If you're a life coach, do you think the sector is totally oversaturated? Thinking of career change...

[Bollyhood]

Exactly that. Thinking of life coach as a different route workwise. Yet to refine my area of interest, but have a few ideas. I'm doing a lot of research but I'd love to hear people's thoughts who are currently working in that space.

A fitness or diet coach, if the person has the relevant experience and qualifications can be a very good thing
A specific therapist, again with training in a particular model suited to the client is often helpful

Perhaps something in money management, but then there are scores of advice channels for that sort of thing.

You asked for people's thoughts yet to seem unwilling to listen to those thoughts! The term life coach is too general so if you want answers from people working in that space you need to give some indication of what specific areas you are interested in working in or have qualifications for. There is no point in a senior executive coach coming on here who specialises in helping stressed out managers if that is not where you will be focusing.

What or who is the certification with?

There was a bit of a mickey take of this sort of thing on Ludwig, its a drama (comedy?) on iplayer at the moment and they pictured this life coach type person running a seminar in much the way you describe, he was the usual charlatan type, giving a load of meaningless word salad.

Before I left Facebook a couple of years ago. The 'life coaches' were popping up in lieu of the MLM mum's. I don't personally know anyone who has ever hired a life coach.

First I would consider if you actually want to use the word “life coach”. Without a strong rationale a lot of people would find it somewhat cringy as a phrase. Bear in mind coach and life coach aren’t regulated terms - I can call myself one tomorrow that doesn’t mean I am suitable.

What isn’t clear from your posts is why anyone would hire you. What are you offering, what experience do you have, what qualifications have you gained? Why should I spend my money to talk to you - what can I get from you that I can’t get talking to friends, families or contacts?

The people I know personally who have made coaching work well are those who have had a long and senior career in industry and are now working as executive coaches to people either at that level or trying to get to it. They have been there and understand the pressures and have done coaching qualifications. They are also reasonably well off so don’t need to make this full time plus generally have some other gigs going like being a non-executive Director.

A distant family member is currently working as a life coach....hmmmm....her social media seems to largely be about 'breathing', 'pausing' and 'going for it', etc. Basic common sense.... I can't imagine anyone would pay for her pearls of wisdom!

I’ve known three people leave the city to be life coaches… they’re all back at work in the city.

They do still try and ‘coach’ people - they’re the kind people avoid in the lift

The life coach I know (used to know her IRL. Now I see her on FB) is living her best life on remote Thai beaches, Dubai hotels & Maldives resorts. I don’t know what she does apart from posting inspirational quotes… So, if you can get a gig like that, then fair play to you! Go for it, girl. You got this!

Life Coach = Boss Babes MLM Hunz, the life coach business is a side hustle to their side hustle travel business.

If you say no to joining, you're just scared of success...!!

Exactly this, life coaching became the new MLM hustle for the huns. Easy to do in a completely unregulated field.

In today's world, people will pay money to feel listened to, which is why life coaching mushroomed, but 'that' kind of coaching is total bobbins and when people find that the act of being heard really doesn't change their life, they move onto the next miracle cure. Leaving the 'coach' in a perpetual cycle of chasing new clients and posting on facebook. Grim.

If you have a niche (as pps have discussed), demonstrable experience and are willing to put the time into training hours then it can be a viable career but it is really hard work. I have a dear friend who is an excellent executive coach but the amount of business development she has to do is enormous. And even she is bought into the 'coaching for coaches' racket that a pp described, she pays a lot of money to 'update her training' and 'build her business' through attending overpriced seminars with the 'super-coaches'. Mere quote marks cannot convey my disdain for that phrase...

Massively, massively oversaturated. The only money in coaching, outside of executive coaching which you need actual qualifications and track record to make it in, is in training wannabe coaches. It's not that far off MLM territory.

The fact you seem surprised and annoyed that people have bad perceptions of life coaches, is surprising to me... surely everyone knows why.

You wanting a change isn't much of a business proposition OP.

You really need to be bringing something valuable/ different or you won't make enough money for it to be a viable alternative to a job.

Its not surprising to me. Life coaches that I have met are so far up their own arses they wouldnt have the humility to recognise how they or the industry is perceived. Or as others have said above, frame it as 'scared of success'

No doubt we 'dont understand the potential'

OK. So I'm a qualified life coach but I specialise in a particular area, where I am highly qualified. So my coaching qualification is just an add on to show even more credibility. Occasionally I have pure life coaching clients but not often and I don't market myself as such.

It's a totally saturated market and in my experience, it is filled with middle manager types, mum's returning to work, and fairly mediocre people who think they have lots of 'life experience'. Avoid it unless you are already in a sector and can offer it as an add on.

Complete wastes of time and money.

Find something worthwhile to do with your life.

Op you’re getting quite snippy, the problem is that life coach is a term that’s too vague and can be used by anyone. There was a time during lockdown when loads of sahms were paying a fortune to be a life coach and it was like a pyramid scheme where they were recruiting others. A friend of mine (who I hadn’t seen for years) got in contact with me and my friendship group out of the blue and started posting on social media that she was up at 5 doing her gym workout for the day and was dabbling in life coaching. We all ignored her because we felt she was just after business from us.

i don’t doubt that some life coaches aren’t great but you haven’t given us information about your background and experience so there’s no way of knowing. You should see this thread as evidence that the term ‘life coach’ is quite tainted and if you were to be one you would have to really communicate what your strengths are and how you would be able to change someone’s life.

You definitely need a pt job to give you some sort of stability and income. Agree with the specialism idea above.

Whats the qualification and who is it with?

Health.

I've known a few life coaches. The first were a couple who were artists - no money in that so they did some sort of course. Lived fairly hand to mouth with that career too.
My DH, a high powered lawyer, used a life coach however. The coach had a psychology background and his USP was dealing with high stress executives to do two things: further their career and keep a work life balance. To help them navigate their particular industry. My DH found it invaluable. They met once a month. I don't know his exact qualifications.
I also know a couple (who work independently) who joined one of those mega charismatic 'I can make you a success if you do this expensive course'. He would help you get into whatever industry you were interested in - in my friends case bespoke high value wedding invitations - and if you had some success would put you out there as a career mentor (in any start up business) charging a sizeable fee to help others. Thing is my friend was making a nice supplemental income but no way a self supporting one, and her 'coaching' of others was really just a sounding board/hand hold with little training. She always felt a bit of a con and doesn't do either anymore (Covid basically stopping her wedding business overnight).
I think it comes down to the training you are willing to invest in, and the audience you want to target. Helping women who have been absent due to child raising get back in to the job market or helping someone navigate a divorce and next steps or helping with a bereavement and so on. I think a strong psychological/counselling background and experience in the area you are advertising your expertise in would be fairly essential.

A close relative of mine is a life coach and she makes very little from it but is convinced it's always about to take off. I tend to see it a bit like MLMs and self-published novels— the people who make the big money from it are the one who sell the dream.

To simply answer the original question; yes the coaching sector is not only over-saturated but was described to me by someone who works in one specific niche area as “over”.

Op, you are being really quite snippy with people asking valid questions. Perhaps take some time to reflect on that. Also, reflect on what has actually been said here and do your research if you really think this is a role for you…

You said you had a coaching certification, is that an NHS coaching qualification then, who is the regulatory or certification body?