First Tutors data recovery

First Tutors closure help for tutors

First Tutors data recovery: what tutors should ask for

A UK-focused guide to recovering your First Tutors data — starting with the self-service Privacy Center at privacy.firsttutors.com/portal, with a DSAR email fallback — and importing your history into TutorDex, the successor to First Tutors.

Published: 15 May 2026 · Last updated: 29 June 2026

Privacy Center

Self-service at privacy.firsttutors.com/portal

Usually 1 month

Usual SAR deadline; exceptions can apply

[email protected]

Privacy email fallback

Current answer

First Tutors data recovery: the short answer

As of 29 June 2026, the quickest way to recover your First Tutors data is through the self-service Privacy Center at privacy.firsttutors.com/portal. Sign in with your First Tutors email, choose Download my data, and select both "Reviews about me" and "My full account data" to get a complete copy. Processing begins immediately and you can track your request status online — no email back-and-forth needed.

Once you have downloaded your data, you can import it directly into TutorDex — the successor to First Tutors and the only platform that accepts a full import of your First Tutors history, including reviews, references, old requests and student details.

If the Privacy Center does not work for your account, a written subject access request (SAR/DSAR) by email remains a valid fallback. The ICO says you "don't need a solicitor or a lawyer" to make this kind of request. Use [email protected], add enough account details to identify you, and expect that student, parent or reviewer information may be redacted. This guide is UK-focused and should not be treated as individual legal advice.

Before you email: try the Privacy Center first

The First Tutors Privacy Center at privacy.firsttutors.com/portal is the self-service portal that lets you download your data — including reviews and full account data — without needing to send an email or wait for a manual response. Try this first. If it does not work for your account, gather the details below before sending a SAR email.

Use your tutor account identifiers
Include the email address, profile name, subjects, location and approximate dates linked to your First Tutors tutor account.
Name the records you actually need
List account, message, review, booking, lesson, payment, fee, invoice, support and moderation records if those categories matter to you.
Keep the date range manageable
Add approximate dates, academic years or account periods where you can. A focused request is easier to search and check.
Do not send more ID than needed
An organisation can ask for reasonable identity checks if it is unsure who you are. Wait for the specific request before sending extra identity documents.
Keep your evidence trail
Save the sent email, any delivery confirmation, replies, dates and attachments. This helps if you need to follow up.

What First Tutors data should tutors ask for?

Use this as a menu, not as a demand for everything in full. For each category, use wording such as if held and insofar as it relates to me.

Record category	Wording	Why	Limit
Profile and account	My tutor profile, biography, subject list, qualifications, rates, availability, locations, account status, identifiers and login-related records.	Helps rebuild a tutor profile, verify historic settings and check what public or account information was held.	Ask for your personal information. Do not assume every historic screen or setting is still held.
Messages and enquiries	Messages, enquiries and replies sent or received through my tutor account, including dates and message metadata where held.	May help reconstruct tuition history, outstanding leads and agreed arrangements.	Student, parent or third-party details may be redacted.
Reviews and ratings	Reviews, ratings, testimonials or comments about me, plus dates and related account references where held.	May support reputation rebuilding or record checking after the platform closes.	Reviewer identity or contact details may not be disclosed in full.
Bookings, lessons and payments	Booking, lesson, payment, fee, invoice, receipt, refund or account-balance records linked to my tutor account.	Useful for business records, tax records, reconciliation and disputed payments.	This is not a guarantee that every record still exists or that bank-card details will be supplied.
Support, complaints and moderation	Support tickets, complaints, moderation flags, account restrictions and internal notes that mention me.	Helps understand account decisions, unresolved support issues or disputed records.	Internal notes may be redacted if they identify other people or fall under a relevant exemption.
Documents and preferences	Uploaded documents, identity or qualification checks, marketing choices, privacy preferences and consent records.	Helps confirm what sensitive or administrative material was held and how it was used.	Ask for secure delivery and avoid forwarding recovered documents casually.
Processing information	Purposes of processing, categories of personal information, recipients, retention period, source, complaint rights and automated decision-making information.	Context that helps you understand what was held, why and how it may have been shared.	Keep this linked to your own personal information.

DSAR, data portability or deletion: which request fits the job?

If you still need records, start with access rather than deletion.

