10 Vital Boundaries Every Online Coach Must Set in a Coaching Contract Template
Are you a life, business, fitness, health or other online coach? I'm telling you the crucial boundaries you must have in your coaching contract template agreement to protect your time, energy and money.
Coaching is one of the best and most fulfilling jobs in the world, but if you're anything like me, you want to ensure that your clients will respect your energy, time, freedom and boundaries. As a lawyer myself who creates coaching templates for coaches like you, I am giving you all the critical boundaries you need in your coaching contract template.
You will learn about the key boundaries you must set in your coaching contract template, regardless of whether you use a coaching contract template free of charge from Google or a simple coaching agreement template you received from another coach.
After learning all about the fundamental boundaries you need in your coaching contract template, you will protect your time, energy and money!
This post is all about the crucial boundaries every online coach must have in a coaching contract template.
Essential Coaching Contract Template
Key boundaries for your online coaching contract template
1. Boundaries on availability (work days and hours)
As an online coach, you can be available anywhere at any time. However, you do not want your clients to schedule consultations in the middle of the night or expect you to respond on your days off.
Thus, you need to set boundaries on the days that you are available for consultations and answering emails or messages.
Therefore, your coaching contract template must include:
on which days you are available for consultations and other coaching services,
during which hours you are available on those days, and
do not forget to specify the time zone, as, with online coaching, your clients may be in different time zones.
2. Boundaries in consultations
In your coaching contract template, you must also set boundaries on consultations.
You want to avoid the client continuing the conversation for another half hour when you have scheduled a consultation for one hour. You do not want the client to reschedule consultations at the last minute, as you could have spent that time with another client.
Therefore, your coaching contract template should include:
when consultations can be scheduled,
through which medium the client may schedule consultations with you,
if and, if so, until when consultations can be rescheduled,
the maximum number of minutes each consultation will take, and
exclusion of the right to refunds if the client does not attend the consultation for whatever reason.
3. Boundaries on services outside of scope
In the coaching contract template, you will specify the coaching services agreed upon with the client, such as X number of consultations per month, X number of check-ins per week, and what materials you may provide.
However, the client may want more from you. For example, the client may want an extra consultation or require a different strategy.
For those cases, you want to include the following boundaries in your coaching contract template:
The right to reject the provision of additional services to the client. You may be too busy, or the request is very last minute.
The right to charge additional fees if you agree to provide additional services.
4. Boundaries on communication tools
The next boundary you need to set in your coaching contract template is a boundary on communication tools.
Your client may have found you on Instagram, but that may not be your choice of communication for your clients. If your choice of communication is only Whatsapp or texting for check-ins, then you do not want the client to also send you messages on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok.
Therefore, you have to clearly state the following in your coaching contract template:
You must state in your scope the platform used for consultations, such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, etc.
Your scope must also state the medium used for check-ins, such as WhatsApp, text messages, email, etc.
You must clearly state that no other form of communication may be used by the client to communicate with you.
5. Boundaries on response times
Your coaching contract template must also specify the response time for BOTH you and the client. Here's why:
You need to set a response time for yourself so that you set expectations with the client and the client does not expect you to respond sooner. However, you also want to clearly state in the coaching contract template that the client will NOT be entitled to any compensation if you do not respond within that timeframe.
You need to set a response time for your client so that you can properly provide your services. You can't properly coach your client if the client does not work with you or put in work at all. In order for a successful coaching experience for both you and the client, the client has to meet its responsibilities, too.
6. The right to do things your way
Your client may have certain expectations on how you will provide your coaching services, but you ultimately know how your coaching skills will benefit the client in the best way. And sometimes, your scope needs a little tweaking. Sometimes, you may not be available for Zoom, but you can make a phone call instead. You need to have the flexibility to change the services when necessary.
Therefore, your coaching contract template needs to provide you the rights and the freedom to amend your services and strategy at your sole discretion.
7. Boundaries on late payments
Some of the most important boundaries to set in your coaching contract template are boundaries on late payments.
If your client does not pay you (on time), you should not have to keep providing your services to the client. However, the right to essentially stop providing services until your client pays you must be included in your online coaching contract template. Otherwise, you will be in breach of the contract, too.
