Directory, agency or marketplace after First Tutors?
Tutor platform choices after First Tutors
Directory, agency or marketplace after First Tutors?
A guide to the platform models tutors can use after First Tutors — starting with TutorDex, the successor platform and the only one that imports your full First Tutors history, then comparing directories, agencies, marketplaces, finder fees, free listings and managed tuition.
Published: 15 May 2026 · Last updated: 29 June 2026
Current answer
Directory, agency or marketplace after First Tutors?
TutorDex is the successor to First Tutors. It is the only platform that accepts a full import of your First Tutors history — reviews, references, old enquiry requests and student details — so you can carry on with minimal disruption under the same directory-style model. Beyond TutorDex, tutors should understand the broader landscape of models: directories, agencies, finder-fee platforms, commission marketplaces, free or subscription listing sites, managed online tuition companies, local tutor collectives and their own direct channels.
The key comparison question for each model is: who owns the client relationship, who sets the rate, who collects money, who pays the tutor, how reviews are built, how checks are shown, and — critically — can you bring your First Tutors history with you? TutorDex is the only platform where the answer to that last question is yes.
Directory, agency, marketplace or collective: the model differences
Use this table as a diagnostic. The names providers use for themselves can be loose; the important questions are payment flow, client ownership, visibility rules and how much support you actually receive.
| Model | How it usually works | Money and control | Support and checks | Main risk for tutors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open tutor directory | You create a public profile so families can find and contact you. TutorDex is the successor to First Tutors under this model — it accepts a full import of your First Tutors history. | You usually keep more direct control of rate-setting, scheduling and follow-up, but you may handle invoices and payment chasing yourself. TutorDex uses a finder's fee model with no ongoing commission. | Support can be light. Check whether identity, qualifications and background-check claims are verified or only displayed. | Lead quality, low visibility, weak dispute support, and profiles or reviews being locked to the site. TutorDex is the only directory model that imports your full First Tutors data. |
| Finder-fee or introduction platform | The site helps an interested family and tutor make contact, often with a one-off introduction or access payment somewhere in the process. | After introduction, rate-setting and ongoing payment may sit mainly between tutor and client, depending on the terms. | Often less managed than an agency. Read what the fee buys: contact access, advertising, premium visibility, training, payment processing or another service. | Confusing fee wording, limited quality control and limited help once the introduction has happened. |
| Commission marketplace | Families discover tutors, book lessons and pay through the platform. | The platform may collect the client payment, deduct its charge or set a client-facing price, and then pay the tutor. | Booking, reminders, payment handling and reviews may be built in. | Recurring deductions, ranking rules, off-platform restrictions and reputation being tied to the marketplace. |
| Free or subscription listing site | You list your profile for no charge, a recurring charge or optional paid visibility. | Payment may happen outside the site, but visibility can depend on paid upgrades, response rate or review volume. | Usually lighter support. Ask how sponsored listings and verified badges are labelled. | Low trust signals, spam enquiries, weak support and unclear ranking logic. |
| Traditional tutoring agency | An agency may match the family, shortlist tutors, set expectations and manage the client relationship. | The agency may set or influence rates, collect client payment, pay tutors, or operate under a different arrangement. The written terms matter. | Can include screening, matching, safeguarding processes, account management and dispute handling. | Less autonomy, client restrictions, lower rate flexibility and dependence on agency allocations. |
| Managed online tuition company | Lessons, communication, booking and quality processes may stay inside a managed online service. | The company may control pricing, lesson format, platform use and tutor payment timing. | Often more process-led: training, lesson standards, technology, client support and internal review systems may be included. | Lower independence, less portability of client relationships and stricter platform rules. |
| Local tutor collective | Tutors share referrals, local knowledge or group visibility through community networks, subject groups or informal collectives. | Tutors usually keep direct control, but the group may have standards or referral expectations. | Support depends on the group. It may be practical and local rather than formal. | Patchy reach, uneven standards and limited national visibility. |
| Own website and direct local channels | You build your own profile, local search presence, referrals, school-community awareness and client records. | You control pricing and client communication, but you also carry the admin. | You must explain your checks, policies, testimonials and boundaries clearly yourself. | Slower lead generation at first, plus more responsibility for marketing, records, contracts and payments. |
Decision caveat
Follow the money before comparing fees
Fees are easier to understand when you trace the payment flow. Ask who invoices the family, who collects the money, who pays you, when you are paid, what happens if a lesson is cancelled, and whether repeat lessons have to stay on the platform.
