FirstTutors

As a tutor, I've found this website invaluable to source clients. It's user friendly and stops time wasters as there is an introduction fee - I've had many of my students now for years and they have been very satisfied with the service provided.

I am connected with the First Tutor last from almost 5 years. I am a working engineer but teaching is my hobby. Earlier I was helping my friends from university to solve their electronics and maths problems. But I was always thinking about how I can increase my reach so I can help more and more.
Then I found First Tutor, registration was well maintained and proper background checks are done from various authority to only allowed genuine and qualified tutors.
Already teach more than 52 students so far and having 5-star rating on the profile page.
Teaching is a skill and First Tutor is providing equal opportunity to all tutors and a very good search engine to the tutee.

We have been using Nel Ridgeway as an A level Biology tutor for our son.
We have found her very knowledgeable and very approachable.
She is very calm, methodical and able to put across complicated topics in a simple and understandable manner.
We strongly recommend her.

As a tutor for many years this site is easy to use and cheap. Unlike other sites which often take a large hourly cut, this one just charges a one off fee to clients. This can end up cheaper to them too as the hourly cut isn't factored in to prices. Honest, reliable and professional website service.

There seems to be a disproportionate amount of negative reviews on sitejabber for FirstTutors. After reading through a few of them, I'm not sure if they are even for the correct site. One mentions the inability to find if a tutor is suitable without paying the introductory fee. This is absolutely ridiculous and this person must have a cognitive deficit.

You are free to chat with the prospective tutors as much as you like without paying any fee. You can't exchange contact details for obvious reasons though. FirstTutors makes its money from the finders fee. It then does not charge commission or a recurring fee which is how every tutoring site should operate.

I've been using the site as a tutor for several years and it genuinely is a bastion in a sea of money grabbing tutoring sites that inject themselves between tutor and tutee and charge for the privilege!

I hope that FirstTutors continues to operate in this way for many years to come!

This is a great site to get a qualified vetted tutor. One of the best. Feedback on the site shows the outstanding job this site does and provides. I recommend it

I am a verified tutor on First Tutors and have close to 20 Five star rated reviews on First Tutors Canada. I have gone through the reviews on this site and it doesn't make sense to me. A lot of the reviews have obvious bias and prejudice against First Tutors and I am unsure if they are verified.

1. First Tutor is a legitimate business. Its not a scam. You approach a tutor like me through First Tutors. I generally respond and ask clarifying questions. The client is also feel to ask as many questions as they want to be part of the tutoring agreement. Only when both parties are fully satisfied, should the client buy the tutors details.

2. First Tutors is a business like any other legitimate business. So yes, you are able to connect with your tutor in person or over the phone only after you pay a initiation fee. I don't understand why or how this is a scam.

3. Unlike most other website, First Tutors enable their tutors to decide on their individual fees. First Tutors does not keep a hefty commission per session unlike most other tutoring platforms wherein the tutor gets payed 20% of the hourly fee and the platform keeps the rest. You always end up with demotivated tutors with sub par knowledge level in a situation like that. First Tutors has a one time fee only. If you cannot afford or do not want to afford a certain fee level, please feel free to find a tutor who offers a lower rate. Skill, knowledge and experience comes at a premium so yes, there are different level of tutors available within the same geographical area.

4. There can be a few disappointing experience with independent tutors. But that is not due to First Tutors. Its the individual tutor in question. The client is free to choose another tutor and can terminate any tutoring partnership at will and without reason. The payment schedule with client has nothing to do with First Tutors. It is an independent agreement that should be honoured by both the client and the tutor.

5. First Tutor verifies their tutors through reference check ( as they did with me). I am a professional tutor who has worked with them for over 5 years now. I have a Bachelors degree and two Masters degree in relevant STEM fields. I will not call myself underqualified. The tutors credentials are available for the clients to see and YES they are verified by First Tutors.

Its a weird world we leave in where truth is available at a premium. I will urge potential clients to do you own independent reviews and do not blindly fall for the negative reviews on this site. When contacting a First Tutor tutor, make sure you are asking as many questions as you can to understand what you want to get out of the relationship.

