Germany has a reputation of being a breeding ground for clubs and associations. This also applies to the area of coaching. In Germany alone, there are currently 33 coaching associations, and the trend is rising.
For a person interested in coaching, a customer, an employer or someone who wants to become a coach himself, it is difficult or impossible to keep track. In addition, many providers are unable to provide quality and professionalism – some coaching organizations can even be classified as untrustworthy. In order to curb this escalating trend, the coaching associations have set up an umbrella organization: The Roundtable of Coaching Associations (RTC), Roundtable der Coachingverbände.
The RTC is a committee composed of the most prestigious national and international coaching associations and the most neutral and professional source of information on coaching.
The RTC was founded in 2005 with the objective of professionalizing the quality of coaching and ultimately establishing coaching as a recognized profession.
Although each of the 13 coaching associations in the RTC has a specific focus, the member associations agree on common guidelines concerning central themes in coaching and quality standards, for example in the following areas:
- Basic understanding of coaching
- Ethical behaviour
- Competence acquisition, and
- The task of coaching in a social context
All members of the respective coaching associations are compelled to adhere to the adopted guidelines and to implement them. This affects 40,000 coaches or 70% of the practicing coaches in the German-speaking world.
Tasks of the RTC
The RTC is currently working on other key topics such as:
- Establishing quality criteria for the coaching process in the market,
- Implementing binding ethical guidelines for all coaches, and
- Calling for uniform minimum standards for coaching training.
Likewise, the RTC, as the official organ of all 13 member associations, takes a position on current topics in the coaching sector.
In its latest press release, the RTC criticized the selection criteria of the XING networking platform for top coaches and rated them as deficient. The RTC is, of course, available as a neutral advisory body, in order to establish significant quality criteria for coaches. In addition, the Roundtable supports scientific studies into the development of the coaching industry.
Benefit for Coaching-Interested Parties, Clients and Customers
Parties interested in coaching, clients and customers can be assured that the quality criteria regarding training standards, members and certified coaches as well as the ethics guidelines are of the highest standard among the 13 member associations of the RTC.
If you are looking for a coaching course or a good coach for your own coaching or for your employees, it is advisable to choose a coaching course and a coach holding a certification of at least one of the coaching associations of the RTC. Without a certificate from a renowned coaching association, there is a risk that you may become a client of manipulative and untrustworthy business partners.
Member associations of the RTC (in alphabetical order)
- Berufsverband Dt. Psychologinnen und Psychologen (BDP)
- Berufsverband für Trainer, Berater und Coaches e.V. (BDVT)
- Deutscher Bundesverband Coaching e.V. (DBVC)
- Deutscher Coaching Verband e.V. (DCV)
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Coaching e.V. (DGfC)
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Systemische Therapie, Beratung und Familientherapie (DGSF)
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Supervision e.V. (DGSv)
- Deutscher Verband für Coaching und Training e.V. (dvct)
- European Association for Supervision and Coaching e.V. (EASC)
- European Mentoring & Coaching Council Deutschland e.V. (EMCC)
- International Coach Federation Deutschland e.V. (ICF)
- Qualitätsring Coaching und Beratung e.V. (QRC)
- Systemische Gesellschaft e. V. (SG)
As Program Director of the Business Coach MBS certificate course, I am a member of the RTC and head of its Ethics Working Group. As a board member of the EMCC and an active member in five of the 13 RTC coaching associations, I am intensively involved in the RTC and the individual associations, specifically developing the areas of ethics, quality and coaching training standards of the RTC and the coaching associations. Supported by my scientific work and studies on coaching as well as my years of experience in business coaching, I try to make coaching ever more professional.
