Congratulations on completing your ICF accredited coach training. Now you are a certified coaching professional, eligible to start your coaching practice and conduct sessions with clients. However, a couple of years down the line, what should be next on your agenda? Not quite sure about your plans as a coach yet? Well, we can help. As a coaching professional, it makes sense to follow up your ICF coaching certification with a credential.
Is it mandatory? No, it is not. Is it beneficial? Of course, it is. Keep reading. We have more to tell you about the process.
ICF Credential – Overview
International Coaching Federation (ICF) is a global organization for coaches. It offers accreditations to training courses by assessing their adherence to the coaching core competencies and ethical standards. Along with that, they provide credentials to professionals. The credential offered is based on the evaluation of the applicant’s competency as a coach, total coaching hours, and other factors.
How to Apply for ICF Credential
There are three things that you need to focus on when applying for credentials to ICF:
- ICF credential pathways
- ICF credential pathway requirements; and
- Total coaching hours.
ICF Credential Pathways
ICF has three standard paths for certificate and credential:
- ACC (Associated Certified Coach)
- PCC (Professional Certified Coach)
- MCC (Master Certified Coach)
The ACC and PCC paths are further segregated into three pathways:
- ACTP (Accredited Coach Training Program)
- ACSTH (Approved Coach Specific Training Hours)
- Portfolio
ICF Credential Requirement
| ICF Path | Coach Specific Training Hours | Mentor Coaching | Coaching Experience | Performance Evaluation |
| ACC | 60 hours (min) via ACTP or ACSTH Program. | 10 hours (under a credentialed coach of PCC/MCC level). | 100 hours (min) out of which 70 paid hours with a minimum of 8 clients. | Upload the audio recording along with a written transcript of one coaching session. |
| PCC | 125 hours (min) via ACTP or ACSTH Program. | 10 hours (under a credentialed coach of PCC/MCC level). | 500 hours (min) out of which 440 paid hours with a minimum of 25 clients. | Upload the audio recordings along with written transcripts of two coaching sessions. |
| MCC | 200 hours. | 10 hours (under a credentialed coach of MCC level). | 2500 hours (min) out of which 2200 paid hours with a minimum of 35 clients. | Upload the audio recordings along with written transcripts of two coaching sessions. |
For the MCC level, the coach needs to have a PCC credential. In each case, the credentials are provided after the applicant has passed the Coach Knowledge Assessment of CKA.
Once a coach applies, the ICF evaluates and reviews it for:
- 14 weeks (ACC and PCC)
- 18 weeks (MCC)
If due to any reason, the application gets rejected, you can apply again after fulfilling all the necessary criteria.
To ensure the smooth processing of your credential after ICF coaching certification, you must get trained by a reputed and accredited institute. Team Transformation is a top coach training organization with a global reputation of offering diverse coaching certifications and specializations. Visit the website to know more or request an initial consultation.