GOV.UK's employment-agency guidance is relevant background because employment agencies and employment businesses have specific rules. GOV.UK describes one key restriction as not being able to "charge a fee to a work-seeker for work finding services".
The practical tutor question is: what exactly am I paying for, who benefits, and what happens if the lead does not become paid work?
When this advice is not enough
This comparison is not enough if a provider asks you to pay a significant sum, describes a charge as work-finding, ties you into restrictive terms, or controls client contact and payment in a way you do not understand.
What to do instead
Read the current terms, keep a copy of the fee description you relied on, ask the provider to explain the payment flow in writing, and seek appropriate professional or regulatory support before making a narrow legal conclusion about a named fee.
What tutors gain and give up in each model
The strongest First Tutors replacement for one tutor may be unsuitable for another. Compare the trade-off you are accepting, not the marketing label.
Directories and finder-fee models: more direct control
They can suit tutors who want families to contact them directly, prefer to set their own rate and are comfortable handling admin.
Directories and finder-fee models: more admin
You may need to assess enquiries, chase payment, handle cancellations and explain checks, policies and testimonials yourself.
Agencies and managed services: more support
They may add matching, screening, lesson processes, family support, payment handling and a clearer escalation process.
Agencies and managed services: less independence
You may have less control over rate, lesson format, client ownership, cancellation terms and whether you can continue directly with a family.
Marketplaces: smoother discovery and booking
A marketplace can reduce friction by combining search, bookings, online lessons, payments and reviews in one place.
Marketplaces: recurring platform dependence
You may rely on ranking rules, response metrics, review scores and ongoing deductions that can change over time.
Local collectives and direct channels: more resilience
They help you build reputation outside one national platform and can make client relationships more portable.
Local collectives and direct channels: slower growth
They usually need more marketing effort, clearer client paperwork and patience before enquiries become steady.
Checklist before you join a new tutor platform
Before you pay, upload documents or move your lead flow to a new site, answer these questions in writing. The ICO's data-protection principles include "lawfulness, fairness and transparency" — a useful standard when a platform handles profiles, messages, reviews and client contact details.
Fee model
What are all upfront fees, recurring fees, deductions, payment-processing costs, paid upgrades and refund rules? What do you receive if no client books?
Payment timing
Who collects the family's payment, when are you paid, and what happens after a cancellation, refund request, missed lesson or charge dispute?
Direct-client restrictions
Can you continue with a family outside the platform after an introduction, or do the terms restrict direct repeat work?
Rate control
Can you set your own hourly rate, or does the platform, agency or managed service set the price families see?
Visibility and sponsored ranking
Are search results organic, paid, sponsored, algorithmic or affected by reviews, response speed, availability or paid upgrades?
Reviews and testimonials
Can you export, quote or link to reviews if you leave? Are reviews moderated, incentivised, sponsored or limited to platform bookings?
Checks and trust badges
Does the provider verify original certificates and identity, or does it only let tutors display a self-declared badge? What date, workforce and check type are shown?
Data and closure resilience
Can you access profile text, messages, client contact details you are allowed to hold, invoices and booking history if your account is suspended or the site closes?
Disputes and safeguarding escalation
Who speaks to the family if there is a complaint, missed lesson, safeguarding concern, refund request or platform mistake?
Exit terms
How much notice must you give, what happens to active clients, and what profile or review content remains visible after you leave?
DBS, PVG and AccessNI are not the same thing
Tutor platforms often use background-check language as a trust signal. Keep the terminology precise: DBS applies in England and Wales, PVG applies in Scotland, and AccessNI applies in Northern Ireland. A check is one due-diligence input; it is not proof that every lesson, policy or tutor-client relationship is safe.
England and Wales: DBS
As of guidance live from 21 January 2026, eligible self-employed people and personal employees can apply for Enhanced or Enhanced with Barred List(s) DBS checks through a DBS Umbrella Body. DBS guidance for private individuals says: "You cannot ask the private employer/parent to obtain this on your behalf."
