Become a Member

IRNCH COACH CERTIFICATION STANDARDS

Below are the certifications standards recognised by the IRNCH to become a Certified member.

Introduction

The below standards are a starting point for us to check whether your training certificate meets our requirement for IRNCH registration and certification. Once we have notified you that your certification meets our requirements, if you wish you can then become an IRNCH accredited member which further enhances your credibility as a Professional and is a recognised trust mark for the public and businesses searching for a professional. To understand the requirements to become IRNCH registered, certified and accredited just click here.

Certified Coach

All the below criteria are open to interpretation and will be assessed on an individual application basis. The emphasis for certification and accreditation is reliant on being a competent and effective Coach rather than the course content alone. The Coach level is a foundation for further and more advanced Coach Training.

We also recognise that Coach training courses are taught in different contexts and for different purposes, such as, a personal development transformation for individuals or as an additional toolkit for coaches and businesspeople. We can contextualise our membership criteria to any field of application, and each will be considered on its own merits.

This certification must have a live training and evaluation element which is conducted by a IRNCH recognised Coach Trainer, Master Coach (under supervision of a recognised Coach Trainer) or IRNCH recognised Coach Master Trainer and a minimum total programme learning time of 100 hrs. This can be obtained utilising a blended learning (link to Membership FAQ page ‘What is blended learning?’) approach and must have elements of live face to face training whether in person or via virtual learning. (link to Membership FAQ page ‘What is virtual learning?’)

The Practitioner must also demonstrate proficiency in the fundamental skills, techniques, patterns, concepts, and principles of Coaching, and effectively applying them both independently and in interactions with others; observed by either a Certified Coach Trainer or a Certified Coach or Master Coach under the guidance of a Certified Coach Trainer.

There must be a formal knowledge check of the Coach training content either by open or closed book test that assesses knowledge of theory, ethics and practical application.

There must be observed practical assessment of the candidate performing Coaching sessions that measure rapport building, coaching techniques, adaptability and session structure.

Certified Coach content:

  1. Foundation of Coaching: Understand core coaching principles, including its history, uses, and evidence-based benefits.
  2. Setting expectations: Utilisation of setting frames for the communication process and reframing to access resources
  3. Empathy and Rapport Building: Skills in creating a safe and trusting coaching environment.
  4. Active Listening: Ability to listen attentively without interruption, reflect understanding, and ask clarifying questions.
  5. Effective Questioning: Skill in asking questions that stimulate client self-reflection and awareness. Being able to use questioning models that gather relevant information in relation to the client’s problem.
  6. Goal Setting: Techniques to help clients set realistic, achievable, and measurable goals.
  7. Working with Clients: Cover the full client journey from the initial consultation, assessment, creating a safe environment, personalised coaching plans, and session structuring to post-session guidance and follow-ups.
  8. Feedback and Accountability: Ability to give constructive feedback and hold clients accountable to their commitments.
  9. Awareness of Boundaries: Knowledge of ethical limitations and when to refer clients to other professionals (e.g., therapists, counsellors).
  10. Personal Reflection and Development: Continuous improvement in their own skills and practices.
  11. Professional Conduct: Understand the benefits of professional membership of a recognised Coaching organisation and of holding liability insurance to protect themselves and their clients.
  12. Legal Compliance: Show understanding of compliance with relevant laws connected to their Coaching practice e.g. advertising and marketing standards, data protection, data storage.
  13. Ethics and Professional Standards: Show understanding of ethics, confidentiality, client consent, and professional conduct.

*This content is for guidance only and may vary. The course content must ensure that graduates from the Coach training program are equipped with essential skills, adhere to high ethical standards, and are ready to practice responsibly and effectively.

Certified Master Coach

All the below criteria are open to interpretation and will be assessed on an individual application basis. The emphasis for certification and accreditation is reliant on being a competent and effective Master Coach rather than the course content alone. The Master Coach is an advanced Coach Training and therefore should contain several elements which increase critical thinking, flexibility of behaviour and the understanding of the more complex concepts behind Coaching

We also recognise that Master Coach courses are taught in different contexts and for different purposes, such as, a personal development transformation for individuals or as an additional toolkit for coaches and businesspeople. We can contextualise our membership criteria to any field of application, and each will be considered on its own merits.

