What Type of Life Coach Should I Be

How it works

Thinking of coaching and not sure which clients to take? Press the button for a niche, from career coach to financial coach and ADHD coach, each with the client it serves and the goal they usually bring.

Read the full guide

A credential is voluntary

The International Coaching Federation, founded in 1995, gives three credentials: Associate, Professional and Master Certified Coach. Coaches do not have to belong to such a body. Co-coaching, where two peers take turns coaching each other, is one way to practise before you take clients.

A financial coach works on habits such as saving and spending. A financial adviser is a different job, one that provides financial products and services.

Questions and answers

What type of life coach should I be?

Start with the person you want across the table: a student, a manager, a couple, someone changing career or paying off debt. Then choose the niche that serves that person.

What are the different types of life coaches?

This list holds 14: life, relationship and dating coaches; career, executive and team coaches; financial, health, wellness, ADHD and recovery coaches; and homework, education and writing coaches.

Do you need a license to be a life coach?

No. Wikipedia’s coaching article reports no state regulation or licensing requirement for coaches, so people without formal training can legally call themselves life coaches.

What is the difference between a life coach and a career coach?

Career coaching focuses on work and career and is similar to career counseling. Life coaching concentrates on personal development, with issues such as procrastination, lack of confidence and work-life balance, and often happens outside the workplace.

All 14 niches

Everyday life and relationships 3

Dating coach Works with clients on meeting people and dating, through discussion and role-play.
General life coach Helps a client set personal goals and build the skills and attitudes to reach them.
Relationship coach Applies coaching to a client’s personal or business relationships.

Work and career 3

Career coach Works with a client on work and career. The job sits close to career counseling.
Executive coach Works with executives, managers and leaders on goals at work. Also called a business or leadership coach.
Team coach Coaches a whole team as one unit, on its shared purpose and how its members work together.

Money, health and habits 5

ADHD coach Helps people with ADHD manage time, get organized, set goals and finish projects.
Financial coach Also called a money coach: helps a client cut debt and spending and build a saving habit.
Health coach Supports people who manage a long-term condition, or are at risk of one, in changing health habits.
Recovery coach Gives strengths-based support to people in recovery from addiction. Does not diagnose or treat.
Wellness coach Guides otherwise healthy people who want to keep up or improve their general health.

School, study and writing 3

Education coach Coaches students, teachers and administrators, for example through a move into a new role.
Homework coach Teaches a student study skills, organization and time management for success at school.
Writing coach Helps writers, such as students and journalists, improve their writing and productivity.