HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

How to hire a French tutor in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register lists French tutors. Here is the vetting to ask for, how to check they fit your goal, and the terms to agree.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a French tutor in five steps

  1. Say what the French is forGCSE, A level, National 5 or Higher, travel, work or conversation — and the learner's age. A French tutor plans each one differently.
  2. Vetting firstBefore French lessons online or at home, see the enhanced DBS, PVG or AccessNI certificate that fits your nation.
  3. Ask what they have taught, and to whomWhich levels, how many French students now, and what those students went on to do. Knowing French is not the same as teaching it.
  4. Try one lesson before a blockA first French lesson should end with a clear idea of where you are and what comes next. If it does not, try another French tutor.
  5. Get the terms in a messageBefore you pay for a block of lessons: the lesson focus, the notice to stop, and any course book on top. A message on Locufy is enough.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

There is no register of French tutors anywhere in the UK, and anyone may teach French, online or at home. Fluency and teaching skill are different things, and only the second is in a certificate you can ask to see.

Ask the French tutor what they hold, where they trained, and for two people they teach now.

The check for teaching your child

A French tutor who works with your child for an hour every week is in regulated activity in England and Wales once it passes three days in any 30 (or any overnight session), and should hold an enhanced DBS check that includes the children's barred list. Supervision used to take some roles outside the rule; since 1 September 2026 it does not, whoever a French tutor works alongside. In Scotland the equivalent is membership of the PVG scheme, which mygov.scot says to expect for tutors or instructors a parent hires for a child. In Northern Ireland, a French tutor working for themselves applies for an enhanced AccessNI check through an Umbrella Body.

Parents cannot request the check themselves: a French tutor applies and shows you the certificate. Note the date on it; in Scotland ask for proof of current PVG membership, in Northern Ireland the shared AccessNI certificate. gov.uk →

Teaching qualification and level

Speaking French well is not the same as teaching it, and no UK register lists those who do. Look for a degree in the language, QTS if they teach school pupils, or a recognised language-teaching certificate — and students at your level now.

Ask a French tutor for their teaching certificate and how many learners at your level they have this term.

Written terms for a block of lessons

Reasonable care and skill is the legal standard for French lessons from a trader (Consumer Rights Act 2015). The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give 14 days to cancel when you book a French tutor at a distance or at your home; ask for French lessons to start sooner and you pay for those already taught. Agree in advance what happens about a block of grammar drills when the learner wanted conversation.

Ask for the lesson focus, the notice to stop, and any course book on top in writing, and keep the message, before a block of lessons changes hands. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

French lessons are exempt from VAT when a French tutor gives them personally as a sole trader or partner, French being ordinarily taught in schools; a language school company or its employed teachers charge the standard rate. Anyone teaching alone below the £90,000 registration threshold charges no VAT at all, so there is no VAT number to ask for.

Ask whether you are paying the French tutor directly or a language school; an individual under £90,000 adds no VAT. gov.uk →

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

A good answer: "Yes — here it is." A French tutor teaching your child for an hour every week should hold the enhanced check for your nation and show it without fuss.

“Have you taught French for my exam or goal recently?”

A good answer: A specific answer — GCSE or A level and the board, National 5 or Higher in Scotland, or the work or travel situation you need. A French tutor who prepares exam pupils knows the speaking and writing tasks.

“How much of each lesson is speaking?”

A good answer: Most of it, for most learners. For GCSE, the speaking assessment's role-play, photo card and conversation practised in the format.

“Do you set listening and reading practice?”

A good answer: Short pieces between lessons, chosen for the learner's level.

“Native speaker or not — does it matter?”

A good answer: Less than teaching skill. A French tutor who can explain grammar clearly is worth more than accent alone.

“Can you teach a young child?”

A good answer: Songs, games and short sessions of thirty to forty-five minutes, if that is what you need.

“What happens if you cancel a French lesson, or we do?”