This certification must have a live training and evaluation element which is conducted by a IRNCH recognised Certified Coach Trainer, Certified Master Coach (under supervision of a recognised Certified Coach Trainer) or IRNCH recognised Certified Coach Master Trainer and a minimum total programme learning time of 100 hrs. This can be obtained utilising a blended learning (link to Membership FAQ page ‘What is blended learning?’) approach and must have elements of live face to face training whether in person or via virtual learning. (link to Membership FAQ page ‘What is virtual learning?’)

The Master Coach must also demonstrate proficiency in the fundamental skills, techniques, patterns, concepts, and principles of Coach and Master Coach, effectively applying them both independently and in interactions with others; observed by either a Certified Coach Trainer or a Certified Master Coach under the guidance of a Certified Coach Trainer.

There must be a formal knowledge check of the Master Coach content either by open or closed book test.

There must be observed practical assessment of the candidate performing Coaching sessions that measure rapport building, coaching techniques, adaptability and session structure.

Certified Master Coach content:

  1. Coaching competence: Demonstrate competence in all Coach level skills and knowledge.
  2. Advanced Coaching Techniques: Cover advanced coaching methods such as transformational coaching, root cause questioning, value alignment, and leveraging clients’ belief systems for breakthrough results.
  3. Specialised Coaching Approaches: Include techniques for working with clients on complex issues, such as emotional intelligence, resilience building, and handling emotions and limiting beliefs.
  4. Psychological Principles and Human Behaviour: Provide insights into psychological theories related to motivation, behavioural change, and cognitive restructuring to give coaches a deeper understanding of client behaviours.
  5. Ethics and Professional Standards: Emphasise a strong ethical foundation, focusing on managing boundaries, confidentiality, and professional conduct, especially with complex cases.
  6. Coaching for Transformation and Self-Leadership: Understand how to empower clients in creating deep and lasting change, including leadership development, purpose alignment, and fostering self-awareness.
  7. Integration of Related Modalities: Understand how to integrate other tools and techniques, like NLP, emotional intelligence assessments, and mindfulness practices, into coaching.
  8. Client-Centred Strategies: Demonstrate how to tailor coaching sessions to individual needs, focusing on empathic listening, rapport building, and adaptability to different client situations.
  9. Ethical considerations: Understand the ethical complexities of working with clients who may have serious, complex issues, emphasising the boundaries of practice and when to refer to other professionals.
  10. Self-Reflection: Utilise methods of self-reflection, personal growth and continuous improvement, with a focus on understanding personal biases and maintaining professionalism.

*This content is for guidance only and may vary. The course content must ensure that graduates from the Master Coach training program are equipped with essential skills, adhere to high ethical standards, and are ready to practice responsibly and effectively.

Coach Trainer

All the below criteria are open to interpretation and will be assessed on an individual application basis. The emphasis for certification and accreditation is reliant on being a competent and effective Coach Trainer rather than the course content alone.

The Coach Trainers Training is an advanced Coaching Training, and the candidate must show a comprehensive knowledge of both Coach and Master Coach levels combined with critical thinking, problem solving, flexibility of behaviour and the understanding of the more complex concepts behind Coaching.

We also recognise that Coach Trainers Training courses are taught in different contexts and for different purposes, such as, a personal development transformation for individuals or as an additional toolkit for coaches and businesspeople. We can contextualise our membership criteria to any field of application, and each will be considered on its own merits.

This certification must have a live training and evaluation element which is conducted by a IRNCH recognised Certified Coach Master Trainer, Certified Coach Trainer (under supervision of a recognised Certified Coach Master Trainer) and a minimum total programme learning time of 100 hrs. This can be obtained utilising a blended learning (link to Membership FAQ page ‘What is blended learning?’) approach and must have elements of live face to face training whether in person or via virtual learning. (link to Membership FAQ page ‘What is virtual learning?’)

