6 Best Team Coaching Certification Programs

Last updated on August 1, 2024

Team coaching is emerging as a trend, as many businesses are realizing that a productive and well-organized team is the foundation of any company’s success. This is why organizations are seeking skilled coaches to foster collaborative and efficient teams at all levels. 

If you’re looking to become a certified team coach, here are some of the best team coaching certification programs that can equip you with the skills and credentials needed to build trust in companies and achieve results.

• Team Coaching Global Alliance –  Best for Tiered Learning
• Coach Transformation Academy – Best for Team Transformational Coaching Program
• Team Coaching International – Best for Team Performance Coach
• Erikson Coaching International – Best for High-Performance Team Coaching
• AoEC – Best for Systemic Team Coaching Method
• Transformation Academy – Best Budget Option

What Is a Team Coach?

A team coach is a life coach who guides and supports a group of individuals, usually within a workplace or organizational setting, to improve their collaboration, communication, and overall performance as a team. The role of a team coach involves facilitating productive interactions, identifying and addressing challenges, and fostering a positive team culture. 

Team coaches use various coaching techniques and strategies to achieve set goals, improve the team’s dynamics, and optimize their collective potential. Some of the tools that coaches utilize are:

• Active listening
• Conflict resolution
• Strengths-based coaching
• Team dynamics observation
• Feedback and reflection
• Visualization

How To Become a Team Coach

The coaching industry isn’t regulated, so the path toward a career in the team coach profession isn’t structured. While you can offer your team coaching service without prior education or training, most coaches opt for a team coaching certification to set the foundation for their careers. 

As the coaching industry grows, certification is becoming a standard as it offers skills, credibility, and a supportive community for coaches. Coaching certification equips coaches with effective and proven tools and methods to support clients’ progress. It also establishes credibility in a competitive market and enhances your professional reputation. 

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Team Coaching Certification

The variety of available team coaching certifications might awaken some doubts and cause confusion. If you want to narrow down your choices from the start, here are some factors that can help.

Program Cost

On average, team coach certifications ask for an investment of a couple of thousand dollars. These programs are comprehensive and often include mentorship which explains the higher cost. If you seek more affordable solutions, you can opt for reputable and budget-friendly academies with a variety of niche training like Transformation Academy.

Course Length

How much time can you commit to training? Your flexibility and availability will significantly influence which is the most suitable certification program for you. Some programs are short and wrap up in a few days, while others extend over a year. If you prefer to avoid the pressure of scheduled lessons, consider self-paced courses.

Accreditation

Since accreditation is a matter of personal preference, it will help if you decide from the start whether or not you’ll prioritize accredited programs. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is the most recognized accrediting body, and they provide an ICF team coaching certification credential. This is not a training program but a credentialing path that demands that you obtain ACC, PCC, or MCC level certification, have completed at least five team coaching engagements within the last five years, have at least five hours of coaching supervision, pass an exam, and complete over 60 hours of team coaching education (ICF-accredited or non-accredited). So, if you seek this accreditation, you need to be aware of how many training hours the program you’re interested in provides. 

Best Team Coach Certification Programs 

Tiered Learning Option: Team Coaching Global Alliance

Team Coaching Global Alliance’s program was created by coaches who were recognized by the ICF as experts in team coaching. The courses are online and can secure you the training necessary for ICF team coaching certification or can offer you strong theoretical and practical knowledge if you’re an aspiring team coach.

They provide three options, and you can choose to complete all of them or only specific ones:

• Foundational Certificate
• Advanced Certificate 
• Coaching Supervision

If you decide to go through all three pathways, you’ll have enough training hours for an ICF credential.

• Course Length: 15 weeks – Foundational Certificate; 6 weeks – Advanced Certificate; 1 day – Coaching Supervision (around 5 months in total)
• Program Cost: $2,595 – Foundational Certificate; $1,295 – Advanced Certificate; $520 – 5 hours of Coaching Supervision ($4,410 in total)
• Accreditation: ICF
• Mode of Delivery: Online

Transformation Option: Coach Transformation Academy

Coach Transformation Academy is dedicated to “transforming professionals into transformational coaches,” and they have a specialized program for team transformation. Their Certified Team Transformation Coach programs provide leaders and professionals with the necessary tools and skills to initiate organizational-level change through coaching.

The available courses are:

• Team Transformation Foundational Skills 
• Team Transformation Professional Coach
• Team Transformation Master Coach

The courses are intensive and fast-paced, which can be beneficial for those looking to speed up their training. Upon completing all three levels, undergoing mentorship and supervision, and passing the exam, you can apply for their Team Transformation Coach Certification. 

