What is the International Coaching Federation (ICF)?
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is the world’s leading professional body for coaches, with over 50,000 credential-holders across 157 countries and setting the global standards for ethical, high-quality coaching.
For clients and organisations, the ICF represents quality, professionalism and trust.
For coaches, it provides a clear pathway for training, development and accreditation.
The ICF does not run training programmes itself. Instead, it accredits coach-training providers (like David Lowe Coach Limited) and awards credentials to individual coaches who meet its standards.
Why the ICF matters
The ICF plays a central role in ensuring coaching is:
- Ethical – guided by a clear Code of Ethics
- Professional – anchored in evidence and best practice
- Consistent – through a shared set of Core Competencies
- Recognised worldwide – trusted by organisations across sectors.
For many clients and employers, working with an ICF-credentialed coach is the baseline expectation.
The Three ICF Credential Levels
The ICF awards credentials to coaches based on their training, coaching experience and mentor coaching, as well as an assessment of recorded coaching sessions.
There are three levels, each representing deeper skill and experience.
Associate Certified Coach (ACC)
Experience: Beginner
Your first professional coaching credential — and everything you need to begin coaching confidently and ethically.
ACC is the ICF’s entry-level credential and the one held by most practising coaches. It demonstrates you have completed accredited training, developed strong foundational skills, and can coach professionally with confidence and integrity.
For many coaches, ACC is the perfect level to start their practice, build experience and establish themselves in the field.
Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
Experience: Advanced
A credential to consider once you’ve built experience and want to deepen your practice.
PCC is the next step after ACC, recognising a higher level of coaching skill and a larger body of experience. Many coaches choose to work at ACC level for a while before deciding whether PCC aligns with their long-term aspirations.
It’s a natural progression — something to explore later, once you feel ready.
Master Certified Coach (MCC)
Experience: Expert
A long-term milestone for coaches who wish to specialise at the highest level of mastery.
MCC represents exceptional depth, presence and experience, requiring many years of practice and advanced training.
Most coaches pursue MCC only after a substantial period of professional coaching.
| ACC | PCC | MCC | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICF-accredited training | 60+ hours | 125+ hours | 200+ hours |
| Coaching experience | 100 hours | 500 hours | 2,500 hours |
| Mentor coaching | 10 hours | 10 hours | 10 hours |
| Performance evaluation | ACC level | PCC level x 2 | MCC level x 2 |
| Exam | ACC exam | ICF credentialing exam | ICF credentialing exam |
How the APC programme fits in
The APC programme is an ICF Level 1 accredited pathway.
This means:
- You receive all 60 hours of training required for ACC
- Your mentor coaching is included
- Your training meets ICF quality and ethical standards
- You can apply for ACC upon completing the additional coaching hours
You are learning in a format that is designed to help you coach confidently and ethically from the start.
The ICF Core Competencies
All ICF training and credentialing is based on the eight Core Competencies, which describe what effective, ethical coaching looks like.
These competencies guide how coaches:
- Build trust
- Contract with clients
- Maintain presence
- Listen deeply
- Ask powerful questions
- Facilitate insight and action
- Work ethically and professionally
The Art of Professional Coaching (APC) is built directly on these competencies, ensuring that your learning aligns with global standards.
Want to learn more?
If you’d like to explore how ICF accreditation works or whether the APC programme is right for you:
Get in touch
We’d love to hear from you — whether you want to book a place, discuss group bookings, or ask a question about our programmes.
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Coaching programme suitability & questions call
This 20-minute call gives us a chance to meet, talk through your reasons for training as a coach, and see whether the APC programme supports what you want to develop — and answer any questions you may have.