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For students and tutors alike, finding the
best online tutoring platform is no easy feat. In fact, choosing the right one
could involve masses of research into factors such as commission fees,
safeguarding practices, technology, and pricing to name a few.
Whilst you might be lost for time, each and
every online tuition agency is unique, so finding the right one for you is
important. In a bid to support you in your search for the best UK online
tuition service, we have compiled a comprehensive guide to our top ten
recommendations to help you make the best and most informed choice about the
best companies for tutors and students.
Revision Centre is a platform specialising in
a range of different subjects, from GCSE to A-level, to help tutees increase
their grades or boost their confidence. All tutors are based throughout the
country with varying levels of experience, different price points, and
availability both in-person and online, so there is a tutor for just about
every student.
Students can search for a tutor, filtering
their search by subject, level and more. This ensures that, as a student, all
of your requirements will be met and you’ll be paired with a tutor who knows
the ins and outs of your chosen subject.
Safety
All tutors go through rigorous safety
checks, including having their address and ID verified, passport checks, and a
DBS check is also advised too. The result of these checks will be made clear on
each tutor’s profile in the form of a checklist. This means, when searching for
a tutor on this website, you can be confident that you are in safe hands when
being taught by a Revision Centre tutor.
When searching for a tutor, you can filter
by location, and choose whether you’d like to be taught online, in the
student’s home, or at the tutor’s house, to make sure you’re able to learn in
an environment you’re comfortable in.
Commission
Rates
One of the main advantages of tutoring with
Revision Centre is the low commission rates, meaning tutors earn more for their
time in comparison to other tutoring platforms. For the first three months,
tutors on Revision Centre won’t pay any commission, and thereafter they will
only pay 10%.
Payment
Revision Centre has a secure payment
system, allowing students to pay their tutors in a safe capacity. Unlike other
tutoring sites, Revision Centre ensures that tutors will be paid within 48
hours of carrying out their lesson, which means that tutors won’t be out of
pocket or waiting long to be paid.
Like other tutoring platforms, Revision
Centre also set their own hourly wage based on a number of factors, such as
experience, the type of content being covered and where the tutoring is taking
place. This can easily be adjusted on the platform at any time.
Additional
Benefits
Revision Centre is an incredibly flexible
service, with students and tutors alike. The site shows a real-time calendar to
check the availability of the tutor, allowing students to book in at any time
the tutor is “free”.
The website makes finding a tutor easy by
allowing students to filter their search by subject, level and teaching
preferences (at their home, their tutors home, or online). When searching
through the list of tutors available, each tutor will list their qualifications,
pricing, hours taught and their experience, making it simple to choose the
perfect tutor.
Furthermore, the site also has a moderated
review system, where students will be able to read through reviews from
previous students. This helps students to see exactly where the tutor excels
and whether they suit your learning style or criteria. Similarly, the
moderation process means that the reviews are fair to the tutors themselves.
Overall
In conclusion, Revision Centre is a
fantastic choice of tutoring platform for both tutors and students alike for
several different reasons. Their website is easy to navigate, with all the
information you need easily available - from pricing to qualifications, and
tutor availability on a daily basis - ensuring it’s easy to find a suitable
tutor for you or your child.
For tutors, this site is great for those
looking for full-time or part-time work, with low commission rates, fast
payment, and the ability to choose your own pricing and when you’re available
for booking.
Tutor House is primarily focussed on exam
preparation, tailored to students who are looking to get ready for upcoming
tests. It is mainly based online, but there are opportunities to only meet up
in person too.
Unfortunately, this tutoring platform does
not include a search function that allows you to filter tutors by level, so
this is a conversation students will have to have personally with any potential
tutors before starting any lessons.
Safety
Tutor House conducts a range of
pre-employment checks in order to verify qualifications, which means they only
employ the top 20% of applicants. Tutor profiles clearly show whether a tutor
has been verified, which means all background checks into their education have
been carried out. However, it is not clear whether tutors need to obtain a DBS
check.
As the platform is geared towards online
teaching, there isn’t any worry for tutors or students going to an unfamiliar
setting, but does take some of the personal quality out of tutoring.
Commission
Rates
One downside of Tutor House is their high
commission rates for tutors. They take anywhere between 15% to 20% commission,
depending on how many hours tutors spend teaching. The more hours teaching
tutees, the less commission the company takes from your wages. This can be a
major drawback to tutors looking to use this platform on a part-time basis.
Payment
Tutor House has a secure payment system
which sees students paying for lessons before they happen, to deter any
cancelling without warning and leaving tutors out of pocket. However, tutors do
not receive this payment until 5 working days after the session has been
carried out.
When it comes to hourly wage, tutors can
set their own price point and can easily adjust this on the platform.
