Coaching

Coaching accompanies healthy people in clarifying professional or personal goals and developing steps towards them. It is about reflection, taking stock and self-direction, not about treating problems of clinical relevance.

Types of coaching

“Coaching” is an umbrella term. Common variants are:

• Business and leadership coaching: role, decisions, leadership, collaboration
• Career coaching: orientation, applications, next steps
• Learning coaching: learning strategies, motivation, exam preparation
• Health and stress coaching: balance, routines, dealing with strain
• Sports and mental coaching: performance, focus, competition

Not protected, but not a free-for-all

The term coaching is not protected in Austria; anyone may use it. Still, the activity is not arbitrary: as soon as coaching moves into counselling on personal or professional problems, crises or decisions, it legally becomes Lebens- und Sozialberatung, a regulated trade with its own licence.

Offering psychosocial counselling without this licence is unlicensed practice of a trade. That is not a trivial offence but illegal professional practice punishable under the Trade Act. The coaching field in Austria has a particularly high share of dubious and even illegal offers.

Coaching only ever exists “attached to” a trade

As an ancillary right, coaching is included in any other professional licence, but only within that trade’s field. A carpenter could offer coaching on building your own furniture, a tax advisor coaching on tax questions. As soon as coaching goes beyond that into personal or psychosocial topics, a Lebens- und Sozialberatung licence is required.

What to look for

• Does the person work on the basis of Lebens- und Sozialberatung or an appropriately matching trade?
• Is solid training openly declared?
• Is there a valid trade licence? A look at the WKO company register helps.