Tutorful is not accepting new tutors. TutorLab is open.
As of August 2026 Tutorful's own application page says it is no longer accepting new tutors. If you were trying to join and hit that wall, you do not need to wait for them to reopen to start taking students.
TutorLab lists UK tutors free, never takes commission on the students you already teach, and handles the invoicing, scheduling and card payments that usually eat your Sunday evening.
1,469 tutor profiles listed and counting.
What is different here
Open to new tutors
No closed applications and no waiting list. You build your profile and it goes live once it has a photo and a rate.
Your own students stay yours
Bring the families you already teach. TutorLab never charges commission on them, and never inserts itself into a relationship you built.
You are the merchant of record
When a family pays by card, the money is yours and settles to your own connected TutorLab Payments account. We are not holding your fees in an escrow balance.
An honest comparison
Tutorful is a well built marketplace and plenty of tutors have done well on it. The two products are aimed at different things, and the difference matters most once you have your own students.
A marketplace charges for the introduction. TutorLab charges for software, so lessons you sourced yourself cost you nothing in commission.
On a marketplace your students belong to the platform. On TutorLab you can import the families you already teach and keep them.
Card payments settle to your own account because you are the merchant of record, rather than sitting in a platform balance until a payout date.
Listing is free, so being in the directory never depends on holding a subscription.
Questions tutors ask
Is Tutorful accepting new tutors?
Not as of August 2026. Tutorful's own tutor application page states that they are no longer accepting new tutors and are not taking new tutor applications at this time. They give no reopening date. If that changes, check their site directly, because this is their decision to reverse and not ours to report on.
What can I use instead of Tutorful as a tutor?
TutorLab is a UK tutor directory that is open to new tutors. You create a profile, choose your subjects, levels and hourly rate, and parents contact you directly. Listing is free and there is no application queue to wait in.
Does TutorLab take a commission on my lessons?
No. TutorLab never takes an agency commission on lessons. You set your rate and the parent pays you, not us. If you choose to collect payment by card through TutorLab you are the merchant of record and only a card processing fee applies. Students you already teach stay entirely yours.
How is this different from a tutoring marketplace?
A marketplace sits between you and the family and charges for the introduction. TutorLab is closer to business software with a directory attached: it lists you so families can find you, and then it runs the admin around the tutoring you already do, including students who never came from us.
Do I need qualifications or a DBS check to list?
You need to be able to teach the subjects you list honestly. A DBS check is not required to create a profile, and displaying one where you have it helps families choose you. You are responsible for your own status, insurance and right to work, exactly as you would be tutoring independently.
What does it cost?
Listing in the directory is free, and every tutor starts on Free, no card needed. Paid plans add the business tools when you want them. On every payment method, a family paying your own students through TutorLab adds a processing fee to their price (a 5% processing fee, 0% on Pro), and you keep your full rate; nothing on lessons goes to us as commission.
Start taking students this week
Building a profile takes a few minutes and costs nothing. There is no application to be accepted or rejected.
Create your free profile