We hope this FAQ answers any questions you have. However, If you can’t find what you’re looking for please Contact us.
A: The minimum lesson length is usually 1 hour although tutors may teach for shorter periods online; GCSE and A level students often have lessons of 1.5/2 hours, especially over half-terms and holidays.
A: Most regular lessons happen once a week – although if there is a lot of ground to cover or a deadline is close, the frequency will increase. Over the holiday periods, students often have intensive lessons, perhaps 3/4/5 per week to maximise the time they are not at school.
A: Each tutor has their own cancellation policy that they will agree with their clients before the lessons start.
A: No, you are not tied into a contract (although for home schooling placements, a tutor may ask for a certain level of commitment from their client). If you wish to stop the lessons, please discuss this with us or your tutor.
A: No, you can have as many or as few lessons as you like. Some clients ask for weekly lessons for the academic year; others will just ask for a few hours before a specific exam/deadline.
A: For families new to us, we charge a £95 inc. VAT Registration Fee, a one-off payment that gives a family lifetime membership to us.
The hourly fee is comprised of the tutor’s fee and our Introduction Fee/commission. Please see full details here.
A: Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a discount for block booking. Tutors fix their rate and we don’t have the flexibility to lower that fee, and we have purposefully kept our commission low to already offer great value.
A: We certainly do! Please see our section on home schooling and residential tuition for more information.
A: There is some level of preparation prior to a lesson that a tutor is expected to do and this time is not charged for. However, if a tutor is asked to mark an essay, or set an exam and mark it, the tutor will usually ask for their time to be paid for. The tutor will inform you if this is the case prior to undertaking the work, so that there are no hidden costs.
A: Lessons take place either at your home if the tuition is in person, or online. If the student is over 16 and would prefer lessons at a location that is mutually beneficial for them and the tutor e.g. a quiet café or local library, we can also accommodate this.
A: Tutors will have the resources they need to use in lessons and they may recommend books that would benefit their students.
A: We have an online system called OCiS that we use for processing payments. Once tuition has been confirmed, we will automatically create an account for you and send you your login details.
We invoice retrospectively (unless you live abroad), so for example if tuition took place in May, you will be invoiced for these lessons in the first week of June. To pay the invoice, log into OCiS and click “Pay Invoice” using your preferred method of payment.
A: Tutors teach a wide variety of subjects across all levels from primary to university. For a full list of subjects and levels, please see our subjects page.
A: We have a range of tutors from a variety of different backgrounds. Some are currently teachers in school who tutor on the evenings and weekends. Some have previously been teachers and are now full or part time tutors. Others tutor alongside careers in other areas of industry.
A: We hand-pick our tutors from hundreds of applicants and then carry out a recruitment process involving an in-person interview with Lucy. We obtain two references and ask that they have a valid DBS dated within the past 12 months (they can apply for an updated one through us, if needed).
A: We require all tutors on our books to have a DBS certificate dated within the past 12 months or to be on the DBS update service. We require that they have completed suitable safeguarding training within the past two years.
Knowing each tutor personally means we have a strong sense of the person they are, making our job of recommending them much easier.
There are currently no qualifications you need to be a tutor. Most of our tutors will have a degree in the subject they are teaching along with experience teaching and working with children. We ask that tutors are 21 or finished their second year of university before they apply to us. Most applications we now receive come from tutors with 10+ years’ experience.
A: We cater for all ages from primary school right the way through to adults.
A: For face to face tuition, 5 is certainly not too young. We have specialist tutors who are highly experienced with this age group. However, it is probably too young for online tuition.
A: That’s no problem at all. Depending on availability of the tutor(s), we will always attempt to meet your requirements.
A: Yes, we have a wonderful team of advisors in both mental health and learning differences who will be able to connect you with the right tutor for your specific needs. All tutors on our books have basic training in Mental Health and Learning Differences. Some have even had further training, such as Mental Health First Aid training or they hold a SEN qualification.
