Look through the profiles of relevant tutors. They are all qualified and experienced teachers, up-to-date, safe, reliable, and available to provide tuition for your child.
Invite tutors to contact you. You are not committing to any lessons, just having an initial chat to see if they are a good fit for your needs. If you are unsure what to say or ask, use this guide to your introductory call
If ready, start tuition with your tutor. Fees are paid after each lesson by a secure online card payment. You are in control; you can check and approve lesson payments and stop tuition at any time.
If you are in the process of choosing a tutor for your child, then it is a good idea to organise an initial introductory call or meeting with them (face-to-face or online). This will enable you to learn more about their character, qualifications, experience and teaching style, and you will be better able to assess whether they are a good fit for your child.
This introductory call or initial meeting should take around 20 minutes. Feel free to include your child in this call (if they are of suitable age) as you want to see if there is a good rapport.
(1) Ask the tutor to introduce themself to you in much more detail and talk through their teaching style and experience.
(2) Discuss your child’s needs and the purpose and ambition for the tuition.
(3) Provide the tutor with any further details they need regarding the role, such as the age and year group of your child, their school, any relevant exam board or exam dates, and any specific SEN, EHCP, or diagnostic reports.
(4) Ask the tutor how they might initially assess your child and how they would implement a plan to measure progress.
(5) Be clear about your own expectations around setting work and whether you want the tutor to provide and mark any structured homework.
(6) Clarify whether you want the tutor to liaise directly with your child's school and class teacher.
(7) Confirm the timings, timescale and location of the tuition if it is face-to-face.
At the end of the call, confirm any next steps.
If you decide that this tutor is the right fit for your tuition needs, you may wish to arrange a first lesson with them ... or if you want some time to think about it, please tell the tutor that you will get back to them.
If you plan a first lesson, agree on a time and location that works for both of you and discuss what to expect from that first lesson.
Establish some ground rules. You should be able to give 'reasonable' notice to your tutor should you need to cancel a lesson with them. Please clarify how you will communicate with your tutor if this happens (text, voicemail, e-mail). Most tutors will expect 24 hours’ notice, though understand that it is not always possible to give this (e.g. last-minute illness). This reasonable notice also applies if your tutor needs to cancel a lesson due to unforeseen circumstances.
Concerning safeguarding, tuition (home or online) should always occur in a supervised setting, i.e. with a parent, guardian or carer also present in the home.
Confirm their availability for your preferred lesson times.
Be around for the first few lessons and listen in on the teaching and learning.
Talk with your child after each lesson and watch their response to it. Though your child may initially be nervous or unenthusiastic, you should quickly begin to see a positive response from them.
With many years of experience teaching children on a one-to-one basis, we know that children often make remarkable progress in only a few weeks. Ability, self-belief, confidence, enjoyment … all begin to take root and grow.
If you are looking for someone experienced and trained to teach, you should select a qualified teacher for tuition. It might sound obvious, but if your tutor has teaching qualifications, they will have direct experience teaching children in your child’s age range in the chosen subject. Your tutor will be a subject specialist, able to assess and measure progress, liaise with your school (if required), and be up to date with the latest curriculum changes and exam specifications.
We bring the classroom to your home with high-quality tuition from fully qualified teachers. All our tutors are experienced, professional teachers vetted by us and with enhanced DBS checks.
On average, twenty qualified and experienced teachers join our service each week. Most of our teachers continue to work in schools; some have become full-time tutors. They come from the state, grammar, and independent sectors, with experience in primary, secondary, and further education.
We also receive many applications from unqualified (though often experienced) tutors and undergraduates, but we turn them all away because we believe that “teachers do it best.” A qualified and experienced schoolteacher provides the best, most reliable, relevant, and safest education for your child. That’s why we only offer experienced and qualified teachers as tutors.
There are reasons why you may consider an unqualified tutor a better fit for your needs than a qualified teacher. You may be looking for someone of a similar age to your child who can act more as a peer mentor and role model than as an educator. Another reason might be cost. Often, unqualified tutors charge less, and a quick scroll on your social media will source tutors for as little as £10 per hour.
Unqualified tutors may have achieved great academic results in their own education, but beware of subject experts who can’t teach. Their experience and knowledge of teaching can massively vary (especially when working with younger children), and this is difficult to identify until you hire them and see how they interact with your child.
