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First Tutors alternatives in the UK: which tutoring site fits your family?

First Tutors now says it has closed. Compare the main UK-facing alternatives by review signal, pricing model, lesson format, tutor checks, SEN/SEND suitability signals and how much help you want choosing a tutor.

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Editorial

  • Portrait of Robin GibbonsLead authorFounder & CEO·Latimer Tuition
  • Reviewed byHeather LatimerTutor Matching & Customer Service·Latimer Tuition
  • Published
  • Last reviewed

Current answer

Has First Tutors closed?

First Tutors’ own UK site says it has closed. Parents should compare alternatives by service model, review signal, pricing model, lesson format, tutor checks, SEN/SEND signals and how much help they want with choosing a tutor.

Yes. The official First Tutors UK site now says the service has closed, so parents who used it as a tutor directory need to compare other UK-facing options.

“After more than 20 years of trading, First Tutors has made the difficult decision to close.” — First Tutors

The best First Tutors alternatives UK parents should consider are not all the same kind of service. Tutor Hunt is closest to a self-serve directory; Tutorful and MyTutor are stronger online-platform options; The Profs is a premium matched service; Superprof UK is broad but needs more caution on reviews and payment clarity; Edumentors is worth considering for trial-led online tutoring; and Latimer may fit families who want direct tutor contact with pay-as-you-go online lessons.

Source
First Tutors

First Tutors alternatives UK: comparison snapshot

This snapshot is designed for parents comparing the main UK-facing options after First Tutors’ closure. Trustpilot figures are a dated snapshot from 2026-07-03, and provider policies can change.

Comparison of UK First Tutors alternatives by review signal, pricing model, lesson format, tutor checks, SEN/SEND signals and best-fit family.

ProviderBest fit forTrustpilot snapshot checked 3 July 2026Pricing modelLesson formatTutor checks or vetting signalSEN/SEND signalTrial, guarantee or fit reassuranceWatch-out

Tutor Hunt

Closest to the old directory-style First Tutors model: browse, compare, contact several tutors and choose directly.

4.7 from 4,152 reviews.

Official FAQ says displayed hourly rates include Tutor Hunt fees and payment is taken after lessons, not in advance.

Online and in-person search options.

Tutor Hunt public profile information uses Enhanced DBS, reference, ID-check and onboarding wording.

Profile-by-profile. Good for parents who want to ask several tutors directly; does not offer the clearest SEN/SEND filter in this comparison.

Parents can message multiple tutors without charge. Tutor Hunt also says it refunds its fee if the user is not satisfied with the tutor.

Less guided than a managed matching service; parents do more of the choosing.

Tutorful

Parents who want online-first reassurance, visible tutor filters and a first-lesson fit policy.

4.6 from 4,484 reviews.

Homepage says tutors start from £20 per hour.

Online-first in the current parent journey, with some location pages still visible.

Homepage says tutors are hand-picked and background checked, with only 1 in 8 applicants accepted.

Strongest explicit SEN/SEND signal here: additional-needs categories and a filter for SEN experience.

First-lesson guarantee: if the first lesson is not right, Tutorful says it will pay for the next one with a new tutor.

A filter or category helps with shortlisting, but it is still not a guarantee of suitability for every child.

MyTutor

Families who want a mainstream, online-only tuition platform with a short video chat before booking.

4.5 from 3,950 reviews.

Pricing page says one-to-one tuition starts from £26 per hour. MyTutor describes the model as: “No sign up fees. No subscriptions. Just plain pay-as-you-go.” — MyTutor

Online only: live video, shared whiteboard and recorded lessons.

Official pages say tutors are personally interviewed and only 1 in 8 applicants are accepted.

May work for some families, but Tutorful has the clearest parent-facing SEN/SEND filter in this comparison.

Free 15-minute video chat before booking.

Not suitable if you specifically want in-person tutoring.

The Profs

Premium managed matching, admissions or specialist academic support where budget is less of a constraint.

4.9 from 1,911 reviews.

Pricing page lists school tutoring from £60 per hour plus a £70 registration fee.

Online and home-tutoring pricing are listed.

The Profs says only 3% of tutor applicants make it onto its network; treat this as a premium-selection signal rather than a general directory feature.

Best treated as a premium matching option rather than a broad SEN/SEND directory.

Free consultation and personalised matching are central to the model.

Not a like-for-like budget replacement for a broad directory.

Superprof UK

Parents exploring a very broad directory, niche subjects or many local and online options.

3.4 from 5,158 reviews.

Tutor listings show individual hourly rates and many show a first lesson free.

Online and in-person search options.

Profile-dependent; use the tutor profile and payment screens carefully.

