Jay Shetty Certification School

Jay Shetty Certification School is a life coach training programme founded in 2020 by Jay Shetty, former monk, bestselling author, and podcast host. It offers a 120-hour curriculum built on the ABC Coaching Framework, blending Eastern philosophy with evidence-based coaching, and is accredited by the Association for Coaching (AC) at AACT level.

Jay Shetty is a British-Indian author, podcast host, and former Hare Krishna monk. He spent three years in monastic life at ashrams in India and Europe before returning to work in business and media. His book Think Like a Monk (2020) was an international bestseller; his follow-up 8 Rules of Love (2023) reached the Sunday Times list. His podcast On Purpose with Jay Shetty consistently ranks among the top global wellness podcasts, and he serves as Chief Purpose Officer at Calm, the meditation and sleep app. Tens of millions of followers engage with his content across YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

ABC stands for Awareness, Belief, and Commitment: the three phases of Shetty's coaching model. Awareness surfaces limiting beliefs and unconscious patterns. Belief works with the client to examine and replace those patterns with purpose-driven, values-aligned thinking rooted in the concept of dharma. Commitment translates insight into sustainable action and business-building skills.

No. The school is not ICF-accredited. It is accredited by the Association for Coaching (AC) at AACT level and additionally holds OTHM recognition, awarding an International Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching and Leadership Development at Level 7. Prospective students who want ICF credential pathways should confirm whether the programme's hours qualify for ICF CCE credit before enrolling.

AACT stands for Accredited Award in Coach Training, the entry-level tier of programme accreditation from the Association for Coaching. It confirms the programme has been reviewed against AC's Coaching Competency Framework and Global Code of Ethics. It is the introductory level of AC's four-tier training accreditation framework.

The programme is 120 hours, delivered fully online. Tuition ranges from approximately $6,800 to $7,800 depending on enrollment timing. Payment plans are available through the admissions process.

Business-building is integrated throughout the 120-hour curriculum, not added at the end. Modules cover niche definition, pricing, client acquisition, digital presence, and practice launch mechanics. Shetty's view is that knowing how to reach and serve clients is inseparable from knowing how to coach them, so the commercial training runs alongside the coaching methodology from the start.

Dharma is a Sanskrit concept Shetty translates as your life purpose aligned with your innate gifts and the service you are called to offer. In the ABC framework, dharma is central to the Belief phase, helping clients move from externally-driven, comparison-based motivation to an internally-sourced sense of direction. Shetty's monastic training in Vedic philosophy is the source of this framework, adapted for contemporary coaching contexts.

The school sits in a distinct category: a personal-brand-anchored training programme with a specific philosophical orientation built around a founder's public platform, rather than a general-competency framework. ICF-accredited programmes such as those from CTI, iPEC, and the AoEC train coaches across broader competency frameworks reviewed by an independent professional body, and their graduates can apply for globally recognized ICF credentials. JSCS's AC AACT accreditation indicates independent programme review, but at the introductory tier. The programme's differentiating strengths are its Eastern philosophy integration, the dharma-based purpose framework, and its built-in business curriculum. Coaches drawn to Shetty's worldview tend to feel strongly aligned with the approach; those who need an internationally portable, multi-body-accredited credential will find those needs better served elsewhere.

The programme suits aspiring coaches drawn to Shetty's dharma-informed, purpose-centred approach who want a complete package of coaching methodology, business launch foundations, and a philosophy rooted in Eastern contemplative traditions, delivered in a single 120-hour online programme. It's a natural fit for coaches whose intended clients are working through questions of identity, purpose, and meaning. It's less well-suited for practitioners who need an ICF-accredited pathway toward an ACC, PCC, or MCC credential, or whose work requires recognition by employers or professional bodies that specify ICF alignment. Prior coaching experience is not required for enrollment.

It tells you the coach completed a 120-hour online life coaching programme built on the ABC Coaching Framework, Shetty's proprietary model integrating Vedic philosophy, dharma-based purpose work, and contemporary coaching competencies. The programme is accredited by the Association for Coaching (AC) at AACT level, which confirms it has been reviewed against AC's Coaching Competency Framework and Global Code of Ethics. AACT is the introductory tier of AC's training award structure, though, so the scope of independent review is narrower than for a full AC Award-level programme. The additional OTHM Level 7 diploma label adds an academic recognition layer but is not a regulated UK qualification. The programme does not carry ICF accreditation, so training hours don't count toward ICF credential pathways. What the designation reliably signals: exposure to purpose-driven, Vedic-influenced coaching methodology, business-building foundations, and the cultural framework Shetty has built his public platform around. Coaches from this school typically work with clients on purpose, meaning, and identity. If those aren't your priorities, the methodological fit may be off. Coaching is a professional service focused on forward movement, not clinical treatment; a JSCS-trained coach is not a licensed therapist, and the programme does not train for clinical presentations.

Ask how they apply the ABC framework in practice: what Awareness, Belief, and Commitment actually look like in a session. This separates coaches who have absorbed the methodology from those who are reciting it. Ask whether they have pursued individual accreditation with the Association for Coaching (AC) beyond the school's own qualification: the JSCS programme is AC AACT-accredited, but individual AC accreditation requires the coach to apply separately and be assessed independently. That's the marker of independently verified competence. Ask what their niche is and who their typical client is: JSCS coaches tend to work on purpose, identity, life design, and meaning. If you are looking for executive performance coaching, leadership development, or support with a clinical challenge, confirm their actual experience and scope. Ask what they won't take on. The programme doesn't cover clinical presentations, trauma processing, or mental health treatment. A well-trained coach from this school will tell you clearly when they would refer out to a therapist or other specialist. A coach who can't describe that boundary hasn't defined their practice.