HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

How to hire an A level tutor in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register lists A level tutors. Here is the vetting to ask for, the coursework rule, and the terms to agree in writing.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an A level tutor in five steps

  1. Name the subject, board and targetThe A level, the board, the grade needed for an offer and the exam dates. An A level tutor plans back from those.
  2. See the criminal record checkFor A level lessons with a child, ask for an enhanced DBS check in England and Wales, PVG membership in Scotland or AccessNI in Northern Ireland. An A level tutor applies and shows you.
  3. Check the teaching, not just the knowledgeAn A level tutor should describe how a typical A level lesson runs and how they find out what a student is missing.
  4. Start with one lessonOne A level lesson online or at home tells you more than any profile; commit to a term paid in advance only afterwards.
  5. Agree the terms in writingHow essay marking is charged, the coursework limits, and the notice to stop — in writing before the first payment. A message on Locufy counts.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

There is no register of A level tutors anywhere in the UK, and no qualification is needed to tutor A level online or at home. What a tutor knows and has taught is a matter of asking and seeing evidence; there is nothing to look up. England's Teaching Regulation Agency keeps the record of qualified teacher status, but only employers may use its checking service — not parents. A good degree in the subject, QTS or examining experience all help; ask how many A level students they have taken through your board.

Ask the A level tutor what they hold, where they trained, and for two people they teach now. Ask an A level tutor for the school they teach at, if any, and the levels and boards of their students this year. gov.uk →

Vetting for lessons with a child

Regulated activity in England and Wales starts when someone teaches or instructs a child on more than three days in a 30-day spell, or overnight; an A level tutor teaching for an hour or ninety minutes a week across Years 12 and 13 passes that easily, so the enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list is the one to ask for. Since 1 September 2026, being supervised by someone else no longer takes an A level tutor out of that rule. Scotland's system is the PVG scheme — mygov.scot lists tutors and instructors engaged by a parent among the roles to check — and Northern Ireland's is an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list, which a self-employed A level tutor gets through an Umbrella Body.

Ask an A level tutor to show you the certificate before the first A level lesson, and write down its date — there is no official expiry. PVG proof in Scotland; the AccessNI certificate from their nidirect account in Northern Ireland. gov.uk →

Written terms for a term paid in advance

An A level tutor is a trader in law, so the Consumer Rights Act 2015 term of reasonable care and skill applies to every A level lesson. Agree A level lessons online, by phone or in your home and you have 14 days to change your mind under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 — less whatever teaching you asked to have before then. Agree in advance what happens about essays that were set but never marked.

Ask for how essay marking is charged, the coursework limits, and the notice to stop in writing, and keep the message, before a term paid in advance changes hands. legislation.gov.uk →

Coursework: the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022

In England it is an offence under the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022 to provide, in commercial circumstances, a service that completes all or part of an assignment a student must do personally — A level coursework included. An A level tutor may teach, explain and give feedback within the board's rules; they may not write it.

Ask the A level tutor how they handle coursework, and expect an answer that names the board's rules on help. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

A level tuition is exempt when a sole trader or partner gives it personally, because A level subjects are ordinarily taught in schools; the same teaching sold by a limited company or by its employees is standard-rated. A tutor working alone under the £90,000 registration threshold does not charge VAT and has no VAT number to give.

Ask who invoices you — the A level tutor in person, or a company that employs them; a sole trader under £90,000 adds no VAT. gov.uk →

“Before the first A level lesson, can I see your criminal record certificate and its date?”

A good answer: "Yes — here it is." An A level tutor teaching your child for an hour or ninety minutes a week across Years 12 and 13 should hold the enhanced check for your nation and show it without fuss.

“Which board and papers have you taught this A level for?”

A good answer: A named board and recent students. Wales and Northern Ireland A levels differ from England's in most subjects; in Scotland ask about Highers and Advanced Highers instead.

“How will you help with coursework or the NEA?”

A good answer: General teaching, the mark scheme explained, and feedback as far as the board allows — never drafting it for the student.

“What grade gap can we close by the summer?”

A good answer: An honest answer after a first session, not a promise in the first message.

“Do you mark essays or long answers between lessons?”

A good answer: Yes, to the mark scheme, with a short written comment.