Very broad subject coverage, but its public pages do not support a strong SEN/SEND suitability claim.

Many listings show a first lesson free, but parents should understand any pass or subscription wording before paying.

Weaker Trustpilot profile than the core alternatives and recurring public-review concerns about payment clarity.

Edumentors

Parents who want online one-to-one tutoring for ages 4 to 19 with a short trial-led start.

Not ranked in this snapshot.

Official site says pay per session is available, with bulk discounts when paying upfront.

Online one-to-one tutoring.

Official site says tutors have one-to-one interviews and qualification checks before becoming searchable.

Consider tutor-by-tutor fit; do not infer specialist SEN/SEND suitability without profile evidence.

Free 15-minute trial and a replacement tutor at no extra cost if the parent is unsatisfied.

Use official service facts, and treat review reputation carefully if it matters to your decision.

Latimer Tuition

Families who want direct tutor contact, pay-as-you-go online tuition and no starting fee or package tie-in.

4.9 from 294 reviews.

No starting fees, packages, contract or tie-in; tutors set their own prices, with typical bands shown on Latimer’s How it Works page.

Online one-to-one tuition, based on Latimer’s parent-facing How it Works page.

The sourced Latimer page supports process and pricing claims; do not infer additional tutor-check promises from this comparison table.

Ask the tutor directly about experience with your child’s needs before booking.

Families can ask for a free intro meeting, usually 15 to 30 minutes, before deciding whether to begin lessons.

Not a giant directory and not a white-glove managed agency; it is a direct-contact pay-as-you-go option.

Which First Tutors alternative is best for your family?

A single overall winner would be misleading. Start with the kind of help your family wants, then use the table above to compare the details.

Closest to First Tutors-style browsing

Tutor Hunt

May suit you if you liked browsing a directory, comparing profiles and contacting several tutors yourself. It is less managed than a matching service, so parents should be comfortable asking questions before booking.

Online-first reassurance and filters

Tutorful

May suit you if you want online lessons, a clear first-lesson fit policy and explicit additional-needs filtering. Treat filters as shortlisting help, not as proof that every tutor will suit every child.

Mainstream online-only lessons

MyTutor

May suit you if you want online lessons with live video, a whiteboard, lesson recordings and a free 15-minute chat before booking. It is not a local home-tutoring option.

Premium managed matching

The Profs

May suit families who want a more guided, high-credential service and are comfortable with higher pricing and a registration fee. It is not the closest budget replacement for a broad directory.

Broad directory and niche subjects

Superprof UK

May suit parents who want lots of choice across subjects and locations. Read payment wording carefully, because the Trustpilot profile is weaker and public reviews frequently raise payment-clarity worries.

Trial-led online option

Edumentors

May suit parents who want a short trial before committing and an online one-to-one model. Use its official pages for service facts rather than relying on a review ranking.

Direct contact and pay-as-you-go

Latimer Tuition

May suit parents who want to browse tutors, speak directly after introduction, avoid packages and start with a free intro meeting if the tutor agrees.

Find a tutor

Provider notes: what parents should check before choosing

The table gives the snapshot. These notes add the practical judgement parents often need before booking.

Tutor Hunt

The closest match for parents who want the directory feel of First Tutors.

Strengths:

  • Choice: Parents can browse online and in-person tutors, message several tutors and read feedback before choosing.
  • Payment clarity: The official FAQ says rates shown on tutor profiles include Tutor Hunt fees and payment is taken after lessons.

Watch for:

  • Less guided: Parents do more of the assessment, shortlisting and first-message work themselves.

Tutorful

A strong online-first option if trial reassurance and additional-needs filters matter.

Strengths:

  • Fit policy: Tutorful presents a first-lesson guarantee: if the first lesson is not right, it says it will pay for the next one with a new tutor.
  • SEN/SEND signal: Its current parent page names additional-needs categories and says parents can filter by SEN experience.

Watch for:

  • Still tutor-specific: A filter narrows the search, but parents still need to ask how the tutor would adapt lessons for their child.

MyTutor

A mainstream online-only platform with a meeting-first step.

Strengths:

  • Clear online setup: MyTutor describes live video, an online whiteboard, recorded lessons and a free 15-minute video chat before booking.
  • Pricing wording: MyTutor’s pricing page says: “No sign up fees. No subscriptions. Just plain pay-as-you-go.”

Watch for:

  • No in-person lessons: It should not be recommended to families who specifically want a local home tutor.

The Profs

A premium choice, not a direct budget-directory substitute.

Strengths:

  • Managed matching: Its model is better suited to families who want more help selecting a high-credential tutor.
  • Strong review profile: It had the strongest Trustpilot score in this dated provider snapshot, alongside substantial review volume.

