HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

How to hire an 11+ tutor in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register lists 11+ tutors. Here is the vetting to ask for, how to check they know your test, and the terms to agree.

  • Search and compare — no account needed
  • Nearest to you first
  • One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an 11+ tutor in five steps

  1. Name the schools and the testWhich grammar or independent schools, and which test they set — the format varies by area. An 11+ tutor should know yours.
  2. See the check before the first 11+ lessonEnhanced DBS, PVG or AccessNI depending on where you live. A parent cannot apply for it; an 11+ tutor can show it in a minute.
  3. Ask what they have taught, and to whomWhich levels, how many 11+ students now, and what those students went on to do. Knowing 11+ is not the same as teaching it.
  4. Start with one lessonOne 11+ lesson at home or online, with mock days at a hall tells you more than any profile; commit to a term paid in advance, with mocks on top only afterwards.
  5. Get the terms in a messageBefore you pay for a term paid in advance, with mocks on top: the test format prepared for, the mock fees, and the notice to stop after the test date. A message on Locufy is enough.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

There is no register of 11+ tutors anywhere in the UK, and anyone may advertise 11+ tuition at home or online, with mock days at a hall. Degrees, teaching experience and checks are all things you ask about directly.

Ask for the qualification and where it was gained, plus a reference from a current learner.

Criminal record check for a young learner

In England and Wales, teaching or instructing a child on more than three days in any 30, or once overnight, is regulated activity — so an 11+ tutor seeing your child every week for six months to a year before the test should hold an enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list. The definition changed on 1 September 2026: an 11+ tutor who is supervised is now inside regulated activity too. Scotland uses PVG scheme membership, and mygov.scot names tutors and instructors a parent engages for a child as a role to ask about; in Northern Ireland, a self-employed 11+ tutor gets an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list through an Umbrella Body.

You cannot apply on an 11+ tutor's behalf. Ask to see their own certificate and read its issue date — it has no official expiry — or PVG proof in Scotland, or an AccessNI certificate shared from their nidirect account. gov.uk →

Who has an 11+ tutor actually taught?

Qualified teacher status (QTS) is recorded by England's Teaching Regulation Agency, but its check-a-teacher's-record service is for employers, so a parent cannot search it. Primary teaching experience and recent 11+ students in your area are what to look for; the test format matters as much as the subject.

Ask an 11+ tutor for the school they teach at, if any, and the levels and boards of their students this year. gov.uk →

Written terms for a term paid in advance, with mocks on top

Paying for a term paid in advance, with mocks on top makes it a consumer contract: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says an 11+ tutor must use reasonable care and skill. Booked online or agreed at your home, 11+ lessons carry 14 days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013; if you asked for teaching to start inside those 14 days, you pay for what was given. Agree in advance what happens about months of fees for a test format the tutor did not know.

Before paying for a term paid in advance, with mocks on top, ask an 11+ tutor to set out the test format prepared for, the mock fees, and the notice to stop after the test date in a message. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

Lessons in 11+ English and maths are exempt from VAT when the 11+ tutor teaches them personally as a sole trader or partner, since both are ordinarily taught in schools; a tuition company or an agency supplying employed tutors is standard-rated. Below the £90,000 registration threshold an individual tutor charges no VAT in any case, and has no VAT number to give.

Ask whether you are paying the 11+ tutor directly or a tuition business; a self-employed tutor under £90,000 adds no VAT. gov.uk →

“Will you show me your DBS, PVG or AccessNI certificate?”

A good answer: A straight yes. An 11+ tutor who works with children at home or online, with mock days at a hall expects to be asked.

“Which test do the schools we want set, and have you taught for it?”

A good answer: The format your area uses — subjects, timings, multiple choice or written — and recent students who sat it.

“What does the test cover?”

A good answer: Usually some of English, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning; the 11+ tutor should say which apply for your schools.

“When should we start?”

A good answer: Usually six months to a year before the test; earlier is more lessons, not always more progress.

“Do you run mock tests?”

A good answer: Timed practice in the real format, with the marks explained to you — mock fees shown separately.

“How do you handle a child who gets anxious?”

A good answer: Short, varied sessions, praise for effort, and honest feedback to parents rather than pressure on the child.

“If my child is ill, or you are, what happens to that 11+ lesson?”

