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Updated:
September 28, 2023
Written By:
Liz Robson
Young people today face many challenges that their parents and grandparents never had to deal with. The rapid pace of technology, a highly competitive job market, and social media are constantly shaping the way they think, feel and behave. Many young people struggle with mental health issues, anxiety, and low self-esteem, which can impact their overall achievement, relationships, and wellbeing.
If you're a teacher, mental health lead, practitioner or youth worker who is passionate about helping young people overcome these challenges, becoming a certified youth life coach could be the best decision you'll ever make.
A youth life coach is a certified professional who helps young people develop personal resources, skills and abilities that help them to improve their lives.
A youth life coach provides support, strategies and reassurance and helps teenagers and young adults develop healthy habits, reduce stress, maximise potential, and improve overall wellbeing.
Youth life coaches are trained to work with young people on topics like:
Youth Life Coaches tend to provide 1-2-1 coaching sessions in packages of support or run small group work programmes, training sessions or workshops based on coaching skills.
Coaching sessions for young people or youth are usually funded by a school, organisation or privately by parents. Find out more about our youth coaching services for partner organisations here.
Find out more about how coaching can help young people by accessing our Coaching Young People webinar series.
As a youth life coach, you can make a tangible difference in the lives of young people. Helping teenagers and young adults build confidence, self-esteem and resilience will help them develop the skills they need for their future success.
As a coach, you'll motivate, inspire and guide young people to discover their passions, strengths, and values. You'll also help them develop the skills and confidence they need to achieve their goals and aspirations.
When you train to become a certified youth life coach, you'll gain access to the latest resources, training, and support networks needed to help young individuals succeed.
You'll learn best practices for working with young people and how to use a range of positive psychology interventions and tools based on up-to-date academic research.
Becoming a certified life coach will not only benefit the young people you work with but also you as a coach. It will bring out the best in you as a teacher, mentor, and guide.
You'll learn how to communicate effectively, develop meaningful relationships with young people, and support them to achieve their full potential. You'll also gain valuable skills in problem-solving, critical thinking, positive psychology and emotional intelligence. These skills can transfer to another role you may have and can benefit your life personally as well as professionally
Coaching young people can be another element of your own coaching or counselling practice or something you do as part of a portfolio career.
Becoming a certified life coach for young people is not only a rewarding career path, but it also offers a flexible income. You can choose to work part-time or full-time, and there's immense flexibility in terms of where you work from. It's an ideal career path for anyone who wants to work from home, travel, or be financially independent.
People who complete our training also use coaching in a job you may already have, such as a youth worker, pastoral lead or teacher. You may decide to set up 1-2-1 coaching interventions in your current workplace or use coaching skills and approaches more broadly in your work or relationships with young people.
The coaching industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world, and it's expected to continue growing in the coming years. Coaching young people is still a growing area within the coaching industry. Our CEO Liz Robson was one of the first people to publish academic research on how positive psychology coaching can help the wellbeing of young people.
As a certified life coach for young people, you'll be part of a dynamic and exciting industry that's making a real difference in the lives of millions of people worldwide. You'll be part of a community of coaches who share your passion for helping young people, and you'll be involved in a movement that's transforming the way young people think, feel, and behave.
It is not necessary to be certified before you start coaching young people, or how else would you ever practice or get started? It is important that student or trainee coaches make it clear they are learning to coach and are not yet certified.
Certification is not mandatory within the coaching industry but is seen as best practice and is important for your credibility as a professional Youth Life Coach. We would therefore suggest that certification is essential for anyone who wants to work as a Youth Life Coach. Certification demonstrates your commitment to helping young people achieve their goals and that you have the skills, knowledge, and experience needed to be successful in this role.
It also lets potential clients know that you have been trained by an accredited training provider like Worth-it. This can be beneficial when promoting or marketing your coaching services to schools, settings or parents.
Certification means you work within an ethical framework, abide by the code of conduct and are accountable to an accredited professional body. It also means that you have access to a range of resources, support networks, and practices developed specifically for youth life coaching.