Thus, your coaching contract template must include the following rights:
You need to include the right to charge late payment fees if the client does not pay you on time. Ensure that the late payment fees do not exceed the maximum amounts provided by the laws of your state or country. Otherwise, such terms may be null and void.
Your coaching contract template should also include the right to suspend your services until your client pays you.
8. Boundaries on unacceptable behaviours
Your coaching contract template should provide for consequences in case of unacceptable behaviour.
By unacceptable behaviour, I mean behaviour that could be grounds for you to not want to work with that client anymore. For example, behaviour that is insulting, abusive, offensive, obscene, defamatory, vulgar, libellous, threatening, profane, hateful, derogatory, upsetting, misleading, etc.
For those behaviours, your coaching contract template should include the following rights:
You need to have the right to terminate the contract with immediate effect if you do not want to give the client a second chance.
If it's behaviour you can forgive, if the client stops that behaviour, you should have the option to temporarily stop your services to give your client a second chance. Therefore, your contract should include suspension as an alternative.
9. Boundaries on expectations
The next boundaries that are necessary for any coach are boundaries on expectations in relation to outcomes and results.
You are coaching the client, but you can't control the client. Thus, you have no control over the outcomes and results of the client. Also, each client is different; thus, your clients will differ in circumstances, capabilities and efforts. Thus, the results and outcomes of each client will differ, and you can't promise your clients any specific results or outcomes.
Therefore, your coaching contract template should include the disclaimers for:
the effectiveness of your coaching,
any results in relation to or outcomes from your coaching, and
any decisions made by your client based on the coaching services you provided.
10. Boundaries on sharing information
The last but not least important boundaries your coaching contract template should include ar boundaries on the sharing of information by your client.
You do not want your clients to share your information, materials, tools and techniques with others. Those are unique to your unique methods and coaching strategy. You also do not want that to be stolen and used by your clients or their friends for their own coaching clients.
Therefore, your coaching contract template must include comprehensive:
confidentiality provisions so that your client can't share your information and materials with others (whether for commercial or personal purposes), and
intellectual property provisions to ensure your client understands that the methods, techniques and materials you share with the client are all owned by you and the client may not infringe your intellectual property rights by using those for commercial purposes.
With all these boundaries in your coaching contract template, you can rest assured that your boundaries will not be crossed. You can focus on coaching your clients without worries, and your time, money, and energy are protected.
Are you looking for a simple coaching agreement template?
Are you looking for a simple coaching agreement template that includes all the boundaries you need? I am selling a reusable coaching contract template that includes all the boundaries I discuss in this blog post and more!
My online coaching contract template can be used as a contract that can be signed digitally or as online terms and conditions for easy onboarding.
Read more about the ease and efficiency of using terms and conditions instead of a contract in this blog post on the 5 Reasons to Use Online Coaching Terms and Conditions Instead of a Contract.
Get my affordable but comprehensive coaching contract template on this page of my contract shop!
Using a coaching contract template free of charge?
Maybe you do not have the budget to purchase my coaching contract template, and you are using a coaching contract template free of charge from Google or another coach.
In that case, you can use this blog post as a checklist to ensure your coaching contract template includes all the boundaries I discuss in this blog post.
This post was all about the important boundaries every online coach must set in a coaching contract template to protect their energy, time and money.
Are you considering using online coaching terms and conditions instead of contracts to engage clients? Read this blog post on the 5 Reasons to Use Online Coaching Terms and Conditions Instead of a Contract.
Want to know how to implement your coaching terms and conditions template most efficiently? Read this blog post on the 7 Simple Steps to Implement a Coaching Terms and Conditions Template For Easy Onboarding.
Are you a business coach? Read this blog post on the 7 Essentials Every Business Coach Must Have in Their Business Coaching Terms and Conditions.
Are you a life coach? Read this blog post on the 5 Essentials Every Life Coach Must Have in Their Life Coach Terms and Conditions.
Get your coaching contract template that includes all the boundaries you need (and more) on this page of my contract shop!
