HOW TO HIRE · HEALTH & WELLBEING

How to hire a strength and conditioning coach in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

In no UK nation is there a register for strength and conditioning coaches. Here are the checks and the questions to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a strength and conditioning coach in five steps

  1. Ask about accreditationWhich body, and check it.
  2. Share your sport and injuriesSeason dates, medical history.
  3. Ask what testing is includedStrength, power, movement baselines.
  4. Agree programmingSessions you train alone, and the price.
  5. Check insurance and first aidLifting carries real risk.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or statutory register applies to strength and conditioning coaches in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and the title is not protected. Ask which body accredits them and check with that body.

Ask the strength and conditioning coach for the qualification, the awarding body and the date, then check with that body yourself.

Protected health titles

A strength and conditioning coach may not call themselves a physiotherapist, physical therapist, dietitian or sport and exercise psychologist unless they are on the HCPC Register — using one of those titles, or implying it, without registration is an offence under the Health Professions Order 2001.

If the strength and conditioning coach offers injury treatment or diet plans under one of those titles, search them on the HCPC Register. hcpc-uk.org →

Criminal record check for sessions with under-18s

Training children is regulated activity when a strength and conditioning coach does it on more than three days out of any thirty, or overnight; from 1 September 2026 being supervised no longer takes it outside. England and Wales: the enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list. Scotland: PVG scheme membership. Northern Ireland: an enhanced AccessNI check. No check is needed to train adults.

For a child's sessions, ask to see the certificate or PVG proof and read the issue date. gov.uk →

First aid

The 1981 first-aid regulations cover a self-employed strength and conditioning coach's own needs; no law makes them provide first aid for clients, but HSE strongly recommends planning for the public. Public liability insurance is the cover that pays if you are injured in a strength and conditioning coach's session; HSE says a business with employees will probably need employers' liability insurance too.

Ask whether the strength and conditioning coach holds a current first-aid certificate and what they do if someone collapses — including where the nearest defibrillator is. Ask the strength and conditioning coach for the insurer's name and the policy dates. hse.gov.uk →

VAT

Strength and conditioning coaching is standard-rated at 20%; the sports exemption is only for non-profit eligible bodies. A coach with VAT taxable turnover over £90,000 must charge VAT and show it on its own line; a sole trader under it charges none.

Ask whether the session or monthly price includes VAT, and for the VAT number. gov.uk →

“Which body accredits you as a strength and conditioning coach?”

A good answer: A named body you can check.

“How will you test me first?”

A good answer: Baseline strength, power and movement tests.

“How does the strength programme fit my season?”

A good answer: Phases planned around competition.

“What do you do about my injury history?”

A good answer: Adapt the plan and liaise with a physiotherapist.

“Is programming for solo sessions included?”

A good answer: Yes, or a price.

“Do you coach under-18s, and which check do you hold?”

A good answer: DBS, PVG or AccessNI, dated.

“Are you insured for strength coaching?”

A good answer: Yes, insurer named.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends — the strength and conditioning coach you booked or another coach, employed or subcontracted
  • Session price
  • Testing and programming priced
  • Gym entry included or extra
  • The VAT number, and VAT at 20% as its own line of the coaching invoice
  • Cancellation terms written down — a class or session booked for a fixed date is a leisure service, which the 14-day cancellation right does not cover (regulation 28), so the strength and conditioning coach's own terms decide
  • Block or monthly terms

Walk away if

  • No testing before heavy lifting
  • Ignores injury history
  • Uses a health title without HCPC registration
  • No insurance
  • Progresses loads too fast
  • No vetting for youth athletes
LOW
£45
TYPICAL
£65
HIGH
£150

What a strength and conditioning coach costs: £45–£150 per session

Strength and conditioning coaches charge per session, with testing and programming priced on top or in packages. Strength & Conditioning 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

Strength and conditioning coaches near you, with the badges that matter shown

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

  1. Needs analysisSport, injuries, goals.
  2. TestingBaseline strength and movement.
  3. Coached sessionLifting, jumping, sprint work.
  4. ProgrammePlan for solo sessions.
  5. RetestProgress measured.

Periodisation
Planning training in phases.
1RM
The most you can lift once.
Plyometrics
Jumping exercises.
Needs analysis
Working out what your sport demands.
Deload
A lighter week for recovery.
Regulated activity
Frequent work with children needing a check.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the test resultsBaselines and retests.
Follow the programmeSolo sessions as written.
RetestAt the end of a block.
Rate the visitSay what the strength and conditioning coach did well and what they missed. Unhappy? The make-it-right step comes before the review is published.

STEP 1Start with a message to the strength and conditioning coachSet out the facts and the outcome you want, and keep a copy. Reasonable care and skill is implied into every service contract by section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015; if the coaching fell short, the strength and conditioning coach must redo it or reduce the bill under section 54.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate a booked strength and conditioning coach below four stars and you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then you review.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplineNo regulator oversees a strength and conditioning coach, so a strength and conditioning coach who will not engage can be referred to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales (0808 223 1144 in Welsh), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is still owedIf the strength and conditioning coach will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a strength and conditioning coach: questions people ask

No. No licence or statutory register applies in any UK nation.

For regular sessions: enhanced DBS in England and Wales, PVG in Scotland, enhanced AccessNI in Northern Ireland.

Ask which body accredits them and check with that body.

£45 to £150 a session, typically around £65. Testing, programming and elite experience push the price up. The strength & conditioning coach price guide breaks the range down, and the search above lists strength and conditioning coaches near you with their prices.

At 20% if the coach is VAT-registered.

Get it treated and tell the coach in writing; one in business owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in health & wellbeing

How to hire: Personal TrainerHow to hire: Sports PhysiotherapyHow to hire: Running CoachHow to hire: Boxing TrainerHow to hire: Mobile Personal TrainerHow to hire: Sports TherapistHow to hire: Fitness InstructorHow to hire: Sports MassageAll 701 hiring guides →

Strength and conditioning coaches near you

Strength and conditioning coaches in LondonStrength and conditioning coaches in ManchesterStrength and conditioning coaches in BirminghamStrength and conditioning coaches in GlasgowStrength and conditioning coaches in BelfastAll strength and conditioning coaches on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. HCPC — professions and protected titles
  2. HCPC — misuse of title
  3. gov.uk (DBS) — regulated activity with children
  4. gov.uk — change to the definition of regulated activity with children from 1 September 2026
  5. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  6. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  7. HSE — first aid FAQs (first aid for the public)
  8. HSE — get insurance for your business
  9. gov.uk — Sport supplies that are VAT exempt (VAT Notice 701/45)
  10. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — exceptions to the right to cancel
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  12. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  13. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  14. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  15. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  16. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register