HOW TO HIRE · CHILDCARE & FAMILY

How to hire a homework helper in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have no register for homework helpers. Here is the vetting check for your nation and what to ask.

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

THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a homework helper in five steps

  1. Ask for the vetting checkDBS, PVG or AccessNI, dated.
  2. Share school and year groupAnd any learning needs.
  3. Agree where sessions happenOnline or at home, and which room.
  4. Ask them to explain, not doThe homework stays your child's.
  5. Agree price and cancellationIn writing.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No licence or register applies to private tutors or homework helpers in any UK nation. In England, Ofsted's registration exemptions include school study support or homework support for children aged 3 and over.

Ask the homework helper for their qualifications and two references from current families.

Enhanced DBS check (England and Wales)

Teaching or instructing children on more than three days out of any thirty, or overnight, is regulated activity; from 1 September 2026 supervision no longer takes a role out of it. A parent cannot apply for a DBS check on a self-employed helper.

Ask to see the homework helper's certificate and read its date. gov.uk →

PVG (Scotland) or AccessNI (Northern Ireland)

A tutor hired by a parent in Scotland is a role to expect PVG membership for; in Northern Ireland a self-employed tutor can get an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list through an Umbrella Body.

Ask for PVG proof or the AccessNI digital certificate. mygov.scot →

Trader status and cancellation

A homework helper in business is a trader under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. A service agreed online, by phone or in your home can usually be cancelled within 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013; if you asked for it to start sooner, you pay for what was done.

Keep the booking confirmation and the written terms.

VAT

Homework help is exempt from VAT when a sole trader or partner gives it personally, in a subject that schools or universities teach; the same help sold by a limited company or delivered by its employees is standard-rated. A homework helper working alone who gives it that way does not charge VAT, and one whose VAT taxable turnover is under £90,000 is not registered at all.

Ask whether the homework helper works for themselves or through a tuition company, and whether VAT is added to the hourly rate. gov.uk →

“Which criminal record check do you hold as a homework helper?”

A good answer: DBS, PVG or AccessNI, shown with its date.

“What subjects and year groups can you help with?”

A good answer: Honest limits; full exam tuition is a different service.

“How will you help without doing the homework?”

A good answer: Explaining the task and checking understanding.

“Will sessions be online or at home, and where in the house?”

A good answer: A shared room or an open door.

“How will you tell me how it is going?”

A good answer: A short note after each homework session.

“Can you help with reading and times tables for younger children?”

A good answer: Yes, with practice ideas.

“What is your cancellation rule?”

A good answer: Written down.

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, and whether online sessions cost less than visits to your home
  • The minimum booking, any travel charge, and what is paid if a session ends early
  • The subjects and topics agreed before the first hour, and the school materials needed
  • Block booking terms and the cancellation notice
  • ID checked, the rating, and an enhanced DBS, PVG or AccessNI check for work with children

Walk away if

  • No criminal record check to show
  • Does the homework for your child
  • Wants sessions behind a closed door
  • No references
  • Promises grades
  • Cash in advance for many sessions
LOW
£15
TYPICAL
£25
HIGH
£40

What a homework helper costs: £15–£40 per hour

Homework help is charged by the hour, usually once or twice a week in term time. Homework Help 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

Homework helpers 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. IntroductionSchool, year group, needs.
  2. Set-upPlace and time agreed.
  3. SessionWorking through set homework.
  4. PracticeReading, spellings, tables.
  5. FeedbackNote for parents.

Regulated activity
Frequent work with children needing a barred-list check.
Homework support exemption
England's Ofsted exemption for homework clubs and helpers.
PVG
Scotland's scheme.
AccessNI
Northern Ireland's checks.
Study support
Help organising school work.
Block booking
Several sessions paid together.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the notesWhat was covered.
Check with the schoolIs homework improving?
Review each termStill needed?
Share how it wentA short review of the homework helper — punctuality, care, value — is what others read. Use the make-it-right step first if anything needs putting right.

STEP 1Put the complaint to the homework helperA short email is enough: what, when and what would put it right. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 a homework helper who charges for the sessions must take reasonable care and skill (section 49), and section 54 lets you require a fix at their expense or a reduction.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepRate a booked homework helper below four stars and you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then you review.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplineNo regulator covers a homework helper, so a homework helper who will not engage can be referred to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales (0808 223 1144 in Welsh), Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, or Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4Small claims, if money is still owedIf the homework helper will not refund or put it right, a small claim needs no solicitor: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, and £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a homework helper: questions people ask

No. No register applies in any UK nation; in England homework support is exempt from Ofsted registration.

For regular sessions, ask for an enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list in England and Wales, PVG in Scotland or enhanced AccessNI in Northern Ireland.

Not if it is private tuition by a sole trader in a school subject (VAT Notice 701/30).

£15 to £40 an hour, typically around £25. Older children and specialist subjects cost more. The homework help price guide has the full breakdown; enter your town above for prices from homework helpers near you.

Agreed online, by phone or at home, usually within 14 days, paying for any sessions you had.

Raise it in writing; a helper in business owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

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Homework helpers near you

Homework helpers in LondonHomework helpers in ManchesterHomework helpers in BirminghamHomework helpers in GlasgowHomework helpers in BelfastAll homework helpers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Ofsted — registration exemptions (England)
  2. gov.uk (DBS) — regulated activity with children
  3. gov.uk — change to the definition of regulated activity with children from 1 September 2026
  4. mygov.scot — who needs PVG scheme membership (personal employers)
  5. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  6. gov.uk — Education and vocational training (VAT Notice 701/30)
  7. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
  8. Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  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