Additional
Benefits
Tutor House is an easy-to-use platform and
has an online calendar where students can pick a time that suits them. One of
the best features is their tutor matching service where you can list your
preferences, subject, level, and personality traits before being shown a list
of tutors that will suit you.
Overall
All in all, Tutor House is a good choice
for tutors who want to be able to choose their own schedule and location. Their
site is accessible for students, with clear information on the tutor’s levels of
experience and education.
In terms of earnings, payments are on the
slower side and they have a higher commission rate compared to other tutor
sites, but their secure payment system is a bonus.
Fleet Tutors is slightly different from the
other platforms considered, as it is more in the vein of working for the
company rather than a site to connect tutors and students.
They have tutors who can teach core
subjects, such as English, mathematics, geography and history. However, if
you’re a student looking for tuition in a less well-known subject, you may
struggle to find it on this platform.
Safety
There are a number of steps tutors must
complete before being able to hold their first tuition session, such as an
initial application, personal interview, DBS check, document verification, and
reference checks. This structure means that the service is safe for students
and they can be assured that their tutor is 100% qualified.
One-to-one lessons can be conducted at the
student’s home or online, so there is no worry of having to go to a place where
you’re not comfortable.
Commission
Rates
There is not a lot of information available
in terms of commission rates but, through looking at employee reviews on
Glassdoor, tutors can expect to earn an average of £30 per lesson. Fleet Tutors
send an invoice to students and expect it to be paid within 14 days, at which
point the tutors will be sent their money. For many, this is a long time to
wait to be paid and one of the downsides of working for this company.
Payment
The overall view of Fleet Tutor’s payment
plan is that wages are sent on time and in full. One previous employee stated
that the role itself does not have much security, and work can be hard to come
by, meaning that this tutoring platform may not be the best for tutors looking
for full-time work.
Additional
Benefits
One interesting aspect of Fleet Tutors is
their bespoke home-schooling programme. This is an intensive course that can
fit around the student’s own schedule and look to help them achieve their
personal goals.
All tutors are degree-qualified in their
chosen subject, so students know they are being educated by someone who knows
what they’re talking about.
Overall
In short, Fleet Tutors is an exclusive
service that offers high-quality tutors who are well educated and qualified.
All core subjects are covered within this platform, as well as other options
like homeschooling.
Their service does not seem as personal as
other sites do, and the chance to pick your own tutor is not advertised. If
extensive knowledge of the subject area is more of a priority over what kind of
tutor you are working with, Fleet Tutors is a good choice.
Superprof is one of the largest tutor
platforms, with more than 13 million tutors around the world who can teach over
1,000 subjects. Students who require some help in more niche topics may be able
to find a tutor on here compared to other tutoring sites.
Safety
The site works by students looking through
tutor profiles and choosing the right one for them in terms of qualifications,
prices, experience, and approach. They can then get in touch with the tutor
themselves to organise a lesson either at home or online. The choice of
location means that there is a good layer of security protecting both the tutor
and student’s safety.
However, there isn’t any evidence of tutors
having to obtain a DBS check or go through any rigorous application stages,
like other tutoring platforms in the UK.
Commission
Rates
If you use the payment system on Superprof,
where you can get paid through bank transfer or PayPal, they will take a 10%
commission to cover all administration costs. Alternatively, to avoid these
commission costs, you can organise with your students to obtain payment in
another way, although this is not verified through the platform itself.
Payment
In terms of payment, students pay before
the lesson starts, with tutors being able to access this 24 hours later - one
of the fastest.
Tutors can choose their own lesson pricing
and change this as and when they want to. For all new tutors on Superprof
without any reviews, you are advised to offer the first lesson for free to
build up your profile.
Additional
Benefits
Superprof is an incredibly flexible
service, with students and tutors alike being able to choose when they are
available. That being said, tutors who set their available hours at less
sought-after times will find they are not able to build up a lot of time
tutoring, with some previous employees stating the hardest part of the job was
finding clients.
Overall
Superprof is a good platform for tutors who
do not necessarily have the level of education or qualifications that other
tutor sites ask for. It is easy to set up a profile, but finding potential
students and earning a good wage can be difficult.
One major downside of this platform is that
students have to buy a pass in order to contact tutors which starts at £29, so
they need to commit to tutoring without even meeting any potential educators
which can be off-putting to many.
First Tutors offers help to a wide variety of
students, from primary school age right through to university students. Through
tutors writing their own profiles, students are able to get a feel of their
personality and skills before even having an initial conversation.
Safety
First Tutors carry out some reference
checks before the tutors are able to start conducting lessons on the site, as
well as verifying their ID in order to increase the safety levels for the
students. Students can work with tutors to find a suitable location where all
parties feel comfortable.
The reviewing system means that potential
clients will be able to read the honest thoughts of previous students. First
Tutors also offers a support system 7 days a week to help with any concerns
from tutors or students.