Watch for:

  • Higher price point: The pricing page lists school tutoring from £60 per hour plus a £70 registration fee, so it will not suit every family budget.

Superprof UK

A very broad directory, but not the safest review-led recommendation.

Strengths:

  • Breadth: The UK site shows online and in-person options across a large range of subjects and tutor-level prices.

Watch for:

  • Payment clarity: Because public reviews raise payment and subscription worries, parents should understand any pass, membership or recurring payment wording before entering card details.
  • Review profile: The Trustpilot rating in this snapshot was materially weaker than Tutor Hunt, Tutorful, MyTutor or The Profs.

Edumentors

Worth considering if a free 15-minute trial and online one-to-one model appeal.

Interesting because the official site describes interviews, qualification checks, a free 15-minute trial and a replacement-tutor promise. Keep it as a consideration rather than a review-led top pick unless the current review profile is clean enough to rely on.

Strengths:

  • Trial and replacement: Its official site encourages a free 15-minute trial and says it will replace a tutor at no extra cost if the parent is unsatisfied.
  • Tutor checks: Its official site refers to interviews and qualification checks before tutors become searchable.

Watch for:

  • Review caution: This guide does not rank it by Trustpilot score, so parents who rely heavily on reviews should look at current review context separately.

Tutor checks and SEN/SEND wording: what it does and does not prove

Tutor checks and additional-needs wording matter, but they are not the same as a personal suitability guarantee. Parents should separate platform-level checks from tutor-level fit.

A check is not the whole safeguarding picture

A provider may mention interviews, identity checks, qualification checks, DBS checks or on-platform messaging. Those features help parents compare services, but they do not remove the need to assess a specific tutor and lesson setup.

DBS language needs UK care

GOV.UK describes DBS checks for England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland use different criminal-record systems, so UK-wide copy should not imply one label works identically everywhere.

Tutorful has the clearest SEN/SEND filter signal here

Tutorful’s current parent page names additional-needs categories and says parents can filter by SEN experience. That is useful for shortlisting, but it is not a promise that any specific tutor will be suitable for every child.

Ask about practical lesson adaptation

For SEN/SEND, ask how the tutor adapts explanations, pace, homework, breaks, reading load, working memory demands and feedback. This matters more than a generic profile tag.

A parent checklist before you book a new tutor

Before you move from comparison to booking, use this checklist to test whether the service model and the individual tutor fit the problem you are trying to solve. The Education Endowment Foundation says one-to-one tuition has an average impact of “providing approximately five additional months’ progress on average” — Education Endowment Foundation. But the choice still needs to be targeted and realistic.

  • Name the tutoring job

    Is the goal confidence, homework structure, GCSE or A level content, admissions preparation, SEN/SEND support, catch-up, or stretch beyond school?

  • Choose the service model

    Decide whether you want a self-serve directory, an online-only platform, premium managed matching, a broad multi-subject directory, or direct-contact pay-as-you-go tutoring.

  • Compare total cost

    Look beyond the hourly rate. Check platform fees, registration charges, packages, subscriptions, cancellation terms and whether payment is taken before or after lessons.

  • Ask what is actually verified

    Ask whether the provider verifies identity, qualifications, references, criminal-record checks, interviews, lesson recordings or on-platform messages.

  • Use fit reassurance early

    Where available, use a free chat, intro meeting, first-lesson guarantee, trial session or replacement policy before committing to a longer sequence.

  • For SEN/SEND, ask for examples

    Ask the tutor to describe previous relevant experience, how they would adapt a lesson, how progress would be reviewed, and what they would do if the first approach does not work.

  • Plan short, regular sessions

    Where possible, agree a focused plan linked to the child’s school work or exam goals rather than choosing a platform brand first and hoping progress follows.

Message a tutor before you book

Questions to send before booking a tutor

When this applies

You have found a tutor who looks promising, but you want to check fit, price and expectations before committing. Use this after shortlisting a tutor but before paying for a first lesson, trial or intro meeting.

Suggested wording

Hello [Tutor name], we are looking for support with [subject, year group and exam board if relevant]. Could you tell us how you would assess [child’s name]‘s current level, what experience you have with [specific goal or need], how you usually structure lessons, and what a good first four weeks would look like? Could you also confirm your hourly rate, cancellation policy, whether lessons are online or in person, and whether there is a short intro call, trial or first-lesson fit policy before we book more sessions?

Why this helps

It keeps the message specific without sounding adversarial. A good reply should tell you how the tutor thinks, how they would adapt the lesson and what the first commitment really costs.

Key terms parents will see

These terms help you compare providers without getting pulled in by the biggest brand name alone.

First Tutors alternatives UK

UK-facing tutoring services parents may consider now that First Tutors’ official UK site says the service has closed.

