This guide is linked from our core how-to guides on Organising Activities & Events and Raising, Spending & Managing Money.
NOTE: Coach/instructor registrations are currently closed while we redevelop our process and guidance in advance of the 2025/26 academic year. We will send further information to presidents and treasurers in due course.
The Union has over 400 clubs and societies covering a huge range of activities. All our groups are student-led – this means the elected student positions of president and treasurer are ultimately responsible for all the activities conducted, and for ensuring they are conducted in a safe and inclusive way. They receive training on Union policies and procedures and are responsible for ensuring they are followed.
Many clubs and societies decide to contract professional support for one or more of their activities to ensure they are delivering high quality activity. Students' Union UCL welcomes professional coaches, instructors or trainers as a key way of ensuring our student members are getting the best possible opportunities through our student-led groups.
The registration process for coaches/instructors has changed in advance of the 2025/26 academic year:
Approval Stage 1 - Registration
All coaches and instructors must register with the Union before they can enter into a contract with a club or society.
Club/Society Coach & Instructor Registration
This webform must be completed by the coach/instructor. Registration will require coaches/instructors to provide:
- Public Liability Insurance
- Relevant and in-date qualifications
- First Aid certificate (where applicable)
- Relevant experience
- Two referees
Once the registration form has been submitted by the coach/instructor, it will be reviewed by Union staff. This will include verifying certificates and contacting referees. We aim to communicate an outcome of this review process to you within 10 working days. Please be aware this will depend on how quickly we receive responses from referees.
Coaches/instructors registrations must be approved before they enter into contract negotiations with a Union-affiliated club or society.
- Sports Clubs - Required Qualifications and Recommended Pay Scales
- Lead Coaches (paid and voluntary): must be qualified to UKCC Level 2 (or equivalent).
- Assistant Coaches (paid): must be qualified to UKCC Level 1 (or equivalent).
- Assistant Coaches (voluntary): should be working towards gaining their UKCC Level 1 (or equivalent), or have a level of training that is deemed sufficient by the Sports Club Development Manager.
- For more information on required qualifications and recommended pay scales, you can view the Coach Qualification Appendix.
Please note that if you intend to pay your coach more than the recommended pay scales, we will ask for more details before approving this.
If you have any questions regarding coach qualifications please email the staff team at teamucl@ucl.ac.uk.
Approval Stage 2 - Contract Submission
Once a coach/instructor is registered and approved, they can enter into a contract with a Union-affiliated club or society.
Club/Society Coach & Instructor Contract Submission
The completed contract must be submitted by the president/treasurer. Clubs and societies must use one of our contract templates to agree terms with their coach/instructor.
- Contract Templates
- Arts Societies: artsUCL Societies - Instructor Contract Template
- Sports Clubs: TeamUCL Sports Clubs - Coach Contract Template
- Societies: Societies - Instructor Contract Template
This contract sets out the terms, conditions, expectations and payment of all coaches carrying out work for Students’ Union UCL (The Union). Any such contract does not constitute employment and all coaches/instructors are responsible for their own tax and/or National Insurance obligations.
Once you've submitted a contract, Union staff will review your submission. This will include verifying coach/instructor registration status. We aim to communicate an outcome of this review process to you within 10 working days.
If a contract is approved, you can begin coaching/instruction on the terms laid out within the contract.
Paying your coach/instructor
You can only pay a coach/instructor for services that they have undertaken within the same academic year they were registered.
Your registered coach/instructor should produce an itemised invoice addressed to:
Student’s Union UCL {INSERT CLUB/SOCIETY NAME}, 25 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0AY.
You should use our Coach and Instructor Invoice Template. The invoice must include:
- payee name, address, and contact email address
- invoice number (to help identify different invoices)
- bank name and account details
- a dated, hourly break-down of all chargeable hours for the respective invoice period
- the statement ‘I am self-employed, and I am responsible for any tax or National Insurance liability’.
These should match the details provided within the agreed contract. The coach/instructor just needs to fill out the template with their own information, and send it to you.
The president/treasurer submit your coach/instructor invoice through the Purchase Request Form, by the final day of each month.
- Purchase Request Forms are the only permitted method of payment.
- Your coach/instructor will then receive payment in line with our BACS transfer timelines.
- We will not accept invoices on a termly basis or pay for coaching or instructor fees in advance of sessions.
- We will not reimburse public liability insurance purchases.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Does the coach/instructor have to re-register every year?
Yes - regardless of how long your coach/instructor has been involved in your activities, they must re-register with the Union annually.
If you are a returning coach/instructor, and we have previously contacted your referees, we will not contact referees again. Instead, we will seek a reference from last year's committee of the group you have coached/instructed.
- Must the coach/instructor hold a first aid qualification?
All club/society activity must have a first aid trained person present.
Ideally, this would be the coach/instructor. If the coach/instructor is not first aid trained, we will require the club/society to name a first aider from among their committee who will be present at all sessions.
- What Public Liability Insurance information must the coach/instructor provide?
During the registration process, we ask the coach/instructor to upload their Public Liability Insurance certificate.
The following details must be visible in the uploaded document:
- Type of Insurance (i.e. Public Liability Insurance)
- Coverage Amount (At least £1 Million)
- Policy number and issuing company
- Name of person insured
- Start and end date of insurance
Note that if the end date is during the academic year, your registration will expire at this point, unless we receive an updated insurance certificate via email (su.activities@ucl.ac.uk).
- How long is the coach/instructor registration valid for?
If approved, and unless otherwise stated, a coach/instructor registration is valid for the remainder of the current academic year.
We may specify an earlier registration end date. This will most likely be because the provided Public Liability Insurance expires on that date.
If this is the case, the coach/instructor should email their renewed Public Liability Insurance certificate to su.activities@ucl.ac.uk. We will then extend the registration of the coach/instructor until the end date of the renewed certificate, or the end of the current academic year - whichever is earliest.
If you have any further questions about coaches/instructors at Students' Union UCL, please contact:
| Sports Clubs | teamucl@ucl.ac.uk |
| Arts Societies | artsucl@ucl.ac.uk |
| Societies (Non-arts) | su.activities@ucl.ac.uk |
If you have any questions, feedback, or concerns about the contents of this guide, please email us at su.activities@ucl.ac.uk.
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- Organising Activities & Events