Commission
Rates
First Tutors do not charge commission as
they are not, in any way, involved with the payment - it is up to the tutors
themselves to set-up a payment plan. However, this means that they often have
to spend time chasing parents for money after not keeping up-to-date with their
charges.
Students who wish to connect with tutors on
this site need to pay a one-off fee of between £4.99 and £24.99 before being
able to get in touch with them, which may be unappealing to many.
Payment
Tutors are able to set their own hourly
rates but are encouraged to set them in-line with the average in their area in
order to attract more students. Often, tutors that have a lot of experience are
able to charge more than those who are just starting out.
First Tutors are not liable for any
payments, so will not be able to assist if things ever go awry and clients are
withholding money.
Additional
Benefits
First Tutors has a search function where
students can find tutors based on subject areas and level - it is even divided
into groups like languages, business, academic, and arts. During the initial
search, students can choose whether they’d prefer online or in-person sessions,
to further narrow down their options.
Overall
First Tutors is suitable for those who want
to be in charge of their own schedule, earnings, and customer base. It is a
flexible platform and can be fit in around a full-time job as a way to earn
some extra income.
A common concern of tutors who use this
site is the number of hours available. Many state that students are hard to
come by, which makes making a good wage difficult when you take into
consideration the time outside of the lesson that is unpaid, such as preparation
or marking.
Tutorful is one of the most popular online
tuition platforms on the market and offers tuition in over 300 subjects in
total - one of the largest. The site is also home to many tutors, which means
availability is better than can be found on competitor sites.
Safety
As far as the safety of both tutors and
students is concerned, it is worth noting that a DBS check is not compulsory
for new tutors, but some form of identification and a billing address is. This
is, however, mainly to ensure payment is both legal and convenient.
Tutorful retains the ability to monitor
messages, lessons, and content between tutors and students, which does make the
platform safer for those that use it.
Commission
Rates
When it comes to commission, it is worth
noting that Tutorful takes a substantial cut of a tutor’s earnings. Compared to
other platforms with relatively low commission rates of roughly 10%, Tutorful
tutors are charged 25% worth of commission for up to 250 hours taught on the
platform, and 20% for those that teach over 250. Whilst this is a hefty amount,
the platform remains very popular so it might be that the benefits of the site
outweigh this disadvantage.
Payment
Regarding payment, tutors are able to
choose their own pricing but are asked to do so sensibly which is good for
tutors in terms of making earning more flexible.
However, payments for your lessons are not
received immediately after a lesson or soon after. The site takes payment 24
hours after each lesson, but tutors are likely to receive this in their bank
account around 8 to 9 days later. That said, the money does go straight into
your bank account without you needing to do anything, which makes the process
of getting paid with Tutorful stress-free if you don’t mind the wait.
Additional
Benefits
One commonly cited benefit of Tutorful is
that their software is among the best. For example, they offer access to an
intuitive whiteboard which allows learning together to be more interactive than
other platforms. The site is also easy to use and very accessible.
Overall
Overall, Tutorful is undoubtedly a popular
online tutoring site, with good resources and availability for both tutors and
students. It is also pretty safe compared to offline tutoring which often
requires few or no identity checks. However, the matters of commission and
payment are slightly less appealing when it comes to Tutorful since they take a
big cut and payments can take over a week to arrive - which is somewhat larger
and longer than competitor sites.
MyTutor is yet another popular choice in the
online tutoring industry and the platform boasts the same flexibility and broad
benefits of most other major online tutoring communities. The site is well
known amongst students and tutors alike, so it was bound to score a spot in our
list of the best online tutoring platforms.
Safety
Like many online tutoring sites, MyTutor
also does not require the completion of a DBS check before tutors join the
community. However, MyTutor has its own set of interviewers who interview
prospective tutors, which certainly enhances safety online.
The platform also prohibits sharing any
personal information with parents, such as personal contact information, and
says that all communication should be through the monitored online lesson space
instead. In short, the platform abides by strict child safety guidelines,
making it one of the safest.
Commission
It is unclear how much commission MyTutor
charges tutors for using their platform as they do not advertise this, but they
do say that tutors can expect to earn roughly £10 to £24 following the
commission charge and VAT. Although, it is rumoured on forums such as Glassdoor
that the commission can be as high as 40% for low price bands, and 25% for
higher price bands of tutoring which, if true, is considerably higher than most
tutoring platforms.
Payment
MyTutor may not be a good fit for tutors
seeking fast and flexible payments. Unfortunately, receiving payment with
MyTutor is slightly inconvenient since there are only two payment dates
throughout the month - one in the middle of the month for the first half of the
month’s bookings, and the second at the start of the following month, for the
latter half of the month’s bookings. This might work well for many but is not
ideal for tutors seeking more immediate payment for their time.
