HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

How to hire an acting coach in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register lists acting coaches. Here is the vetting to ask for, what to ask about auditions and exams, and the terms to agree.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an acting coach in five steps

  1. Say what the acting is forDrama school auditions, a LAMDA-style grade exam, a self-tape, confidence, or trying acting as an adult. An acting coach plans each differently.
  2. See the check before the first acting lessonEnhanced DBS, PVG or AccessNI depending on where you live. A parent cannot apply for it; an acting coach can show it in a minute.
  3. Ask about recent studentsHow many learners at your level an acting coach teaches this year, and what changed for them.
  4. Try one class before a blockA first acting lesson should end with a clear idea of where you are and what comes next. If it does not, try another acting coach.
  5. Write down the termsThe number of audition sessions, exam fees, and the notice to stop, agreed in writing with the acting coach.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

None of the four UK nations licenses or registers acting coaches; no qualification is needed to teach acting at the coach's studio, at home or online. Their own work and how long they have taught are the evidence; there is nothing official to search.

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

The check for teaching your child

An acting coach who works with your child for an hour a week, or in a burst before auditions is in regulated activity in England and Wales once it passes three days in any 30 (or any overnight session), and should hold an enhanced DBS check that includes the children's barred list. Supervision used to take some roles outside the rule; since 1 September 2026 it does not, whoever an acting coach works alongside. In Scotland the equivalent is membership of the PVG scheme, which mygov.scot says to expect for tutors or instructors a parent hires for a child. In Northern Ireland, an acting coach working for themselves applies for an enhanced AccessNI check through an Umbrella Body.

Parents cannot request the check themselves: an acting coach applies and shows you the certificate. Note the date on it; in Scotland ask for proof of current PVG membership, in Northern Ireland the shared AccessNI certificate. gov.uk →

Training, portfolio and insurance

Teaching acting needs no licence in any UK nation. Drama school training, professional acting work and years of coaching are what to ask about. HSE says a business with employees will probably need employers' liability insurance; ask an acting coach working alone whether they hold public liability insurance.

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

Written terms for a block of lessons before auditions

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires an acting coach who trades to provide the teaching with reasonable care and skill. Do not count on 14 days to cancel: regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 usually excludes leisure services booked for a specific date or period, which covers most acting lessons, so the cancellation terms an acting coach gives you in writing are what count. Most arguments with acting coaches are about audition coaching sold with promises of an agent.

Before paying for a block of lessons before auditions, ask an acting coach to set out the number of audition sessions, exam fees, and the notice to stop in a message. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Acting lessons are exempt from VAT when an acting coach teaches personally as a sole trader or partner, drama being ordinarily taught in schools and universities; coaching sold by a drama school company or its employees is standard-rated. On top of that, an individual whose taxable sales stay under £90,000 a year is not registered, charges no VAT and has no VAT number to give.

Ask whether you pay the acting coach in person or a drama school business; an individual under £90,000 adds no VAT. gov.uk →

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

A good answer: A straight yes. An acting coach who works with children at the coach's studio, at home or online expects to be asked.

“Have you coached students into drama schools recently?”

A good answer: Named courses and recent students, if auditions are the goal.

“How do you choose audition speeches?”

A good answer: Pieces that suit the actor's age and range, chosen together.

“Can you help with self-tapes?”

A good answer: Framing, sound and performance for camera, with the tape the actor's own.

“How do you work with a nervous child?”

A good answer: Games, short scenes and praise for effort before any performance.

“What is your notice period, both ways?”

A good answer: A notice period both ways, written down, and any acting lesson the acting coach cancels made up or refunded.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, and any extra for evenings or weekend audition coaching
  • The minimum booking — one hour, or a two-hour audition session — and whether an early finish is charged in full
  • What you bring (the audition pieces, the script, the panel's brief) and what the acting coach provides, such as a room or a reader
  • The goal agreed before the first hour: a drama school audition, a LAMDA grade, a self-tape or confidence
  • ID checked and the rating, and vetting for a learner under 18

Walk away if

  • No criminal record certificate for regular acting lessons with your child, or "it isn't needed for acting"
  • The acting coach cannot say in writing what the class includes until you arrive
  • Promised agent signings or roles in return for fees
  • A block of lessons before auditions demanded up front, with no written refund terms
LOW
£45
TYPICAL
£50
HIGH
£60

What an acting coach costs: £45–£60 per hour

Acting coaches charge by the hour; shared school lessons cost less, and audition coaching more. Drama & Acting 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

Acting 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. Warm-upVoice and body warm-up.
  2. Text workReading, meaning and choices for the speech or scene.
  3. On its feetRehearsing with movement and direction.
  4. FeedbackSpecific notes the actor can use next time.
  5. PerformanceAn exam, an audition, a self-tape or a show.

Monologue
A speech for one actor, used in auditions.
Self-tape
A recorded audition sent to a casting director.
Graded drama exam
A performance exam at set levels.
Sight-reading
Reading a script aloud without preparation.
Showreel
A short video of an actor's work.
Drama school audition
The entry process for acting courses.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the recordsThe invoices and recordings of the speeches are your record if anything goes wrong.
Test the progressRecord a speech at the start and again after half a term; clarity, stillness and confidence should show.
The guarantee, honestlyA drama school place is not something anyone can guarantee; the agreed acting lessons, well taught, is.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked acting lessons. A problem goes to the acting coach first through the make-it-right step.

STEP 1Tell the acting coach, in writingName the acting lessons that fell short and the remedy you want; with acting coaches, it is often audition coaching sold with promises of an agent. If the acting lessons were not given with reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you ask for them again or for 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 acting coach first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers acting 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 an acting 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 invoices and recordings of the speeches to the claim.

Hiring an acting coach: questions people ask

Not by default. Regular teaching of a child is regulated activity in England and Wales, though, so the enhanced DBS check with the barred list is the one to see; Scotland uses PVG membership and Northern Ireland an enhanced AccessNI check.

The law in all four nations is silent on who may teach acting. Drama school training, professional work and coaching record are what to ask about.

£45–£60 an hour, with £50 typical; home visits and drama school audition coaching cost most. See the drama and acting lessons price guide for the full range; type your town above for real acting coaches nearby.

Not from an acting coach working alone or in a partnership: drama is taught in schools, so the tuition is exempt. A drama school run as a company, or coaches it employs, is standard-rated, and adds VAT once over £90,000.

No. Be wary of anyone who sells lessons as a route to an agent.

Often a term of weekly lessons to choose and prepare speeches.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in lessons & tutoring

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Acting coaches near you

Acting coaches in LondonActing coaches in ManchesterActing coaches in BirminghamActing coaches in GlasgowActing coaches in BelfastAll acting 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. 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