HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

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

No register lists tennis coaches. Here is the vetting to ask for, what to check, and who pays for the court.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a tennis coach in five steps

  1. Say what the lessons are forA beginner, a junior preparing for matches, a serve fix or a return after injury. A tennis coach plans each differently.
  2. See the criminal record checkFor tennis lessons with a child, ask for an enhanced DBS check in England and Wales, PVG membership in Scotland or AccessNI in Northern Ireland. A tennis coach applies and shows you.
  3. Ask about their coachingThe award a tennis coach holds, who gave it, and the level of the people they coach now.
  4. Try one lesson before a blockA first tennis lesson should end with a clear idea of where you are and what comes next. If it does not, try another tennis coach.
  5. Write down the termsCourt hire, the rain rule, and the block refund rule, agreed in writing with the tennis coach.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

None of the four UK nations licenses or registers tennis coaches; the title is not protected, and sessions run at a club or on public courts. Coaching qualifications are real but voluntary: ask for the certificate and check it with the awarding body.

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

The check for teaching your child

A tennis coach who works with your child for an hour a week 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 a tennis 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, a tennis coach working for themselves applies for an enhanced AccessNI check through an Umbrella Body.

Parents cannot request the check themselves: a tennis 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 →

The tennis coach's qualification

No statutory register covers tennis coaching; the evidence is the tennis coach's certificate and the body that issued it. Accreditation levels differ; ask what level the coach holds and how long they have coached players like you.

Ask the tennis coach for the award, the year and the awarding body, and check it with that body.

Insurance and first aid

A self-employed tennis coach has no legal duty under the 1981 first-aid Regulations to give first aid to clients; HSE strongly recommends planning for it anyway. Public liability insurance pays if someone is hurt at a club or on public courts; it is a norm, not a legal requirement.

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

VAT

Tennis coaching from a tennis coach is exempt only when given personally as a sole trader or partner in a subject ordinarily taught in schools; coaching sold by a club company, a coaching business or their employed coaches 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 the tennis coach invoices personally or the club or academy does; a sole trader under £90,000 adds no VAT. gov.uk →

“Which criminal record check do you hold, and when was it issued?”

A good answer: The right one for your nation — enhanced DBS, PVG or AccessNI — with a date, shown before a tennis coach starts.

“Who books and pays for the court?”

A good answer: A clear answer: the tennis coach's club, a public court you book, and any non-member fee.

“What happens if it rains?”

A good answer: An indoor court, a rearranged lesson or a refund — written down.

“Can two players share a tennis lesson?”

A good answer: Yes, often at a lower cost each.

“How will you work on my serve or technique?”

A good answer: One change at a time, with video if it helps.

“Can you coach a junior towards club matches?”

A good answer: Match play, tactics and a plan for competitions.

“If my child is ill, or you are, what happens to that tennis lesson?”

A good answer: Something specific — for example 24 or 48 hours' notice — and the same rule applied to the tennis coach's own cancellations.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, and whether evening floodlit courts or weekends cost more
  • The minimum booking — a one-hour lesson or a block — and whether a session rained off early is charged in full
  • What each side brings: your racket and shoes; the coach's balls, ball machine and cones; who pays court hire
  • The focus agreed before the first hour: the serve, the backhand, match play, a club team
  • ID checked and the rating, vetting for a child, and public liability insurance on court

Walk away if

  • No vetting shown, though the tennis coach would see your child for an hour a week
  • No insurance, or a tennis coach who cannot name the insurer
  • They offer injury treatment as a physiotherapist but are not on the HCPC Register
  • Court fees that appear only after the lesson
  • No refund rule for a block of lessons, or one that changes after you pay
LOW
£30
TYPICAL
£40
HIGH
£60

What a tennis coach costs: £30–£60 per hour

Tennis coaches charge by the hour; sharing a lesson cuts the cost, and court hire may be extra. Tennis 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

Tennis 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-upMini tennis or rallying from the service line.
  2. TechniqueOne stroke worked on, with feeding from the coach.
  3. DrillsPatterns that put the stroke under pressure.
  4. PointsMatch play using the new shot.
  5. NotesWhat to practise before the next tennis lesson.

Feeding
The coach hitting balls to the player for a drill.
Mini tennis
Smaller courts and softer balls for young children.
Grip
How the racket is held; different for each stroke.
Court hire
The fee for the court, sometimes on top of the lesson.
Accreditation
The level of coaching qualification a tennis coach holds.
Rally
A sequence of shots between players.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the recordsKeep the block terms and the receipts, with the written terms.
Test the progressAfter a few lessons, play a set; the shot you worked on should hold up under pressure.
What you are owedNobody honest promises a county ranking. Hold the tennis coach to the tennis lessons agreed, taught with care.
Leave the reviewReview the tennis coach once the block ends; if it went wrong, the make-it-right step gives them the chance to fix it first.

STEP 1Tell the tennis coach, in writingSay what went wrong — for example court fees that appeared only after the lesson — and what you want: tennis lessons made up, repeated or refunded. Where tennis lessons paid as a block of lessons were not taught with reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 entitles you to a repeat or a fair reduction.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyLeave under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the tennis coach first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers tennis 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 tennis 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 block terms and the receipts to the claim.

Hiring a tennis coach: questions people ask

There is no blanket legal duty, but a tennis coach teaching your child more than three days in any 30 is in regulated activity in England and Wales, which a barred person must not do. Ask for the enhanced DBS check — PVG in Scotland, AccessNI in Northern Ireland.

No UK nation licenses this work or keeps a register of it. Ask for the coaching accreditation and the body that awarded it.

£30–£60 an hour, with £40 typical; senior coaches at clubs in the South East cost most. There is more detail in the tennis lessons price guide, and the search above lists tennis coaches in your area.

Not from a tennis coach working as a sole trader or partner: that coaching is exempt. Coaching sold by a club company, a coaching business or their employed coaches is standard-rated, and VAT is added once that business is over £90,000.

No law requires a self-employed tennis coach to provide first aid for players, but HSE strongly recommends planning for it.

Weekly for steady progress, with practice in between.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in lessons & tutoring

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Tennis coaches near you

Tennis coaches in LondonTennis coaches in ManchesterTennis coaches in BirminghamTennis coaches in GlasgowTennis coaches in BelfastAll tennis 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. HSE — first aid FAQs (first aid for the public)
  6. HSE — get insurance for your business
  7. HCPC — check the Register
  8. gov.uk — Sport supplies that are VAT exempt (VAT Notice 701/45)
  9. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 28 — contracts excluded from cancellation
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  11. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  12. Citizens Advice — deciding whether to make a small claim (England and Wales)
  13. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — guide to simple procedure
  14. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  15. Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30) — 6.1 The treatment of private tuition
  16. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  17. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register