“Can you help with an admissions test or interview too?”

A good answer: If it is offered, it should be priced and planned separately from the A level lessons.

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

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

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, and any higher rate for evenings in exam season or for Further Maths
  • The minimum booking — often a one-hour lesson — and what happens if your teenager finishes a past paper early
  • What the student brings (the specification, marked work, the textbook) and what the A level tutor brings
  • The topics and the exam board agreed before the first hour, with a target for the mocks
  • ID checked and the rating, and the vetting certificate for a learner under 18

Walk away if

  • No vetting shown, though the A level tutor would see your child for an hour or ninety minutes a week across Years 12 and 13
  • Promised grades: no honest A level tutor guarantees the grade a university offer needs
  • They offer to write coursework or the NEA for the student
  • No refund rule for a term paid in advance, or one that changes after you pay
LOW
£30
TYPICAL
£40
HIGH
£60

What an A level tutor costs: £30–£60 per hour

A level tutors charge by the hour, often weekly through Years 12 and 13; examiners and maths and science specialists sit at the top. A-Level 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

A level 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. Start with the specificationThe A level tutor reads the board's specification and the student's last mock before planning.
  2. Topic teachingWeak topics first, then application to exam questions.
  3. Essays and long answersPlanned, written by the student and marked to the mark scheme between lessons.
  4. Coursework support within the rulesTeaching, general feedback and timelines — the writing stays the student's.
  5. Exam seasonFull timed papers, examiner reports read together, and a plan for each paper.

AS level
The first half of an A level in some subjects and nations; in Northern Ireland and Wales it still counts towards the full A level.
NEA
Non-examined assessment — coursework marked during the course.
Mark scheme
The board's guide to awarding marks on each question.
Advanced Higher
Scotland's SQA course above Higher, often compared with A level.
Examiner report
The board's write-up of how students answered each paper; a good tutor uses it.
Predicted grade
The school's forecast for a university application; not the result.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the recordsKeep the marked essays and the term invoice, with the written terms.
Test the progressAt each half term, ask for a timed past-paper question marked to the board's scheme and compare it with the first one.
What you are owedThe grade a university offer needs is not something anyone can guarantee; the agreed A level lessons, well taught, is.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked A level lessons. A problem goes to the A level tutor first through the make-it-right step.

STEP 1Write to the A level tutor firstSay what went wrong — for example essays that were set but never marked — and what you want: A level lessons made up, repeated or refunded. Ask for the remedy the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives — the A level 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 A level tutor first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers A level 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 A level 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 marked essays and the term invoice to the claim.

Hiring an A level tutor: questions people ask

Not by default. Regular teaching of a child is regulated activity in England and Wales, though, so the enhanced DBS check with the barred list is the one to see; Scotland uses PVG membership and Northern Ireland an enhanced AccessNI check.

Not one of the four UK nations keeps a register of people who teach A level. Ask which board's A level they have taught, and for recent results they can talk about.

£30–£60 an hour, with £40 typical; examiners and specialists in maths and the sciences cost most. The A level tutor price guide explains the spread, and the search at the top finds A level tutors near you.

Yes, within the board's rules: teaching, explaining and general feedback. In England, completing all or part of the work for a student as a paid service is a criminal offence under the Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022.

Usually not. A level subjects are taught in schools, so an A level tutor working as a sole trader or partner is exempt; tuition bought from a company or from tutors it employs is standard-rated, and a company over £90,000 adds VAT.

Usually an hour or ninety minutes a week across Years 12 and 13, with more in the months before the exams.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in lessons & tutoring

How to hire: GCSE TutorHow to hire: Maths TutorHow to hire: English TutorHow to hire: Science TutorHow to hire: Physics TutorHow to hire: Chemistry TutorHow to hire: Biology TutorHow to hire: Primary School TutorAll 701 hiring guides →

A level tutors near you

A level tutors in LondonA level tutors in ManchesterA level tutors in BirminghamA level tutors in GlasgowA level tutors in BelfastAll a level 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. Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022, section 26 — meaning of relevant service
  15. Skills and Post-16 Education Act 2022, section 27 — offence of providing a relevant service
  16. Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30) — 6.1 The treatment of private tuition
  17. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  18. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register