HOW TO HIRE · LESSONS & TUTORING

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

No register lists BSL tutors. Here is what to ask about fluency and teaching, the vetting for children, 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 a BSL tutor in five steps

  1. Say what the signing is forA deaf child in the family, work, a recognised qualification, or a refresher — and BSL or ISL. A BSL tutor plans around it.
  2. See the check before the first signing lessonEnhanced DBS, PVG or AccessNI depending on where you live. A parent cannot apply for it; a BSL tutor can show it in a minute.
  3. Ask what they have taught, and to whomWhich levels, how many sign language students now, and what those students went on to do. Knowing sign language is not the same as teaching it.
  4. Try one lesson before a blockA first signing lesson should end with a clear idea of where you are and what comes next. If it does not, try another BSL tutor.
  5. Agree the terms in writingWhether the course leads to a recognised qualification, the assessment fees, 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

None of the four UK nations licenses or registers BSL tutors; sign language can be taught by anyone who chooses to, online or face to face, which helps with facial expression. Being a native speaker is not a teaching qualification; training and results are what you ask to see.

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 a BSL tutor seeing your child at a weekly class through a term should hold an enhanced DBS check with the children's barred list. The definition changed on 1 September 2026: a BSL 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 BSL tutor gets an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list through an Umbrella Body.

You cannot apply on a BSL 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 →

Fluency and teaching qualification

No licence or register applies to teaching sign language. Many tutors are Deaf and native signers; a teaching qualification, and a recognised BSL qualification at a high level, show training as well as fluency.

Ask the BSL tutor which qualifications they hold, whether the course they offer leads to one, and for learners they teach now.

The terms for a course for each level, or lessons by the hour

Paying for a course for each level, or lessons by the hour makes it a consumer contract: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says a BSL tutor must use reasonable care and skill. Booked online or agreed at your home, signing 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 a course "certificate" that was not a recognised qualification.

Before paying for a course for each level, or lessons by the hour, ask a BSL tutor to set out whether the course leads to a recognised qualification, the assessment fees, and the notice to stop in a message. legislation.gov.uk →

VAT

BSL lessons are exempt from VAT when a BSL tutor teaches personally as a sole trader or partner, British Sign Language being ordinarily taught in schools and universities; a company or its employed tutors are standard-rated. 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 pay the BSL tutor directly or a training company; an individual under £90,000 adds no VAT. gov.uk →

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

A good answer: "Yes — here it is." A BSL tutor teaching your child at a weekly class through a term should hold the enhanced check for your nation and show it without fuss.

“Are you Deaf, and is BSL your first language?”

A good answer: Many of the best tutors are; either way, a clear answer about fluency and how they learned.

“Does this course lead to a recognised qualification?”

A good answer: If you need one, a named level and the assessment and certification fees shown separately.

“BSL or ISL?”

A good answer: The sign language your family, school or workplace uses; Northern Ireland has both.

“Can you teach a family together?”

A good answer: Lessons at home for parents and siblings, with signs for daily life first.

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

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

Booking by the hour

  • The rate per hour, and whether evening or weekend lessons cost more
  • The minimum booking — usually one hour — and what happens if a lesson ends early
  • What each side brings: a camera at eye level for online lessons, good light, the tutor's practice videos
  • The aim agreed before the first hour: a Level 1 or 2 qualification, a deaf family member, work
  • ID checked and the rating, and vetting for a learner under 18

Walk away if

  • They brush off the DBS, PVG or AccessNI question for signing lessons with your child
  • A BSL tutor who promises a recognised qualification by a date
  • A course "certificate" that is not a recognised qualification, sold as if it were
  • A course for each level, or lessons by the hour demanded up front, with no written refund terms

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

BSL 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. First lessonFingerspelling, greetings and how BSL uses space and facial expression.
  2. PlanFamily, work or qualification sets the vocabulary.
  3. Each lessonNew signs used straight away in short conversations.
  4. PracticeVideo practice between lessons, where the tutor allows recording.
  5. ReviewA signed conversation at the end of the term.

BSL
British Sign Language, used by Deaf people across the UK.
ISL
The second sign language used in Northern Ireland, alongside BSL.
Fingerspelling
Spelling words letter by letter on the hands.
Non-manual features
Facial expression and body movement that carry meaning in sign language.
Deaf with a capital D
Used by people who see themselves as part of the Deaf community and its culture.
Level 1, 2, 3
The stages of recognised BSL qualifications.

AFTER

When the job is done

File what you were givenHold on to the course details and the receipts; together with the agreed terms they settle most disagreements.
Test the progressEvery few weeks, hold a short signed conversation on a familiar topic — fingerspelling speed and facial expression should both improve.
Know what is promisedA recognised qualification by a date is not something anyone can guarantee; the agreed signing lessons, well taught, is.
Leave the reviewReview the BSL tutor once the block ends; if it went wrong, the make-it-right step gives them the chance to fix it first.

STEP 1Put it to the BSL tutor in writingName the signing lessons that fell short and the remedy you want; with BSL tutors, it is often a course "certificate" that was not a recognised qualification. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 you can ask a BSL tutor 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 BSL tutor first; we follow it through, then the review is published.
STEP 3Get help from Trading StandardsNo regulator covers BSL 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 BSL 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. Keep the course details and the receipts as evidence.

Hiring a BSL tutor: questions people ask

There is no blanket legal duty, but a BSL 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.

None is required by law in any part of the UK; anyone can teach sign language. Ask about fluency, teaching experience and whether the course leads to a recognised qualification.

No UK publisher prices sign language lessons by the hour, so there is no UK figure yet. Ask each BSL tutor for the rate per hour, the minimum booking, and the level you are working towards, or the price of an accredited course. The sign language lessons price guide explains what drives it.

Usually not, where a BSL tutor teaches as a sole trader or partner — BSL is taught in schools and universities and that tuition is exempt. A training company or its employed tutors are standard-rated and add VAT once over £90,000.

Yes, many learners do; in-person lessons help with space and facial expression.

Most learners manage simple conversations after a term of weekly lessons with practice.

MORE GUIDES

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BSL tutors near you

BSL tutors in LondonBSL tutors in ManchesterBSL tutors in BirminghamBSL tutors in GlasgowBSL tutors in BelfastAll bsl 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. 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