HOW TO HIRE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL

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

No licence applies to interview coaches. Here is what to check, including for under-18s, and what a session should include.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an interview coach in five steps

  1. Send the job or course detailsThe description, person specification and interview format.
  2. Check the coach's experienceYour sector and level, or the course you are applying to.
  3. For under-18s, ask about vettingDBS, PVG or AccessNI, depending on the nation.
  4. Agree recordingsWhether mock interviews are recorded, who keeps them and for how long.
  5. Check the cancellation policyIn case the interview date moves.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to interview coaches in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Experience, references and clear terms are what to check.

Ask the interview coach for examples of similar coaching and a client reference.

Coaching a child: DBS in England and Wales

Under DBS guidance, coaching or instructing a child on more than three days in any 30, or overnight, counts as regulated activity, and a barred person must not do it.

For a child, ask to see the interview coach's enhanced DBS certificate and its date. gov.uk →

Scotland and Northern Ireland checks

In Scotland, a tutor or coach hired by a parent is a role for which PVG membership is expected; in Northern Ireland a self-employed coach can get an enhanced AccessNI check through an Umbrella Body.

Ask for proof of the check for your nation. mygov.scot →

Recordings are personal data

A recorded mock interview is personal data. Data protection rules, enforced by the ICO, require it to be kept secure and used only as agreed.

Agree whether sessions are recorded, where files are kept and when they are deleted. gov.uk →

VAT

Interview coaching is standard-rated, so a registered interview coach adds 20% to each session or package and to recorded mock interviews. Registration becomes compulsory once an interview coach has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the interview coach for the VAT number before the first session and for the package price and VAT shown separately. gov.uk →

“What interview coaching have you done in my sector?”

A good answer: Similar roles or courses, and outcomes the interview coach can describe honestly.

“What happens in a session?”

A good answer: Preparation, practice questions, answer structure and feedback.

“Are recorded mock interviews included?”

A good answer: Yes or no, with written feedback if included.

“For my child, do you hold the right criminal record check?”

A good answer: An enhanced DBS, PVG membership or AccessNI check, shown to you.

“How many sessions do you recommend?”

A good answer: One to three before an interview is common.

“What is the coaching cancellation policy?”

A good answer: Notice and charges, and what happens if the interview moves.

“Online or in person, and what does that change?”

A good answer: Any travel cost for in-person coaching.

Getting the quote right

  • Session length and price
  • Who actually attends the sessions: the interview coach you chose, or a subcontracted coach
  • Packages and what they include
  • Recorded mocks and written feedback
  • Travel for in-person sessions
  • Cancellation and rescheduling terms
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% on each session or package

Walk away if

  • Promises a job or place
  • Scripts answers for you to memorise word for word
  • No vetting for coaching a child
  • Recordings kept with no deletion plan
  • No cancellation terms
  • Generic questions with no link to your role
LOW
£99
TYPICAL
£150
HIGH
£175

What an interview coach costs: £99–£175 per session

Interview coaches usually charge per session, with lower prices for packages of several sessions. Interview Coach 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

Interview 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.

  1. PreparationThe job, organisation and interview format reviewed.
  2. Practice questionsCommon and role-specific questions practised.
  3. Answer structureExamples structured to show what you achieved.
  4. Mock interviewA realistic run-through, recorded if agreed.
  5. FeedbackHonest feedback on content, tone and confidence.

Mock interview
A practice interview under realistic conditions.
STAR method
Situation, Task, Action, Result: a way to structure answers.
Competency question
A question asking for an example of a skill.
MMI
Multiple mini interviews, used by many medical schools.
Panel interview
An interview with several interviewers.
Regulated activity
Work with children that a barred person must not do.

AFTER

When the job is done

Review the feedbackAnd practise the answers in your own words.
Delete recordingsAsk for files to be deleted once you no longer need them.
Tell the coach the outcomeIt helps them, and helps you prepare next time.
Review it on LocufyBooked work is the only kind reviewed on Locufy, which makes each review of the interview coach worth reading. Use the make-it-right step first if anything is unresolved.

STEP 1Write to the interview coach firstEmail the interview coach with the facts, the evidence and a date for a reply. Reasonable care and skill is a term the Consumer Rights Act 2015 reads into every service a trader sells you, and a shortfall entitles you to have it redone or pay less.
STEP 2Let Locufy follow it upRate the job under four stars and you can send it to the interview coach through the make-it-right step. We keep track of it, then you post the review.
STEP 3Get consumer adviceNo regulator oversees interview coaches. If the interview coach will not respond, Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline 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 4The small claims routeWhen the interview coach has had a fair chance and nothing has changed, small claims is built for you to use yourself: £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland under simple procedure, £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring an interview coach: questions people ask

UK law sets no licence, register or qualification for it.

If they teach or coach your child often enough to be regulated activity, ask for an enhanced DBS check in England and Wales, PVG in Scotland or AccessNI in Northern Ireland.

Only if agreed; recordings are personal data and should be deleted when no longer needed.

Between £99 and £175 per session, most often near £150. Session length, seniority of the role, specialist sectors and recorded mocks set the price. For the reasons behind the range, read the interview coach price guide; for local interview coaches, enter your town above.

Many people book one to three before an interview.

Usually 60 to 90 minutes.

MORE GUIDES

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Interview coaches near you

Interview coaches in LondonInterview coaches in ManchesterInterview coaches in BirminghamInterview coaches in GlasgowInterview coaches in BelfastAll interview coaches on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk (DBS) — regulated activity with children
  2. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  3. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  4. gov.uk — data protection and your business
  5. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  6. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  7. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  8. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  9. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register