First Tutors Reviews

Name: First Tutors
Address: PO Box 860, Preston
Rating: 4.59

4.6 Rating 8,870 Reviews

93 %

of reviewers recommend First Tutors

Company Reviews

Questions

Metrics

4.6

Based on 8,870 reviews

Customer Service
Communication Channels	Email, Telephone, Live Chat
Queries Resolved In	Under An Hour

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Phone:

0843 289 9165

Email:

enquiries@firsttutors.co.uk

Location:

PO Box 860
Preston
PR3 9DF

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First Tutors 1 star review on 10th April 2024

Lana

First Tutors 1 star review on 11th December 2023

Anonymous

Anonymous // 01/01/2019

Filter: Rated 2 None 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Stars Helpful

“Did not find it very user friendly. The website told me that no tutors in my area were available and then a tutor contacted me!!”

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Posted 7 years ago

“did not know you needed to pay until the end when it was too late”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Margaret, Thank you for your feedback. On First Tutor's homepage it does clearly mention there is a fee to pay. It says:Pay our one-off fee (between £4.99-24.99*, linked to tutor's rate) to connect with your private tutor and begin your lessons. No fixed term commitments. No hourly commission. Just private tuition. It also mentions payment in the email our system sent you once the tutor accepted your request. We wish you the best of luck with your new tutor. Kind regards Sara Customer Service Team First Tutors.

Posted 7 years ago

“not a fan they charge way too much under the pretence that your actually paying for grinds”

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Posted 7 years ago

Thank you for your feedback. It is free to contact as many tutors as you wish on our website to discuss all tuition needs. Only if/when you decide to go ahead with a tutor do we charge an intro fee which helps cover the costs of ID checks, reference collection, qualification checks, etc. Tutor profiles also have verified feedback from previous First Tutor clients. If you have any problems with your tutor please do not hesitate to contact us, we are here to help. Kind regards Sarah First Tutors Customer Support

Posted 7 years ago

“the first three records came attached together. It proved impossible to separate them and although I did get to see a response from the second tutor in line once it was not available thereafter. I saw nothing from the third.”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Phil, Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry to hear that you found our system of having the same request sent to several tutors confusing. If this ever proves a problem again do email Customer Service and we can separate them out for you. I can see that the third tutor didn't respond at all to your tuition request which obviously isn't the standard we expect. Please be assured that tutors who don't respond swiftly to tuition requests have their profiles switched off so only those that are responsive remain on the site. Should you have any further queries do email us. Kind regards, Grace Customer Service Team First Tutors

Posted 7 years ago

“When I tick for tutor to come to my place she replied " Of course I will charge for my travel expenses and travel time " I paid for this tutor. Then she advised me to ask for refund what I didn't receive. Sad.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Dear Helenka, We are sorry to learn of your disappointment and it is our intention to investigate this. I can see a member of our customer support team has spoken with you regarding your concerns and has given you the opportunity to choose a replacement tutor at no further cost. Please check your emails which gives the details on how to proceed. Kind Regards, Sarah First Tutors Customer Support

Posted 7 years ago

“Hi I am really sorry to write this, but this is my experience with first tutors. I had contacted 2 tutors consecutively for the same subject but both didn't work for me. Each time I have to pay the money, although second time I had received free service as a good will. Now, I am not confident to get another tutor through first tutors since I am bit concerned that again I loose my money. Regards”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Jyolsana, Thank you for your feedback and I'm sorry to see that you have been very unlucky with both tutors. It would seem the first tutor was ill and was unable to continue with lessons and the second tutor after travelling to your house realised the time to travel was unrealistic. I will investigate the issue with the tutor because the distance was clearly stated on the request and see what I can do to resolve this for you. I will keep you updated. Kind regards Sara Customer Service Team First Tutors.

Posted 7 years ago

“Maybe it's just me? But paying for a tutor is expensive enough without having to have to pay a finders fee as well :( Also, I tried contacting First Tutors and looks like there is no contact phone number available..”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Paul, Thank you for your feedback. We charge a finders fee because this helps cover the costs of ID checks, reference collection, qualification verification etc. which provides extra peace of mind to parents and students alike. If you click the "contact us" tab at the bottom of the webpage to send us a message we will get back to you within the hour usually, we provide this service 7 days a week. We see that you only contacted one tutor but it's free to contact as many tutors as you wish, you only pay once you decide which tutor you wish to go ahead with. Please contact us if you experience any problems with your tutor. We are here to help. Thank you for using First Tutors.