Self-serve tutor marketplace

A service where parents search tutor profiles, contact tutors and choose for themselves, rather than having a tutor selected for them by an agency or matching team.

Managed tutor matching

A more guided model where the provider helps shortlist or match a tutor, often at a higher price point than broad marketplaces.

Online tutoring platform

A service built around live online lessons, often with video, shared whiteboard tools, on-platform messaging and lesson recordings.

Trustpilot review signal

A dated indication of public review sentiment, TrustScore and review volume. It is not verification of a provider’s pricing, vetting, safeguarding or refund policies.

DBS check

A criminal-record check system described by GOV.UK for employers. Use UK-wide wording carefully because terminology differs across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

SEN/SEND suitability signal

A provider feature or tutor-profile claim that may help parents identify relevant experience. It is not a guarantee that a provider or tutor is suitable for every child.

Sources and update note

This guide separates review signals from provider facts. Review profiles are used for dated sentiment and volume; official provider pages are used for pricing, lesson format, tutor checks and fit policies. Prices, review counts and provider terms can change, so these details should be refreshed whenever the page is reviewed.

  • First Tutors

    Official closure wording.

    Open source

  • Trustpilot provider profiles

    Review-signal context; individual provider profiles support the dated snapshot, not a permanent category ranking.

    Open source

  • Tutor Hunt

    Official service model, payment and tutor-check wording.

    Open source

  • Tutorful

    Official pricing, tutor filtering, SEN/SEND and first-lesson guarantee wording.

    Open source

  • MyTutor

    Official online lesson, free chat and tutor-interview wording.

    Open source

  • The Profs

    Official pricing and premium matching context.

    Open source

  • Superprof UK

    Official directory and lesson-format context.

    Open source

  • Edumentors

    Official trial, qualification-check and replacement wording.

    Open source

  • Latimer Tuition

    Latimer-specific process and pricing claims.

    Open source

  • Education Endowment Foundation

    Evidence context for one-to-one tuition.

    Open source

  • GOV.UK

    DBS wording and UK-scope caveat.

    Open source

Related guidance

More guidance from this section

More guidance from this part of the Ed Centre that may help with the same decision, stage or next step.

Support and clarity

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers to the questions people ask most often.

What happened to First Tutors?

First Tutors’ official UK site says the service has closed after more than 20 years of trading. That is why parents who previously used it as a tutor directory need to compare current UK alternatives rather than relying on older First Tutors advice.

What is the closest alternative to First Tutors in the UK?

Tutor Hunt is the closest like-for-like option in this comparison if you want a self-serve directory: parents can browse online and in-person tutors, contact several tutors and choose directly. It is less guided than a managed matching service.

Which First Tutors alternative is best for online lessons?

MyTutor is a strong online-only option because its official pages describe live video, an online whiteboard, lesson recordings and a free 15-minute chat before booking. Tutorful is also strong if you want online-first reassurance plus SEN/SEND filters and a first-lesson fit policy.

Can Trustpilot scores tell me which tutoring site is best?

They help, but they should not decide the choice on their own. Trustpilot scores are useful for review sentiment and volume, but they do not verify pricing, tutor checks, safeguarding arrangements, refund terms or SEN/SEND suitability. Use them alongside official provider pages.

Which alternatives are strongest for SEN or SEND support?

The clearest explicit parent-facing SEN/SEND signal in this comparison is Tutorful: its parent page names additional-needs categories and says parents can filter by SEN experience. That still does not guarantee a tutor will suit every child, so parents should ask specific questions before booking.

Do First Tutors alternatives offer trials, refunds or guarantees?

Some do, but the wording differs. Tutorful presents a first-lesson guarantee, MyTutor offers a free 15-minute video chat, Tutor Hunt says it refunds its fee if a user is not satisfied with the tutor, Edumentors encourages a free 15-minute trial and a replacement tutor, and Latimer says families can ask for a free intro meeting, usually 15 to 30 minutes.

Is Superprof a good First Tutors replacement?

Superprof UK may be useful if you want a very broad directory with online and in-person options across many subjects. It should be approached more cautiously than Tutor Hunt, Tutorful or MyTutor in a review-led comparison because its Trustpilot profile is materially weaker and public reviews raise payment-clarity concerns.

Where does Latimer fit compared with large tutoring platforms?

Latimer may fit families who want online one-to-one tuition, direct tutor contact after introduction, pay-as-you-go pricing, no starting fees or packages, and the option to ask for a free intro meeting. It may be less suitable if you want a huge directory or a premium managed shortlist.

Sources and references

Sources and references

Official guidance

Peer-reviewed research

Internal pages

Other sources