Request type	Best for	How to use	Watch out
Subject access request (SAR/DSAR)	Finding out what personal information is held about you and getting copies.	Use this as the main First Tutors data recovery request.	Covers your personal information, not an automatic right to everyone else's details.
Data portability	Certain personal data you provided, where legal conditions for portability apply.	Add a sentence asking for portable format for data you provided, where applicable.	Narrower than a SAR; may not cover observed, inferred or derived records.
Deletion or erasure	A later privacy step after you have decided you no longer need recoverable records.	Do not make deletion your first request if you still need messages, reviews or financial records.	This guide focuses on access and recovery, not a full erasure request.

Fallback email wording — use only if the Privacy Center does not work

What happens after you send the request?

If you used the self-service Privacy Center, your request begins processing immediately and you can track its status online — typically faster than an email SAR. For a SAR sent by email, the ICO gives the deadline wording as "within one month of receipt of the request". That is the usual expectation, but the timing can shift if identity checks, clarification, complex searches or multiple requests apply.

Stage	What may happen	What to do
Acknowledgement or delay	First Tutors says responses to existing queries are likely to be delayed. A delay notice is not the same as a full SAR response.	Keep the original sent date and any replies. Use the privacy email shown on the closure page.
Identity checks	The organisation may ask for enough information to verify that the request is from the person the data is about.	Provide reasonable evidence if requested. Do not send unnecessary identity documents before being asked.
Clarification	A broad request may be clarified so the organisation can search the right records.	Give account dates, profile details, subjects and record categories rather than simply asking for everything.
One-month response period	The usual deadline is one month, calculated under ICO guidance.	Set a calendar reminder from the request date, adjusting if identity evidence or a permitted fee is requested.
Complex or multiple requests	The response period can be extended by up to two further months for complex cases or multiple requests.	Ask for the reason and expected response date if an extension is claimed.
Fee or refusal	Most SARs should be free, but a reasonable fee or refusal may be possible for manifestly unfounded or excessive requests.	Keep the request focused and ask for reasons if any part is refused.
Secure delivery	The organisation should take reasonable steps to keep supplied information secure.	Ask for secure delivery and avoid forwarding recovered records through insecure channels.

Decision caveat

Why student, parent or reviewer details may be redacted

A First Tutors tutor may reasonably want messages, enquiries and reviews, but a SAR is not a shortcut to everyone else's private details. ICO guidance on other people's information says an organisation may need consent or a reason why disclosure without consent is reasonable. If it cannot disclose another person's identity, it should still provide as much of your own personal information as it can.

This matters even more where a pupil is a child. ICO guidance on children's information says: "Children merit specific protection with regard to their personal data."

How to protect and use recovered records once you receive them

Recovered records may contain business information, student details, parent messages and payment references. Treat the recovered bundle as something that needs active protection. Once you have your data, you can import it directly into TutorDex — the successor to First Tutors — to rebuild your profile with your full history intact.

Use a secure device
Use a strong device password, PIN or passphrase. Avoid opening sensitive records on shared or unmanaged devices.
Keep software updated
Keep your operating system, browser, email app and security tools updated before handling recovered files.
Prefer encrypted storage
Store downloaded records in encrypted storage where possible, especially on a laptop or removable drive.
Limit access
Do not share recovered student, parent or reviewer information with new platforms, other tutors or marketing lists without clear lawful basis and privacy checks.
Separate useful records from unnecessary ones
Keep records you genuinely need for business, tax, complaint or continuity purposes. Delete copies no longer needed.
Check before importing old contacts
A contact detail from an old platform is not automatic permission to contact someone for a new purpose. Be careful before using recovered details for marketing.

If there is no response or the response is incomplete

The ICO advises people to follow up with the organisation if there is no response after more than one month, or if the response is incomplete. Give the organisation a fair chance to fix the issue before escalating.

Send a short follow-up
Quote your original request date, the email address used, and any reply reference. Ask when the SAR response will be provided.
List what is missing
If the response arrives but seems incomplete, list the missing categories clearly.
Ask for reasons for redactions or refusals
A response may be partial for valid reasons, but you can ask the organisation to explain the basis for withholding information.
Keep dated evidence
Keep the original request, follow-ups, replies, attachments and a simple timeline. This helps if you complain to the ICO.
Complain to the ICO where appropriate
After giving the organisation a chance to respond, you can complain to the ICO. Complaints are usually best made within three months of the last meaningful contact.

