Why tutoring without commission is cheaper for parents
Most UK tutoring platforms charge a fee on every lesson. TutorDex charges a one-off finder's fee instead, and after that you pay your tutor directly. Over a school year, that difference can run into hundreds of pounds. This guide shows where the money goes and what it means for your bill.
By Henry Lin, Founder of TutorDex · Published 15 September 2026 · Updated 15 September 2026
The short version
On a commission platform, you pay a fee every time a lesson happens. It is either taken out of the tutor's pay, which usually pushes their advertised rate up, or added to your bill as a service fee. Either way, the lesson costs you more than the tutor's own rate.
On a no-commission directory, you pay a small one-off fee to be introduced to a tutor, then pay the tutor directly at their own rate. The fee does not grow with the number of lessons.
To make that concrete, this guide works through one example throughout: a tutor who charges £40 an hour, a one-hour lesson every week, and a 40-week school year. That is £1,600 of lesson fees over the year before any platform fee.
Four ways platforms charge
The headline fee matters less than who pays it and when. UK tutoring platforms use a few models:
| Model | Who pays | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Commission from the tutor | The tutor, per lesson | The platform keeps a percentage of each lesson. To protect their take-home, tutors often set a higher advertised rate, so the cost is passed on to you. |
| Service fee on your bill | You, per lesson | The tutor sets their rate and the platform adds its percentage on top, so you pay the tutor's rate plus the fee. |
| Contact subscription | You, monthly | You pay a recurring fee to contact tutors, on top of the lesson fees you pay the tutor. |
| Finder's fee | You, once | You pay a one-off fee to unlock a chosen tutor's contact details, then pay the tutor directly with no commission. |
The first two models push your cost above the tutor's rate. The last two do not take a cut of each lesson.
The maths: a £40 an hour tutor over a school year
Assume the tutor charges £40 an hour, your child has one one-hour lesson a week, and the school year runs for 40 weeks. The lesson fees alone come to £1,600.
If a platform adds its fee to your bill, here is what the same tutor costs you:
| What the platform charges | You pay per hour | Cost over 40 lessons |
|---|---|---|
| No fee — paid directly (finder's fee) | £40.00 | £1,600.00 + £9.99–£39.99 once |
| Fee of 18% added | £47.20 | £1,888.00 |
| Fee of 25% added | £50.00 | £2,000.00 |
| Fee of 32% added | £52.80 | £2,112.00 |
| Fee of 40% added | £56.00 | £2,240.00 |
On TutorDex you would pay the £1,600 in lesson fees plus a one-off finder's fee of £9.99 to £39.99 (the exact amount depends on the tutor's rate). That is roughly £1,610 to £1,640 for the year.
Compare that with a platform that adds 25% to your bill: the same tutor's lessons cost £2,000, which is about £360 more over the year. At 40%, it is £2,240 — around £600 more. The higher the fee, the more the gap widens, because the fee is charged on every lesson rather than once.
Why the tutor's rate often looks higher on a commission platform
Where a platform takes commission from the tutor, the tutor has to protect their take-home. To end up with the same amount after the platform's cut, they need a higher headline rate. A tutor who charges £40 an hour directly may therefore list a higher rate on a commission platform, and the "£40 tutor" you think you have found is often not the same deal.
That is also why some tutors list different prices in different places. On a directory that takes no commission, the rate you see is the rate the tutor actually keeps, so there is no reason to inflate it to cover a platform's cut.
What TutorDex's finder's fee covers
TutorDex works on a finder's-fee model rather than a per-lesson commission:
- A one-off fee of £9.99 to £39.99, scaled to the tutor's hourly rate, releases the contact details of one tutor you have chosen.
- After that, you arrange lessons and payment directly with the tutor, and TutorDex takes no commission on the lessons.
- Listing is free for tutors, and it is the family who pays the finder's fee. Some tutors choose an optional Premium subscription, which includes enhanced ranking.
- Because the fee is paid once per introduction, it does not grow as your child has more lessons.
You can browse and message tutors before paying anything, so you only pay once you have found someone you want to work with.
The trade-off
No commission means no platform sitting in the middle of every lesson, and that cuts both ways. You keep more of your budget and you deal with your tutor directly, but you also take on the practical side of the arrangement:
- Agreeing the schedule and arranging lessons between yourselves.
- Paying the tutor directly rather than through a platform.
- Agreeing a cancellation and rescheduling policy.
- Checking qualifications, references and background checks yourself.
For many families that is a fair exchange: a small amount of admin in return for paying the tutor's rate rather than a marked-up one. If you would rather have a platform handle scheduling and payment for you, a commission or managed service can be worth the extra cost.
What to check before you choose
- Who pays the fee. Work out whether it comes out of the tutor's pay or is added to your bill, and whether the tutor's advertised rate is higher to absorb it.
- The cost over a term, not the hour. Multiply the hourly total by the number of lessons you expect, then add any subscription or service fee. That is the number that matters.
- The fee model. A one-off finder's fee stays the same however many lessons follow; a commission grows with every lesson.
- Cancellation and refund terms. Understand what happens if a lesson is cancelled or you decide the tutor is not the right fit.
- Safeguarding and checks. Ask what background checks a tutor has and when they were done.
Frequently asked questions
- Do all tutoring platforms charge commission?
- No. Some take a percentage from the tutor on every lesson, some add a service fee to your bill, some charge a monthly subscription to contact tutors, and some charge a one-off finder's fee. The models differ in who pays and how often.
- Is tutoring without commission always cheaper?
- Over a run of regular lessons, usually yes, because a one-off fee does not grow with the number of lessons while a per-lesson fee does. For a single trial lesson, the difference may be small.
- How much could I save over a school year?
- It depends on the fee. On a £40 an hour tutor with a one-hour weekly lesson over 40 weeks, lesson fees are £1,600. A 25% fee added to your bill makes that £2,000, about £360 more than paying the tutor directly plus a one-off finder's fee. At 40%, it is £2,240, around £600 more.
- How does TutorDex make money if it takes no commission?
- From the one-off finder's fee of £9.99 to £39.99 that families pay to unlock a tutor's contact details. Listing is free for tutors, and TutorDex takes no percentage of the lessons.
- Will a tutor charge me more if I found them on a commission platform?
- Possibly. If the platform takes commission from the tutor, the tutor may set a higher advertised rate to protect their take-home. On a no-commission directory, the rate you see is the rate the tutor keeps.
- Is it safe to arrange lessons and payment directly with a tutor?
- It can be, but the checks are yours to make. Ask about qualifications, references and background checks, agree a written cancellation policy, and start with a trial lesson before committing to a longer block.
Sources
Platform figures were checked on 15 September 2026. Fee percentages change, so confirm the current terms before you book.
- MyTutor — Pricing
MyTutor · Accessed 2026-09-15
- MyTutor — Terms and Conditions
MyTutor · Accessed 2026-09-15
- Tutorful — For Tutors: how much does it cost to use Tutorful?
Tutorful Support · Accessed 2026-09-15
- Superprof — What you will pay as a student or tutor
Superprof · Accessed 2026-09-15
- Tutor Hunt — How our service works and FAQ
Tutor Hunt · Accessed 2026-09-15