Many unqualified tutors rely on worksheets, the equivalent of extra homework, rather than an engaging learning experience. They may also be unable to build rapport or uncertain how to structure a lesson or assess your child’s needs and progress.
If you are not looking for a qualified teacher for tuition, perhaps consider recommendations from friends or a search on Google or social media. You could also look at other tutor agencies that offer a wider range of tutors.
Explore Learning provides tuition centres that support primary and secondary school children aged 4 to 16. They offer a combination of online and in-person tuition and focus on teaching English, Maths, Primary, SATs, and School Entrance Exams. Costs: Their tutors are not qualified teachers. Explore Learning operates on a membership basis, where students attend multiple monthly sessions. Monthly membership fees can range from £100 to £150, depending on the location and programme.
First Tutors is an online platform connecting students with private tutors across various subjects and levels. The platform allows students to browse profiles, read reviews, and choose a tutor based on their preferences. Their tutors are a mix of undergraduates, professionals, and qualified teachers. Costs: The prices of First Tutors vary depending on the subject and the tutor's experience. On average, you can expect to pay between £20 and £40 per hour for the tuition, and you also pay a one-off fee to the platform (between £9.99 to £34.99) to be able to connect with your chosen tutor.
Fleet Tutors specialises in providing private tuition for students of all ages, from primary school to university, with English, Maths, Science and School Entrance Exams as the main focus. They offer face-to-face and online tutoring options. Their tutors are a mix of undergraduates, professionals, and qualified teachers. Costs: Fleet Tutors does not openly disclose its pricing on its website, and you must phone a consultant to find this. However, based on industry averages, you can expect costs to range from £30 to £50 per hour.
Kip McGrath is a well-established tutoring franchise with a network of tuition centres across the UK. It offers face-to-face and online tutoring in English and maths for primary and secondary school students up to 16 years old. Most tutors are qualified teachers. Costs: Vary based on the location and the specific programme, but on average cost £34 per hour.
MyTutor offers online tuition only. It provides a platform for tutors to create profiles and for students to find the right match for their learning needs. All tutors are current or recent undergraduate students. Costs: Tutors on MyTutor set their own rates, and prices can vary based on the subject and the tutor's experience. Expect to pay between £22 and £57 per hour.
Superprof is an online platform that connects students with tutors across various subjects and interests, including music tuition, Rubik's Cube coaches, drumming lessons, and art and cooking classes. It caters to a global audience, allowing students to find tutors both locally and internationally. Tutors are generally students and undergraduates, not often qualified teachers. Costs: Superprof allows tutors to set their own rates. On average, you can expect to pay between £15 and £40 per hour, though some charge more than this.
Tutor Doctor is a global tutoring franchise that offers personalised in-home and online tutoring services. It matches students with tutors based on individual needs and learning styles. Tutors are generally students and undergraduates, not often qualified teachers. Costs: Like many other tutoring agencies, Tutor Doctor does not openly disclose pricing on its website. Costs can vary based on location, subject, and tutor experience, with average prices ranging from £30 to £50 per hour.
Tutorful is an online platform that connects students with local and online tutors. It provides a platform for tutors to showcase their qualifications and expertise. Tutors are generally students and undergraduates, not often qualified teachers. Costs: Tutorful allows tutors to set their own prices. On average, tutors charge between £13 and £35 per hour.
Tutorhunt is a service that offers online tuition only. It provides a platform for tutors to create profiles and for students to find the right match for their learning needs. Its tutors are a mix of students, undergraduates, and some qualified teachers. Costs: Tutors on Tutorhunt set their own rates, and prices can vary based on the subject and the tutor's experience. Expect to pay between £20 and £40 per hour.
Wherever you go or whoever you choose, please take the time to interview the tutor first, check their credentials and be sure they are safe to work with your child.
Face-to-face tuition is the traditional and perhaps the most widely recognised form of tutoring. It involves a teacher providing tuition for your child in person, usually at your home or some neutral setting (e.g., a library or café). About 60% of the requests we receive from parents are for face-to-face tuition, particularly those for children in their younger years or who require support with SEN.
