Choosing where to train is not a formality: it affects your real skills, your professional ethics and your future opportunities. Before committing time, energy and money, it's worth asking questions that go beyond the marketing brochure. The goal is to understand how the school teaches, who will accompany you, what standards it supports, how you will actually practice and what doors open afterwards. With clear answers, you will be able to compare options with discernment and detect whether the training promise translates into a transformative and rigorous experience.
What is the approach, the methodology and what concrete results does the program promise?
Not all schools train with the same perspective. Some prioritize executive coaching, others are oriented toward systemic, ontological, educational or life coaching. The balance between theory, practice and reflection also varies, as does the use of evidence-based frameworks. The important thing is that the approach is clear, consistent with your goals and translates into observable skills, not just inspiration.
How to evaluate it
- Ask for the detailed curriculum: modules, competencies to be developed and evaluation criteria.
- Confirm the proportion between supervised practice, observation and theoretical content.
- Ask about the tools and frameworks they study and how they relate to the professional competencies of the field.
- Request examples of activities: role-plays, analysis of real sessions, reflective journals, case studies.
- Explore how they integrate ethics, diversity and working with clients' measurable goals.
Warning signs
- Promises of “quick certification” without practice or structured feedback.
- Vaguely motivational language without progress criteria or rubrics.
- A single rigid model that discourages critical thinking or adaptation to the client.
What answers require clarity
- Defined and observable learning outcomes (for example, “demonstrates advanced active listening in X situations”).
- Active methodology: frequent practice, specific feedback and guided reflection.
- Integration of ethics and professional boundaries from the start of the program.
Who are the trainers and mentors, and what is their real track record?
You will learn as much from what they teach as from how they embody it. Their direct client experience, pedagogical ability and ongoing professional development are of interest. The diversity of voices also matters: different sectors, styles and specialties enrich the training.
What to ask
- Full biographies: practical experience, sectors served, publications and continuing education.
- Current professional credentials and the role of each instructor (facilitation, mentoring, assessment).
- Previous experience training coaches and outcomes of their students.
- Teacher-to-student ratio and availability for individual tutorials.
Warning signs
- Vague curricula, without verifiable data about clients or projects.
- Instructors with little current practice or without experience in competency-based assessment.
- Mentoring delegated to people without appropriate training.
Signs of quality
- Facilitators with recognized credentials and sustained client experience.
- Mentors who offer behavioral feedback, examples and concrete improvement plans.
- Availability to observe real sessions (with consent) and provide rigorous commentary.
What accreditations support the program and what certification will you be able to apply for?
It is useful to distinguish between program accreditation (compliance with an organization's standards) and your individual certification as a professional, which requires demonstrating hours, competencies and assessments. Studying in a program with recognized backing facilitates the path, but does not replace your certification process.
Key aspects
- Reference organizations: learn about the levels, requirements and access routes each one offers.
- Whether the program covers the training hours, mentoring and assessments required to apply for the desired credential.
- What support they provide to prepare for exams, document hours and apply for the credential.
- International recognition and validity to work in different markets or sectors.
Common mistakes
- Confusing a certificate of attendance with a professional credential.
- Believing that program accreditation automatically guarantees your certification.
- Choosing only by the seal without reviewing methodology, practice and real support.
What a good program should include
- Transparency about standards, hours covered and evaluations you will undertake.
- Structured mentoring and observation of sessions aligned with professional competencies.
- Clear guidance for the next step: practice with clients, supervision and applying for the credential.
How is real practice, supervision and competency assessment organized?
Coaching is learned by practicing, receiving specific feedback and reflecting on one's own performance. Look for a structure that exposes you to diverse scenarios, with real clients or high-fidelity simulations, and that measures you with clear criteria. Assessment should go beyond “I liked it/didn't like it” and focus on observable behaviors.
Signs of good practice
- Direct observation of sessions (live or recorded) with timely and actionable feedback.
- Competency-based rubrics: what is expected, performance examples and levels of achievement.
- Individual and group mentoring, with improvement plans and follow-up between modules.
- Opportunities to practice with varied profiles and a focus on ethics and professional boundaries.
Policies and logistics
- Informed consent and confidentiality in practice and recordings.
- Support to find practice coachees and guidelines for managing expectations.
- Clear schedule of submissions, assessments and approval requirements.
How you'll know you're progressing
- Objective indicators (for example, improvement in specific competencies) and learning goals per module.
- Guided reflections, logs and case reviews with accompaniment.
- Documented evaluation results and personalized recommendations.
What support will you have to build your career or business and what happens after you graduate?
Training is the first step; sustaining an ethical and viable practice is the next. Professional support and the community make the difference in the transition: positioning, niche, value propositions, selling without losing ethics, and continuous learning to maintain service quality.
Concrete questions
- Professional development services: marketing workshops, consultative sales and defining your offering.
- Access to opportunities: partnerships, internship/job boards or projects with organizations.
- Network and community: practice groups, ongoing supervision and networking events.
- Continuing education: advanced sessions, continuing education credits and specialization pathways.
- Career mentoring: case reviews, fee setting, contracts and ethical frameworks.
Signs of value
- Alumni cases with diverse and measurable trajectories (without grandiose promises).
- Practical resources: templates, guides, annotated bibliography and access to tools.
- Support beyond the final ceremony: regular spaces to continue growing.
Costs and policies to decide with peace of mind
- Complete breakdown of the investment: enrollment, materials, mentoring, assessments and external fees.
- Modality, schedule and realistic workload to balance with your life.
- Refund policies, cohort change options and support if you need to pause your training.
Asking these questions is not being demanding: it is being responsible with yourself and with the people you will accompany. When a school responds with transparency, offers evidence of its methodology, shows the work of its team and explains how they will evaluate and support you, it shows. Compare options calmly, validate that the approach and standards resonate with your values and objectives, and choose the path that prepares you not only to obtain a diploma, but to sustain a competent, ethical and useful practice in the real world.
