HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

How to hire a dance teacher in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register lists dance teachers. Here is the vetting to ask for, what to ask, and the terms to agree.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a dance teacher in five steps

  1. Say which dance and what forStreet dance, contemporary, salsa, a first dance or fitness — and the dancer's age. A dance teacher plans each differently.
  2. Ask which check they holdA dance teacher 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. Check the teaching, not just the knowledgeA dance teacher should describe how a typical dance lesson runs and how they find out what a student is missing.
  4. Try one class before a blockA first dance lesson should end with a clear idea of where you are and what comes next. If it does not, try another dance teacher.
  5. Get the terms in a messageBefore you pay for a drop-in fee, a class pack or a term: the class pack expiry, show fees, and the notice to stop. A message on Locufy is enough.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

There is no register of dance teachers anywhere in the UK, and no qualification is needed to teach dance at a studio, a leisure centre or a community hall. Their own work and how long they have taught are the evidence; there is nothing official to search.

Ask the dance teacher what they hold, where they trained, and for two people they teach now.

Criminal record check for under-18s

For a dance teacher teaching your child at a weekly group class, the England and Wales rule is simple: more than three days of teaching in any 30, or one overnight, makes it regulated activity, and the right check is an enhanced DBS with the children's barred list. From 1 September 2026, supervision no longer removes a role from regulated activity, so a dance teacher working under another teacher still counts. Living in Scotland, ask for PVG scheme membership: mygov.scot includes tutors and instructors a parent engages for their child. In Northern Ireland, ask for an enhanced AccessNI check, which a dance teacher working alone obtains via an Umbrella Body.

Before the first dance lesson, see the certificate itself (a parent cannot apply for one on a self-employed dance teacher's behalf) and check the date; in Scotland, PVG proof; in Northern Ireland, the AccessNI certificate shared online. gov.uk →

Training, portfolio and insurance

Teaching dance needs no licence in any UK nation. A dance teaching qualification, dance training and years of teaching are what to ask about. HSE says a business with employees will probably need employers' liability insurance; ask a dance teacher working alone whether they hold public liability insurance.

Ask to see the dance teacher's own work and to know who insures them. hse.gov.uk →

The terms for a drop-in fee, a class pack or a term

Like any trader, a dance teacher owes you reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. For a leisure booking with a fixed date or period, regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 usually removes the 14-day cancellation right, so agree with a dance teacher in writing what happens if you have to drop out. Most arguments with dance teachers are about a class pack that expired before it was used.

Get the class pack expiry, show fees, and the notice to stop in writing — a Locufy message counts — before you pay for a drop-in fee, a class pack or a term. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Dance lessons are exempt only when a dance teacher working as a sole trader or partner gives them personally, dance being ordinarily taught in schools; a dance school company or its employed teachers are standard-rated. A business over the £90,000 registration threshold must then charge VAT and show it as a separate line.

Ask whether the dance teacher runs the class personally or a dance school company does, and for the VAT number if VAT is added. gov.uk →

“Will you show me your DBS, PVG or AccessNI certificate?”

A good answer: A straight yes. A dance teacher who works with children at a studio, a leisure centre or a community hall expects to be asked.

“Is the class right for a beginner?”

A good answer: A clear answer on level, and a dance teacher who adapts steps for newcomers.

“How do you warm up and avoid injury?”

A good answer: A proper warm-up and cool-down every class, and steps adjusted for any injury.

“Are there shows or exams, and what do they cost?”

A good answer: Dates and fees listed before you commit.

“Private lessons, a class pack or a term?”

A good answer: What each costs per class, and the expiry date on a pack.

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

A good answer: Clear written rules: what notice you give, and that a dance lesson a dance teacher cancels is rearranged or refunded.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends to teach the class — the dance teacher you met, or a cover teacher, employed or subcontracted
  • The price per class, and how long a dance lesson lasts
  • Studio hire, costumes and show fees shown separately
  • The refund rule for a drop-in fee, a class pack or a term
  • Any extra for where the dance lessons happen — at a studio, a leisure centre or a community hall
  • The VAT number if the dance school charges VAT, with VAT on the term or class pack as its own line

Walk away if

  • They brush off the DBS, PVG or AccessNI question for dance lessons with your child
  • The dance teacher cannot say in writing what the class includes until you arrive
  • Class packs that expire quickly with no written terms
  • A drop-in fee, a class pack or a term demanded up front, with no written refund terms
LOW
£11
TYPICAL
£35
HIGH
£40

What a dance teacher costs: £11–£40 per hour

Dance teachers charge per class, per class pack or by the term; private and wedding lessons cost more. Dance Lessons price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Dance teachers 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. Warm-upTen minutes of movement to raise the heart rate and loosen up.
  2. TechniqueSteps broken down slowly.
  3. ChoreographySteps joined into a routine to music.
  4. Cool-downStretching at the end.
  5. ProgressA show, a filmed routine or a new level every few months.

Class pack
Several classes bought at once, usually with an expiry date.
Choreography
A set routine to music.
Drop-in
A single class paid on the day.
Freestyle
Improvised dancing, common in street styles.
Showcase
A performance for families at the end of a term.
Warm-up
Exercises before dancing to prevent injury.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the paperworkHold on to the class pack terms and the receipts; together with the agreed terms they settle most disagreements.
Test the progressFilm a short routine after a few weeks and compare it with the first class.
The guarantee, honestlyNo dance teacher can promise a place in a dance company. What you are owed is the dance lessons agreed, prepared and on time.
Leave the reviewReview the dance teacher once the block ends; if it went wrong, the make-it-right step gives them the chance to fix it first.

STEP 1Write to the dance teacher firstName the dance lessons that fell short and the remedy you want; with dance teachers, it is often a class pack that expired before it was used. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives you the right to have teaching that fell short of reasonable care and skill done again, or to a price reduction.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyLeave under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the dance teacher first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers dance teachers, 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 dance teacher 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. The class pack terms and the receipts will be your evidence.

Hiring a dance teacher: questions people ask

The law does not require it of every dance teacher. What it does say is that a barred person must not work with children in regulated activity, which across England and Wales includes teaching a child on more than three days in 30 — so ask to see an enhanced DBS check, PVG membership in Scotland or an AccessNI check in Northern Ireland.

No UK nation licenses this work or keeps a register of it. Ask about dance teaching qualifications and how long they have taught the style.

£11–£40 an hour, with £35 typical for private teaching; drop-in group classes cost least. There is more detail in the dance lessons price guide, and the search above lists dance teachers in your area.

Usually not from a dance teacher working as a sole trader or partner: dance is taught in schools and that tuition is exempt. A dance school run as a company, or its employed teachers, is standard-rated, adding VAT once over £90,000.

A group class costs a fraction of a private lesson; private lessons suit a first dance or fast progress.

Comfortable clothes and the shoes the style needs; the dance teacher will say.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in lessons & tutoring

How to hire: Ballet LessonsHow to hire: Ballroom DancingHow to hire: Drama & Acting LessonsHow to hire: Singing LessonsHow to hire: Pilates LessonsHow to hire: Yoga LessonsHow to hire: Martial Arts LessonsHow to hire: Music TheoryAll 701 hiring guides →

Dance teachers near you

Dance teachers in LondonDance teachers in ManchesterDance teachers in BirminghamDance teachers in GlasgowDance teachers in BelfastAll dance teachers 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. Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30) — 6.1 The treatment of private tuition
  15. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  16. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register