10 Coaching Careers To Pursue (With Duties And Salary)

Updated 6 March 2023

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Coaching allows you to turn the passion to help into a rewarding career choice. Coaches work in various industries by creating a brand for themselves or working with professional coaching centres that offer guidance and support to their clients in their specialised fields. Learning about the various career opportunities may help you begin your career in this field. In this article, we discuss the top coaching careers to pursue, review their skills and duties and learn the steps to become successful coaches.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.

10 coaching careers to pursue

Here are the top 10 coaching careers you can pursue:

1. Personal trainer

National average salary: ₹17,071 per month

Primary duties: A personal trainer often works at a gym, sports centre or directly with individual clients. They help clients achieve their fitness goals by planning their fitness routine, exercises and even diet charts. A personal trainer monitors the client's progress and provides timely help in an instance of any injuries or pain.

2. Lifestyle coach

National average salary: ₹17,258 per month

Primary duties: A lifestyle coach helps clients identify their health and wellness goals. They encourage clients to work towards their goals and provide them with targets and steps to follow. They support their clients and keep them motivated to focus on the objective.

3. Sports coach

National average salary: ₹18,595 per month

Primary duties: A sports coach may work with both professionals and amateurs to guide, motivate and improve their skills. They typically help a team or an individual win a match. Depending on the sports they train, the average base salary of a sports coach varies. For example, the average base salary of a basketball coach is ₹18,142 per month, while the average base salary of a football coach is ₹18,020 per month.

4. Career coach

National average salary: ₹19,769 per month

Primary duties: Career coaches help individuals with their professional development. They often assess a client's skills and interests to recommend a career path. They also help with resumes, cover letters and the application process. Career coaches usually provide their clients with leads to job openings.

5. Education specialist

National average salary: ₹20,156 per month

Primary duties: An education specialist is typically an expert in drafting curriculum, conducting workshops and implementing the same. They often guide institutions and educators to improve their teaching methodologies to benefit the students. They also evaluate the institution's performance, draft reports and submit them to concerned authorities.

6. Life skills trainer

National average salary: ₹20,277 per month

Primary duties: A life skills trainer often works with individuals to help them develop, improve or change habits that eventually change their lives. A life skills trainer may guide clients with routines to lose weight, create a better work-life balance, grow their organisation or change careers. They also conduct training and behavioural analysis to motivate their clients.

7. Health coach

National average salary: ₹25,109 per month

Primary duties: A health coach usually assists clients in creating long-term behavioural changes that help lead a healthy life. They focus on a particular health condition, such as diabetes or a heart ailment and guide their clients to make choices that improve their physical health. A health coach may work with firms to create wellness programmes for employees or work with individuals upon recommendation from doctors.

8. Executive coach

National average salary: ₹38,664 per month

Primary duties: An executive coach often works with the top management of companies to help them enhance their business skills. They may train the executives to improve their leadership skills, expand business or improve organisational culture. They may also help the executives prepare for public appearances, especially a press conference.

9. Head coach

National average salary: ₹77,318 per month

Primary duties: A head coach works with sports teams and oversees their functions. They often help the team owner or manager to make crucial decisions such as selecting, retaining or dismissing a player. They usually observe the matches and work with the other coaches to make strategic decisions to improve the team's chances of winning the game.

10. Business coach

National average salary: ₹9,74,040 per year

Primary duties: A business coach typically guides business owners to make their companies profitable. They may be veterans, professionals or established entrepreneurs. A business coach often works with the management of startups, educating them about finance, organisational structure and methods to become commercially successful.

What is a coaching career?

A coaching career is a type of job that focuses on helping others strengthen their skills. A coach provides guidance to improve or develop a new professional or personal capability. They may work with several clients, an organisation or provide one-on-one training. Some coaches may work full time, while others may work part-time. Coaches often use their expertise to develop strategic plans for their clients. They may conduct sessions to mentor, train and provide feedback. A coach keeps their client motivated, encourages them and helps overcome any obstacles. They usually work in sports, health, education, lifestyle and business fields.

Skills of a coach

Coaches usually help their clients achieve goals and dreams. Here are some of the skills you require to pursue a successful coaching career:

Empathy

Empathy is an essential skill a coach often develops to help and mentor others. They often use empathy to address their clients' problems and build healthy relationships. Empathetic coaches usually handle difficult situations calmly.

Communication skills

Another essential skill to be a coach is effective communication. Coaches are often required to instruct, encourage, organise and provide feedback using verbal and written communication skills. Communication skills also ensure they manage interactions with businesses and organisations well.

Listening skills

Clients often hire a coach to help solve their problems. To provide guidance, it is essential that the coach listens to the client, understands their concerns, asks questions and provides a solution. A coach listens to client issues, observes their progress and adjusts their training programme to improve results.

Strategic planning

Depending on the client or organisation the coach works with, they develop several programmes and sessions to teach. They identify the goals, understand the timeline and create a training chart. They may also change the training course and its intensity as per their client's requirements.

Problem-solving skills

A coach may work with several clients in their career. Each client may be different, with different goals and obstacles. Coaches typically review these factors when they prepare their coaching schedule. Additionally, a coach also understands their client's issues by assessing real-life situations and changing the training accordingly.

Subject expertise

To provide competent coaching sessions, a coach first builds expertise in the field. A coach gains theoretical and practical experience before growing their career. Additionally, a coach stays updated with the industry trends and advancements.

How to become a coach

Building a career in coaching often requires relevant education, experience, dedication and practice. Here are a few steps you may take to become a coach in your desired field:

1. Complete your education

A bachelor's degree or a diploma in your chosen field provides the foundation to build a coaching career. You may also take courses like psychology, counselling or organisational development. These courses help improve your soft skills and build empathy.

2. Gain a certificate

Gaining a certificate from a reputed coaching organisation enhances your credibility. A certification from the International Coach Federation (ICF) often helps coaches get corporate clients. Some institutes provide ICF-approved courses, and others offer training in specialised areas such as business coaching or health and wellness coaching.

3. Work under a mentor

To start your career as a coach, it is beneficial to first work with a mentor. An established mentor may help you learn the forms of coaching, gain practical experience and help build your network. A mentor may be an individual or a coaching firm.

4. Stay relevant

As a coach, it is essential to improve your knowledge and stay relevant to the industry. You may take additional courses to expand your knowledge and skills. It usually helps enhance training programmes and improve their client's performance.