The Coach Trainer must demonstrate proficiency in the fundamental skills, techniques, patterns, concepts, and principles of the Coach and Master Coach levels, effectively applying them both independently and in interactions with others both overtly and covertly; observed by either a Certified Coach Master Trainer or a Certified Coach Trainer under the guidance of a Certified Coach Master Trainer.

There must be a formal knowledge check of both of the Coach and Master Coach content by closed book test.

Coach Trainer content:

  1. Demonstrate mastery of advanced coaching tools and frameworks, and integrative approaches (e.g., coaching combined with NLP, CBT, or mindfulness).
  2. Demonstrate the ability to teach utilising their own behaviour and debrief what has been experienced to create an enhanced learning experience for the student.
  3. Create an inclusive, safe learning environment that caters for all leaners needs, respecting all models of the world while managing the environment in an ecological way.
  4. Demonstrate the ability to design a Coaching curriculum, develop training sessions and structure training for different learning styles and paces.
  5. Understand how to maintain high ethical standards as a trainer, specifically being able to manage boundaries, confidentiality and safeguarding in training environments.
  6. Design effective training sessions that cater for all learning styles utilising a variety of delivery methods such as presentation, facilitation, metaphor, group exercises, knowledge checks.
  7. Carry out demonstration of Coaching techniques.
  8. Demonstrate how to assess students’ practical skills, knowledge and progress effectively, with a focus on creating fair and transparent evaluation criteria.
  9. Utilise different feedback sources for student evaluation and re-evaluation.
  10. Facilitate student’s self-discovery by utilisation of questions, demonstration, or direct feedback.
  11. Understand how to set up and market their training programs. manage business administration and logistics and build a credible reputation as a trainer.

*This content is for guidance only and may vary. The course content must ensure that graduates from the Coach Trainers training program are equipped with essential skills, adhere to high ethical standards, and are ready to practice responsibly and effectively.

Certified Coach Master Trainer

The Master Trainer qualification is the highest recognised qualification within NLP, Hypnotherapy and Coaching.

One of the obligations of a Master Trainer is to train the next generation of Trainers so they not only need to be excellent trainers, they need to also have an extensive knowledge of their subject and be seen as true experts.

There are training companies that just use the Master Trainer qualification as a business model to gain students at their own trainings which we believe is unethical and poor practice.

There are also many examples of Trainers being awarded the Coach Master Trainer qualification who have conducted very few or no formal Coach Trainings.
There are also examples of Trainers being awarded Coach Master Trainer certification after attending a short training course. These examples are not acceptable to the IRNCH as they go against the principle that a Master Trainer should be a true master of the art and science of Coaching. This is also true in the fields of NLP and Hypnotherapy.

Master Trainers need to evidence that they are the very best Trainers in the industry, be exemplary role models and show their contribution to furthering the field they operate within.

The IRNCH have created two levels of Coach Master Trainer: Certified Coach Master Trainer, and Accredited Coach Master Trainer.

A Certified Coach Master Trainer will have undertaken a course or program of development and been issued a certificate by an IRNCH recognised Certified Coach Master Trainer that they have met their criteria to be awarded the qualification. The IRNCH reserves the right to ask for further evidence if the certification does not meet our exacting requirements.

We see the Coach Master Trainer certification is just the start of the Master Trainer journey and that the next step should be becoming an Accredited Coach Master Trainer which calls for external evaluation by the IRNCH. We do not believe that achieving this highest level of qualification should be tied to things like the number of courses the Coach Master Trainer has run or length of time they have been a Coach Trainer but should be about the assessment of quality rather than quantity.

Those wishing to apply for IRNCH Accredited Coach Master Trainer status, in their chosen field, will first need to be certified as an IRNCH Coach Master Trainer and then contact the IRNCH to arrange a discussion regarding the accreditation process. Every individual application will be assessed on its own merits.