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A written coaching agreement is an essential document for coaches. It sets clear expectations, outlines the terms of coaching, and ensures that both the coach and the client are on the same page from the beginning of their work together. Writing a clear coaching agreement protects both the coach and the client.
In this article, we will share with you what you should include in your written coaching agreement, from defining coaching and outlining ethical guidelines, to specifying fees, session logistics, and cancellation policy. Make sure to check your coaching agreement against the information we have in this article to create an agreement that will support your practice and improve transparency and trust with your clients.
1. Description of coaching: start by describing what coaching is in your own words. What is the process of coaching like? What are the sessions going to be about?
2. Coaching ethics: if you follow the ICF Code of Ethics, you can mention it and add the link so clients can read about it they wish. Make sure you mention confidentiality.
3. Role and responsibilities of coach and client: describe the role of the coach and the client, and what each is responsible for. It is important for the client to know that they will need to work towards their goals between sessions if they wish to make the most of coaching.
4. Fee & logistics: you need to list the fee structure (hourly, package, number of hours the client agrees to), the frequency of sessions and how the sessions will take place (videocall, phone, in person, etc.). If the client gets a bundle of sessions, make sure to mention how long the client has to use these sessions (6 months, 12 months, etc.).
5. Late cancellation & no show policy: this is very important to have this policy in writing. The common practice is that if a client cancels or wishes to reschedule a session within 24 hours of the session time, the session’s fee is due. This is to compensate the time you had booked for the client and that will not be able to be booked for another client. You can use this policy with discretion and show flexibility to your clients, but you still need to have it in your coaching agreement to be able to enforce it should you need it.
6. Record retention: this is important because you need written approval from your clients that you can keep track of their information in your coaching log.
7. Name & signature of coach and client: make space for the client to add their name and sign the document, and sign it yourself.
We advise you to refer to your other policies in your coaching agreement, including your refund policy, privacy policy and terms and conditions. The goal is to keep your coaching agreement as concise and clear as possible, and avoid having several pages of legal terms that may scare your potential clients.
If you don’t have these documents published on your website, we strongly recommend you work on them straight away as in some cases (privacy policy and terms & conditions) they are often legal requirements for your website to have.
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