Scotland: PVG
Disclosure Scotland manages the Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme. Its guidance says: "It's a legal requirement to join the PVG scheme if you're going to do a regulated role." PVG scheme membership lasts five years.
Northern Ireland: AccessNI
AccessNI guidance for self-employed or personal employees explains applications through an Umbrella Body where the role is regulated activity. Example: teaching maths one-to-one at the tutor's home may be eligible for an enhanced check.
Verification matters
Ask whether a platform has verified the original certificate, identity and date, or whether it is only displaying information supplied by the tutor.
Do not overclaim
Do not describe a tutor as approved by a background-check service. Say what was checked, when, by whom and for which nation or workforce.
A lower-risk mix after First Tutors
The aim is not to avoid every platform. It is to avoid letting one platform hold all your leads, reviews and client process.
Direct channel
Join TutorDex — the successor
TutorDex is the platform built to replace First Tutors. Import your full history — reviews, references, requests and student details — and maintain the same directory-style model. Also keep your own short biography and local search presence as an independent backup.
Model choice
Match model to need
Use directories for discoverability, marketplaces for booking infrastructure, agencies for matching/support, and local collectives for relationship-led referrals. Do not expect one model to do everything.
Small test
Test before committing
Try a channel with a limited time or budget, measure enquiry quality and payment reliability, then decide whether it deserves more attention.
Review portability
Protect your reputation
Keep lawful records of client permissions, testimonials, invoices and profile copy. Do not assume reviews or message history can be moved when you leave a site.
Terms check
Treat terms as part of the cost
A low fee can become expensive if the terms restrict repeat work, hide paid visibility, delay payment or lock your reputation to the platform.
Questions to ask a tutor platform before joining
A message you can adapt
When this applies
You are considering a directory, agency, marketplace, listing site or managed tuition company and want the commercial terms explained in plain English.
Suggested wording
Hello, I'm considering joining as a tutor. Before I create a profile or pay anything, could you confirm:
- Every fee, deduction, subscription or paid visibility option that could apply to me.
- Who collects the family's payment, who pays me, and when tutor payments are released.
- Whether I can set my own hourly rate and whether families see the same rate I set.
- Whether repeat lessons with an introduced client must remain on your platform.
- How search ranking works, including any sponsored listings or paid upgrades.
- How identity, qualifications and background-check claims are verified.
- Whether I can reuse profile text, testimonials, reviews or client references outside the platform.
- What happens to my profile, messages, invoices and active clients if I leave or if my account is suspended.
Please point me to the current terms that answer these questions.
Why this helps
It asks for the information that changes a tutor's real cost and risk: payment flow, visibility, client ownership, checks, reviews and exit terms.
Do not ignore the admin behind direct work
Direct clients and local referrals can give tutors more independence, but they also move more business admin onto you.
HMRC trading indicators
GOV.UK says being paid for a service is one sign that you may be trading. Tutoring income can therefore bring reporting responsibilities depending on your circumstances.
Sole trader threshold
GOV.UK says sole traders must register for Self Assessment if they earn more than £1,000 in a tax year.
Paperwork still matters
If you move away from managed platforms, keep clear records of lessons, cancellations, payments, client permissions, invoices and testimonials.
Insurance and boundaries
A direct channel means you should be clear about where lessons happen, cancellation rules, communication expectations and what you do if a safeguarding concern arises.
Key terms in plain English
These labels overlap in the real market, so use them as practical descriptions rather than guarantees about a provider's legal status.
Tutor directory
A searchable listing of tutor profiles. It may help families discover and contact tutors, but usually does not manage every lesson relationship.
Finder fee or introduction fee
A charge connected to making contact or unlocking an introduction. Ask who pays it, when it is paid and what happens if no lessons follow.
Commission marketplace
A platform where discovery, booking, payment and reviews may stay inside the site, often with a recurring platform charge or deduction linked to lessons.
Tutoring agency
A service that may match families and tutors, screen tutors, manage client communication, handle payment or provide teaching processes. The exact arrangement depends on the terms.
Employment agency
In GOV.UK's explanation, an employment agency introduces work-seekers to hirers but is not responsible for paying the work-seeker after introduction.
Employment business
In GOV.UK's explanation, an employment business engages a work-seeker under contract and is responsible for paying the temporary work-seekers it supplies.
