What are the different levels in NLP?

If you are asking this question, “What are the different levels in NLP?”  it is very likely that you are looking for an NLP course in India and for an NLP trainer in India to help you venture into your NLP journey. As someone who is new to NLP, you are likely to be confused with all the information that you come across online. One of the first and the best ways to clear these doubts is by understanding the NLP framework. So, what are the different levels in NLP?

The globally/internationally accepted NLP training/certifying levels are:

• NLP Practitioner
• NLP Master Practitioner
• NLP Trainer and
• NLP Master Trainer

Besides the above, you are also likely to come across NLP Foundation Course, Introduction to NLP. Some people call this as Diploma in NLP.

There are certain prerequisites for each level:

NLP Foundation Course / Introduction to NLP / Diploma in NLP – This is the first step for many people who start their journey in NLP. However, you need not have to complete NLP Foundation Course to move to the next level, which is NLP Practitioner Certification.

NLP Practitioner Certification in India – Many people start directly with NLP Practitioner certification. Here you just need to be open to this new framework and show interest in exploring the unexplored territory and allow self-search. There is no qualifying requirement for signing up for an NLP Practitioner Certification course in India or elsewhere. Just about anyone with interest in NLP could signup for the NLP Practitioner Course. An NLP Master Practitioner cannot certify you as a NLP Practitioner. Only a certified NLP trainer can  run the NLP practitioner certification course and certify you. A master practitioner may assist a trainer during the program but an NLP Master Practitioner cannot certify you. Certification given by an NLP Master practitioner cannot be a valid certificate. It is always best to understand the hierarchy and the certifying structure in the industry before you signup for your NLP Practitioner Certification program in India.

NLP Master Practitioner Certification in India – To reach this level, one should have successfully completed NLP Practitioner course delivered and certified by a certified NLP Trainer. The qualifying criteria here is valid completion of NLP Practitioner Level Certification. The same applies to NLP Master Practitioner course and certification. An NLP Master Practitioner cannot certify another Master Practitioner. An NLP Master Practitioner cannot certify you as a NLP Master Practitioner. Only a certified NLP trainer can  run the NLP Master practitioner certification course and certify you. A master practitioner may assist a trainer during the program but an NLP Master Practitioner cannot certify you. Certification given by an NLP Master practitioner cannot be a valid certificate. It is always best to understand the hierarchy and the certifying structure in the industry before you signup for your NLP Master Practitioner course in India.

NLP Trainer Training Certification in India – The qualifying condition here is successful completion of NLP Master Practitioner course. NLP Trainer Training program and certification should be done by an NLP Master Trainer. An NLP Trainer cannot certify another NLP Trainer. Only an NLP Master Trainer can validly certify an NLP Trainer. When you are signing up for your NLP Trainer Training certification program in India, you should pay attention to these details for you to be a legitimately valid trainer.

NLP Master Trainer Certification in India – To become an NLP Master Trainer one should have successfully completed NLP Trainer Training certification course. Two NLP Master Trainers are required to certify another Master Trainer. Just a single master trainer cannot certify another master trainer. The Master Trainer level is achieved not just by attending a course but also by contributing to the field of NLP along with the certification by two NLP Master Trainers.

Few factors to remember:

• Initially, it may look as if there is no structure and the NLP industry will appear to be a very unregulated industry. In fact it is not…there is lot of structure and it is very much regulated if you are patient enough to dig deeper. I was in the same place where you are now and I allowed myself the journey and found these structures.

• Some people will try to play it on the experience and say that these structures are not required and say an NLP Master Practitioner can certify an NLP Practitioner or another Master Practitioner and so on. This will only pave way to further chaos. If you are really passionate about NLP and want to reach higher levels, then it is best to stick to the above structure because adhering to the above structure of certification is the safest approach and cannot possibly do any damage to you.

• Of course there is a ‘premiumness’ to the NLP courses in India and the related NLP certification programs in India. When you are putting out your hard earned money, you certainly want your certification to be valid. Could you possibly lose anything by sticking to the above hierarchy? No! Nothing at all! Could there be any damage or risk in not following the above certification structure? Yes! There could be! At one stage if you want to pursue your NLP Journey further, you should not find yourself repeating your NLP Practitioner or NLP Master Practitioner or NLP Trainer program to get a valid certification to move to the next level.

• Having said all these, I would like to emphasize here that what kind of an NLP Practitioner/ Master Practitioner/ Trainer/ Master Trainer you are and you will be is certainly not decided by a piece of paper but by the quality of the experience you give people. Therefore it is important to take a holistic approach. Both valid certification and strong value system are important. Go for it! NLP can change your world…it did change mine and the people that I am coming into contact with…