Posted 7 years ago

“My credit card was refused, although I have been using it everywhere online and the only other option provided was to send a bank draft that would have cost 3 times the fee. The tutor's qualifications are not verified so it's no better than using kijiji or craigslist.”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Susan, We are sorry to hear about the difficulties you had with making payment. I can see that our customer support team helped identify the problem and provide an alternative payment method. With regard to qualifications, if they have been uploaded and checked by First Tutor sstaff, they will appear as 'on file' on the tutors public profile. I can see that your tutor has provided us with their qualification copies. Unlike free services, our fee's help cover the cost of reference checks which offers peace of mind when choosing your tutor. Wishing you the best of luck with your English lessons. Kind Regards, Sarah First Tutors Customer Support

Posted 7 years ago

“Far too expensive to sign a tutor”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Faryal, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you think our introduction fee is too expensive. The fee is variable and linked to the price your tutor charges per hour. The cost of the introduction fee helps cover the cost of security checks on tutors and safety on the site to give piece of mind to tutees and their parent(s)/guardian(s). If you have any problems with your tutor do email Customer Service so we can help you out. Kind regards, Grace Customer Service Team First Tutors

Posted 7 years ago

“I am not impressed by the quality of tutors featured in the website. I have contacted at least 15 tutors, only 3 answered and only one of the three had the required features. I contacted tutors that advertised themselves as available to teach singing on a regular basis. I was looking for a singing tutor to teach my kid on a weekly basis. I also specifically asked good piano skills, as it is impossible to teach singing without really playing properly the piano. One answered that she was travelling around the world and could teach only if/when in London. One answered that she could sing, but could not play piano - and was actually surprised that I was looking for good piano skills. The website should ensure that 1) the tutors properly advertise their skills/availability - if someone is travelling around the worlds, why are they putting themselves in the website as tutors; 2) out of courtesy, the contacted tutors at least answer back, rather than ignoring messages. Other free websites have a much higher response rate and better quality of tutors....”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Dear Federica, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you found tutors slow to respond. Please be assured that all tutors who do not respond promptly are deactivated on our system to avoid them messing students around in future. We send tutors an email every time you leave them a new message and do ask them to reply quickly as it is in their best interests. I have contacted the tutors that said they were not currently available to deactivate their profiles. In order to check we have tutors of the best quality we do verify all the qualifications they have on file. To see if we have them on file there should be a notice that says 'Verified' next to qualifications on their profile. We have sent you a follow up email explaining how to raise a complaint against a tutor whose details you have purchased. Do contact us at Customer Service if you have any further problems. Kind regards, Grace Customer Service Team First Tutors

Posted 7 years ago

“The tutor is great but the £19.99 fee to release details is an absolute rip off! Wouldn't use this site again”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Jennifer, Thank you for your feedback. We're sorry you feel our introduction fee is too expensive. It helps cover the costs of security checks on all tutors we advertise as we feel it's important for customers to have peace of mind. Do email customer service if you have any further queries. Kind regards, Grace Customer Service Team First Tutors

Posted 7 years ago

“I liked the formal process in place to establish contact with a tutor. However, after paying $10 as initiation fee and then meeting with the tutor, we have been very disappointed with the end result. In speaking with the tutor, we were not certain that he knew Calculus for Grade 12 and he kind of alluded to it. However, he promised to review my daughter's test result and then set up time. After reviewing the test result, he believes he cannot even make 2 hours a week. This tutor works full time and then also studies. Now, we have lost 10 precious days and are again looking for another tutor who knows the subject.”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Pervez, We are sorry to learn of your disappointment and it is our intention to investigate this and call the tutor to account. Sadly, as we had not heard from you we have been unable to help. I have sent you an email with instructions on how to leave feedback for your tutor with the option of choosing a replacement tutor at no further cost. Kind Regards, Sarah First Tutors

Posted 7 years ago

“The distance from my tutors house to mine was different than what it said and I missed my first session because of this.”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Amy, We are sorry to hear this. We don't seem to have received an email from you about this problem so I've sent you one now to check if tuition is still going ahead and what the problem was. Kind regards Sara Customer Service Team First Tutors.