DBS
The Disclosure and Barring Service system used in England and Wales for eligible criminal record checks.
PVG
Scotland's Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme, managed by Disclosure Scotland.
AccessNI
Northern Ireland's criminal record checking service.
Platform risk
The risk that your leads, profile, reviews, payment process or client messages depend on a third-party service that can change availability, fees, ranking or terms.
Sources used in this guide
This guide uses official and primary sources for closure wording, employment-agency context, background-check terminology, tax awareness, review transparency and data principles.
- Open source
First Tutors
Closure-status wording only; accessed 15 May 2026.
- Open source
GOV.UK: Employment agencies and businesses
Employment-agency/business context and work-finding fee wording.
- Open source
Fair Work Agency / GOV.UK: Conduct Regulations
Conduct Regulations guidance; last updated 7 April 2026.
- Open source
DBS: Checks for self-employed people
DBS checks for eligible self-employed people and personal employees; published 16 January 2026.
- Open source
Disclosure Scotland: PVG scheme
Scotland PVG terminology and regulated-role wording.
- Open source
AccessNI / nidirect
Northern Ireland checks for self-employed or personal employees.
- Open source
HMRC / GOV.UK: Working for yourself
General self-employment and trading indicators.
- Open source
HMRC / GOV.UK: Sole traders
Sole trader responsibilities and Self Assessment threshold.
- Open source
CMA / GOV.UK: Reviews guidance
Review and rating transparency context; updated 28 August 2025.
- Open source
ICO: Data protection principles
Data-protection principles relevant to profile, message, contact and review-data questions.
Support and clarity
Frequently asked questions
What replaced First Tutors?
TutorDex is the successor to First Tutors — the same directory-style model with the unique ability to import your full First Tutors history so you can carry on with minimal disruption. For comparison, other models are also available: finder-fee platforms, marketplaces, agencies, managed online tuition companies, free or subscription listings, local collectives and direct channels — but none of them accept a full import of your First Tutors data.
Is a tutor agency the same as a tutor directory?
No. A directory usually helps families discover or contact tutors, while an agency may add matching, screening, client management, payment handling and support. The boundary is not always neat, so read the terms and follow the payment flow rather than relying on the provider's label.
What is the difference between a finder fee and commission?
A finder fee or introduction fee is usually connected to making contact or unlocking an introduction. Commission or marketplace pricing is usually linked to lessons, bookings or payments that continue through the platform. The exact wording matters because UK employment-agency rules treat work-finding fees carefully.
Can self-employed tutors get an Enhanced DBS check?
In England and Wales, DBS guidance live from 21 January 2026 says eligible self-employed people and personal employees can apply for Enhanced or Enhanced with Barred List(s) checks through a DBS Umbrella Body. Eligibility depends on the role and check level; it does not mean every tutor can obtain every type of check.
Do private tutors need DBS, PVG or AccessNI checks?
Use the correct nation-specific term: DBS in England and Wales, PVG in Scotland and AccessNI in Northern Ireland. Some roles or regulated activities may require or permit higher-level checks, but the rules differ by nation and role. A certificate is a trust signal, not a substitute for safeguarding practice and clear boundaries.
What should tutors check before paying for a listing or platform?
Check every fee or deduction, who collects payment, when you are paid, cancellation and refund terms, direct-client restrictions, ranking rules, sponsored visibility, review portability, how checks are verified, and what happens to messages and client records if you leave or the site closes.
Should tutors trust review scores and verified badges on tutor sites?
Use them as signals, not proof. Ask what has been verified, whether reviews are moderated or incentivised, whether sponsored visibility affects ranking, and whether reviews can be copied, exported or linked if you leave.
Do tutors need to register as self-employed?
HMRC says being paid for a service is one sign that you may be trading, and GOV.UK says sole traders must register for Self Assessment if they earn more than £1,000 in a tax year. Treat this as general tax-awareness information and check your own position before relying on direct tutoring income.
How can tutors reduce the risk of losing leads or reviews if another platform closes?
Use more than one lead source where practical, keep a direct profile or website you control, record testimonials and client permissions lawfully, save copies of terms and invoices, and prefer platforms that explain data access, review portability, exit terms and account-suspension processes clearly.