There is a version of this story you have probably heard before.
Someone wants to become a coach. They research qualifications. They find programmes that cost £2,000, £5,000, sometimes more. They decide they need to save up first. They put it on the list of things they will do when the time is right, when the money is there, when life settles down enough to make it feel possible.
The time never quite comes.
This post is for the woman who has been on that list for too long. Because what most people searching for coaching qualifications do not know is that there is a fully funded, CPD-accredited, internationally recognised route — and it takes five evenings.
Here is exactly how it works.
What "Certified Coach" Actually Means
Before we get into the how, let us get clear on the what.
Not all coaching certifications are equal. The market is full of weekend courses, online programmes, and self-issued "certificates of completion" that carry no real professional weight. If you want a qualification that means something — to clients, to employers, to professional bodies — you need one that is accredited by a recognised body.
The Level One Coaching certification offered through She's In Business is CPD-accredited — which means it meets the standards of the Continuing Professional Development framework used across the UK and internationally. It is awarded by a UK Government-recognised learning provider (UKPRN 10097744, verifiable at ukrlp.co.uk). It is not a certificate of attendance. It is a qualification you earn by completing two assessments.
That matters. Because a piece of paper that says you watched some videos is not the same as a qualification that says you demonstrated coaching skills, completed a practical assessment, and were evaluated by a trainer with Accredited Fellow Coach and Fellow Mentor status.
The 5-Day Intensive: What Actually Happens
The Level One Coaching Intensive runs across five consecutive evenings, Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 8:00pm UK.
One hour per evening. Five hours total.
Here is what is covered across those five sessions.
Day 1 — Foundations
What coaching actually is, and what it is not. The difference between coaching, mentoring, therapy, and advice-giving. The ethics of coaching practice. Why these distinctions matter enormously when you are working with real people in real situations.
Day 2 — Core Skills
The three skills that sit underneath every effective coaching conversation: active listening, powerful questioning, and clean reflection. Most people think they listen. Almost none of us do — not at the level coaching requires. This session changes that.
Day 3 — The Coaching Conversation
Structure, flow, and practice. How a coaching conversation actually moves from opening to close. How to hold space without filling it. How to let silence work. Practical exercises in pairs, observed and supported throughout.
Day 4 — NLP Foundations
Ethical NLP basics — the language patterns, reframing techniques, and belief-work tools that underpin much of what makes coaching transformational. Taught with rigour and without the pseudoscience that gives NLP a bad name in some circles.
Day 5 — Your Coaching Practice
If you choose to charge for your skills: niche clarity, your first offer, how to find your first five clients, how to price ethically. If you are not planning to coach professionally — how to take these skills into your existing life, relationships, and career. Both paths are equally valid.
The Assessments: What You Need to Know
To receive the CPD-accredited Level One certification, you complete two assessments within the five-day cohort.
A practical assessment. An observed coaching skills demonstration. You coach, your trainer watches, you receive feedback. It is designed to be achievable for a complete beginner. You are not expected to be polished. You are expected to demonstrate that you have understood the foundations.
A written assessment. A structured written response covering the key concepts from the programme. Not an essay. Not an exam under timed conditions. A thoughtful, structured piece completed within the cohort timeframe.
Both assessments are completed during the five days. You do not go away and come back six weeks later. You leave the cohort certified.
You do not go away and come back six weeks later. You leave the cohort certified.
Who This Is For
The question I am asked most often about the Level One Intensive is some version of: is this really for someone like me?
So let me be specific.
It is for you if you have never coached anyone professionally. The programme is designed for beginners. You do not need prior experience, a background in psychology, or any existing qualifications. You need curiosity, commitment, and five evenings.
It is for you if you are already in a caring, supporting, or teaching role. Nurses, teachers, HR professionals, social workers, managers, and mothers have all completed this programme. The skills make you better at what you already do.
It is for you if you want to eventually build a coaching business. The Level One is the entry point on the She's In Business coaching pathway. Many women complete it and go on to our Level 4 Coaching qualification — the professional-grade, internationally accredited programme for women who want to coach as a career. But that is a later decision. Level One is the beginning.
It is for you if you just want the skills for yourself. To regulate your own thinking. To support your children better. To hold space for friends going through difficult things. To understand your own mind more clearly. The certificate is the outcome. The skills are the point.
Why Is It Fully Funded?
This is the question most people ask second, after they have got over the surprise that it is free.
She's In Business is a registered UK Community Interest Company — a not-for-profit. We reinvest surpluses from our paid qualifications into funded places at Level One, because we believe every woman should have access to foundational coaching skills regardless of her financial situation.
This is not a marketing strategy. It is a mission position.
This is not a marketing strategy. It is a mission position.
The funding covers the full programme — five live sessions, the workbook, both assessments, and your digital certificate. No payment details are required to reserve a place.
The only thing that funded places do not cover is one-to-one support, replay access, and a printed certificate. Those are available through the VIP route at £59, for women who cannot attend every live session or want additional support through their assessments.
But the qualification itself? Free.
What Comes After
The Level One is a beginning, not an end.
For women who decide they want to build a coaching business, or pursue coaching as a professional credential, the natural progression is the Level 4 Coaching qualification — a full, internationally accredited coaching certification delivered through She's In Business, assessed to the standards of the International Authority for Professional Coaching and Mentoring.
Level 4 is where the serious professional pathway begins. Level One is where you find out whether coaching is for you — and most women who complete it find that it very much is.
But you do not need to make that decision now. You just need to show up for five evenings.
The Practical Details
- When: Monday to Friday, starting 8th June 2026
- Time: 7:00 to 8:00pm UK each evening
- Format: Live on Zoom
- Cost: Fully funded — £0
- Assessments: Practical and written, completed within the 5 days
- Certificate: Digital CPD-accredited Level One Coach qualification
- Provider: She's In Business Global C.I.C. — UKPRN 10097744
Spaces are limited to a real cohort size. Once they are filled, the doors close.
How to Apply
There is no application fee. There is no interview. There is a form.
Fill it in, confirm you can attend the five evenings live, and your funded place is reserved.
Reserve your funded place here →
If you cannot make every live session, the VIP option (£59) includes the full replay, a private assessment slot, a one-to-one tutor call, and a printed certificate posted to you.
Either way — the qualification is the same. The credential is the same. The only difference is how you get there.
One Last Thing
If you have been thinking about coaching for a while — wondering whether it is something you could actually do, whether you are the right kind of person, whether you are ready — I want to say something directly.
The readiness does not come before the doing. It comes from it.
The readiness does not come before the doing. It comes from it.
Every woman who has completed this programme started unsure. Most left certain. Not certain that they had all the answers, but certain that they had found something worth pursuing.
Five evenings. One qualification. The rest is up to you.