• Course Length: 2 days – Team Transformation Foundational Skills; 6 days – Team Transformation Professional Coach; 10 days – Team Transformation Master Coach (18 days in total)
• Program Cost: $1,999 – Team Transformation Foundational Skills; $4,599 – Team Transformation Professional Coach; $2,999 – Team Transformation Master Coach ($9,597 in total)
• Accreditation: ICF
• Mode of Delivery: Online

Team Performance Coach Option: Team Coaching International

Team Coaching International was the first to offer team coaching certification with their signature Certified Team Performance Coach™ (CTPC) program. The program encompasses three courses or steps, as they call them, which can be completed individually, but each course is the prerequisite for the following one.

Here is the list of courses:

1. Step 1: Understand and Access The Tools (the foundational course)
2. Step 2: Accelerated Learning
3. Step 3: The Master Class

In the second step, you’ll dive deeper into TCI methodology and its Team Diagnostic™ model through a combination of self-study and group calls. Their distinctive methods of team performance coaching can give you a competitive edge.

• Course Length: Self-paced (5-12 hours) – Step 1; 8 weeks – Step 2; 6 days – Step 3 (around 3 months)
• Program Cost: $3,090 – Step 1 + Step 2 ; $3,590 – Step 3; or $5,495 – all three courses
• Accreditation: None
• Mode of Delivery: Online

High-Performance Team Coaching Option: Erickson Coaching International

Do you want to niche in high-performance coaching for teams? Then check out Erickson Coaching International. To earn the Erickson Certified Team Coach Certification, you need to finish two Erickson courses—High-Performance Team Coaching and Advanced Team Coaching—as well as 5 hours of group team coaching supervision.

This pathway is the road to Advanced Certification in Team Coaching (ACTC) Certification with the ICF, so once you finish your training through these three options, you’ll not only be specialized in high-performance coaching, but you’ll also be able to apply for ICF credentials. 

• Course Length: Around 3 weeks – High-Performance Team Coaching; 1 day – Advanced Team Coaching 
• Program Cost: $1,650 – High-Performance Team Coaching; upon request – Advanced Team Coaching
• Accreditation: ICF
• Mode of Delivery: Online

Systemic Team Coaching Method Option: AoEC

The Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC) provides the Systemic Team Coaching ® Certificate program which will introduce you to their unique method. This 3-day experiential program is a component of their year-long Systemic Team Coaching® Diploma program, but you can also opt for it as a standalone certification path.

Systemic team coaching inspires strong transformations for individuals, teams, and organizations. Through AoEC’s course, you’ll learn how to coach teams to understand their inner workings and outside connections to help them enhance productivity and reach their full potential. 

• Course Length: 3 days
• Program Cost: £1,950
• Accreditation: ICF
• Mode of Delivery: Online

Budget Option: Transformation Academy

If you’re not ready to invest thousands of dollars into a certification program, make sure to check out Transformation Academy. They don’t have a team coaching course, but they offer a wide array of niche certifications that you can leverage in team coaching.

For example, their Employee Performance Life Coach Certification can be an excellent choice for team coaches. It covers developing healthy work relationships, measuring performance, monitoring progress, tools for handling difficult conversations, and increasing employee satisfaction, among other things. 

TA is accredited by the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Standards Agency, so if you want ICF accreditation as well, you can check out Coach Training Alliance and its comprehensive life coach program. Our review of CTA is available here. 

• Course Length: Self-paced
• Program Cost: $197
• Accreditation: CPD
• Mode of Delivery: Online

Special Offer: Get 50% off all certification programs at Transformation Academy by clicking our link or entering code LIFECOACHMAG at checkout.

FAQs

• How much does a team coach make?

According to Glassdoor, the average yearly team coach’s salary is $57,879.

• Do you need a certification to be a team coach?

Certification isn’t a requirement for coaches, so regardless of your niche, you don’t need a certification. However, a team coach certification can help you earn credibility and a reputation in this industry.

• How much does a team coach certification cost?

The cost generally ranges from $5,000 to $10,000.

• Does accreditation matter in a team coach certification program?

Accrediting institutions like ICF are globally recognized, thus accreditation contributes to your certification’s recognition. 

• What is the most recognized coaching certification? 

We can’t name the most recognized certification as there are so many different options. If you’re looking for training programs that people will know by name, opt for accredited certifications from well-known institutions like ICF or CPD. 

Conclusion

Team coaching has already proven to be a successful strategy within companies, so if you want to build a career in this thriving field, consider these certification programs as your launching pad. In addition to access to proven tools and boosting your credibility, a certification program can connect you to fellow coaches and professionals in this field who can give you valuable advice for building a team coaching business. Even if you’re not ready to splurge on pricey programs, you can enhance your recognition with less expensive certifications like Transformation Academy and Coach Training Alliance.

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