Tutor Island

First Tutors has closed

A First Tutors alternative, for parents and tutors

First Tutors worked because it was simple: pay a small one-off fee to reach a tutor, then deal with them directly. Tutor Island keeps that model and adds the thing parents kept asking for, a background check on every tutor before they are listed.

Find a tutor →List as a tutor

What is the same

A one-off fee to connect, nothing after

Parents and students pay a £9.99 finder's fee when a tutor has accepted their request, and the tutor's contact details are released. That is the only charge. Lessons, rates and scheduling are then between you and the tutor.

No commission on lessons

Tutors list for free and keep their full rate on every lesson. There is no subscription, no lead credit and no featured-listing fee, and that is written into the terms rather than offered as a launch deal.

A direct relationship

Once connected you talk to each other directly. Tutor Island does not sit between you for payments or bookings, and it does not need to.

What is different

Every tutor is background checked before listing

There is no unverified tier. Enhanced DBS (England and Wales) · PVG scheme (Scotland) · AccessNI Enhanced (Northern Ireland) · Police check (Outside the UK). The founder reads every certificate personally before a profile goes live, and a tutor who has not been checked is not on the site at all.

Parents are part of every step for under-18s

Under-16s use accounts their parent manages. Students aged 16 and 17 can sign up themselves, but nothing is unlocked until a parent has acknowledged it. Tutors see a first name and school year, never a child's contact details.

Reviews you can trust, because they start here

We do not copy reviews across from other platforms. Reviews come from families who connected through Tutor Island, and tutors can invite past students to send a recommendation through a single-use link that the founder reads before it appears.

Common questions

What does it cost a parent or student?
A one-off £9.99 finder's fee, paid only after a tutor has accepted your request. It unlocks their contact details. If the tutor does not get in touch within seven days, or the details do not work, you get it back.
What does it cost a tutor?
Nothing, now or later. Listing is free and there is no commission on lessons.
Are tutors DBS checked?
Yes. Enhanced DBS (England and Wales) · PVG scheme (Scotland) · AccessNI Enhanced (Northern Ireland) · Police check (Outside the UK). Certificates are reviewed by a person before a profile is listed, and there is no way onto the site without one.
I tutored on First Tutors. Can I bring my reviews?
Not by copying them. You can invite the students and families you actually taught to write a recommendation through a single-use link, and each one is checked before it appears on your profile.
Do I have to leave the other platforms I use?
No. Listing here costs nothing, so most tutors keep their existing profiles and run both. After First Tutors closed, having more than one place to be found is simply sensible.
How big is Tutor Island?
New and small. It was built by a working tutor and the founding tutors are listing now, ahead of the autumn term. If you want to be found by families rather than compete with thousands of other profiles, this is the moment to list.

Get started

Parents and students can browse tutors without an account. Tutors moving from another platform can read what the move involves or the detail behind our safeguarding and background checks.

Create your tutor profile →How it works for parents