Financial Coach Training Academy
IRC’s Supporting Access to Financial Empowerment Financial Coach Training Academy
The International Rescue Committee provides holistic social services to more than 100,000 low-income individuals across the US every year. Our work is focused on supporting community members in building a foundation for lasting economic independence. The IRC has espoused the model and structure of financial coaching and counseling as key to its economic empowerment programming. This evidence-based approach creates positive long-term behavior change for the communities we support.
The IRC has become a lead training provider in this space over the last 10 years, where it has built the capacity of over 500 financial coaches in implementing this model to accelerate the financial wellbeing of community members.
Whether you are a new financial coach or experienced coach looking to advance your career in community-based financial services, our tailored courses will guide you every step of the way. Join us in making a difference through continuous learning and development.
Please reach out at coachtraining@rescue.org for any questions.
Online Learning: Financial Coach Certification
Through a partnership with the Cities For Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund, the IRC has developed an online, self-paced Financial Coach Certification to continue providing this vital training resource to financial coaches across the country. This certificate course satisfies the education requirement for the CFE Fund’s Financial Empowerment Center financial counselor certification.
The IRC-SAFE Financial Coach Online Certificate course offers specialized learnings designed for individuals aspiring to provide financial coaching and counseling services to community members. This course provides in-depth training on key areas such as coaching skills and tools for having financial discussions with community members, as well as financial topics ranging from day-to-day financial management to retirement and estate planning. This course is designed for financial coaches at all stages of their career and other professionals who are interested in expanding their skills in providing direct financial services to community members.
This course is divided into four sections, meant to be completed in sequence over the span of 3 months. A sample training schedule and study plan is linked in the course to help you organize your time to complete the course in this timespan. In Section 1, you will learn about the skills necessary to provide one-on-one coaching to communities through a client-centered lens. Section 2 of this course focuses on developing your knowledge of foundational financial concepts such as expense planning, banking access, credit and debt management. In Section 3, you will learn how to build on these foundations with more advanced financial questions and support with long-term financial goals. The final section of this course is an overview of the course content and final assessment of your learning, which is meant to prepare you for the CFE Fund Financial Empowerment Center counselor exam.
This course will give you the opportunity to explore the field of financial coaching, through the lens of both your community members and your own life experiences around finances. Each module includes a combination of self-paced learning, activities to assess your understanding of the content, and reflection exercises. To enhance your learning, you will be asked to complete several assignments where you research local resources, display your use of a technique or respond to discussion questions on how to implement these techniques in practice.
The fee for this course is $1000/participant. To register, submit your payment for the course here, then email coachtraining@rescue.org to receive access to the online learning platform.
Live Learning Opportunities: 50 Hour Virtual or In-Person Financial Coach Training
The IRC’s live Financial Coaching training offers a dynamic, interactive coaching training that combines fundamental coaching skills with strong financial content. The course purposefully pairs coaching and financial content so that participants get immediate practice and feedback on their financial coaching skills. The course is highly interactive with coaching practice during the training. The intention of the course is for participants to leave with knowledge and tools that they will be able to easily integrate into their day-to-day work life. By providing this course work to staff and stakeholders, IRC hopes to increase the capacity of its own staff as well as other community service providers to bring the power of coaching to communities across the country.
The course can be offered virtually, in-person, or hybrid depending on participants’ needs. The IRC can arrange the course for groups of 25+ participants or individuals may join currently scheduled training. As a recognized training provider through the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fun, IRC can offer live training for FECs and FEC counselors.
To learn more about live financial coach training opportunities reach out to coachtraining@rescue.org.