Terms and conditions for an executive coach

Executive coaching has three parties, and both the sponsor and the coachee may regard themselves as the client. The terms have to fix who pays, who is coached and what each is told, so that the coachee can speak freely and the sponsor knows what it is buying. They also have to deal with objectives, chemistry, cancellations by senior people, and the coach's liability to an employer for the behaviour of its leaders. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Executive and leadership coaches in England and Wales engaged by employers to coach directors, senior managers and high-potential staff, and coaching leaders who engage them directly, as a sole practitioner or a coaching practice. These are business-client terms.

What matters in executive coaching terms

The sponsor, the coachee and the contract

The terms should say that the contract is with the sponsoring employer, that the coachee is the individual to be coached, and that the sponsor's rights are to the agreed objectives, attendance and progress reporting at the level the terms describe, not to the content of sessions. A three-way meeting at the start should set the objectives, and the terms should say that the coach may decline an engagement where the coachee does not consent to it.

Confidentiality and what the sponsor is told

The terms should draw the line plainly: what is said in sessions is confidential to the coachee and the coach, the sponsor receives confirmation of attendance and a report on progress against objectives in the form agreed, and nothing else is disclosed without the coachee's consent, except where the law or a risk of serious harm requires. Notes are the coach's, kept for a stated period and handled under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 with a privacy notice for the coachee.

Chemistry, objectives and scope

The terms should provide for a chemistry session with either party able to withdraw without charge or at a stated fee, objectives agreed at the outset and reviewed, a stated number and length of sessions, and the position on support between sessions. Coaching is not therapy, assessment or performance management, and the terms should say that the coach may refer the coachee to other help and will not act as an instrument of a disciplinary process.

Cancellations, availability and delivery

Senior people cancel frequently. The terms should set a notice period inside which cancelled sessions are charged, commit the coach to reschedule sessions it cancels, and set a period within which the programme must be completed. Sessions delivered in person, by video or by phone should be treated the same. The sponsor is invoiced on booking or in stages with interest and fixed compensation on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

Liability, ethics and ending

Liability should be capped at the fees for the engagement, with consequential loss and any loss arising from the coachee's decisions or performance excluded, tested for reasonableness under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977. The terms should say that the coach works to a professional code of ethics, may end the engagement where it is not working or where continuing would breach that code, and what is refunded in that case. The coachee's departure from the sponsor ends the engagement unless agreed otherwise.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the terms and conditions drafting page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

The HR director is asking what the coachee said about their manager. Do I have to tell them?

Not if the terms confine the sponsor's reporting to attendance and progress against objectives. That confidentiality is what the sponsor bought.

The coachee left the company halfway through the programme. What happens to the fee?

The terms should say that the engagement ends on the coachee's departure and what, if anything, is refunded or credited to the sponsor. A sponsor who paid in advance will expect a stated answer.

Can the sponsor use my notes in a performance process?

The terms should say that notes are the coach's, confidential to the coachee, and not disclosed to the sponsor. A coach whose notes end up in a disciplinary file will lose the confidence of coachees.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a business coach
• Terms and conditions for an HR consultant

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.