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First Tutors closure

First Tutors fees, finder’s fees and premium memberships: are refunds possible?

A tutor-focused guide to the fee types, refund wording, payment disputes and evidence checks that matter after First Tutors announced its closure.

Editorial

  • Lead authorRobin GibbonsFounder & CEO·Latimer Tuition
  • Reviewed byHeather LatimerTutor Matching & Customer Service·Latimer Tuition
  • Published
  • Last reviewed

Current answer

Are First Tutors fee refunds possible?

This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Refunds are not automatic. For tutors, the realistic answer depends on what was paid for, which First Tutors terms applied at the time, how the payment was made, what evidence exists, and whether the payment was personal, business or mixed-purpose.

First Tutors’ current notice says it made the decision to close “After more than 20 years of trading” and gives an email address for existing queries, but the visible notice does not publish a refund process. That means 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?

For many standard finder-fee questions, archived First Tutors terms found through the Internet Archive appear restrictive, but any exact clause must be matched to the payment date and accepted terms before a tutor relies on it. Premium Tutor memberships and card payments may raise different questions, especially where a paid period was unused or a card provider asks for evidence of a service problem.

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.

Comparison of First Tutors fee types and what tutors should check before asking about a refund or payment dispute.

Fee or issueWhat it usually meantRefund or payment pointWhat a tutor should check

Finder or contact-details fee

A one-off payment, generally made by a student or parent, to unlock a tutor’s contact details. It was not a lesson fee paid to the tutor.

Available archived terms appear to have treated the service as starting immediately once details were supplied, with only narrow refund circumstances. Match the exact capture to the payment date before relying on the clause.

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 rather than processed by First Tutors.

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.

Available archived Premium Tutor terms describe monthly payment, immediate activation, cancellation notice and a possible pro-rata refund for the unused part of a paid month if cancellation fitted those terms. Match the exact capture to the payment date.

Match the exact terms to your payment date. Keep renewal records, cancellation attempts and evidence of any unused paid period.

Tutor refund-fee liability

Available archived terms indicate a tutor could be charged where First Tutors refunded a client’s finder fee. Treat this as capture-specific wording, not a universal rule.

This is not the same as the tutor receiving a refund. It is a possible charge-back-to-tutor issue under historic platform terms.

Look for any notice from First Tutors, the client’s reason for requesting a refund, your response, and whether the charge was actually applied.

Commission or cut of lessons

Use the word commission only where the relevant terms or payment record support it.

The main model described in the available material was a one-off introduction fee rather than First Tutors handling each lesson payment.

Check your statements and invoices. If First Tutors did not process the lesson payment, a lesson-payment dispute may sit between tutor and student.

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

These terms often get mixed together. The distinction matters because different payment protections and contract questions apply.

Plain-English definitions for common First Tutors fee and refund terms.

TermPlain-English 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 in available source material as a monthly service separate from student finder fees.

Refund

Money returned after a payment. In this topic it may depend on platform terms, unused membership time, card rules or a legal claim, not simply on disappointment.

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 or lender for some qualifying purchases, 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 First Tutors term was unfair.

Evidence to collect before contacting anyone

Evidence does not guarantee a refund, but it makes any payment dispute or advice request much clearer. The Financial Ombudsman Service says banks and lenders may look for receipts, invoices, contracts, terms, screenshots and correspondence. First Tutors’ closure notice also said existing queries should “please contact info@firsttutors.co.uk”.

  • 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, tutor profile or any inaccessible paid area.

  • Terms and emails

    Keep the terms you accepted, welcome emails, renewal emails, cancellation messages, support messages and any promised-refund wording.

  • Key dates

    Write down the payment date, expected service date, first problem date, cancellation date, closure-notice date you saw and any response date.

  • Tutor-client records

    For tutor refund-fee questions, keep student messages, lesson-arrangement records, no-show or cancellation 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 the bank or card provider to tell you whether chargeback, Section 75 or another card-dispute 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. I understand the outcome depends on the evidence and the payment rules.

Why this helps

It gives the bank the facts it needs without overstating the legal position. It also asks about the deadline, which matters for chargeback requests.

Closure and company-status points to handle carefully

There is a difference between First Tutors’ closure notice, a company filing, a public review and a tutor’s individual experience. Keep those separate.

