Frequently asked questions
Who accredits and approves the courses and who can I join?
We believe we have the best accreditations in the industry, and our commitment to the highest standards is demonstrated by this.
All of our courses are TQUK endorsed. TQUK is a leading Ofqual Awarding Organisation.
Upon successful completion of the Level 5 and 6 programmes graduates can join the UK Health Coaches Association (UKHCA).
International Institute of Complementary Therapists (IICT), the International Practitioners of Holistic Medicine (IPMH), and the Complementary Medical Association (CMA). The IICT and the IPMH represents overseas students and practitioners.
Level 6 graduates can join the Federation of Nutritional Therapy Practitioners (FNTP).
Additionally completion of our RSPH Level 4 Nutrition Programmes will enable you to join the Royal Society for Public Health.
We are a training provider member of the Association for Coaching, which our graduates can join due to the comprehensive nature of our coaching modules (non-accredited course).
We also recommend Level 5 and 6 graduates join The Nutrition Society, as they are a leading body in the advancement of nutritional science.
As a school we are also approved to run VTCT and ITEC (Ofqual regulated) nutrition qualifications.
Who are Active Health Coaching?
Active Health Coaching are a specialised subsidiary of Active Health Group, who are a leading training provider of coaching, health, complementary and sports therapy courses.
Active Health Group have been running training courses to a high level for 21 years, and are recognised as a Learning Provider by the UK Government, UKRLP # 10085393
For full details of Active Health Group please go to www.activehealthgroup.co.uk
How are the courses delivered?
Our Level 5 and 6 courses are delivered 100% online so they are accessible by anyone with computer and internet access. The courses are self-paced, so there is no set timetable for lessons or assignments, you work purely to your own schedule, which makes the course ideal for those with busy lifestyles!
The course format consists of online ebooks, pdf's, audio and video, as we try to accommodate all learning styles. As well as the learning materials, we also have some monthly live sessions. The lessons are fully interactive (as you would find in a classroom), as is the Q&A session. The live coaching sessions are not interactive, however, you are able to observe them and also become a volunteer coachee or coach!
Samples of our learning materials can be found on our dedicated online academy at:
https://www.ahgonlineacademy.com
The course is delivered in the English language.
How long are the course durations?
Level 5 is 12 months and Level 6 is 18 months. This is the average time it takes to complete, however, it can be done in less time (if you have paid in full), or you can take longer if needed.
What is the difference between your course and other Health Coaching courses?
Some courses give you hundreds of diet theories, others give you lots of generic 'programmes', or 10 year old course materials, lots are very marketing based, and some are very heavy on science, but not so heavy on how to actually work with a client! We have used our decades of working with clients to develop courses with the end user in mind - the client! We want you to succeed in your career because you actually know how to deal with clients, and not just be able to 'sell' yourself on Social Media.
Our Level 5 allows you to practice Health Coaching to support fitness, lifestyle and chronic health goals, and you can work within your remit as a Nutrition Advisor.
For details of Health Coaching standards, please see www.ukhealthcoaches.com
Level 6 goes one step further in that it allows you to work as a Nutritional Therapist, as well as Health Coach. Here you can work to treat chronic health conditions as an autonomous practitioner.
For details of Nutrition standards please see www.fntp.org.uk
We believe our Level 5 and 6 courses are unique as we cannot find anything that covers the same scope of practice, or that are accredited to the same exacting standards.
We also have a well respected 21 year history as a school, and our team consists highly qualified and experienced health, therapy, coaching and medical specialists.
What are the career prospects for Health and Nutrition Coaches?
Health Coaching is a relatively new profession in the UK, whereas Nutritional Therapy is long established.
Since the coronavirus pandemic we have seen the NHS advertising for Health Coaches, and as a company, we actively seek to promote our graduates and work to getting greater recognition.
Most Health Coaches and Nutritional Therapists are self-employed and run their own practices.
Health & Nutrition Coaches charge anywhere between £50 and £100 per session, depending on where they are based. Some of our own tutors charge £125 per session for their service.
How long will I need to spend studying per week?
Our courses have been accredited as follows:
Level 5 - 370 hours
Level 6 - 550 hours
You work at your own pace, so the more hours you can study for, the quicker the completion (unless you pay in instalments, in which case courses are studied in 12/18 months depending on the level)
What are the entry requirements?
There are no academic entry requirements, however you will need the following:
Basic IT skills + equipment and software required to undertake the course (e.g. Windows or equivalent, Microsoft office, Zoom access)
English Proficiency – students for whom English is not their native language must achieve a score of 7 (or higher) in the four components of the International English Language Testing System (
IELTS) (or its equivalent).
For our Level 5 and 6 courses there will be an element of research involved, where you will have to find information for some assessments. If you are not used to studying at higher levels, we recommend you speak to us before applying.
How do you price your courses?
