Coaching contract for qualification practice clients: what to record
If you coach practice clients as part of a coaching qualification, record a short contracting conversation with each one: the purpose, how many sessions, what stays private, who else (such as an assessor or tutor) may see your notes or recordings, and how to withdraw. Your awarding body's assessment brief sets what evidence it wants, so check that first.
Why practice clients still need contracting
A practice client is still a real person sharing real information, and you are still the one responsible for how you handle it. Most coaching qualifications ask learners to coach people outside the course and to evidence that they contracted properly. A short written record protects the client and gives you something to show an assessor.
We have not checked what any particular awarding body requires, and that includes the bodies behind the CMI, ILM and ICF-linked courses people often search for. Open your own assessment brief and course handbook for what evidence they ask for, then build your record around it.
What to cover in the contracting conversation
Keep it simple and have the conversation before the first session. Then write the key points down and ask the practice client to sign.
- What the coaching is. Practice coaching under training, not a paid professional service, and not therapy or counselling.
- How it will run. Number of sessions, length, format, dates and how to reschedule.
- Confidentiality. What you will keep private, and the limits to that, such as a safety concern.
- Who else may see anything. Your tutor, supervisor, assessor or learning group, and exactly what they may see.
- Recordings and notes. Whether you will record sessions or keep notes for assessment, where they are stored and when they are destroyed.
- Freedom to stop. The client can end the sessions or withdraw their material at any time without giving a reason.
Telling the client about assessors and tutors
If anyone else will see your notes, a transcript or a recording, tell the practice client before the first session. The ICO's guidance on data sharing says you must tell individuals what you propose to do with their personal data in a way that is accessible and easy to understand.
Keep any agreement to that sharing separate from the agreement to be coached. The ICO says consent should not be bundled up as a condition of service unless it is necessary, so a client who is happy to be coached but unhappy about a recording should still be able to take part where your course allows it.
Keeping the evidence safely
Practice evidence tends to sit in cloud folders and on phones for years. The ICO says the UK GDPR does not set specific time limits for different types of data: you decide, based on how long you need it for your purpose, and you should be able to justify it. Write down when you will delete your practice client material, usually after the qualification is awarded and any appeal window has closed.
Do not put names on assessor copies unless your course requires it. Use first names or initials, and keep the signed contracting record separate from the session material.
Moving from practice clients to paying clients
Once you start charging, your paperwork needs more: fees, cancellation and refund terms, and a full privacy notice. See what to put in a coaching agreement for the next step.
What a practice client contracting record should capture
A preview of our free Practice Client Contracting Record. The complete, print-ready version is sent to you by email.
Who is involved
- Practice client name
- Learner coach name
- + 3 more in the full form
The coaching arrangement
- Number and length of sessions
- Format of sessionsIn person · Video call · Phone
- + 3 more in the full form
Confidentiality and who may see what
- What the coach will keep private, and the limits to that, have been explainedYes / No
- Will a tutor, supervisor or assessor see your session notes or reflections?Yes / NoIf yes, say who and exactly what they will see
- + 4 more in the full form
Your choices
- I can stop the coaching or withdraw my material at any time without giving a reasonYes / No
- I understand my coach is still learning and cannot promise any particular result from practice coachingYes / No
- + 1 more in the full form
The full form has 19 questions in 4 sections, a signed declaration and space for your business details. Get it free below.
Free template
Get the print-ready Practice Client Contracting Record
A print-ready record of the contracting conversation with a coaching practice client, with space for assessor access and recordings. Free, and yours to adapt.
Frequently asked questions
Do practice clients need to sign a coaching contract?
No general UK law requires it that we know of, but most qualifications expect learners to evidence contracting. Check your own assessment brief, and use a short signed record either way.
What does the CMI or another awarding body require for the contract?
We have not checked, and requirements differ between qualifications and change over time. Use your own assessment brief and course handbook as the authority, and ask your tutor if anything is unclear.
Can I share a practice client's notes with my assessor?
Only if you have told the client first, and they have agreed. The ICO says you must tell people what you propose to do with their data in an accessible, easy to understand way, so spell out who will see what.
How long should I keep practice client records?
The UK GDPR sets no fixed period. Choose a period you can justify, such as until after the qualification is awarded, write it down and tell the client.
Sources
- Data sharing code of practice: fairness and transparency in data sharing, Information Commissioner's Office
- What is valid consent?, Information Commissioner's Office
- Storage limitation, Information Commissioner's Office
Every agreement your coaching practice needs
Starter (£29) covers the coaching agreement, cancellation and refund policy, GDPR and confidentiality and online coaching addendum. Pro (£49) adds group, corporate and intake documents. One payment, no auto-renewal.
See the packs, from £29 →These articles are general guidance for UK coaches, not legal advice. Our documents are editable templates: adapt them to your own practice, your insurer's terms and, where it matters, take advice from a solicitor. Coaching is not therapy or counselling.