What the notice says

First Tutors’ visible notice says it made the decision to close after more than 20 years of trading and gives contact emails for existing queries and data privacy enquiries.

What the notice does not say

The visible notice does not set out a refund process, explain Premium Tutor memberships, or publish a timetable for resolving payment questions.

Company status

Do not rely on comments or assumptions about insolvency, administration or dissolution. Use the exact Companies House record and filing history for the relevant entity if company status matters to your decision.

Public reports

Reviews, forums and social posts can show common worries, but they are not proof that a refund is owed or that a company filing has changed.

Sources used in this guide

These are the main sources used for the practical and legal-context points above. Historic First Tutors terms should be matched to an exact capture and the payment date before relying on a specific clause.

  • 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 before relying on any clause.

    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 in England, with links onward for other UK nations.

    Open source

  • CMA unfair contract terms guidance

    General fair-and-clear terms context.

    Open source

  • Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49

    Reasonable-care-and-skill service standard, where consumer status applies.

    Open source

  • Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36

    Cancellation-period context for services that start during the cancellation period.

    Open source

  • Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75

    Legal context for qualifying credit claims.

    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.

Are First Tutors refunds possible for tutors?

They may be possible in some narrow, evidence-specific situations, but they are not automatic. The answer depends on the fee type, the terms that applied, the payment method, the timing, the evidence and whether the payment was personal or business-related.

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 after a client refund, 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 such as incorrect contact details, a tutor no-show for the first scheduled meeting, no mutually suitable meeting date, credential concerns or First Tutors’ discretion. The exact capture and terms for the payment date matter.

Can tutors get a First Tutors Premium Tutor membership refund?

Available archived Premium Tutor terms described monthly payment, immediate activation, cancellation with notice and a possible pro-rata refund for the unused part of a paid month where cancellation fitted the terms. A tutor would still need to match that wording to the exact version that applied to their own payment.

Can I use chargeback for a First Tutors payment?

Possibly, if the payment was made by card and the facts fit a card-dispute reason such as services not provided, services not as described, or a promised refund not received. The Financial Ombudsman Service says chargeback time limits are usually around 120 days, but the timing can vary, so quick evidence-gathering matters.

Does Section 75 apply to First Tutors fees?

Section 75 is mainly relevant to qualifying credit-card or linked-credit purchases where there is breach of contract or misrepresentation. The Financial Ombudsman Service gives the usual cash-price range as more than £100 and not more than £30,000. Many small finder fees may be below that threshold, and debit cards are not Section 75 payments.

What evidence should I collect before contacting First Tutors or my bank?

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, because chargeback, Section 75 and other card-dispute processes differ.

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, so the article should not assume consumer protections apply to every tutor platform payment.

Sources and references

Sources and references

Official guidance

  • 1.
    First Tutors closure notice

    First Tutors · Undated current notice · Accessed

    Closure wording, contact email context and absence of a visible refund process in the notice.

  • 2.
    Problems with goods and services bought using a debit card or credit

    Financial Ombudsman Service · Last updated 20 July 2023 · Accessed

    Reader-friendly guidance on chargeback, Section 75, evidence and time limits.

  • 3.
    Consumer rights

    GOV.UK · No page date visible in extracted text · Accessed

    UK consumer advice signposting for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

  • 4.
    Unfair contract terms

    Competition and Markets Authority via GOV.UK · Published 31 July 2015; last updated 22 January 2026 · Accessed

    General context on fair and clear consumer-facing terms and notices.

  • 5.
    Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49

    legislation.gov.uk · 2015 c. 15 · Accessed

    Legal context for services performed with reasonable care and skill where consumer status applies.

  • 6.
    Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36

    legislation.gov.uk · SI 2013/3134 · Accessed

    Legal context for service performance during a cancellation period.

  • 7.
    Consumer Credit Act 1974, section 75

    legislation.gov.uk · 1974 c. 39 · Accessed

    Legal context for qualifying credit claims.

Other sources

  • 1.
    First Tutors archived UK pages

    Internet Archive / First Tutors · Historic captures vary by page · Accessed

    Archive index only for historic First Tutors pages. Use an exact capture that matches the payment date before relying on a clause or deadline.

  • 2.
    Contact the consumer service

    Citizens Advice · No page update date visible · Accessed

    Practical explanation of what Citizens Advice consumer advisers can and cannot do.