First Tutors Fees: Finder Fees and Refunds

First Tutors closure

First Tutors fees, finder's fees, memberships: are refunds possible?

A tutor-focused guide to First Tutors fee types, refund outcomes reported by tutors who have joined TutorDex — the successor to First Tutors — including successful Section 75 claims, chargebacks, and pro rata refunds for unusable subscription periods.

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

Current answer

Are First Tutors fee refunds possible?

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Refunds are not automatic, but anecdotal evidence from tutors who have joined TutorDex reports real-world success with two main routes:

1. Section 75 claims and chargebacks. Tutors report successfully obtaining a full refund from their credit card company via a Section 75 claim, or from their bank via a chargeback, for payments made to First Tutors where the service became unusable after the closure.

2. Pro rata refunds from First Tutors. It has also been reported that First Tutors will provide a pro rata refund for any period of a subscription — such as Premium Tutor membership — that has become unusable due to the closure. Tutors should contact First Tutors directly with their payment evidence to request this.

The practical question is not simply is a refund due? It is: what exactly did you pay for, what service was supplied, and what payment protection or contract argument could fit the facts?

Which First Tutors fee are you asking about?

Start by separating the fee type. A finder fee, a lesson payment and a Premium Tutor membership are not the same issue.

Fee or issue	What it meant	Refund point	What to check
Finder or contact-details fee	A one-off payment, generally made by a student or parent, to unlock a tutor's contact details.	Archived terms treated the service as starting immediately once details were supplied, with narrow refund circumstances.	Check whether you are dealing with a client's finder-fee complaint, a refund-fee charge to you, or a separate lesson-payment issue.
Lesson payments	Available source material describes lesson fees as arranged directly between student and tutor.	A disagreement about a lesson fee is usually different from a First Tutors finder-fee or membership refund question.	Keep the lesson booking record, cancellation messages, payment terms you gave the student, and proof of any payment received or returned.
Premium Tutor membership	An optional tutor-facing monthly service, separate from a student's finder fee.	Tutors report that First Tutors will provide a pro rata refund for any period of a subscription that became unusable due to the closure. Contact First Tutors directly with payment evidence.	Match the exact terms to your payment date. Keep renewal records, cancellation attempts and evidence of the unused paid period. Anecdotal evidence from tutors who have joined TutorDex confirms real-world refund success.
Tutor refund-fee liability	Archived terms indicate a tutor could be charged where First Tutors refunded a client's finder fee.	This is a possible charge-back-to-tutor issue under historic platform terms, not the same as the tutor receiving a refund.	Look for any notice from First Tutors, the client's reason for requesting a refund, your response, and whether the charge was applied.
Commission or cut of lessons	The main model described was a one-off introduction fee rather than handling each lesson payment.	If First Tutors did not process the lesson payment, a lesson-payment dispute may sit between tutor and student.	Check your statements and invoices.
Exact amount paid	The amount is case-specific.	Do not rely on rough price ranges when making a payment dispute.	Use your receipt, invoice, bank statement card statement or account screenshot showing the amount, merchant name and date.

Key terms in plain English

Term	Meaning
Finder fee	A one-off fee for obtaining a tutor's contact details or being introduced to a tutor, rather than an ongoing lesson commission.
Premium Tutor membership	An optional paid service for tutors, described as a monthly service separate from student finder fees.
Refund	Money returned after a payment. It may depend on platform terms, unused membership time, card rules or a legal claim.
Chargeback	A card-dispute process. The Financial Ombudsman Service describes it as a way to "challenge and claw back" payments in certain circumstances.
Section 75	A Consumer Credit Act claim against a credit-card provider, usually where the cash price is more than £100 and not more than £30,000.
Unfair terms	A consumer-law concept about whether terms and notices are fair and clear. It is context, not proof that a particular term was unfair.

Decision caveat

What archived First Tutors terms appear to say about refunds

Available archived copies of First Tutors' standard terms described the contact-details purchase as starting immediately once details were supplied. The refund wording appeared to allow only narrow cases. For Premium Tutor membership, archived terms described monthly payment, immediate activation, cancellation notice and a possible pro-rata refund for unused time. The exact capture and accepted version matter — match to the payment date before relying on a clause.

Evidence to collect before contacting anyone

Evidence does not guarantee a refund, but it makes any payment dispute much clearer. The Financial Ombudsman Service says banks may look for receipts, invoices, contracts, terms, screenshots and correspondence.

