What Happened to First Tutors?

A timestamped guide for tutors and students trying to understand the First Tutors closure, the company record behind the brand, and how TutorDex emerged in response.

Last updated: 25 May 2026

What happened to First Tutors?

In early May 2026, the First Tutors UK website began displaying a closure notice stating the company had "made the difficult decision to close". The notice provided two email addresses for contact: [email protected] for existing queries and [email protected] for data privacy enquiries. No official reason for the closure has been published, and no formal closure timetable, account-restoration plan, or data-retention policy has been made available.

The safest summary for tutors is: the First Tutors UK service appears closed, an official reason has not been found, and EduNation Limited remains active on Companies House. Website status and company status are different things, and tutors should treat them separately.

Timeline of events

Who was behind First Tutors?

Historical First Tutors privacy-policy wording identified the company as follows:

"First Tutors is the trade name of EduNation Limited"

Companies House lists EDUNATION LIMITED (company number 06071367) as active, incorporated on 29 January 2007, with a registered office in Garstang, Preston, Lancashire. Edunation Holdings Limited is listed as a person with significant control.

Several similarly-named companies exist and should not be confused:

• FIRST TUTORS LIMITED (05562753) — dissolved on 3 May 2011.
• FIRST TUTORS UK LTD (10351243) — dissolved on 19 December 2017.
• FIRST TUTORS LTD (15575996) — a 2024 company listed as active, but no source identifies it as the operator of firsttutors.com.

Important: A registered office is a formal company-record address, not a customer-support address. Use the emails in the closure notice for queries.

Where tutors are discussing First Tutors

Public discussion can be useful for understanding what other tutors are concerned about, but it should not be treated as proof of why First Tutors closed.

• Trustpilot — Recent reviews include tutors and users discussing website access, missing profiles, reviews, documents, and communication concerns.
• Reddit (r/TutorsHelpingTutors) — Active threads from April–May 2026 discussing the closure, evidence, and what tutors should do next. Check dates and first-hand detail before relying on any claim.

What tutors can do now

These steps are practical guidance, not legal advice. They are designed for tutors who had a First Tutors profile, messages, documents, reviews, or billing records.

1. Save your own records first. Keep screenshots, old emails, invoices, payment records, profile text, references, lesson enquiries, and any profile URLs you already have. Do not rely on search results staying visible.
2. Email existing-query questions to the address in the notice. Use [email protected] for existing queries. Include the email address you used for First Tutors, your tutor name, any profile URL you know, and a brief explanation of what you need.
3. Use the privacy email for data enquiries. Use [email protected] for data privacy enquiries. Keep the request focused and save a copy of what you send.
4. Make a subject access request if you need personal data. A subject access request asks whether an organisation holds personal data about you and asks for a copy of that data. According to ICO guidance, organisations should respond "without delay and within one month" in most circumstances.
5. Do not expect guaranteed recovery. A request may help you find out what personal data is held, but it does not guarantee the recovery of public profile pages, every review, deleted material, third-party data, or a complete export that can be imported into another platform.

Data request email template

Adapt this template for your situation. Send personal-data requests to [email protected].

TutorDex: a new directory for independent tutors

Following the closure of First Tutors, TutorDex was built as its successor. TutorDex is an open private-tuition marketplace built by a community of independent tutors, with a one-off connection-fee model rather than hourly commission.

TutorDex operates on a finder's fee model. A one-off payment of £9.99–£39.99 releases your chosen tutor's contact details. All further payments, communications, and arrangements are handled privately between you and the tutor. If your tutor does not meet your requirements, leave feedback to tell us why and we will connect you to another one free of charge.

Review imports and what to watch for

Several platforms have announced plans to help tutors import old First Tutors reviews. Before participating in any review-import scheme, consider the following:

• Be careful before sending DSAR responses, private messages, student details, or email source files to a third party.
• Ask whether imported reviews will be clearly labelled as originating from First Tutors.
• Understand what verification methods are used (e.g., raw email source files, DKIM signatures, Wayback Machine snapshots).
• Treat new directory-style services as independent unless they can prove a legal or operational connection to First Tutors or EduNation Limited.

TutorDex supports importing your historical First Tutors reviews directly via Web Archive links. Our system scans your archived profile snapshots, verifies your highest lifetime review count and average rating, and feeds that data into our search algorithm so you do not start from zero. Learn how to import your reviews →

Questions to ask of any new tutoring platform

The First Tutors closure has made exit planning a practical due-diligence question. Before building a business around any directory, ask the following:

• Can reviews, profiles, and messages be exported?
• What notice would be given before closure?
• Are these promises written into the terms of service, or only described in a blog post or forum comment?
• What happens to your data if the platform ceases operations?
• Is there a clear data-retention and data-portability policy?

Frequently asked questions