Additional
Benefits
There are a few benefits of MyTutor that
set it apart from other popular platforms. Firstly, the platform is actually
relied on and partnered with schools, which means it has a great reputation and
high standards of teaching. Another benefit is that the site has a large and
helpful customer service team that is prepared to help students, parents, and
tutors with any issues in a prompt manner. So MyTutor is a good choice among
those seeking a simple and stress-free service.
Overall
Overall, the platform is a credible and
safe place to teach and learn. Although, it may be deemed less preferable due
to the nature of receiving payments and the potentially hefty commission
charges that are imposed since these can prove slightly inconvenient and
expensive for tutors. With that in mind, MyTutor is certainly an attractive
option for students though.
Another online tuition platform based in
the UK is Teach9 which offers a broad spectrum of tuition services to students ranging from
primary school right up to A-level. The site has an easy-to-use tutor search
option, and even offers a free trial lesson to get students started.
Safety
One of the best things about Teach9 is the
safety measures the company has put into place. As far as tutor and student
safety is concerned, all tutors on the site tend must sit an online subject
test, have an interview with Teach9, and complete background checks before
being able to teach students on thes site. This helps to enhance the quality of
tuition students receive and the safety of the platform more broadly.
In fact, the site says that aside from most
tutors completing a DBS check, sessions are also recorded and available for
playback by students, tutors and parents, with all communication through the
platform. This means that the conversations are monitored, thus enhancing
safety on the site for tutors and students alike.
Commission
The rate of commission from Teach9 is also
not advertised on their website, so it is unclear how large of a cut the
company takes from tutor earnings for use of the platform.
Payment
One downfall of this site for tutors is
that they do not have the flexibility to choose their own prices since the
platform has its own fixed charges. Fortunately for students, but less
fortunately for tutors, the set prices are relatively low, ranging between £15
- £17 across the various levels of education. This may be unappealing to many
tutors who are looking for a far higher and more flexible rate of pay.
The process of payment on this site is also
slightly different from other sites, but it is potentially better organised.
Teach9 manages payment through a wallet function whereby you can cash out your
earnings yourself rather than these getting transferred directly into your bank
account. This same wallet function is used by students and parents who
essentially “top up” the wallet to pay for sessions.
Additional
Benefits
One additional benefit of the Teach9 site
is that there is an interactive calendar feature which is colour coded to
represent scheduled, cancelled, resumable, and completed lessons. This handy
feature makes booking, amending, and cancelling any tutorials and lessons far
easier than other sites.
But that is not all since Teach9’s playback
feature is also advantageous for students that learn better by reflecting back
on the lesson. This is a feature that not all tutoring sites offer.
Overall
Overall, Teach9 boasts some of the most
stringent security rules and efforts and some strong tech advantages such as
playback and online calendars, making it an attractive choice for students and
tutors alike.
However, the rate of pay for tutors is
considerably less than what is advertised on other sites and there seems to be
less flexibility in determining your own rates. What’s more, it is unclear how
much commission is deducted from this fixed pay, so whilst the site has plenty
to offer, it will likely be less attractive to tutors looking to optimise their
earnings.
Serving as one of the oldest online tuition
businesses around, TutorClass is trusted by many to help parents and students find the best tutor. The
platform hosts a pre-arranged online classroom which is prepared for tutoring
sessions, making them fun and effective.
Safety
It will be a relief to parents to hear that
before hiring a tutor, TutorClass requires that any tutors must have a current
DBS check, or be a current student at university. They also say that for safety
purposes, all tutoring sessions are recorded and that any inappropriate
behaviour will be reported, with offending accounts deleted. These promises
make TutorClass a safe place to teach and learn.
Commission
As far as commission is concerned, it is
not clear exactly what percentage tutors will be charged to use the platform,
only that there is a ‘small charge payable’ that will be deducted from the
collected fees. The platform also charges additional subscription fees for more
advanced packages, so they profit from this also.
Payment
When using TutorClass, it appears that
tutors can set their own prices in accordance with the subject, level, and
their personal experience which is a very flexible way for tutors to earn.
All payments are processed through a
platform called Stripe, which is a payment gateway renowned for its high
security. Once the commission charge and any other charges have been deducted,
payment is forwarded to the tutor but it is unclear how quickly this is done.
Additional
Benefits
Arguably one of the most significant
benefits of TutorClass is its state of the art online classroom which boasts
audio and video features, a fast and simple drag and drop whiteboard, and the
ability to annotate directly onto digital documents for an interactive
experience. Not only does this make it easier for tutors to engage their
students, but it also makes learning more versatile depending on the subject.
Overall
Overall, TutorClass is a platform with great
software that makes online tuition more convenient and has great safety precautions.
However, it is unclear how costly it is to be a tutor on this platform and how
prompt payment is for tutors which is often an important consideration for
those starting out.
