Would you like to have a great relationship with your child?
And a career where your passion for your work and love for your child coexist in harmony rather than battling against each other for your time and attention?
And what if you could have all that and design your own schedule, determine your own income, and not be tied to a job and someone else’s decisions?
If this sounds ideal, you might very well be the next great parenting coach!
Parent coaching is a fast-growing, deeply fulfilling but little-known career path where you help other parents improve their family relationships and quite literally change lives.
But What If I’m Not The Perfect Parent?
Maybe you’re wondering whether you are really a good fit to become a parenting coach. You might be secretly thinking to yourself, “I’m certainly not a perfect parent. How would I even know where to begin in helping others?”
These kinds of self-doubts are totally natural. Many (if not all) of the coaches here at the Jai Institute for Parenting have had them at some time or another. So deep breath. There is no expectation that you are the mythical ‘perfect parent.’
In fact, let us reassure you a little more about this because the truth might surprise you. While it might seem contradictory at first, your own struggles as a parent are actually your biggest strengths as a parenting coach.
Struggles are our teachers in life. When we struggle, we seek an effective solution and come up with our own ideas about how to solve a problem. When we struggle, we learn and transform. Struggling also creates compassion and humility, two foundational strengths in any effective and successful parenting coach.
In other words, you will become a successful parenting coach because of (not despite!) the challenges you have had in your own parenting life.
Your hesitation also indicates conscientiousness and a self-awareness that is a key part of working through your own parenting challenges and helping others work through theirs, as a parenting coach.
The decision to become a parenting coach does not require you to be exactly where you’d like to be in your own parenting journey. The only requirement is your willingness to embark on your own growth journey, which is exactly what you do in phase one of our parent coach certification program.
Is Being A Parenting Coach Right For You?
Our guess is if you’re reading this article, there’s a fair chance that you are either tired of, or frustrated with, your current situation. Maybe you are bored. Maybe you feel under-valued. Or maybe you feel, like millions of others, that your work drains you more than it nourishes you.
If any of this describes you, it might be time for a change.
But how do you know that becoming a parenting coach is really the right path for you?
What we have seen is that good parenting coaches come from all walks of life – therapists, executives, parents, and grandparents – but they all share these 5 ingredients essential to becoming a parenting coach:
1. Passion. Do you have passion for parenting?
2. Curiosity. Are you constantly curious about your child and how to best work with them?
3. Compassion. Do you genuinely like people and love encouraging others?
4. Good listening abilities. Are you a good listener? Are you happy to hear about other people’s challenges and feel comfortable giving them space to express their worries?
5. Self-motivation. Do you love to grab a goal and go for it? Are you keen to have a career that nourishes you from the inside out, improves your parenting and gives you a purpose in life?
If you answered yes to most or all of these questions, you are an excellent candidate to become a parenting coach.
Can I Make A Good Living As A Parenting Coach?
Becoming a parenting coach is also financially rewarding. For starters, finding clients is incredibly easy. You’ll find them at schools, community centers, camps, daycare, preschool, the playground and the supermarket. Everywhere you go there are parents struggling. And they are eager—and in some cases desperate—for help.
Whether you’re looking to earn some income on the side, have a full time practice or build a parenting business, you CAN do it as a parenting coach. Here at the Jai Institute, we show our coaches how they can earn $1500 – $3500 for each new client (normally working with that client once a week for 10 weeks). We also teach our coaches how to hold group classes that can earn $200-$1000 per student in classes ranging from 10-30 students and beyond.
What If I Want To Know More?
If you’re passionate about kids, consider a career as a parenting coach! You’ll discover how to be the parent you want to be, and help others do the same.
Jai's coach training period will allow you to become familiar with a wide variety of parenting topics including attachment theory, the science of brain development, transformational parenting techniques to apply in situations of distress or conflict, ways to create deeper connection to children through fun and play, and many more important areas of learning.
The Jai Institute for Parenting offers a six-month parent coach certification program that includes a client practicum and business training prior to graduation for when you are ready to launch your new parent coaching business.
The online parent coach course is delivered via a virtual learning platform including videos, reading assignments, as well as workbooks and exercises. New small group classes begin three to four times every month.
When you
apply to speak to our admissions team, you’ll take a big step toward getting all of your questions answered, looking at your unique goals and desires, and how our
program will work for your life.
Why is Parenting Coaching So Important?
The current system of parenting by punishment, of raising kids through conflict and competition, is broken. There is a severe disconnect between children and the adult world. All you have to do is look at a few facts to see that we are in the midst of a crisis.
Did you know?
- 9.4% of children aged 2-17 years (approximately 6.1 million) have received an ADHD diagnosis.
- 7.4% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.5 million) have a diagnosed behavior problem. (Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 2018)
- 7.1% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.4 million) have diagnosed anxiety.
- 3.2% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 1.9 million) have diagnosed depression.
- 11% of adolescents in the U.S. have a depressive disorder
by age 18.
(National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement NCS-A)
Visser SN, Danielson ML, Bitsko RH, Perou R, Blumberg SJ. Convergent validity of parent-reported attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder diagnosis: A cross-study comparison. JAMA Pediatrics. 2013; 167(7):674-675.
These are devastating statistics. They clearly show that all is not right with our kids. They aren’t being nourished emotionally—the old way of parenting is not serving them in the modern world. And it’s holding them back from realizing their true potential.
The best way to set up a healthy, emotionally nurturing future for our children, and the world, is to improve our relationships with them—to improve our parenting. And to help others improve their parenting.
As a parenting coach, you will leave a legacy.
You will be a part of changing the way we approach raising children altogether.
You will live your life in service —working to create a more peaceful and more powerful planet.
As someone who wants to fully connect with your own children and with other parents, you’ll also make a connection with a bigger vision, a purpose. You’ll raise children who are confident, caring, and connected while helping other parents along the way.
You can become the change that you wish to see in the world.
Every Little Bit Helps
As a parent, every day is filled with ups and downs.
You do some things that leave you with a sense of fulfillment, connection and pride, while others leave you feeling unsure, questioning your choices and sometimes feeling downright ashamed.
Every parent understands these feelings. None of this should make you question your desire to become a parenting coach. A big part of this path is taking a loving look at your own parenting practices, then making shifts and applying the tools you learn, to reinforce and improve your relationship with your own children first!
Having done the work yourself, you will be in a perfect position to guide and walk alongside others as they do the same.
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