Anyone can call themselves a coach. We check. Every coach on Harbourly is checked before they can take a booking. No exceptions.
This isn't an extra step. It's part of what gets reviewed before we approve a coach in the first place.
Identity is confirmed through Stripe or Xendit, the same payment providers that handle payouts. When a coach sets up how they get paid, the provider runs a real identity check backed by a government-issued ID, the same standard used by regulated financial platforms. Harbourly never sees or stores the ID or banking details directly.
Once identity is confirmed, there are two ways to reach the Verified badge — and both lead to the same place.
Once a coach clears the check above, there are two ways to reach the Verified badge: show a portfolio our team can confirm, or build a clean track record over the first 5 sessions as a New Coach. Both lead to the same badge.
Show us proof from your history — tournament results, ratings, past coaching — and if it holds up, the badge is earned immediately.
No portfolio needed. Start taking bookings right away and earn the badge after 5 clean sessions.
Competitive experience or ratings from another platform can earn the badge immediately, no waiting on sessions.
Have competitive experience, tournament results, or ratings from coaching on another platform? Submit it as your portfolio for our team to review by hand. It's optional. If it holds up, the Verified badge is earned immediately, no waiting on sessions.
Portfolio submissions are reviewed for authenticity using a mix of automated tools and manual review before anything is credited.
Identity verification is already done, so a coach can start taking bookings right away.
If there's no portfolio to submit, or it doesn't hold up in review, a coach can still start taking bookings right away as a New Coach, since identity verification is already complete. They'll show as a New Coach, visible on their profile, until they complete 5 sessions with no serious disputes. Clear that, and the same Verified badge is earned, no different from the portfolio path.
If a serious dispute comes up during this period, our team reviews it directly. Depending on what happened, the coach may continue toward their 5 sessions, have their progress reset, or be suspended. Nothing here is automatic. Every case gets looked at.
A short voice introduction on your profile — entirely optional, and separate from earning your badge.
Coaches can add a short voice introduction to their profile — a chance for gamers to hear you before they book. It's entirely optional and has nothing to do with earning your badge or being able to take bookings.
Before any recording goes live, our team listens to it. We're checking for anything vulgar, inappropriate, or otherwise not okay for a public profile, nothing more. Once it clears, it's added to your profile for gamers to hear.
An additional trust layer on top of the badge — not required, and not holding anyone up today.
The checks above confirm who a coach is. We're also rolling out formal background checks as an additional trust layer on top of that, not required to earn the badge. This doesn't hold up any coach from listing today.
Earning the badge isn't the end of the review — every coach's standing is reviewed on an ongoing basis.
Earning the badge isn't the end of the review. Every coach's standing gets reviewed on an ongoing basis, not just once at signup, whether they're a New Coach or already Verified.
Every session ends with a rating from the student. We monitor reviews for authenticity and watch for patterns over time, not just single scores, so what's on a coach's profile reflects real sessions.
If a session doesn't go as expected, either side can raise it with us directly. Every dispute gets reviewed by our team by hand within 72 hours. A coach's dispute history factors into how we assess their ongoing standing. This protects students without punishing a coach for one bad report.
Student feedback shapes how we view a coach's reliability over time. A coach whose sessions consistently fall short of what their profile promises gets reviewed by our team.
Every session on Harbourly is protected by escrow, held by our payment provider, for players and coaches alike.
Payment is captured and held at checkout. It isn't sent to the coach yet.
After the session, you have 72 hours to confirm it went well. No action needed, it confirms automatically once the window closes, so a coach is never left waiting indefinitely. If something went wrong, report it instead, and everything pauses while we review.
Once you confirm, or the 72-hour window passes with nothing raised, payment releases to the coach. If a dispute is raised, funds stay held until we've reviewed it, within 72 hours, and reached a fair outcome.
That's fine. A portfolio isn't required. Start coaching as a New Coach and earn the Verified badge by completing 5 sessions with no serious disputes.
It means a coach hasn't yet earned the Verified badge through a portfolio or a session track record. New Coaches can take bookings like anyone else. The label is there so students know where a coach stands.
Your ID goes directly to Stripe or Xendit as part of their own regulated verification process. Harbourly never sees or stores your ID document.
Every account stays under ongoing review. A pattern of disputes or under delivery can affect a coach's standing, including removal in serious cases.
Yes. You're welcome to reapply once you've addressed the reason it wasn't approved.