A good answer: Notice periods that fit a block of lessons, written down, with the French tutor's own cancellations made up.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, and whether evenings or weekends cost more
  • The minimum booking — usually one hour — and what happens if a lesson finishes early
  • What each side brings: the course book, a notebook, the tutor's audio and reading material
  • The aim agreed before the first hour: a GCSE oral, a holiday, a move to France or business French
  • ID checked and the rating, and vetting for a learner under 18

Walk away if

  • No criminal record certificate for regular French lessons with your child, or "it isn't needed for French"
  • A French tutor who promises fluency before a move to France
  • They teach every learner from the same French course book, whatever the goal
  • No refund rule for a block of lessons, or one that changes after you pay
LOW
£20
TYPICAL
£43
HIGH
£50

What a French tutor costs: £20–£50 per hour

French tutors charge by the hour, weekly for most learners; exam preparation and business French cost more than conversation. French Lessons 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

French 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. Level checkA short conversation and a few written tasks to find the learner's level.
  2. GoalsExam, travel, work or conversation — the French tutor plans around one.
  3. Each lessonSpeaking first, then a grammar point used in context, then reading or listening.
  4. Between lessonsVocabulary to learn and a short task, checked the next week.
  5. ReviewAt half term, a timed task or recorded conversation compared with the first.

Role-play
A GCSE speaking task acting out a situation in French.
Photo card
A GCSE speaking task describing a picture and answering questions.
Tenses
Past, present and future forms the exams expect students to use.
National 5 and Higher French
Scotland's SQA courses in place of GCSEs and A levels.
Immersion
Learning through time spent in a French-speaking setting.
CEFR level
The A1 to C2 scale used to describe language ability.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the paperworkThe vocabulary lists and the invoices are your record if anything goes wrong.
Test the progressEvery half term, have a short conversation in French on a topic from your lessons, or sit a timed past-paper task — fluency and accuracy should both show movement.
The guarantee, honestlyNo French tutor can promise fluency before a move to France. What you are owed is the French lessons agreed, prepared and on time.
Leave the reviewReview the French tutor once the block ends; if it went wrong, the make-it-right step gives them the chance to fix it first.

STEP 1Tell the French tutor, in writingName the French lessons that fell short and the remedy you want; with French tutors, it is often a block of grammar drills when the learner wanted conversation. If the French lessons were not given with reasonable care and skill, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 lets you ask for them again or for a price reduction.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyLeave under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to the French tutor first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers French 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 a French 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 vocabulary lists and the invoices to the claim.

Hiring a French tutor: questions people ask

Not automatically. Teaching your child for an hour every week counts as regulated activity in England and Wales once it passes three days in 30, which a barred person may not do, so the check worth seeing is an enhanced DBS with the children's barred list — or PVG in Scotland, AccessNI in Northern Ireland.

There is nothing official to look up for this kind of teaching. A language degree or teaching certificate shows training; ask for students they teach French to now.

£20–£50 an hour, with £43 typical; qualified teachers preparing GCSE, A level or Higher pupils cost most. The French lessons price guide breaks it down; search your town above to see French tutors who work near you.

Normally no. French is taught in schools, so a French tutor working as a sole trader or partner is exempt; lessons from a language school company or its employed teachers are standard-rated, with VAT once over £90,000.

To hold a simple conversation, most adults need months of weekly lessons with practice between them; exam pupils usually work over a full course.

Online works very well for conversation and exam practice; young children often do better in person.

MORE GUIDES

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French tutors near you

French tutors in LondonFrench tutors in ManchesterFrench tutors in BirminghamFrench tutors in GlasgowFrench tutors in BelfastAll french 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 — Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30)
  6. gov.uk — statement from the qualification regulators on GCSEs, AS and A levels in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
  7. gov.scot — school leaver attainment in National Qualifications (SQA)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  9. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  10. Citizens Advice — deciding whether to make a small claim (England and Wales)
  11. Scottish Courts and Tribunals — guide to simple procedure
  12. nidirect — small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  13. Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30) — 6.1 The treatment of private tuition
  14. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  15. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register