HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

How to hire a computer skills trainer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register lists computer skills trainers. Here is what to ask, how to keep your accounts safe, and the terms to agree.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a computer skills trainer in five steps

  1. Say what you want to doVideo calls, online banking, email, a new phone or office basics. A computer skills trainer plans around it.
  2. Ask who they work with nowThe level and kind of learner a computer skills trainer sees most — if it is not you, ask how they would adapt.
  3. Ask who is comingTheir name, how long they have trained beginners, and a basic criminal record certificate if they will visit your home.
  4. Start with one sessionOne computer session at your home or at a community centre tells you more than any profile; commit to a few hours booked in advance only afterwards.
  5. Write down the termsThe hourly price, home-visit charges, and that your passwords stay yours, agreed in writing with the computer skills trainer.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to computer skills trainers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, and no qualification is needed to teach computer skills at your home or at a community centre. Training, a portfolio and teaching experience are things you ask about, not things on a register.

Ask the computer skills trainer what they hold, where they trained, and for two people they teach now.

Training, portfolio and insurance

The law sets no qualification for teaching computer skills, and no register exists. Experience training beginners — especially older learners — matters more than technical qualifications. Ask about public liability insurance — not a legal requirement for a sole trader, though HSE says anyone employing staff will probably need employers' liability insurance.

Ask to see the computer skills trainer's own work and to know who insures them. hse.gov.uk →

Basic criminal record check

No law requires a computer skills trainer to hold a criminal record check. A trainer can request their own basic check and show it: a basic DBS check in England and Wales, a Level 1 disclosure in Scotland, or an AccessNI basic check in Northern Ireland.

If a computer skills trainer will visit your home, ask whether they have a basic check and its date. gov.uk →

VAT

Computer skills lessons are exempt only when a sole trader or partner teaches them personally, computing being ordinarily taught in schools; training sold by a limited company or by its employees is standard-rated. Above the £90,000 registration threshold that business has to charge VAT and show it separately, next to its VAT number.

Ask whether the computer skills trainer teaches as a sole trader or for a company, and for the VAT number if VAT is added. gov.uk →

“Will you use my own device?”

A good answer: Yes, so you learn on what you will use; the computer skills trainer should never take it away.

“Will you need my passwords?”

A good answer: No. You type them yourself; a trainer who asks for them is a red flag.

“How do you teach someone who is nervous with technology?”

A good answer: Slowly, one task at a time, with written notes left behind.

“Can you help me spot scams?”

A good answer: Yes — what a phishing email or text looks like and what to do.

“Will you leave written notes after each computer session?”

A good answer: Yes, simple step-by-step notes in large print if that helps.

“If my child is ill, or you are, what happens to that computer session?”

A good answer: A notice period both ways, written down, and any computer session the computer skills trainer cancels made up or refunded.

Getting the quote right

  • Who actually attends the sessions — the trainer you booked, or another from the business, employed or subcontracted
  • The price per session, and how long a computer session lasts
  • Whether the trainer brings a device to practise on, or uses yours
  • The refund rule for a few hours booked in advance
  • Travel, room or venue charges, if any
  • The VAT number if the training business charges VAT, with VAT on the sessions as a separate line

Walk away if

  • The computer skills trainer cannot say in writing what the class includes until you arrive
  • They ask for your passwords or bank details
  • They want remote access to your computer after the session
  • Many sessions of computer training paid up front, with no written terms
LOW
£15
TYPICAL
£15
HIGH
£20

What a computer skills trainer costs: £15–£20 per hour

Computer skills trainers charge by the hour; home visits cost more than group sessions at a centre. Computer Skills Training 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

Computer skills trainers 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. Your goalOne or two tasks agreed for the session.
  2. Your deviceSettings made comfortable — text size, sound.
  3. Step by stepThe trainer shows; you do it yourself.
  4. NotesSimple written steps left with you.
  5. Next timeThe same task again, then the next.

Phishing
Messages pretending to be from a bank or company to steal details.
Two-step verification
A code sent to your phone as well as a password.
App
A program on a phone or tablet.
Video call
A call with picture, on a phone, tablet or computer.
Remote access
Someone controlling your computer from elsewhere — avoid with strangers.
Browser
The program you use to visit websites.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the recordsKeep the written notes and the receipts, with the written terms.
Test the progressDo the task you learned — a video call, a bank login — on your own the next day.
Know what is promisedA computer skills trainer cannot promise you will never be scammed. You are owed sessions at your pace, with notes, and your accounts left in your control.
Leave the reviewReviews on Locufy come only from booked computer sessions. A problem goes to the computer skills trainer first through the make-it-right step.

STEP 1Write to the computer skills trainer firstName the computer sessions that fell short and the remedy you want; with computer skills trainers, it is often sessions that left settings changed and nothing written down. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask a computer skills trainer to repeat what fell short, or for part of the money back if that cannot be done.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyLeave under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the computer skills trainer first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers computer skills trainers, 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 a computer skills trainer 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. Keep the written notes and the receipts as evidence.

Hiring a computer skills trainer: questions people ask

No. There is no register of computer trainers in any UK nation, and no law requires a criminal record check. A trainer can show you their own basic check.

£15–£20 an hour, with £15 typical for one-to-one help with a beginner. See the computer skills training price guide for the full range; type your town above for real trainers nearby.

Not from a computer skills trainer working as a sole trader or partner: computing is a school subject and that tuition is exempt. Training from a company or its employed trainers is standard-rated, with VAT once over £90,000.

No. You type them; a good trainer looks away.

Some charities and libraries run free or low-cost sessions; private sessions fit your pace and your device.

Yes, often; home visits usually cost more than a centre.

MORE GUIDES

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Computer skills trainers near you

Computer skills trainers in LondonComputer skills trainers in ManchesterComputer skills trainers in BirminghamComputer skills trainers in GlasgowComputer skills trainers in BelfastAll computer skills trainers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — basic DBS check
  2. mygov.scot — Level 1 (basic) disclosure
  3. nidirect — apply online for a basic check (AccessNI)
  4. gov.uk — Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30)
  5. HSE — get insurance for your business
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  8. Citizens Advice — deciding whether to make a small claim (England and Wales)
  9. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — guide to simple procedure
  10. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  11. Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30) — 6.1 The treatment of private tuition
  12. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register