Key terms in plain English

First Tutors Privacy Center

The self-service portal at privacy.firsttutors.com/portal where tutors can download or delete their personal data without sending an email request.

Subject access request

The formal name for exercising the right of access. It does not need special wording if it is clear you are asking for your own personal information.

Right of access

The UK GDPR right to obtain confirmation that your personal information is being processed, a copy of it, and supplementary information about that processing.

Personal information

Information that relates to a living person who can be identified directly or indirectly.

DPO email

For this guide, the privacy email shown on the current First Tutors closure page: [email protected].

Data controller

The organisation responsible for deciding how to respond to a SAR and how personal information is handled.

Data portability

A narrower right to receive certain personal data you provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, where the right applies.

Third-party personal data

Personal information about someone other than you, such as a student, parent or reviewer. It may be redacted or withheld in a SAR response.

Redaction

Editing or removing information, often to avoid disclosing another person's identity while still providing what can be disclosed.

Identity verification

Reasonable and proportionate checks an organisation may ask for if it is not sure the requester is the person the data is about.

Sources used in this guide

This guide relies on current official sources. Some ICO pages note that guidance is under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act came into law on 19 June 2025.

First Tutors Privacy Center
Self-service portal for downloading or deleting your personal data, including reviews and full account data.
Open source
First Tutors closure notice
Current First Tutors UK page accessed 15 May 2026.
Open source
ICO: Getting copies of your information
Public SAR/DSAR guidance.
Open source
ICO: What is the right of access?
Right-of-access and supplementary information guidance.
Open source
ICO: Responding to a request
Deadlines, identity checks, clarification, fees and extensions.
Open source
ICO: Information about other people in a SAR
Third-party information and redaction guidance.
Open source
ICO: Right to data portability
When portability applies and what format means.
Open source
ICO: Children and the UK GDPR
Children's personal information guidance.
Open source
NCSC: Protecting your devices
Small-organisation device security guidance.
Open source

Frequently asked questions

What is the quickest way to recover First Tutors data?

The First Tutors Privacy Center at privacy.firsttutors.com/portal is the self-service portal where you can download your personal data — including reviews and full account data — without sending an email. Sign in with your First Tutors email, choose "Download my data", and select what you want. Processing begins immediately. If the Privacy Center does not work for you, [email protected] is the fallback email for data privacy enquiries.

Can I recover First Tutors tutor data if my login no longer works?

Yes. The First Tutors Privacy Center at privacy.firsttutors.com/portal is the self-service method — it verifies your email rather than requiring a working login. If the Privacy Center does not accept your email, you can send a written subject access request to [email protected] with your registered email, tutor profile name, and approximate account dates.

What should a First Tutors tutor ask for in a DSAR?

Ask for your tutor profile, account identifiers, messages, enquiries, reviews, booking or lesson records, payment and fee records, invoices or receipts, support tickets, complaints or moderation notes mentioning you, uploaded documents, privacy choices and supplementary processing information. Use the phrase "if held and insofar as it relates to me".

How long should a First Tutors DSAR take?

The usual SAR deadline under ICO guidance is one month. The period can be affected by identity checks, clarification, a permitted fee, complex requests or multiple requests. First Tutors also states that responses to existing queries are likely to be delayed, so keep a dated record and follow up clearly.

Will I receive student or parent contact details?

Not automatically. A SAR is about your personal information. If the response would reveal student, parent or reviewer personal data, the organisation may redact or withhold that information unless disclosure is appropriate. You should still receive as much of your own personal information as can be disclosed.

Should I ask for data portability as well as a DSAR?

It can be sensible to ask for both, but keep them distinct. A DSAR asks for your personal information and related information about how it is used. Data portability is narrower and applies only to certain personal data you provided, where the right applies, in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.

What if First Tutors does not respond or misses records?

Follow up with the organisation first. Quote your original request date, list the missing categories clearly and keep copies of emails and replies. If the organisation still does not respond properly, the ICO says you can complain to the ICO, usually best within three months of the last meaningful contact.

Should I ask First Tutors to delete my account straight away?

If you still need evidence, messages, reviews or financial records — or want to import them into TutorDex, the successor to First Tutors — do not make deletion your first request. Use download (through the Privacy Center) and, where applicable, email DSAR first. Once you have what you need, you can consider any separate privacy request with care.