Our verification standard
Every life coach listed here has their coaching credential and insurance checked before their profile goes live. "Life coach" isn't a protected title in the UK, so we show what we've checked and when.
Accepted coaching credentials
Every member holds one of these
For each one, we find the life coach's current entry on the body's public directory and confirm their credential level and that it's in date.
ICF credential holder (ACC, PCC or MCC)
Association for Coaching accredited coach (Coach level or above)
They also need current professional insurance that covers the coaching they offer and the ways they offer it.
What doesn't count on its own
Membership without a credential doesn't qualify, and nor does an expired credential, an ICF entry with no ACC, PCC or MCC shown, or Association for Coaching accreditation at Foundation level. That's why we check the exact credential and its dates.
A training certificate, a logo or a claim of membership isn't enough on its own. We don't accept EMCC accreditation yet, while we confirm how anyone can check it on a public directory. We only add another credential after we've reviewed it properly and agreed it.
What we check before publication
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Identity. We check that the person and their coaching practice match their entry on the body's public directory, including a UK location.
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Credential. We record which body awarded it, the exact credential level, its dates, a link to their entry, the date we checked it and when we'll check it next.
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Insurance. We check that their insurance documents name them or clearly cover them, and cover the services they advertise and the ways they offer them. We record when the insurance expires.
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The profile. We check what their profile says they offer, their fees and session lengths, how clients contact them and who they work with, and that its wording follows the advertising rules: no promised results or incomes, and no claim that coaching treats a health condition.
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The life coach's declaration. They confirm that their details, the work they advertise, their training and their supervision are accurate, and agree to tell us about changes. They also approve their profile before it goes live.
How we keep checks current
- We check credentials again when they're due for renewal if we know that date, at least once a year, and whenever a serious concern is reported.
- We remind life coaches 30, 14 and 3 days before their insurance expires.
- If their credential or insurance expires, the profile is hidden and the badge shows "Not currently active", even while new evidence is waiting for our review.
- If a life coach changes details we've checked, such as their name or the work they advertise, we review their profile again.
- Pauses, payments and returns are covered in the membership terms.
What our checks tell you
Checked by us
A dated credential check shows what we found on the coaching body's public directory on that date. An insurance check shows we reviewed the policy documents the life coach gave us. It isn't a promise from the insurer that a future claim will be paid.
Told to us by the life coach
Qualifications, experience, areas of work, fees and other profile details are as the life coach told us, unless a dated check is shown beside them.
Choosing the right life coach
Our checks confirm credentials and insurance on the dates shown, and we check credentials again at least once a year. Finding the right life coach is a personal choice, so a short conversation before you book is a good idea.
WhatLifecoach is an independent directory, not a professional body or a register. A listing here doesn't give anyone a credential, isn't an endorsement by the ICF, the Association for Coaching or any other body, and isn't an assessment of coaching skill or a promise of results.
Corrections and concerns
Would you like to correct a record or ask us to review a listing decision? You can contact us. We review each concern, and a complaint on its own isn't treated as proven.
Our complaints process covers listings and directory decisions. It doesn't replace the ICF's or the Association for Coaching's own process for complaints about a coach's conduct.
Looking for a life coach?
Compare life coaches near you, with the dates we checked their credential and insurance on every profile.