Coach Contract

What is a coaching contract?

A coach contract is a legally binding document between a coach and a client that outlines the terms and expectations of their professional relationship. It is a fundamental document that defines the following important aspects of the provision of coaching services:

• parties involved;
• details about coaching sessions (i.e., number of sessions, their duration);
• responsibilities of the coach;
• cancellation and refund policy;
• when and how the coach should be paid; and
• termination clause.

Coaching contracts represent a special type of services agreement. Under a general service contract, a service provider renders certain types of services to the client in exchange for remuneration.

Under a coaching contract there are two primary parties—the coach and the client. The client is a person that orders a certain type of coaching service. The coach is a professional entity or individual that is ready to provide requested services.

The present template could be customized for various types of coaching contracts, including:

• Life coaching agreements: practices that focus on personal growth, goal setting, and mindset;
• Leadership coaching agreements: practices designed to define clear career goals and paths;
• Wellness or health coaching agreements: targets physical well-being, nutrition, and lifestyle changes.

How to draft a coaching contract template?

Creating a clear and legally sound coaching contract template is a challenging task. It is vital to clearly outline responsibilities, expectations, and rights for both parties to avoid conflicts along the road.

Details of the Parties

Both parties to the contract should be clearly identified. The coaching contract agreement should include their full legal names, addresses, and contact information.

The full contact information is specifically important for this type of services contract because of its delicate nature. As coaching relationships are mostly built on trust, the parties should be able to maintain sufficient contact and be available for each other.

If the coach is a legal entity, in that case a coach contract should contain the full name of the person or persons that will provide coaching services.

As coaching practices are not licensed on a federal level, the coach does not need to possess any specific license or permit to enter a coaching contract. However, it is always a good business practice to ask about the coach’s qualification and professional skill prior to signing any agreement. Most of the coaches within the USA have various professional certificates or diplomas proving their skills.

Scope of Services

A good sample coaching agreement should precisely define the scope of coaching services. The best way to do that is to set up, first, objectives or goals a client wishes to achieve. Based on those goals, the exact topics or areas of services could be identified easier.

It is also vital to define how exactly the services should be delivered. For instance, for a life coaching agreement template, a personal session might be essential. Therefore, parties may agree to have coaching sessions at a specific location. It is also possible to deliver services online via Zoom calls or Google Meet.

The coaching contract has to outline the following details about the coaching sessions:

• number of sessions;
• duration of one session;
• frequency or schedule of sessions.

Coach Obligations

All coaching contracts define the list of obligations for the coach. The list of obligations may vary from contract to contract. However, the responsibilities listed below are common for various types of contracts:

• Duty of confidentiality (the coach cannot disclose any private or sensitive information about the client during the contract period and for some period after the contract’s expiration);
• No medical or legal advice (the coach should not provide any solicited or unsolicited medical or legal advice to their clients at any time);
• Code of conduct (the coach has to follow standards of professionalism and ethics applicable in their industry);
• Conflict of interest.

Cancellation and Refund Policy

It is a good practice to include in a sample coaching agreement a cancellation and refund policy.

When it comes to the refund policy, the contract may either prohibit or allow a full refund. Provided the refund is allowed, the parties have to decide the list of specific circumstances in which such a refund is possible. For instance:

• low quality of services provided;
• inability to get in touch with the coach;
• no replacement for cancelled sessions, etc.

Both parties usually have a right for cancellation. If cancellation takes place before a certain number of days or hours before a session, a coaching session could be rescheduled without penalty. For instance, a coaching contract template may provide a 48-hour ‘prior writing notice. If a client fails to inform about the cancellation within the agreed notice period, a penalty fee in the amount of 100% of the price of one session could apply.

Payment Provisions

A coach contract should specify exact payment provisions, including:

• type of fees applied (e.g., a fixed fee, per-session fee, or monthly subscription);
• payment schedule (e.g., paid after each session, full sum at the beginning of the contract); and
• accepted payment method (e.g., PayPal, bank withdrawal).

If a client fails to pay the agreed amount of fees on time, the Coach has the right to suspend provision of services or terminate the agreement.

Termination Clause

A coaching contract naturally ends upon provision of all agreed services to the client. At the same time, a coaching agreement template may provide an earlier termination for both parties. Either party is free to end the contract without a reason provided a prior written notice is sent to the other party. A notice period can vary from a few days to a few weeks, depending on the parties’ arrangement.

A coaching contract automatically terminates upon occurrence of the following events:

• inability of the coach to deliver services (e.g., due to the conflict of interest);
• death or health issues of either party;
• business closure, etc.

How to customize a coaching contract template at Faster Draft?

In order to get your personalized legal document template follow a few easy steps below:

1. Click the button “Create Document.”
2. Answer simple questions.
3. Select a document’s type – Coaching contract PDF or Word.
4. Make a payment.
5. Download your customized legal document.