HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

How to hire a chess coach in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register lists chess coaches. Here is the vetting to ask for, what to ask about strength and method, and the terms to agree.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a chess coach in five steps

  1. Say the level and the goalA beginner, a club junior, a rating target or tournament preparation. A chess coach plans each differently.
  2. Ask which check they holdA chess coach should name it: an enhanced DBS check in England and Wales, PVG membership in Scotland or an AccessNI check in Northern Ireland — and show the date.
  3. Ask what they have taught, and to whomWhich levels, how many chess students now, and what those students went on to do. Knowing chess is not the same as teaching it.
  4. Try one class before a blockA first chess lesson should end with a clear idea of where you are and what comes next. If it does not, try another chess coach.
  5. Write down the termsThe block, the notice to stop, and tournament fees on top, agreed in writing with the chess coach.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

None of the four UK nations licenses or registers chess coaches; anyone may run chess classes online on a shared board, or at a club or school. Training, a portfolio and teaching experience are things you ask about, not things on a register.

Ask for the qualification and where it was gained, plus a reference from a current learner.

Criminal record check for a young learner

In England and Wales, teaching or instructing a child on more than three days in any 30, or once overnight, is regulated activity — so a chess coach seeing your child for an hour weekly or fortnightly should hold an enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list. The definition changed on 1 September 2026: a chess coach who is supervised is now inside regulated activity too. Scotland uses PVG scheme membership, and mygov.scot names tutors and instructors a parent engages for a child as a role to ask about; in Northern Ireland, a self-employed chess coach gets an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list through an Umbrella Body.

You cannot apply on a chess coach's behalf. Ask to see their own certificate and read its issue date — it has no official expiry — or PVG proof in Scotland, or an AccessNI certificate shared from their nidirect account. gov.uk →

What the chess coach can show you

No qualification is required to teach chess, and no register lists who does. A title or rating shows playing strength; years of coaching juniors shows teaching. Ask about public liability insurance — not a legal requirement for a sole trader, though HSE says anyone employing staff will probably need employers' liability insurance.

Ask a chess coach how long they have taught and who their insurer is. hse.gov.uk →

The terms for a block of lessons

Paying for a block of lessons makes it a consumer contract: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says a chess coach must use reasonable care and skill. Classes and lessons for a leisure activity booked for a set date or period usually fall outside the 14-day cancellation right — regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 — so the written terms decide what you can cancel and when. Most arguments with chess coaches are about a block sold with a promised rating gain.

Get the block, the notice to stop, and tournament fees on top in writing — a Locufy message counts — before you pay for a block of lessons. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Chess coaching is standard-rated at 20% when the chess coach is VAT-registered; it does not fall under the private tuition exemption. A coach working alone under the £90,000 registration threshold charges no VAT and has no VAT number to give.

Ask the chess coach whether they are registered; a coach under £90,000 a year adds no VAT, and a registered one adds 20%. gov.uk →

“Before the first chess lesson, can I see your criminal record certificate and its date?”

A good answer: "Yes — here it is." A chess coach teaching your child for an hour weekly or fortnightly should hold the enhanced check for your nation and show it without fuss.

“What is your rating, and how long have you coached?”

A good answer: A rating you can look up, and years of coaching players at your level.

“How do you teach a junior?”

A good answer: Short puzzles, games and analysis — not long lectures.

“Will you analyse my games?”

A good answer: Yes, games the student played, with mistakes explained.

“Do you run school chess clubs?”

A good answer: If so, how many children per coach.

“If my child is ill, or you are, what happens to that chess lesson?”

A good answer: Something specific — for example 24 or 48 hours' notice — and the same rule applied to the chess coach's own cancellations.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, and whether evening or weekend lessons, or a titled coach, cost more
  • The minimum booking — one hour is usual — and what happens if a lesson ends early
  • What each side brings: a board and clock or an online board account, the coach's training positions and software
  • The work agreed before the first hour: openings, endgames, analysing your games, a tournament
  • ID checked and the rating, and vetting for a child

Walk away if

  • No criminal record certificate for regular chess lessons with your child, or "it isn't needed for chess"
  • The chess coach cannot say in writing what the class includes until you arrive
  • Promised rating gains in a set number of lessons
  • A large upfront payment beyond a block of lessons, with nothing in writing

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Chess coaches near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. AssessA game or puzzles to find the level.
  2. PlanOpenings, tactics, endgames — in the order the player needs.
  3. Each lessonA topic, puzzles and a played game.
  4. HomeworkPuzzles and a game to analyse.
  5. ReviewRating or results checked over a term.

Rating
A number measuring playing strength.
Opening
The first moves of a game.
Endgame
The last phase, with few pieces left.
Tactics
Short sequences that win material.
Congress
A weekend chess tournament.
Analysis
Going through a game to find mistakes.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the recordsHold on to the analysed games and the invoices; together with the agreed terms they settle most disagreements.
Test the progressPlay through a recent game together after a few weeks; fewer blunders and better plans should show.
The guarantee, honestlyNo chess coach can promise a rating gain by a date. What you are owed is the chess lessons agreed, prepared and on time.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked chess lessons. A problem goes to the chess coach first through the make-it-right step.

STEP 1Tell the chess coach, in writingSet out the problem (a block sold with a promised rating gain is a common one) and ask for a fix or a refund by a date. Ask for the remedy the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives — the chess lessons again, or money back for what fell short.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyLeave under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the chess coach first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers chess coaches, so a consumer complaint goes to Trading Standards through your nation's helpline: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeSmall claims handle a dispute with a chess coach without a solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales (small claims track), £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland. Bring the analysed games and the invoices to the claim.

Hiring a chess coach: questions people ask

No law makes every chess coach hold one. But teaching a child for an hour weekly or fortnightly becomes regulated activity in England and Wales once it passes three days in 30, and a barred person must not do it — so ask for the enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list, PVG membership in Scotland, or an enhanced AccessNI check in Northern Ireland.

No UK nation licenses this work or keeps a register of it. Ask for their rating and years of coaching at your level.

No UK publisher sets out chess coaching prices, so there is no UK figure yet. Ask each chess coach for the rate per hour, the minimum booking, and the openings or endgames you will cover, so the hours buy the same work. The chess coaching price guide explains what drives it.

Yes, at 20%, if the chess coach is VAT-registered: chess coaching is standard-rated, not exempt tuition. A coach under the £90,000 threshold is not registered and adds nothing.

Online works very well for chess, with a shared board.

Many start around five or six with simple games and puzzles.

MORE GUIDES

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Chess coaches near you

Chess coaches in LondonChess coaches in ManchesterChess coaches in BirminghamChess coaches in GlasgowChess coaches in BelfastAll chess coaches on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk (DBS) — regulated activity with children
  2. gov.uk — change to the definition of regulated activity with children from 1 September 2026
  3. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  4. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  5. gov.uk — Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30)
  6. gov.uk — VAT registration thresholds
  7. HSE — get insurance for your business
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts excluded from cancellation
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  11. Citizens Advice — deciding whether to make a small claim (England and Wales)
  12. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — guide to simple procedure
  13. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  14. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  15. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register