What if my student wants to pay me directly?

If a student asks to take lessons off the platform, keep them on Tutorful. Taking students off-platform harms your repeat booking score and your ability to get future students. It also breaches our Terms and Conditions and can lead to your account being suspended or permanently blocked.

Who this applies to

This applies to all tutors, for any meeting with a student found via Tutorful, including lessons, trials, and sessions to assess student needs. Under our Terms and Conditions, you must book all such time through the website. You agree not to take students off the platform, or attempt to, at the time of booking, during a period of confirmed bookings, or at any time within six months of your most recent booking with that student. This is the Tutor Restriction Period.

How to handle the conversation

If a student asks, here are points you can use.

• Cost to the community: staying on Tutorful helps keep tuition affordable for a whole community of learners.
• Pricing: the rate here is the same you’d charge elsewhere. The fee reflects the advertising, marketing, and behind-the-scenes work that brings tutors and students together.
• Payment security: the secure payment process gives you both peace of mind that your financial information is safe.
• Accountability: if there’s ever a misunderstanding, Tutorful can act as a neutral third party to help resolve it. That’s much harder off-platform.
• Legal implications: you both agreed to keep lessons on the platform when you joined. Breaking those terms could mean losing access altogether.
• Support and resources: Tutorful gives you both a team and resources to support your teaching and learning, which you’d lose off-platform.

What to do next

For further support on this or anything else, contact the tutor team at support@tutorful.co.uk.