Become a Coach

Hundreds of Weight Management Coaches Required Across NZ

Weight Management Coaching is the cutting edge of the fight against the obesity epidemic. It is currently the only personal, direct, scalable, flexible, and behaviourally based intervention available to those suffering overweight and obesity. The scale of the challenge is dramatic and the need for coaches is unprecedented (34.3% of NZ adults now classify as obese, with another 33.7% classifying as overweight). Very little is being done to arrest the progression of obesity into the younger population as the obesogenic environment continues to drive early onset. New Zealand, along with the USA, Mexico, and Hungary have become the heaviest nations in the OECD. Without dramatic changes in public health policy, which appear unlikely, the challenge of overweight and obesity is one the majority of New Zealanders will have to address personally. For them to be successful, there has to be adequate, professional and accessible support.e

Who should be a Weight Management Coach?

A Weight Management Coach is;

  • Empathic and practical with a personal interest in helping others
  • Prepared to be professionally qualified and registered, and to adhere to a code of ethics
  • Interested in working part-time or full-time coaching individual clients
  • Able to respond to web enquiries in their local area and provide coaching services online, face to face, or a mix of both
  • Comfortable earning $90-$120 an hour during the client assessment, intervention and support periods

What does a Weight Management Coach Do?

Weight Management Coaches work with clients to establish their current profile of behaviours, the triggers of these behaviours and the outcomes. This is done during an assessment or evaluation period which is critical to assist the client in understanding what is driving their weight, why and how. Weight Management Coaches use assessment tools and clients are provided with a handbook that includes education and self-assessment tools.

Once a client's current situation has been carefully explored, the Weight Management Coach works alongside the client to choose behaviours that can be sustainably modified to steadily improve the client's weight. This intervention period can last from 8-12 weeks depending on the number of behaviours that are modified and the work required to review and refine changes to enhance the stability of the new behaviours.

When a client has several behaviours modified and stable, the client can elect to move into a maintenance phase where they are provided with regular support and review, often remotely. This period can last anywhere from 3 months to a year.

How do clients pay for Weight Management Coaching?

Weight Management Coaches can set their own fees however we recommend;

  1. Initial consultation - Free. This allows the client to ask questions and for the coach to explain how the process works and how it is unique. At the end of the consultation client's will usually enrol in a Programme of Change (POC) and are issued with their client handbook to begin their work.
  2. Assessment period - $295. This is typically a few hours of coaching and reviewing of the client's self-assessment material which occurs over the first 2-3 weeks. The purpose is to very clearly establish the client's current behavioural set, the environments that trigger certain behaviours and the client's habitual responses.
  3. Intervention period - $95 a week for 8-12 weeks. This is usually a 30-40 minute weekly coaching session with 20-30 minutes allocated for preparation and de-brief. Client's are suppported to explore, identify, and adapt behaviours in a self-paced and self-aware process leading to permanent change. There is a mix of education, coaching, self-reflection and learning occuring throughout this period.
  4. Maintenance period - $45 a week for 3 -12 months. Maintenance needs vary from client to client based on the challenges they experience with maintaining their behaviours and the degree of change in their environments. Given all results occur over the longer-term this is a critical phase of coaching where a mix of remote support and face to face coaching may occur on an as needed basis.

How do you become a Weight Management Coach?

To become a registered Weight Management Coach, you need to successfully complete the Diploma in Weight Management Coaching. The Diploma is delivered via a mix of online learning and face-to-face labs (tutorials) and is available at campuses throughout New Zealand. The qualification involves part-time study and is designed to be completed concurrently with existing work and/or family commitments.

The qualification provides you with a comprehensive understanding of the environmental, societal, biological, and psychological factors that influence bodyweight. You’ll learn how to guide and support clients from a behavioural rather than a diet or exercise-oriented framework. You’ll develop your competence and confidence as a coach through the application of skills with peers and at least two clients who you’ll work with over a period of at least eight weeks under supervision.

You can find out more about studying the Diploma in Weight Management Coaching in New Zealand here.

How do I get registered?

Once you’ve gained the diploma, you can become a Registered Weight Management Coach (RWMC). This enables you to use the NZ Register of Weight Management Coaches seal for promotion and provides you with access to coaching tools, resources and enquiries that come across the register.

On successful completion of the Diploma in Weight Managment Coaching your academic achievement is reported to the NZ Register of Weight Managment Coaches. NZRWMC will then contact you to confirm your registration which includes agreeing to adhere to the Code of Ethics.

Once registered you will be able to use the NZRWMC seal for promotion and you'll have a listing on the register in the public domain. This enables members of the public to enquire directly about your services. You'll also gain access to the coaching tools, resources, support groups and materials to use with your clients.