How do you choose a Claude partner in the UK?

Check six things before you hire a Claude partner: a listing in Anthropic's public partner directory, training built on your team's real work, a clear answer on data and governance, a plan for after the first day, UK GDPR experience, and references you can call. The same checklist works for consultants and trainers.

This page is for a UK business of roughly 10 to 200 people comparing Claude partners, consultants or trainers. The checklist works whoever you pick. Ignite AI appears once, at the end, as one example. If you want the definition first, read what a Claude partner is.

What does a Claude partner or consultant do?

Most of the work falls into three jobs. The first is set-up: accounts, the right Claude plan, Projects, skills and any connectors, arranged the same way for everyone. The second is training, so people use Claude on the work they already do. The third is governance: what data may go in, who signs off, and what Claude may do without a person checking. Some firms also build custom software on the Claude API.

The word "partner" covers a wide range. Anthropic opened the Claude Partner Network on 12 March 2026 and says membership is free, with any organisation bringing Claude to market eligible to apply. In June 2026 it set out tiers: Select, Preferred and Global Premier, with new applicants starting at Registered. Each tier sets minimums for certified individuals, deployed customers and public customer stories. So a "Claude partner" could be a firm that applied last week or one with certified staff and live clients. That gap is the reason to check.

What should you check before you hire one?

Run every firm on your shortlist through the same six checks.

1. Listed in the Partner Network directory. Look the firm up through claude.com/partners. Anthropic says the directory shows each partner's tier, certified team, customer deployments and public references, refreshed daily. If a firm says it is a member and you cannot find it, ask why. A listing can lag behind membership, so there may be a fair answer, but you should hear it.
2. Trains on your real work. Ask what your team brings to the session. A good answer names your processes, a sample of your data under a written agreement, and something each person will have working by the end of the day. A tour of features rarely changes what anyone does on Thursday afternoon. Our page on Claude training for teams sets out what we think good looks like.
3. Covers data and governance. Ask who writes the AI policy, what data may go into Claude, and who signs off new uses. Then ask how those rules apply once people are working. A policy in a shared drive relies on memory. A partner should explain the rules, the plan's data settings and the controls in plain English. Our approach is on the AI governance page.
4. Shows a plan for after the first day. Adoption slips in the weeks after training. Ask what happens at week two, month one and month three. Who checks what stuck? Who fixes what slipped? Is ongoing support priced, and what does it cover?
5. UK based and working to UK GDPR. Ask where the firm is registered and who will be in your building. UK GDPR applies once AI touches personal data, and higher-risk processing needs a Data Protection Impact Assessment. Your partner should know when a DPIA is needed and be willing to sign a data agreement before they see any of your files.
6. References. Ask for two clients of a similar size that you can phone. Ask them what went wrong and how the firm handled it. The public references in the directory are a starting point. A call tells you more.

Questions to ask on the first call

These take about twenty minutes and sort most shortlists.

• How are you paid, and do you earn anything on the licences we buy?
• Who will run our sessions, and how often do they use Claude on their own work?
• How many of the people working with us hold a current Anthropic certification?
• Which Claude plan would you put us on, and when would you tell us a different tool fits better?
• What do you need from us before the first session?
• What will each person have working at the end of the first day?
• Who writes the AI policy, and how does Claude follow it day to day?
• What does it cost in total, and what would count as extra?

Red flags

• Claims to be the official or number one Claude firm. There is no official ranking of Claude trainers, and Anthropic's tiers do not name a number one.
• Calls itself an "Anthropic certified company". Anthropic's certifications belong to individuals, earned through exams, and a certified practitioner must hold a current certification and have used Claude in the past 90 days. Ask whose certification it is.
• Cannot be found in the directory and cannot explain why.
• The same slide deck for every client. If the course outline arrives before anyone has asked about your work, it was written for someone else.
• Connects Claude to email, finance or shared files before any rules exist.
• Will not say how it is paid. A firm that earns on seats has a reason to sell you more of them.
• Leaves after the training day with no follow-up booked and no named person to call.

Partner, consultant or trainer: which do you need?

Start from where you are.

A trainer fits when you already have licences and a set-up, and people are not using them. You need someone to sit with each team and build Claude into the jobs they do every week. Look for Claude training on your own work, with a follow-up visit.

A consultant fits when you have not yet decided whether Claude is the right tool, or you run several tools and need someone to say which job goes where. Ask for platform-neutral advice first. Our Claude vs Copilot comparison is one place to start.

An implementation partner fits when you have chosen Claude and want the set-up, training and governance done together by one firm with Claude depth and a working relationship with Anthropic. Many firms do all three. The useful question is which one you need first.

How Ignite fits

Ignite AI Solutions is a UK company and a Claude Certified Services Partner in Anthropic's Claude Partner Network. Here is how we answer the checklist, so you can compare like with like.

• We take no commission on licences, and if Copilot suits you better we say so.
• Our Claude training starts with one organisational set-up, then runs room by room, up to 10 people per room, on your team's own work, in person or remote, with a return visit at day 30.
• Governance is led by Dr Joseph Ross, our AI Governance Lead. The package covers an AI Manifesto, DPIA screening and an AI Policy, aligned to UK GDPR and ISO 42001, with the rules built into Claude.
• We are an Accredited Training Provider for the UK AI Council.
• Every price is published on our pricing page.

Run the same checks on us that you run on anyone else, including the directory. What our partnership covers is set out in full.

Read next: What is a Claude Partner? · How to train your team on Claude · How a UK business brings Claude in · Book a call