Coaches who work with clients mainly live and online are particularly unsettled. The good news: if you use coachingspace the way it is intended for systemic coaching, that is, individually, accompanying the process and tailored to your clients' concerns, you have nothing to worry about.
What the BGH ruling means
The German Federal Court of Justice has ruled that the FernUSG can also apply to online coaching and mentoring programs. This concerns offerings that
convey defined content and learning objectives,
follow a curriculum or module plan,
and systematically monitor learning progress (homework, feedback rounds, mandatory assignments).
Without ZFU approval (from Germany's State Central Office for Distance Learning), such contracts may be void, and participants can demand their money back.
When is a coaching offering affected?
It becomes legally relevant if
the program resembles a course (with clear curricula),
recordings or self-study modules make up a large share (often 50% or more),
and learning success has to be documented.
When is your coaching unproblematic?
If you use coachingspace to
work individually 1:1 with clients,
without defined learning objectives or modules,
and without mandatory asynchronous content or exams,
then your offering does not fall under the FernUSG.
You work in a process-oriented way, guided by your clients' concerns, exactly as systemic coaching approaches intend.
Why coachingspace gives you peace of mind
coachingspace is a platform designed for interactive, individual support.
Methods such as the constellation board, Inner Team, positioning maps or whiteboard are designed to support you in process-oriented work without turning your coaching into a fixed training format.
In every session, you decide together with your client which method fits and how to use it. There are no mandatory modules, no standardized learning objectives and no asynchronous learning tracks, unless you deliberately choose them.
Conclusion
The current BGH ruling mainly affects providers who offer structured online programs with curricula, modules and asynchronous learning components.
If you use coachingspace for coaching in the classic sense, that is, individually, live and process-oriented, you have nothing to worry about.
coachingspace remains a safe, flexible space for your online coaching, free of legal pitfalls.
