A careful review of the different forms of online coaching agreements and contracts reveals that the contract is the transition of the coach-client relationship into a professional relationship. The contract may be written from the perspective of a coach or that of a third party. Most life coaches will not commence the life coaching process until the prospective client has agreed to, and signed, the contract in question (Hadeed, 2014). Some life coaches will dedicate the first session, or a brief meeting, to meeting the client and reviewing the contract together. This paper seeks to analyze findings after reviewing various forms of online contracts and indicate any beneficial information.
With a few exceptions, most of the life-coaching contracts online show that most clients will not meet face-to-face with the clients. They will, instead, work with the client over the phone and on Skype (Beaudoin, 2014). In one instance, the online contract was just to provide information on the services provided by the life coach. The client would then meet with the coach face-to-face after signing the contract, for their first meeting.
The contracts are useful because they clearly state the duties of the client and the coach. Despite the wording used differing from one contract to another, the message transmitted is the same. The coach provides the direction required by the client, mostly by listening to the client during the sessions and recommending certain exercises or actions at the end of the session. The client will have to accept the guidance that is provided by the coach and is also required to give feedback to the coach on the life coaching experience (Lim, 2014).
All the contracts reveal clear direction on how the sessions will be conducted. The contracts show how long a session will be and what happens, in the event that one of the parties cannot attend any of the sessions. Most state that there should be a 24-hour notice from any party that might be unable to attend a set session (Beaudoin, 2014). In most contracts, if the client does not provide this notice, then he forfeits that session.
All the contracts are quite clear on how payments should be made. The contracts show that the client should pay the coach using a debit/credit card (Certified Coaches, 2014). In some instances the payment is made monthly, during the professional coach-client relationship. In other instances, the client pays for a number of sessions at a time.
The procedure on termination and a confidentiality policy are other aspects that are in all the life coaching contracts. Both the client and the coach can end the relationship. In most cases, the main reason given for the client to terminate the contract is dissatisfaction with the coach’s services (Lim, 2014). On the other hand, the coach can terminate the contract should he feel that the client is not taking guidance positively and following the direction provided by the client. The coach is bound to keep the sessions confidential, even after the relationship has been terminated.
Finally, all the contracts provide a section for both the coach and the client to indicate that they understand agreeing to all the terms in the contract and that they wish to proceed with a professional relationship (Scott, 2014). Some contracts can be printed and a regular signature provided before sending back to the coach. Other contracts allow for the use of a digital signature and a simple email and personal information input indicating agreement.
References
Beaudoin, L. (2014). Welcome Package. Coaching Courageous Women. Web.
Certified Coaches. (2014). Sample Coaching Agreement. Certified Coaches Federation. Web.
Hadeed, A. (2014). Coaching Contract. Your Life Purpose Limited. Web.
Lim, D. (2014). Smart Coaching Agreement. Smart Career Life. Web.
Scott, L. (2014). A Coaching Contract. Coaching Connect. Web.