Summary:

1. No, Fist Tutors is NOT A SCAM. Its a legitimate business.
2. YES, you do have to pay an initiation fee to First Tutors to get the tutor contact details. Its a business, not a charity. But, its the ONLY one time fee you pay with First Tutors. Any subsequent session fee is between you and the tutor.
4. I have successfully tutored over 50 students through FIRST Tutors Canada who are now successfully established in their professional lives. So, YES, it does work.
5. Lastly, please be prepared to invest in your child. Tutoring is not free and just like any other skill, it takes time and effort to hone the teaching experience. Do not expect to drive a Mercedes if Honda Civic is all you WANT to afford. No Offence. Knowledge and skill comes at a price. If you are unwilling to pay that, please do not take it out on the First Tutors platform.
6. NO, First Tutors did not pay me to write my views on this website about their business.

Couldn't fault the service. Searched for a tutor, spoke with the one I liked the most, paid to receive their contact details. Customer service answered my questions promptly.

I found this a very user-friendly site. Having chosen 2 possible tutors I was able to ask them further questions before selecting one. The tutor I have chosen came for a free chat and showed proof of his qualifications and CRB check. We organised a suitable time and he turned up promptly the next day. He really seems to understand what my son needs and gets on very well with him. He has a really patient, calm approach. I am so glad I used this website and would recommend it to anyone looking for a tutor.

Easy website to navigate, I just entered my postcode and subject and found a whole list of tutors that I could contact for free. After discussing my needs with all the tutors I chose one who lived quite close to me. I paid a intro fee for his contact details which I thought was very reasonable. I also received a good response from the customer service team when I asked them about leaving feedback on the tutor's profile. I was very happy with my tutor and would recommend First Tutors to everyone.

I have used First Tutors several times and find the service to be excellent. It's quick and easy to find a tutor near to home and if you do have a problem with a tutor they will offer another one free of charge as long as you leave feedback regarding the tutor that let you down. I would definitely recommend this service.

I have only used this to find a tutor for one child - so far - but will use it again. It is a straight forward service that they offer. They have the details of tutors available to view, you select those you think might fit your needs and they forward the message you want to send. Any reply back from the tutor comes back via first tutors as up to this point you have paid no fee. If from this initial exchange with the tutor, or tutors, if you think there is a chance the tutor will meet your needs you 'buy' their direct contact details and from then on it's up to you. As the tutor I selected was relatively inexpensive per hour the fee I paid was also relatively low ie £10 to 'get this introduction'. I think this is a great service. First tutors gave the service exactly as they said they would - they are an 'introduction' service - as I dare say, as with all such services, some will work out better than others. I have been delighted with the young man it put me in touch with who is doing a great job with my 16 year old son who is grappling with physics higher. Frankly 2 coffee's can cost £10! This has so far proved a small investment for a great result

The other day I found my son a local maths tutor through First Tutors (an online tutor matching service). I had no idea that there was so much choice in this area of the market! Schools should really inform parents of this kind of thing!

Like the comment below I also registered with several other sites too (tutors4me, UK Tutors and Tutor Hunt) but they had no really suitable tutors and no reliable feedback from real people to reassure me. Additionally there didn't seem to be any form of responsive customer support for the others (or even a company number / registered address for UK Tutors - be very careful here as they take payment), while First Tutors dealt with my (admittedly easy) question very quickly.

Everything on the First Tutors site was quick and polished, I ran a search, contacted 4 tutors, and within the day had found a suitable tutor and bought his details! Everything is going well and my son is enjoying his tuition (only had 2 lessons so far) and we are satisfied with his progress.

First Tutors is not free for parents, but the price scales depending on the price of your tutor (£4.99-£19.99, £14.99 for me) to keep it affordable for all, but it wasn't really clear how this was calculated (or at least I couldn't find it).

If you are looking for a private tutor anywhere in the UK this is the site to use!