Creating clear Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) is one of the most effective ways to protect your income and set professional boundaries as an independent online teacher or private tutor.
Many teachers feel nervous about introducing formal policies, worrying it might scare off prospective parents. In reality, explicit terms build professional trust, eliminate awkward payment disputes, and ensure you are paid fairly for your time.
Let’s explore essential clauses to include, as well as practical tips to ensure your T&Cs are a smooth part of your new student onboarding process.
Important disclaimer
We are online education specialists, not lawyers! The guidance in this article is provided for general informational purposes to help you structure your business practices. It does not constitute formal legal advice. For jurisdiction-specific legal agreements, consult a qualified solicitor.
Example T&Cs for an Online Teacher or Private Tutor
Below are some example T&Cs for an online teacher or private tutor, to give you an idea of what to include. Feel free to adapt these depending on your own policies, and also check the laws in your jurisdiction regarding e.g. refunds or data protection.
1. No-Show Policy
- If the student fails to attend within 10 minutes of the class start time, it will be counted as a “no-show”.
- No-shows are charged at the full lesson rate and will not be rescheduled.
2. Cancellations & Rescheduling
- 24 hours’ notice is required for cancellations or rescheduling requests.
- Any session cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice is forfeited and charged in full.
- Sessions can be rescheduled (with at least 24 hours’ notice) to another time within the same week, if a mutually convenient time is available.
3. Refund Policy & Package Validity
- Individual classes and lesson packages are non-refundable once purchased.
- Packages of 10 lessons must be used within 12 weeks.
4. Tech Disruptions & Connectivity
- If the teacher experiences technical issues, the lesson will be credited or made up at a mutually convenient time.
- If the student experiences technical issues, the class is still charged in full.
5. Punctuality & Fixed End Times
- Lessons start and finish strictly at the scheduled times.
- Late student arrivals do not push back the class end time, as this delays subsequent students.
6. Payment Terms
- Invoices must be paid at least 24 hours before the lesson takes place, or the class will be cancelled.
7. Class Recordings, Data Protection, & Safeguarding
- By purchasing and booking classes, you consent to classes being recorded.
- Class recordings are for student revision purposes only.
- Class recordings or screenshots must not be shared on social media or elsewhere, without prior written permission from the teacher and all classmates.
8. Class Resources & Intellectual Property
- All provided materials (e.g. lesson slides, workbooks, and other printables) are licensed strictly for the individual student’s personal educational use and must not be shared or redistributed.
9. Classroom Environment & Behaviour
- Sudents must join calls from a quiet, well-lit room free from major background distractions
- For students under 13, an adult must remain nearby to supervise and provide support.
- The teacher reserves the right to end a session early without refund if the student displays inappropriate behaviour.
10. Communication Boundaries
- Official working hours are Monday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM GMT. Messages sent outside these hours will be answered during the next business day.
- Official communication channels include email and WhatsApp messaging only.
💡 Top tip: Write your policies in friendly, straightforward English. Consider including a translation into your students’ native language, if appropriate (along with a note stating that it is a non-official translation and the English version takes precedence).
Where to Store your T&Cs
A key practical consideration is where to actually put these T&Cs. Depending on what tools you use, you could:
- Write them on a dedicated page on your website.
- Host on a cloud storage service such as Google Docs, from which you can easily share the link with new students.
- Include on your teaching platform / booking system / payment system’s T&Cs section (if relevant).
💡 Top tip: Have your T&Cs in just one dedicated place. Don’t send separate files to each new student via email, or duplicate your T&Cs on both your website and a separate booking system. This is important to ensure there are never any confusions over which version of your T&Cs is the official one.
How to Get Parents to Agree
Having terms is useless if clients never read them. Incorporate your T&Cs directly into your onboarding workflow, either:
- At Booking/Checkout: Include a mandatory tick-box on your booking form (e.g. “I agree to the Terms & Conditions and 24-Hour Cancellation Policy”) – most professional payment platforms or booking systems include this.
- Inside the Welcome Pack: Send a simple 1-page PDF summary alongside your initial welcome email / message before accepting the first payment.
This ensures that parents have read and agreed to your policies before paying, thus protecting you from payment disputes or misunderstandings.
Summary
Clear T&Cs do not create friction – they build a professional tutoring business. Setting explicit rules for payments, cancellations, and conduct eliminates misunderstandings upfront, protects your income, and shows parents you are a professional.
Once you have these in place, you can then dedicate your full energy to what matters most: delivering outstanding, high-engagement lessons.
👇Over to you: What is your biggest headache when it comes to setting boundaries with parents? Have you ever had to enforce a last-minute cancellation fee? Share your experiences in the comments below!