All of our coaching courses are online programmes, and compared to our other (Active Health Group) courses which require practical attendance they are cheaper. We work out the fees based on a number of factors, and indeed running online courses are cheaper than those requiring a practical base. We do not exaggerate the costs of our courses, and we do not hire expensive sales teams or pay affiliates to sell our courses.
Do I get a personal tutor?
We have a large, experienced team, who are very happy to help our students (and graduates), and as they all have different specialisms, they work with our Student Support team, who ensures that you get help from the right person.
We also have a private student/graduate/tutor only Facebook group where everyone interacts.
You also get the chance to work directly with one of our team as a 'client'.
How long do I keep access to the course for?
Once you graduate, you become part of the Active Health Group Alumni, and you retain indefinite access to the course and its materials. You also keep access to our private groups and can attend the live sessions.
Do you provide client forms and programmes?
We provide you with a wide range of client forms, covering both coaching and nutrition. Whilst you are free to use these, we always encourage you to create your own when you know how you best work.
We do provide some generic programmes for you, and again, we provide these to use, but more importantly to show you how to create your own that are unique to you, and what you offer.
Working generically is not the best way when it comes to working with clients!
Are there exams, assignments and case studies?
Yes, our courses are higher level learning, and so we ensure all our students have the best underpinning knowledge in order to achieve the certifications.
There are written assignments, mid-term and final written assessment, plus you need to obtain 25 hours of case studies at Level 5, plus an additional 25 hours at level 6(with a minimum of 5 clients per level), which have to be recorded (e.g. on Zoom), to be assessed by our assessor team and necessary feedback given.
You can volunteer to coach fellow students on our live sessions, and these can form part of your case studies.
We have stringent assessment criteria, which you would hope to expect from a high quality training school, and students work is both internally and externally marked and verified.
Some of our accrediting bodies also undertake direct contact with the students to ensure that we are abiding by our own, and their, Quality Assurance.
Our pass/refer criteria is as follows:
0 - 69% - Refer (you will be given support and the opportunity to resit/resubmit)
70 - 79% - Pass
80 - 89% - Merit
90 - 100% - Distinction
What is Scope of Practice?
Scope of practice describes the procedures, actions, and processes that a healthcare practitioner is permitted to undertake in keeping with the terms of their accrediting body.
The scope of practice may also be limited to that which the law allows for specific education and experience, and specific demonstrated competency.
The Health and Care Professionals Council for the UK Scope of Practice states:
“Your scope of practice is the limit of your knowledge, skills and experience. It is made up of the activities you carry out within your professional role, provided that you have the knowledge, skills and experience to do them lawfully, safely and effectively.”
The UK Health Coaches Association has their own Scope of Practice, which covers the Health Coaching element only - if you are trained in Nutritional Therapy or Advice, then you will have an additional SoP. Insurance is extremely important to obtain, as this covers you if there are any claims made against you whilst undertaking work for which you have trained and qualified.
With our Level 5 course, you are trained to give nutritional advice, for example, showing a client how to increase their Vitamin C intake, using diet. You can also work with clients macros/micros - for example if someone needs support with weight loss or training for a sporting event etc.
At Level 6, you are trained how to assess a clients nutritional needs, and work with them to achieve their needs, whether that be recommending certain nutritional supplements, or diets.
You are not allowed to diagnose, however, at all levels, we teach how to work alongside your clients medical practitioner.
For more details on what each level covers, see the course pages - as they will give additional information.
What certification do I receive and what can I call myself?
Upon successful completion of our courses you will achieve:
At Level 5 -
TQUK Diploma in Integrative Health and Nutrition Coaching
At Level 6:
TQUK Diploma in Health Coaching and Nutritional Therapy
plus
TQUK Diploma in Health Care and Nutitional Therapy
Certification states the relevant level.
With the Level 5 certification you can call yourself:
Health Coach
Nutrition Coach
Health and Nutrition Coach
Nutrition Advisor
Integrative Health and Nutrition Coach
Integrative Health Coach
Additionally at Level 6 you can call yourself a Nutritional Therapist.
Your insurance covers you for what you are taught on your course - not your working title.
Do you accept every application?
The short answer is no.
Both our Level 5 and 6 courses require a lot of study commitment, written work, and also research. For this you need to be motivated and be able to demonstrate your ability to both study, and produce assignments at a higher level.
Whilst we are happy to answer all questions, we do expect potential students to do their own research - and so basic questions, such as "What is the level of your course", or "How much is your course?", do not display the ability to read information that is very clearly laid out, so there may not be much hope of reading and understanding complex information or written assignments.
We want the learning experience to be a good one, and we also want the best practitioners out working, so we do a short initial written assessment, which may be followed up by a phone or zoom call.
If you have not contacted us prior to booking, to ask questions, or just to chat with us to get a feel for what we are about, then we would always contact you before accepting your application to make sure you are the right person for us, and we are the right school for you.