ICF mentor coaching explained: the 10 hours and how to choose

This guide covers what mentor coaching is, what ICF asks for, what a session looks like, how to choose a mentor, and what changes in 2027.

What mentor coaching is

A mentor coach works on how you coach. The evidence is a session they watched or a recording they heard. They measure what they hear against the ICF Core Competencies, and the two of you work out what to change.

The important word is your. ICF calls the process collaborative, so it isn't a test and it isn't a lecture. You reflect on your own sessions, and the mentor adds what a more experienced ear picks up.

What it isn't

Two points follow from the table:

• Mentor coaching isn't coaching hours. ICF leaves mentor coaching and supervision out of the client coaching experience that you log for a credential.
• Being coached by a mentor isn't mentor coaching. If the mentor coaches you on your own goals, that is coaching. Mentor coaching needs your coaching as its subject.

What ICF asks for

The same rule applies to an ACC, a PCC and an MCC application. The hours themselves don't always carry over from one credential to the next, so ask ICF before you count old ones. An ACC renewal needs mentor coaching too.

You could have it already. ICF says that many coach training programmes build the mentor coaching in. On the Level 2 path to a PCC, it is part of the programme. On the Portfolio path, you arrange it yourself.

The three months are a minimum. Ten hours in one month doesn't meet the rule.

What a session looks like

Mentors work in different ways, so ask before you start. Most mentor coaching has the same three parts:

1. A session to look at. You bring a recording of a real session, with the client's consent, or the mentor observes you live.
2. Feedback against the competencies. The mentor says what they heard: where a competency showed, where it didn't, and what you could try.
3. Something to work on. You leave with one or two things to change before the next session.

In a group, each coach gets less time on their own sessions. In return, you hear feedback on other coaches' work, and you learn to listen for the competencies yourself.

That is why the recordings matter. Without sessions to bring, a mentor has little to work with. Peer coaching is one way to get them: coach another coach, record the session if you both agree, and take it to your mentor. For what an assessor hears in a recording, read the PCC Markers, explained.

How to choose a mentor coach

• Check that the hours will count. Until 31 December 2026, an eligible mentor holds an ICF credential at or above the level you apply for. An ACC applicant can use a PCC, an MCC, or an ACC who has renewed at least once. A PCC applicant needs a PCC or an MCC. An MCC applicant needs an MCC. ICF's Verify a Coach directory shows a coach's credential. From 1 January 2027, the mentor needs the MCS at the right level, and ICF's Mentor Coach Registry lists the coaches who hold it.
• Ask how they work. Recordings or live observation? Written feedback or spoken? One-to-one, group or both?
• Ask what the three one-to-one hours include. A package that is all group hours doesn't meet the rule.
• Ask about the level. A mentor who knows the standard for your credential can tell you how far you are from it.
• Ask for a first conversation. You will play your recordings to this person, so trust matters.

Prices vary a lot between mentors and between group and one-to-one hours. We don't give a figure, because we found no source for one that we could stand behind. Ask for the full price of the 10 hours before you start.

What changes in 2027

From 1 January 2027, mentor coaching for an ICF credential counts only with a mentor who holds the ICF Mentor Coach Specialization (MCS) at the right level. Hours that you complete with a currently eligible mentor on or before 31 December 2026 still count.

If your mentor coaching will run across the new year, ask your mentor now whether they hold the MCS or will hold it by January. The levels, the rule for hours that span the two years and the way to check a mentor are in what changes for mentor coaching in 2027.

For ACC and PCC applicants on the Portfolio path, the mentor's part grows in 2027. From 1 April 2027, a mentor who holds the MCS observes your coaching and completes a Competency Review Form, and that form takes the place of the performance evaluation. The dates are in what your ICF application needs.