I guess my response would be...

1) Depends on what you are charging. Since you are obviously not liscensed, you shouldn't be charging as high as a certified coach since you don't have a quality standard to live up to. Otherwise, I think it's okay as long as the people are fully aware of your qualifications (or lack thereof).

2) No, i do not. I think I would enjoy it though. I would first like to be in the triathlon community longer and accomplish more (only 3 yrs of tri under my belt), but down the road it is an option. I think I would look into certification though if it's worthwhile for a part time gig.

You can definetely coach if you want to. As long as you don't portray yourself as trained. I would recomend pursuing certification though.

It all depends on your goals. Myself, I did a lot of mentoring before I took on a actual coaching role. I wanted to be sure of what I was doing before I charged for my services. Most people need a little guidance, and not a full time coach. Keeping in mind that being a coach is more than just giving advice. you will need to plan their year, schedule weekly/daily workouts etc... It can be fairly time consuming.

I can't even do, so coaching is out of the question.

I don't think there's anything unethical about helping them out. As long as they know you're "technically" not qualified to coach them, then feel free to charge whatever they're willing to pay. If you're asking more than a licensed coach, then there is probably something wrong with that. But I say, if they are willing to pay you, and you're willing to help however you can, then it seem kosher to me.

I started to go that route and even went as far as going to the usat coaching clinic a few years ago, but I never finished it because I realized that I just didn't have the time. Its just a 3 day clinic in colorado springs and then your have a take home exam that you send back afterwards (which I never did because of time consuming personal issues at the time). If you've been a student of the sport before the clinic, you probably won't learn all that much about training. For me, the most valuable part of the clinic was talking to the others there about how they've set up their coaching business and learning a little bit about the legal side of things. Most people there were already payed coaches long before becoming certified. The USAT coaching cert is more of a technicality than a true mark of knowledge of the sport. For me, I decided, that its something that I'll probably start in the future, but only after I finish school and if I still have no family to keep me busy.

I just go the mentoring route - I think that its more fun and less stressful than full on coaching. With casual mentoring, you. I write training plans for my college tri club. I con my friends and family into racing and help them as much as they want along the way. I don't have time to write daily workout plans on an individual basis for any one and no one I know would be committed enough to appreciate it anyways. A general outline of season structure is more helpful. I move around the country all the time for school and I wouldn't feel comfortable coaching someone I don't see in person from time to time without a pretty extensive interview.

I pretty much mentor anyone who wants to for free or I accept payment in cookies... If they really want to pay me, I won't turn it down, but nobody has so far. At the clinic, they recommended charging at least $200/mo for individual coaching because the consumer perceives lower quality service if you charge less. I also love to not do my homework by giving advice on trifuel.

At first glance, that sounds like a good idea. But, in many cases, those who can do can't coach, and those who can coach can't do. Just look at professional athletics. Usually the most successful coaches were just mediocre players, and many times when great players try to go coach (Isaiah Thomas), they fail miserably. IMO, this applies to any sport.

Just because you know how to do something yourself, it doesn't mean that you will be able to teach someone else to do it. They are 2 skills that, while perhaps closely related, are not synonymous.

I agree that certification doesn't necessarily make someone a good coach, but experience does. And I would be looking more for someone with years of experience in coaching, rather than someone who was a professional athlete their whole life and just started coaching because they retired or their body couldn't perform anymore.

I'm not interested in paying for a coach right now. But if I were, I would want someone who had a track record of coaching success working with people similar to me (complete with references). That would be more important than either a certification or a record of personal athletic success.

I am an educator and a cross country coach and am starting my third season of triathlon. I was asked by a family friend to give a talk about training from 5k's to marathons to the running club at my YMCA. I talked and answered questions for 2 hours. It was a great experience that got me thinking about coaching a few years down the road. The problem I have with it is the charging of $. It felt right to volunteer my time and freely share my experiences with a group and I will be returning in the summer to run with them and have another Q and A session.
I feel qualified to coach runners but definitely not triathletes. One of the runners inquired about me coaching her in the next tri season. Completing an IM does not make one qualified to coach and I referred her elsewhere. I plan on getting involved coaching Team In Training Runners in a few years.

Most sheep skins only proves that you can absorb information long enough to regurgitate it later. When I look for people for a job position (oh by the way it has nothing to do with triathlon), I am more interested in how they apply their knowledge and understanding of the science on projects they have worked on in the past. Translated to coaching, I would be looking for someone with a portfolio of successful athletes under their guidance and to be even more impressed, I would like to see metrics on their performance before and after.

This is a great topic!

I have ran into some of these situations as well. I currently do not charge for my coaching. I started a tri club and have built it to about 35 members this year. I give my members advice and recommendations all the time. Even some members ask for specific workout structure, which I have the knowledge to help them out. Right now, most of my members are first time triathletes, so basic and simple structure and ideas can help them tremendously. If someone needed my help to get ready for an ironman, I would recommend someone else. I am not qualified in the longer distance events, so I am not going to b.s. someone. I will be honest and tell them where to get help.

I have hired a coach for my own training. Her name is Melissa Mantak. She is great! She has experience, both athletically and coaching. I think the certifications are a "technicality" as well. But it does show that you took the time to build your credentials. There is nothing better than experience. How many clients have you helped? How long have you been coaching? Those attributes are far more important than 3 certifications next to your name.

When it comes to charging people for your services, I would definitely look into the liability of the situation first. You must protect yourself. Secondly, I would get some clients who know that you are a "rookie" coach and wouldn't mind being one of your first athletes. Give them a great deal, maybe do it for free. Once you start building your resume, you can start pricing your services in a conservative manner. Don't over charge. But don't under charge. Coaching will take a lot of time and effort, so you need to let your clients know that they are paying for a high quality service. I would start working on a certification. Once you get "certified", you will be able to charge more.

Just to echo Ironmom, you must have enjoyment in helping others, energy to always motivate and inspire your clients, and you must be willing to change the structure of the workouts when needed. There is an art to coaching and a good coach can modify the program when needed. What works for someone, probably will not work for someone else.