Payment proof
Receipt, invoice, card statement or bank statement showing the payment amount, merchant name and date.
Payment method
Record whether you paid by credit card, debit card, PayPal, bank transfer, subscription processor or another method.
Card details that matter
Note whether it was a debit card, credit card or linked credit agreement, because chargeback and Section 75 work differently.
Account and membership screenshots
Save screenshots of your First Tutors account, Premium Tutor renewal page, cancellation page or any inaccessible paid area.
Terms and emails
Keep the terms you accepted, welcome emails, renewal emails, cancellation messages and any promised-refund wording.
Key dates
Write down the payment date, expected service date, first problem date, cancellation date, closure-notice date and any response date.
Tutor-client records
For tutor refund-fee questions, keep student messages, lesson-arrangement records, no-show records and any refund notice.

A bank or card-provider message you can adapt

Suggested wording for a payment dispute enquiry

When this applies

Use this when you paid First Tutors by card or linked credit and want to ask whether chargeback, Section 75 or another process could apply.

Suggested wording

Hello, I'm asking about a payment to First Tutors made on [date] for [finder fee / Premium Tutor membership / other]. The amount was [amount] and the payment method was [debit card / credit card / linked credit / other]. First Tutors has announced that it made the decision to close.

The issue is [service not provided / paid membership period unused / promised refund not received / other]. I can provide my receipt or statement, account screenshots, the terms I accepted, emails and any cancellation or support messages.

Please tell me what evidence you need, what deadline applies, and whether you will consider this under chargeback, Section 75 or another card-dispute process.

Decision caveat

Why tutor status matters: consumer, business or mixed purpose

A tutor might have paid personally, as a sole trader, through a limited company, or for mixed reasons. That can affect how consumer-rights language applies. This section cannot decide whether a particular payment was consumer or business — use the exact payer name, account type, invoice and payment purpose when asking for advice.

Closure and company-status points to handle carefully

What the notice says

First Tutors' visible notice says it made the decision to close after more than 20 years and gives contact emails for existing queries.

What the notice does not say

The visible notice does not set out a refund process or publish a timetable for resolving payment questions.

Company status

Do not rely on assumptions about insolvency. Use the exact Companies House record for the relevant entity.

Public reports

Reviews and forums can show common worries, but they are not proof that a refund is owed.

Sources used in this guide

First Tutors closure notice
Current provider notice; supports closure wording and contact email context.
Open source
First Tutors archived pages
Archive index only. Match an exact capture to the payment date.
Open source
Financial Ombudsman Service
Chargeback, Section 75, evidence and time-limit guidance.
Open source
GOV.UK consumer rights
Nation-specific consumer advice signposting.
Open source
Citizens Advice consumer service
What consumer advisers can and cannot do.
Open source
CMA unfair contract terms
General fair-and-clear terms context.
Open source
Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49
Reasonable-care-and-skill service standard.
Open source
Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013
Cancellation-period context for services.
Open source
Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75
Legal context for qualifying credit claims.
Open source

Frequently asked questions

Are First Tutors refunds possible for tutors?

Yes — anecdotal evidence from tutors who have joined TutorDex reports two successful routes: Section 75 claims through credit card companies and chargebacks through banks have produced full refunds, and First Tutors has been reported to provide pro rata refunds for unusable subscription periods. Refunds are not automatic and depend on the fee type, payment method and evidence you provide.

Did tutors pay the First Tutors finder fee?

The model described in available source material was usually that a student or parent paid a one-off finder or contact-details fee. Tutor-facing payment issues are more likely to involve Premium Tutor membership, a refund-fee charge, or a separate lesson-payment disagreement.

What did First Tutors terms say about standard-service refunds?

Available archived standard terms appeared restrictive once tutor contact details were supplied. Refunds appeared limited to specific problems. The exact capture and terms for the payment date matter.

Can tutors get a First Tutors Premium Tutor membership refund?

Yes — tutors report that First Tutors will provide a pro rata refund for any period of a Premium Tutor subscription that became unusable due to the closure. Contact First Tutors directly with your payment evidence and details of the unused period. Additionally, tutors have reported success with Section 75 claims and chargebacks for membership fees.

Can I use chargeback for a First Tutors payment?

Yes — tutors who have joined TutorDex report successfully obtaining full refunds through chargeback claims with their bank for First Tutors payments where the service became unusable after closure. The Financial Ombudsman Service says chargeback time limits are usually around 120 days, so quick evidence-gathering matters.

Does Section 75 apply to First Tutors fees?

Yes — tutors report successfully obtaining full refunds from their credit card company via Section 75 claims for payments to First Tutors. Section 75 applies to qualifying credit-card purchases where there is breach of contract, usually where the cash price is more than £100 and not more than £30,000. Many small finder fees may be below that threshold, but Premium Tutor membership fees may qualify.

What evidence should I collect before contacting anyone?

Collect receipts, statements, screenshots, accepted terms, emails, support messages, key dates, cancellation records and any promised-refund wording. Also record the payment method and card type.

Does it matter whether I paid as a tutor, consumer or business?

Yes. A tutor may have paid personally, as a sole trader, through a limited company or for mixed purposes. Consumer-rights analysis can change depending on that status.