Posted 7 years ago

“Terrible site functionality. Not sure who designed it but usability and user experience was not at the forefront of their design. I used this site because I had to and did not find it a good experience at all. I was unable to reply to tutors after they messaged me. I would rather use tutors on Gumtree.”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Dear Belinda, We are sorry to hear about this. We aim to make our site as user friendly as possible and would be willing to discuss potential improvements with you. With regard to our fees, these help cover the cost of our identity and reference checks on all of our tutors. Unlike free services, First Tutors do checks on all registered tutors to ensure their suitability with working with adults and young children. Our users seem to appreciate the extra security measures put in place. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss this in more detail. Kind Regards, Sarah First Tutors

Posted 7 years ago

“I find it incredibly frustrating that you only get the Tutors surname once you have paid your £24.99. Twice I paid, only to find that we knew both tutors and they were not suitable. One was actually a teacher at my son's school. If I had known their names, I could have saved myself £50 and looked at other tutors”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Jacqui, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear about this. I can see you haven't been in contact with Customer Service to explain the problem. I have now emailed you explaining how you can go about claiming another tutor or tutors for free. Kind regards, Grace Customer Service First Tutors

Posted 7 years ago

“Unfortunately her English was limited and her style was questionable. She showed no new technique of learning and just read from the text book. She was I'll prepared and brought no past work with her. To top it off she did not charge the introductory amount which was advertised....instead she charged 35.00 pounds for the first lesson!! Not at all pleased...”

Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago

Dear Harry, we are very sorry to learn of your disappointment. It is our intention to investigate this and call the tutor to account, sadly as we have not heard from you regarding your problem we were unable to help. I have sent you an email with instructions on how to choose another tutor at no further cost. Kind Regards, Sarah First Tutors Customer Service

Posted 7 years ago

“The first tutor we sent a request to didnt reply. The second one wanted us to travel to them. Hopefully the third one works out.”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Andy, Thank you for your feedback. We're very sorry that some of your tutors haven't responded, we do alert them to every message that you send (via e-mail) and we wish they would respond out of courtesy to you, but sadly cannot force them to do so. All tutors who do not respond to a request are automatically removed from our system after 2 weeks. Best of luck with the tutor you have chosen. If you have any further problems don't hesitate to email us. Kind regards, Grace Customer Service First Tutors

Posted 7 years ago

“I was simply trying to find a Saxophone Tutor in my area. I found First Tutors website to be 'Clunky' and 'Awkward' especially once initial contact was made. It was impossible to discuss anything with the tutor before committing to a lesson and then I had to pay £7.99 to First Tutors just to get her contact details. What a rip off! A much better deal is to go https://www.musicteachers.co.uk where I found a much bigger range of tutors in my area and I could contact any of them for free! First Tutors are just an unnecessary middle man, using web based technology to make people pay for a service that isn't required.”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear George, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear you found the website clunky, we aim to make our site as user friendly as possible and would be willing to discuss potential improvements with you. With regard to our fees, these help cover the cost of our identity and reference checks on all of our tutors. Unlike free services, First Tutors do checks on all registered tutors to ensure their suitability with working with adults and young children. Our users seem to appreciate the extra security measures put in place. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to discuss this in more detail. Kind Regards, Sarah First Tutors

Posted 7 years ago

“The site doesn't remove old teachers, so you can spend ages trying to actually find someone still active. When you do find a suitable teacher, you have to pay for the priviledge of getting their contact details. Save yourself the time and money and just use google to find teaches in your area.”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Robert, Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you have had problems with your tutor, but can see you haven't emailed us to resolve the issue. I have contacted you via email with instructions on how to go about claiming another Tutor free of charge. I would like to reassure you we do remove all tutors that do not reply to customer enquiries, so that those which no longer offer tuition are swiftly removed from search results. The price we charge is to cover Security checks on all our tutors and help ensure the safety of our site. Kind regards, Grace Customer Service First Tutors

Posted 7 years ago

“Very quick to ask for £25, but not happy with the rest of the service,”

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Posted 7 years ago

Dear Shaun, Thank you for your feedback. Our introductory fee helps cover the costs of our identity and reference checks, qualification checks, etc and is linked to the price a tutor charges per hour. We are sorry you felt pressure to pay the £24.99 fee. We always suggest that you thoroughly discuss all tuition requirements with prospective tutors prior to payment to ensure they are a good match. If you have any further queries don't hesitate to email us. Kind regards, Grace Customer Service Team First Tutors

Posted 7 years ago

First Tutors is rated 4.6 based on 8,870 reviews