The advantages of face-to-face tuition are:
The disadvantages of face-to-face tuition are:
Overall, while online tutoring offers many benefits, such as a wider choice of teachers, flexibility, and convenience, many parents still see face-to-face tuition as offering the personal touch. It enables the teacher to build a closer rapport with your child and, arguably, can support them to achieve better results.
With the advent of technology, online tuition has gained immense popularity. It allows your child to connect with their teacher remotely, eliminating geographical constraints. This mode of tutoring often involves video calls, shared documents, and other digital tools to facilitate effective learning. Our teachers use a range of platforms for their online lessons, including Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, etc.
The advantages of online tuition are:
The disadvantages of online tuition are:
By teaming up with friends and family members, parents can create their own small groups for tuition, either at home or online. This innovative approach allows children to benefit from the highest-quality teachers and enables parents to share the costs, making quality education more accessible.
Children should be of similar ages, abilities, and ambitions. The group size should be no larger than four. The cost of each lesson is automatically charged equally across the group. Parents can easily manage the size of their group and can start and stop lessons at any time.
The advantages of small group tuition are:
The disadvantages of small group tuition are:
When you complete the website form telling us the subject, subject level, age group, and location (if face-to-face) for the tuition required, we provide you with a list of profiles of teachers who can offer tuition in the subject and level you are looking for and who are currently available.
Take your time reading through these teacher profiles, and when you are ready, you can invite teachers to contact you. Most parents invite 2 or 3 teachers, but you can choose more. You are not committing to any lessons at this stage; just having an initial chat to see if they are a good fit for your needs.
You may wish to generate further teacher lists for other subjects or consider different types of tuition. For example, if you want a greater choice of teachers, request an online teacher list.
When you invite a teacher to contact you, you can send them a note with any extra information, and you can expect them to e-mail, text or call you in the next day or two.
Our teachers are generally very reliable and good at contacting you within 24 to 48 hours, but if you do not receive a response from a teacher, please let us know, and we will follow up. Sometimes, a busy teacher does not see the e-mail, or it has gone into their spam or junk folder.
If you are unsure about what to say or what to ask your teacher when they make contact, please read this guide for your introductory call.
If you are in the process of choosing a tutor for your child, then it is a good idea to organise an initial introductory call or meeting with the tutor (face-to-face or online). This will enable you to learn more about their character, qualifications, experience and teaching style, and you will be better able to assess whether they are a good fit for your child.
How to structure an introductory phone call or initial meeting
This introductory call or initial meeting may take around 20 minutes. Feel free to include your child in this call (if they are of a suitable age) if you want to see if there is a good rapport between them and the teacher.
At the end of the call, confirm any next steps.
Be around for the first few lessons and listen in on the teaching and learning.
Have a chat with your child after each lesson and watch their response. Though your child may initially be nervous or unenthusiastic, you should quickly begin to see a positive response.
With many years of experience teaching children one-to-one, we know children often make remarkable progress in only a few weeks. Ability, self-belief, confidence, enjoyment … all begin to take root and grow.
Safeguarding is crucial when it comes to tutoring, whether it's face-to-face or online.
Qualified teachers are required to undergo appropriate background checks, including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. This check helps to identify any criminal records or history that may pose a risk. You can ask your teacher to bring their DBS and teaching certificates to their first lesson.
You can also request your teacher bring references from previous clients or employers to their first lesson with you. You can access some reviews for teachers in their profiles.
Even with a DBS in place, parents should take additional safeguards. For example, we recommend the following:
Many tutors and tutor agencies do not show their fees, so you will need to contact them directly to find out and/or negotiate.
Our fees are clearly shown on our website here.
For the majority of our teachers, tuition fees for one-to-one tuition are as follows:
Our teachers are free to set their own tuition fees, and some choose to charge a higher rate than this, especially if they are offering a specialist subject, level, or experience.
When you look at your teacher list, the tuition fee for each teacher is clearly shown in their profile. The teacher has set their own fee, which is not for negotiation. You may consider the teacher's fee as part of your selection process when shortlisting your teachers.
If the cost is an issue, you can invite your partner, grandparents, or other family members to contribute to the tuition costs. We provide a secure and easy set-up for you to invite others to add their payment card to your account. You can also pair up with other families to create a small tuition group, automatically sharing the costs across your group. Group tuition is significantly more cost-effective than one-on-one tuition, as tuition fees can be shared across the group. Small group tuition costs range from £15 to £35 ph per student, depending on the subject, the tutor's qualifications, and the group size.
