me?
What records do I need to keep?
What should my coaching log look like?
What information should I record after every session?
What happens if I lose my coaching records?
How recent do my coaching hours need to be?
How do I get enough clients while I'm still training?
Can I start accumulating hours while doing my training?

For ICF ACC, 100 hours are required, including 75 paid hours, with at least 25 hours completed in the 18 months before application.

D. "Am I actually good enough?"

This is where Credential Readiness becomes much more powerful than simply "exam preparation."

How do I know whether I'm ready for assessment?
What does a competent coach actually sound like?
What does an ACC-level coaching session sound like?
What mistakes cause coaches to fail?
Am I asking too many questions?
Am I giving too much advice?
Am I accidentally consulting?
Am I accidentally mentoring?
Am I accidentally counselling?
Am I actually coaching?
How much should I speak?
How much silence is appropriate?
How do I demonstrate active listening?
How do I evoke awareness?
How do I establish an agreement?
How do I demonstrate presence?
How do I challenge a client without directing them?
How do I handle emotional clients?
What do I do when the client says "I don't know"?
What do I do when I run out of questions?

ICF's current ACC assessment criteria specifically look at areas such as maintaining the coach role, establishing agreements, trust, presence, active listening and evoking awareness. ICF also identifies giving advice or telling the client what to do as inconsistent with coaching standards.

E. "What happens at assessment?"

What happens during a performance evaluation?
What does the assessor listen for?
How long is the assessment?
What makes a coaching recording pass?
How should I choose the client for my recording?
What should I do before recording?
What should I do if the client goes off topic?
What if I make a mistake?
Can I stop and restart?
How do I prepare for feedback?
How do I respond to critical feedback?
How many practice recordings should I do?
Can someone score my practice session?
Can I compare my recording against a model session?
What does "ACC level" actually mean?

F. "What happens after training?"

How do I submit my credential application?
What documents do I need?
How long does credentialing take?
What happens if my application is rejected?
What do I do after I receive my credential?

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