Once you complete our Accredited Award in Coach Training we recommend that trained coaches work towards becoming accredited as a coach through the association for coaching. This is something that can be done gradually after completing the coach training course.
Ultimately, certification is your responsibility as a youth life coach. It’s important to take the time to research and find the right accredited course for you so that you can start working towards becoming certified. This is something that takes dedication and commitment but it is worth it in the long run as you will become an effective, ethical and credible youth life coach.
The first step is to gain some experience in building relationships and working with young people. Coaching is built on a foundation of positive relationships so it is essential that anyone that wants to coach young people has experience in working with, building rapport and understanding young people.
It isn't necessary to have any formal training but it is more about being the right type of person who can relate to and respects young people. You may already have this through your profession or you can gain experience by volunteering at youth centres, charities that work with young people or community groups.
Your experience and knowledge related to working with young people will be an invaluable asset for any young person you decide to coach. It's important to remember that you already have a range of skills, values, and experiences that will support you in your role as a Certified Life Coach for young people.
The next step is to develop all of the skills required to be an effective life coach for young people this usually requires some accredited or approved in-depth training in how to coach young people.
We offer our accredited coach training course to help you become a certified life coach for young people. Our course is designed to give you the skills, knowledge, and confidence you need to make a positive impact in the lives of young people.
Our coach training is also practical - you'll get the opportunity to practice your coaching skills and gain feedback from experienced coaches in our training sessions. This ensures you have the skills and confidence to hit the ground running when you start working as a certified life coach for young people.
At Worth-it we offer practical, tailored and results-oriented coaching training. We aim to ensure that all of our trainee coaches become effective and ethical youth life coaches after completing their course.
We decided that the Association for Coaching is the best provider of coach training accreditation to suit the type of coaching and coach training we provide at Worth-it. The Association for Coaching is an inclusive globally recognised awarding body that supports many different coaching disciplines and styles.
Our Worth-it Coach Training Course is accredited by the Association For Coaching, Award in Coach Training (AACT). In order for us to gain this certification we went through a rigorous certification process, which involved working towards the Association for Coaching ethical standards for the coaching industry and embedding them into our training programme for coaches.
As our approach to coaching is to provide youth life coaching using theory and practice drawn from positive psychology and evidence-based coaching we felt they were the best fit for us and the coaches we train. We find that other coach training awarding bodies have more of an executive or business coaching focus and don't fit the type of coaching we provide for vulnerable young people.
Once you join our Coach Training course you can become a student member of the Association for Coaching (AC) for free for 12 months.
AC is the world’s largest professional coaching body, and becoming a student member will give you access to additional resources, support networks and CPD events that can help you progress as a youth life coach. Once you have completed our training and have at least 12 months of supervised experience as a youth life coach, you may be eligible to become an accredited full member.
This involves undertaking
Depending on your experience and ongoing professional development you can also work to coach accreditation through other awarding bodies such as the International Coaching Federation (ICF) or the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC).
Coaching young people highly demanding role and it's not for everyone. Youth coaching requires patience, understanding and the ability to be flexible and creative in your approach. You have to be willing to work hard and think on your feet as no two young clients are ever the same.
It's also important that you understand the level of responsibility this role carries - you are working with vulnerable young people and you must be able to handle sensitive information in a responsible way and with the highest degree of integrity. Ongoing coaching supervision is therefore essential to maintain your own level of wellbeing and ongoing professional development.
If you think that Youth Life Coaching is not right for you then please do not feel obligated to pursue our coach training course. Find out more about coaching young people and if it is right for you by accessing our free coaching young people webinar series.
Becoming a certified life coach for young people is one of the most rewarding career paths you can choose. It offers you the chance to make a real difference in the lives of young people, develop your own skills, and pursue a fulfilling career.
Whether you're a teacher, mental health lead, pastoral lead, or youth worker, becoming a certified life coach for young people is a decision you won't regret. It's an investment in yourself, in your future, and in the future of the young people you'll be working with.
So, take the plunge, and become a certified life coach for young people today. You won't regret it!
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