Is hiring a coach really worth it?

ive found myself stuck for the last 2 years in the 800's and I'm wondering if a coach is the best solution 

i think it depends on the player, I don't need one

Whether it's chess or something else, learning always happens in the student. Coaches / teachers can't put knowledge into anyone, they can't only make it easier for the student to put the knowledge in themselves.

I say this because if you're "stuck" at 800 it makes me wonder whether you've taken any initiative to learn for yourself, and if you haven't, then it's possible a coach wont make any difference... but maybe paying someone would help motivate you? I don't know.

Anyway, the main point is that improving (at chess or anything else) takes effort. A coach wont change that, you'll still have to work. If work sounds unappealing then I'd say save your money and don't get a coach.

Is it worth the money? No

But, for example, if you're eager to do a lot of work, but you're not sure where to start, then a coach could be very good for you. In that case the problem might be that your coach is lazy and (for exampe) doesn't give you homework. So if you're ready to work, then be sure to look for a good coach

And again, this is for chess or anything else in life you want to learn.

I think if you want to improve at a hobby it's not unreasonable to spend money to get better. Doesn't need to be a coach. Before I got a coach, I did all self learning from books.

I got a coach once. It wasn't very helpful, but I didn't want to do the work he gave me so that was the obvious outcome.

The times I improved the most were when I studied from books, and when I took solving puzzles seriously.

Oh, also post mortems gave me some awesome tips... too bad these days it doesn't happen much anymore since people want to analyze on their phones.

Hearing someone's rationale, even if it's wrong in that specific instance, can introduce you to new and good ideas.

Similar with me. I was stuck below 1000 for 8 years because i refused to do anything except listen to half-baked public lectures at my chess club. My dad would tell me to study chess, and I would bring out a Harry Potter book instead. But at 9 years old I had barely grasped logical thinking and I didn't really want to either. Finally started reading books and analyzing games at 14. Instantly became over 1000.

I've always had pretty good success with postmortems. I just ask if they want to look at the game afterwards. Then we'd take a board and setup the game, or if we're in a really scuffed place we'd just recite moves and thoughts.

My last few games we didn't analyze, but also the games went the full time, so we didn't really have time to do it.

Analyzing without a board is fun, you get to show off to lower rated players if they can't do it but of course it's a lot harder to see tactics blindfolded (at least for me).

It depends on your situation and if you believe this will be worth it for you. If you have more spending money and are more serious about chess improvement, then hiring a coach becomes more and more beneficial. If you don't have a lot to spend, or play chess as a hobby, then hiring a chess coach becomes less worth it for you.

If you are around 800 rating, then I believe that there is much you can still learn on your own. The only reason I'd consider hiring a coach at this level is if you are concerned about reinforcing bad habits.

We can play some unrated live chess for learning sometime @AngelicNightcore I don't mind helping my chess friends

Because you haven’t said what you have already tried, I cannot say whether a coach would be worth it.

i am naturally cheap, so I would look at other learning tools before hiring a coach. What chess books are in your library? Read every one of them.

Does your city have a chess club? Play there. Watch the games of the stronger players. Listen to them analyze their games. After you lose, ask your opponent for a post-mortem. 
there are also many free resources online. But as a previous poster wrote, you will still have to work in order to apply a lesson in a video or in a coaching session. One of the mistakes that I see people make on this site is to think that some videos or a video course will do the work for them.

oh yeah you sure do get to show off lol, but then you get nothing done. If there's no space and their rating isn't high I'm not going to really bother to analyze outside of some positions from long thinks. Most people do tend to remember vaguely those positions and ideas.

Post-mortem analyses are great. Much better than just using Stockfish on your phone.

stockfish can point out an opening mistake or a calculational error in a tactical sequence. However, it does not explain how a long-term positional plan should be carried out. Or why one positional plan is better than another. This is where learning from a good chess commentator or a good post-mortem comes in.

I've had some coaches and first off, I can tell you that if you do decide to get a coach, stay away from anyone Russian. They are horrible. I personally have had particularly bad experiences with Russian women coaches. Avoid at all costs.

Many coaches cannot teach. Being skilled at chess and being skilled at teaching are two VERY different things. Finding someone who is skilled at both and who can communicate chess ideas to you effectively is like winning the lottery.

Be prepared to feel like $hit. Coaches will demand to know why you played a certain move in a certain situation in a game. Maybe a game you played a week ago, and hardly remember. Being grilled about why you played a questionable move, what you should have seen, and what better move(s) you could have played is an exhausting and depressing experience. I used to have to regroup quietly for a long time after a chess lesson.

Bottom line: proceed with caution.

Watch YouTube.

Free of cost, available any time, quality of content is good.

Tbh... yeah, YouTube can get the job done, or a good chess book if you like reading too XD chess coaches are expensive, and based off my experience, don't do much aside from showing you cool tactics and helping you get into tournaments? The lessons here are pretty grand as well 😉