A good answer: A rule you can live with, in writing — and fairness both ways: if an 11+ tutor cancels, the 11+ lesson is rescheduled or refunded.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, and whether Saturday mornings or the summer before the test cost more
  • The minimum booking — a single trial hour or a block to the test date — and what happens if a lesson ends early
  • What you supply (the school's familiarisation booklet, a quiet table) and what the 11+ tutor brings: papers, timers, marking
  • The work agreed before the first hour: the test format in your area, the target schools and the areas to cover
  • ID checked and the rating, and the vetting certificate for your nation

Walk away if

  • No vetting shown, though the 11+ tutor would see your child every week for six months to a year before the test
  • Promised grades: no honest 11+ tutor guarantees a place at a named school
  • Promised places at a named school
  • They will not say which test format they prepare for
  • A term paid in advance, with mocks on top demanded up front, with no written refund terms
LOW
£30
TYPICAL
£45
HIGH
£70

What an 11+ tutor costs: £30–£70 per hour

11+ tutors charge by the hour, usually weekly for months before the test; mock exams are priced separately. 11+ Tutor price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

11+ tutors near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. BaselineA short practice paper in your area's format to find the gaps.
  2. Skills before speedVocabulary, arithmetic and reasoning techniques taught before timed work.
  3. Format practiceQuestions in the exact format the school uses.
  4. Timed papersFull timed practice in the last months, with results shared.
  5. The week of the testLight revision only, and a calm plan for the day.

11+
Entrance tests for grammar and some independent schools, usually sat in Year 6.
Verbal reasoning
Word and letter puzzles testing language logic.
Non-verbal reasoning
Shape and pattern puzzles.
Transfer test
The test some Northern Ireland grammar schools use for entry.
Consortium
A group of schools setting one shared test.
Mock exam
A practice test in exam conditions, often in a hall with other children.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the recordsThe practice-paper marks and the invoices are your record if anything goes wrong.
Test the progressCompare a timed practice paper in the right format at half term with the first one, section by section.
Know what is promisedNo 11+ tutor can promise a place at a named school. What you are owed is the 11+ lessons agreed, prepared and on time.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked 11+ lessons. A problem goes to the 11+ tutor first through the make-it-right step.

STEP 1Write to the 11+ tutor firstSet out the problem (months of fees for a test format the tutor did not know is a common one) and ask for a fix or a refund by a date. Ask for the remedy the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives — the 11+ lessons again, or money back for what fell short.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyLeave under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the 11+ tutor first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers 11+ tutors, so a consumer complaint goes to Trading Standards through your nation's helpline: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Money still in disputeSmall claims handle a dispute with an 11+ tutor without a solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales (small claims track), £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland. Bring the practice-paper marks and the invoices to the claim.

Hiring an 11+ tutor: questions people ask

There is no blanket legal duty, but an 11+ tutor teaching your child more than three days in any 30 is in regulated activity in England and Wales, which a barred person must not do. Ask for the enhanced DBS check — PVG in Scotland, AccessNI in Northern Ireland.

Not one of the four UK nations keeps a register of people who teach 11+. Ask which test formats they have prepared children for, and for references from families in your area.

£30–£70 an hour, with £45 typical; specialists for the most competitive schools cost most. See the 11+ tutor price guide for the full range; type your town above for real 11+ tutors nearby.

Normally no. English and maths are school subjects, so an 11+ tutor teaching as a sole trader or partner is exempt; a tuition centre run as a company, or an agency's employed tutors, are standard-rated and add VAT once over £90,000.

No. Schools and consortia set their own tests, and the subjects and format vary by area. Some Northern Ireland grammar schools use a transfer test instead.

Usually one hour a week for six months to a year before the test, with mocks near the end.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in lessons & tutoring

How to hire: GCSE TutorHow to hire: A-Level TutorHow to hire: Maths TutorHow to hire: English TutorHow to hire: Science TutorHow to hire: Physics TutorHow to hire: Chemistry TutorHow to hire: Biology TutorAll 701 hiring guides →

11+ tutors near you

11+ tutors in London11+ tutors in Manchester11+ tutors in Birmingham11+ tutors in Glasgow11+ tutors in BelfastAll 11+ tutors on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk (DBS) — regulated activity with children
  2. gov.uk — change to the definition of regulated activity with children from 1 September 2026
  3. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  4. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  5. gov.uk — check a teacher's record (England)
  6. gov.uk — Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30)
  7. gov.uk — statement from the qualification regulators on GCSEs, AS and A levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
  8. gov.scot — school leaver attainment in National Qualifications (SQA)
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  11. Citizens Advice — deciding whether to make a small claim (England and Wales)
  12. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — guide to simple procedure
  13. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  14. Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30) — 6.1 The treatment of private tuition
  15. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  16. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register