Of the total fee you pay, 75% will go directly to your teacher, and 25% will cover the platform costs, which include VAT, card processing, and our business costs.
There are no further costs for you. Travel costs for face-to-face tuition are included in the tuition fee. Teachers will provide their own resources for all their lessons, though you may choose to supplement these.
You do not need to pay registration fees to use our website or teachers. You pay nothing in advance. You pay after each lesson. You are in full control and can authorise or, if necessary, query your teacher's timesheet before payment. You can also stop tuition and cancel your account with us anytime.
After your first lesson, you must add your debit or credit card to your account. We use Stripe Payments Europe Ltd, a secure card payment system which transfers your tuition fees directly to your teacher’s bank account.
You can invite your partner, grandparents or other family members to contribute to part or all of your tuition costs.
You can also choose to create a small tuition group with fellow parents and other families, automatically sharing the costs across your group.
We provide a secure and easy set-up for you to invite others to add their payment cards to your account.
After each lesson, your teacher will add the lesson details to a timesheet, which you can see in your account. You will be notified by text and e-mail each time this happens.
Following payment of the timesheet, you will receive two invoices on your account detailing the tuition fee due to the teacher and the platform fee (VAT, card processing fee and our business costs) due to us.
We're almost certain you will be happy with your choice of teacher, but if the first lesson is not a success, for whatever reason, please contact us, and you will not be charged for the lesson. We will also look for an alternative teacher if you wish.
Occasionally, we experience parents trying to negotiate fees directly with teachers, even suggesting they pay the teacher directly, cash in hand, with no records of invoices, receipts, VAT costs, etc. Our teachers are often embarrassed if this happens, and they will report this to us. We will then close the parent's account.
We request that you give “reasonable” notice to your teacher if a lesson needs to be cancelled. This means as much notice as is practically possible. However, we all understand there are circumstances where it is difficult to give sufficient notice.
We request that our teachers give you the same “reasonable” notice if they need to cancel the lesson for any reason.
We strongly recommend that you and your teacher discuss a clear process for communicating any cancellations in your initial meeting with them, e.g., sending a text, WhatsApp, or a phone call. Communication is the key to maintaining a strong relationship between you and your teacher.
We do not specify a 24-hour cancellation policy, as it is difficult to maintain this policy as every situation differs. For example, it would seem wrong to charge for a lesson if your child has a sudden illness. Equally, we have had cases of teachers being caught in traffic due to accidents, etc., and unable to get to the lesson.
If there is a dispute (fortunately, this is very rare), then our suggested cancellation guidelines stated in our Terms and Conditions are:
You can start the tuition whenever you wish, during the next few days or at some later date. Simply contact your chosen teacher and confirm the date, time and venue of the first lesson with them. If you have not done so already, you can add your payment card to your account.
You can pause tuition whenever you wish, e.g. for half-terms or school holidays. Simply contact your teacher in advance and let your teacher know.
You can stop the tuition whenever you wish, after one lesson or after many. Simply contact your teacher and let them know that you no longer require lessons. There is also a button in your account (which looks like the image below) that you can press that will let the teacher know that you are stopping lessons.
If, in the future weeks, months, or years, you wish to contact your teacher again to restart tuition (perhaps with a sibling), simply ask them if they are available. Their contact details will always be held in your account. There is also a button in your account (which looks like the image below) that you can press to confirm that you are restarting lessons, which will re-activate the role.
Most parents choose to keep their account open with us, even if they have never started or have stopped their tuition.
Keep our account open to request further lists of qualified and experienced teachers. You can also use our free resources, parent guides, and exam library, where you can access and download SATs, 11-plus, GCSE, and A-Level exam papers and mark schemes. (If you can't find what you are looking for, drop us a line, and we will try to find it for you and add it to your library.)
We promise not to pester you or try to sell you anything else, nor bother you with endless marketing emails. We will not pass your details to anyone else.
You can close your account at any time. At the bottom of your account, there is a large red button (which looks like the image below) that will permanently close your account and delete all your data. Please note that once you have deleted your data, we cannot retrieve it.
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