HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

How to hire a martial arts instructor in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register lists martial arts instructors. Here is the vetting to ask for, what to ask about fees and grading, and the terms to agree.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a martial arts instructor in five steps

  1. Pick the art and the clubKarate, judo, taekwondo, jiu-jitsu or self-defence — and the age group. A martial arts instructor and club teach each differently.
  2. See the check before the first martial arts classEnhanced DBS, PVG or AccessNI depending on where you live. A parent cannot apply for it; a martial arts instructor can show it in a minute.
  3. Ask about their coachingThe award a martial arts instructor holds, who gave it, and the level of the people they coach now.
  4. Try one class before a blockA first martial arts class should end with a clear idea of where you are and what comes next. If it does not, try another martial arts instructor.
  5. Get the terms in a messageBefore you pay for a monthly membership: the monthly fee, licence and grading fees, and the notice to cancel the membership. A message on Locufy is enough.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to martial arts instructors in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the title is not protected, and sessions run at a club hall or a commercial academy. A coaching award is something to ask about and verify with the body that gave it.

Ask the martial arts instructor for the award and the body that gave it, and for two people or families they coach now.

Vetting for lessons with a child

Regulated activity in England and Wales starts when someone teaches or instructs a child on more than three days in a 30-day spell, or overnight; a martial arts instructor teaching at one or two classes a week passes that easily, so the enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list is the one to ask for. Since 1 September 2026, being supervised by someone else no longer takes a martial arts instructor out of that rule. Scotland's system is the PVG scheme — mygov.scot lists tutors and instructors engaged by a parent among the roles to check — and Northern Ireland's is an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list, which a self-employed martial arts instructor gets through an Umbrella Body.

Ask a martial arts instructor to show you the certificate before the first martial arts class, and write down its date — there is no official expiry. PVG proof in Scotland; the AccessNI certificate from their nidirect account in Northern Ireland. gov.uk →

Coaching qualification

No statutory register covers martial arts coaching; the evidence is the martial arts instructor's certificate and the body that issued it. Ask about the instructor's grade, the governing body the club belongs to, and their coaching award.

Ask which body awarded the martial arts instructor's qualification, and when, then check with that body.

Safety cover: first aid and insurance

HSE's first-aid rules (the 1981 Regulations) put no legal duty on a self-employed martial arts instructor to provide first aid for clients, though HSE strongly recommends planning for it. Public liability insurance pays if someone is hurt at a club hall or a commercial academy; it is a norm, not a legal requirement.

Ask the martial arts instructor for the insurer's name, the policy dates, and whether they hold a current first-aid certificate. hse.gov.uk →

VAT

Martial arts classes are standard-rated at 20%, membership and private lessons alike. A business over the £90,000 registration threshold must then charge VAT and show it as a separate line.

Ask the club for its VAT number if it is registered, and whether the monthly fee already includes the 20%. gov.uk →

“Is your criminal record check the enhanced one, with the children's barred list?”

A good answer: Yes, and dated. For martial arts classes with a child that is the level to see — PVG membership in Scotland, AccessNI in Northern Ireland.

“What does membership cost, and what is extra?”

A good answer: Monthly fee, annual licence, gradings and uniform, all listed.

“How often are martial arts gradings, and are they optional?”

A good answer: A clear schedule; gradings when ready, not every few weeks for a fee.

“How do you keep sparring safe for children?”

A good answer: Matched by size and grade, protective kit, and close supervision.

“Can parents watch a martial arts class?”

A good answer: Yes; a club that refuses all watching is a warning sign.

“Is there a free trial martial arts class?”

A good answer: Many clubs offer one; the instructor should welcome it.

“What is your notice period, both ways?”

A good answer: Notice periods that fit a monthly membership, written down, with the martial arts instructor's own cancellations made up.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends to teach the class — the martial arts instructor named, or a senior grade, employed or subcontracted
  • Price and length of each martial arts class, stated together
  • Anything you must buy for the martial arts classes, listed
  • The refund rule for a monthly membership
  • Licence, insurance and grading fees listed separately from the monthly fee
  • Written cancellation terms: martial arts classes booked for set dates usually fall outside the 14-day cancellation right (Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28)
  • The VAT number if the club is registered, with VAT on the monthly fee as a separate line

Walk away if

  • They brush off the DBS, PVG or AccessNI question for martial arts classes with your child
  • No insurance, or a martial arts instructor who cannot name the insurer
  • They offer injury treatment as a physiotherapist but are not on the HCPC Register
  • Long contracts signed on the first visit
  • Frequent paid gradings regardless of progress
  • A year of martial arts membership paid up front, with no written cancellation terms

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Martial arts instructors near you, with the badges that matter shown

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Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Warm-upMovement and stretching.
  2. BasicsStances, strikes, blocks or falls.
  3. Partner workDrills with a partner, controlled.
  4. Sparring or formsOnly at the right level and with kit.
  5. Cool-downStretching and the class bow or close.

Grading
An assessment to move up a belt.
Kata / forms
Set sequences of movements.
Sparring
Controlled practice fighting.
Licence
An annual membership with the club's governing body, often including insurance.
Dojo
The training hall.
Belt
The colour showing a student's grade.

AFTER

When the job is done

File what you were givenHold on to the membership terms and grading receipts; together with the agreed terms they settle most disagreements.
Test the progressAfter a few months, watch a class: technique, control and confidence should all show.
Know what is promisedNobody honest promises a black belt by a date. Hold the martial arts instructor to the martial arts classes agreed, taught with care.
Leave the reviewOnly booked martial arts classes can be reviewed on Locufy; if something went wrong, the make-it-right step sends it to the martial arts instructor first.

STEP 1Put it to the martial arts instructor in writingSet out the problem (a long contract signed on the first visit is a common one) and ask for a fix or a refund by a date. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask a martial arts instructor to repeat what fell short, or for part of the money back if that cannot be done.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyLeave under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the martial arts instructor first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers martial arts instructors, 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 martial arts instructor 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. Keep the membership terms and grading receipts as evidence.

Hiring a martial arts instructor: questions people ask

The law does not require it of every martial arts instructor. 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 the instructor's grade, coaching award and the club's governing body.

No UK publisher prices martial arts lessons per class, so there is no UK figure to quote. Ask two or three clubs for the monthly fee and extras in writing. The martial arts lessons price guide explains what drives it.

Yes, at 20%, if the martial arts club or instructor is VAT-registered: the classes are standard-rated. An instructor under the £90,000 threshold is not registered and charges none.

Many clubs take children from about five in short classes.

With matched partners, supervision and protective kit, it is a supervised sport; ask the club how it runs sparring.

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Martial arts instructors near you

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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. HSE — first aid FAQs (first aid for the public)
  6. HSE — get insurance for your business
  7. HCPC — check the Register
  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