HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

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

No register lists public speaking coaches. Here is what to ask, how to handle recordings, and the terms to agree.

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

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a public speaking coach in five steps

  1. Say what the speech is forA best man's speech, a conference talk, an interview presentation or a pitch. A public speaking coach plans each differently.
  2. Ask what they have taughtWho, at what level, and for how long. A public speaking coach with recent students like you can say so in a sentence.
  3. Ask for a referenceOne or two people who learned with a public speaking coach recently and will answer a message.
  4. Book a single session firstJudge a public speaking coach on one coaching session before paying for a coaching package.
  5. Write down the termsThe number of sessions, travel to a venue, and who keeps the recordings, agreed in writing with the public speaking coach.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to public speaking coaches in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and anyone may run public speaking classes online, at the coach's studio or at your venue. 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.

Experience and insurance

No qualification is required to teach public speaking, and no register lists who does. Acting, voice or business communication background, and years of coaching, are what to ask about. 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 to see the public speaking coach's own work and to know who insures them. hse.gov.uk →

Written terms for a coaching package

Paying for a coaching package makes it a consumer contract: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says a public speaking coach must use reasonable care and skill. Booked online or agreed at your home, coaching sessions carry 14 days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013; if you asked for teaching to start inside those 14 days, you pay for what was given. The usual dispute is a package that ran out before the rehearsal.

Get the number of sessions, travel to a venue, and who keeps the recordings in writing — a Locufy message counts — before you pay for a coaching package. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Public speaking coaching is standard-rated at 20% when the coach is VAT-registered; the private tuition exemption does not cover it. An individual coach under the £90,000 registration threshold does not charge VAT and has no VAT number to give.

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

“What is your background as a public speaking coach?”

A good answer: Acting, voice work or business — and clients like you.

“Will you film my practice, and who keeps the video?”

A good answer: Filming helps; you should keep the files, and the coach should delete theirs.

“Will you write my speech?”

A good answer: Help with structure and feedback; the words should be yours.

“How many sessions before the event?”

A good answer: An honest estimate from your starting point.

“Can the public speaking coach come to the venue?”

A good answer: Sometimes, for a run-through in the room; travel shown separately.

“What is your notice period, both ways?”

A good answer: Clear written rules: what notice you give, and that a coaching session a public speaking coach cancels is rearranged or refunded.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour or per session, and whether evening or weekend coaching costs more
  • The minimum booking — often a two-hour session — and whether a session that ends early is charged in full
  • What each side brings: your speech or slides and the event brief; the coach's camera for playback and a room
  • The goal agreed before the first hour: a wedding speech, a pitch, a conference talk, nerves
  • ID checked and the rating

Walk away if

  • The public speaking coach cannot say in writing what the class includes until you arrive
  • They keep and reuse recordings of your practice without asking
  • Guaranteed results, such as winning a pitch
  • A public speaking coach who wants to write the whole speech for you
  • A large coaching package paid up front, with no written refund terms

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Public speaking 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. GoalThe event, the audience and the time limit.
  2. StructureA clear opening, middle and close.
  3. DeliveryVoice, pace, pauses and body language practised.
  4. RehearsalRun-throughs, filmed if you agree.
  5. Final notesA short list for the day.

Delivery
How a speech is spoken — pace, voice, pauses.
Projection
Speaking so the room can hear without shouting.
Structure
The order of the speech.
Run-through
A full practice of the speech.
Cue cards
Small cards with prompts.
Q&A
Questions from the audience after a talk.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the paperworkThe package terms and your rehearsal videos are your record if anything goes wrong.
Test the progressFilm a run-through after the sessions and compare it with the first: pace, eye contact and pauses should all have moved.
Know what is promisedNo public speaking coach can promise winning the pitch. What you are owed is the coaching sessions agreed, prepared and on time.
Leave the reviewOnly booked coaching sessions can be reviewed on Locufy; if something went wrong, the make-it-right step sends it to the public speaking coach first.

STEP 1Write to the public speaking coach firstSay what went wrong — for example a package that ran out before the rehearsal — and what you want: coaching sessions made up, repeated or refunded. Ask for the remedy the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives — the coaching sessions 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 public speaking coach first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers public speaking 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 public speaking 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. Keep the package terms and your rehearsal videos as evidence.

Hiring a public speaking coach: questions people ask

No. Nobody licenses public speaking coaches in the UK. Ask about their background and clients.

No UK publisher gives a price range for public speaking coaching, so there is no UK figure yet. Ask each public speaking coach for the rate per hour, the minimum session length, and the speech or skills you will work on. The public speaking coaching price guide explains what drives it.

Yes, at 20%, from a VAT-registered coach or coaching firm: public speaking coaching is standard-rated. An individual coach under the £90,000 threshold charges none — ask whether the price includes it.

For one speech, often two or three; for lasting confidence, more over weeks.

Yes, through preparation and rehearsal; persistent anxiety may need medical advice.

Online works for structure and feedback; in person helps with movement and the room.

MORE GUIDES

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Public speaking coaches near you

Public speaking coaches in LondonPublic speaking coaches in ManchesterPublic speaking coaches in BirminghamPublic speaking coaches in GlasgowPublic speaking coaches in BelfastAll public speaking coaches on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30)
  2. gov.uk — VAT registration thresholds
  3. HSE — get insurance for your business
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  6. Citizens Advice — deciding whether to make a small claim (England and Wales)
  7. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — guide to simple procedure
  8. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  9. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  10. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register