Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you," or "your") and TutorBoost, LLC ("TutorBoost," "we," "our," or "us") governing your access to and use of the TutorBoost website at tutorboost.org and all related services (collectively, the "Service"). By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Service.

2. Description of Service

TutorBoost is an online tutoring marketplace. Students find a tutor, book a time and pay through the platform; tutors teach the lesson and are paid afterwards. The Service includes:

• A searchable directory of reviewed tutors, and a public page for each of them
• Booking, scheduling, cancellation, and lesson-management tools
• Taking payment from students, holding it until the lesson has happened, and paying tutors their share
• Classrooms hosted by TutorBoost, and the attendance record they produce
• Student dashboards, student records, and lesson history
• Handling refunds, credits, chargebacks and disputes arising from lessons

Tutors are independent providers, not employees or agents of TutorBoost. They set their own rates, hours and teaching methods, and remain responsible for their own taxes, credentials, and compliance with the laws that apply to them. TutorBoost is not a school and does not supervise or direct how a lesson is taught.

TutorBoost is the merchant of record for lesson payments. Money for a lesson passes through us, is held by us, and is refunded or credited by us. See section 4.

3. Eligibility and Account Registration

3.1 Eligibility

To use the Service as a student or tutor, you must: (a) be at least 18 years of age; (b) have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract; and (c) not be prohibited from using the Service under applicable law. TutorBoost does not currently offer guardian accounts or lessons for people under 18. To be listed as a tutor you must additionally be a genuine tutor or educator and pass our review.

3.2 Account Registration

You agree to: (a) provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration; (b) maintain and promptly update your account information; (c) maintain the security and confidentiality of your login credentials; (d) accept responsibility for all activities under your account; and (e) notify us immediately of any unauthorized access or security breach.

3.3 Account Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, for conduct that we determine violates these Terms, is harmful to other users or the Service, or for any other reason at our sole discretion.

4. Payments, Cancellations and Refunds

4.1 Subscription and lesson fee

TutorBoost offers tutors a free plan and an optional paid monthly subscription. The current subscription price is shown before purchase and in the tutor’s billing settings, and applies until changed under section 13. The free plan provides the same booking, payment, classroom, attendance and payout functions; the subscription reduces the fee charged on each lesson.

TutorBoost may be used without a subscription. A tutor on the free plan is charged 20% of the price of each lesson taken through the Service and keeps 80%. A tutor holding a current subscription is charged 10% and keeps 90%. Both figures include the cost of payment processing, which is charged to TutorBoost as a percentage of each transaction.

A trial lesson with a student the tutor introduced to the Service is charged at that tutor’s ordinary rate for their plan. Where TutorBoost introduced the student to the tutor, a single trial lesson with that student is charged at 50%, and ordinary lessons with them revert to 20%. Attribution is recorded when the student registers and is not altered afterwards.

Apart from the tutor’s own plan and that single trial, the lesson fee does not vary with the number of hours a tutor teaches, with how long they have used the Service, or with how a student came to them. There is no listing fee and no charge for maintaining a profile.

The rate applicable to a lesson is fixed when that lesson is booked. Subscribing or allowing a subscription to lapse afterwards does not change the fee on a lesson already booked, in either direction.

4.2 Student booking fee

A card-funded lesson normally carries a $0.99 booking fee in addition to the lesson price. Checkout shows the lesson price, booking fee, credits or pack value applied, and final card total before payment. The fee is waived where checkout expressly says so, including eligible Plus, lesson-credit, and pack payments. The booking fee is normally non-refundable after checkout succeeds because it covers the completed booking and payment service, unless applicable law requires otherwise.

4.3 How lesson money is held

The lesson price is collected when a lesson is booked and held by TutorBoost until it is eligible for settlement. The attendance and cancellation rules in this section determine whether the tutor is credited, the student receives platform credit, or the lesson price is refunded.

4.4 Payment Processing

TutorBoost is the merchant of record for lesson payments. The lesson price is charged to the student through Stripe when the lesson is booked, held as described in 4.3, and released to the tutor after the lesson has taken place, less the commission in 4.1. TutorBoost processes refunds and handles chargebacks and payment disputes for lesson payments. Tutors withdraw their balance through the payout methods described below. By providing payment information you authorize us to charge your payment method for the final amount shown at checkout, including any separately disclosed booking fee, and you are responsible for any fees charged by your financial institution.

Eligible tutors receive payouts through Stripe Connect after completing Stripe's hosted identity and bank-account setup. By using that payout service, tutors agree to the Stripe Connected Account Agreement and authorize TutorBoost to transfer settled earnings to that account. Availability, timing, currency conversion, and bank processing depend on country and provider. TutorBoost currently supports paid tutors only in its published Stripe Connect countries. An applicant outside those countries may be placed on hold, but cannot teach paid lessons or receive a payout until TutorBoost publishes support for that country. Tutors remain responsible for their own tax obligations; TutorBoost and Stripe may collect and report information where law requires it.

4.5 Lessons, packs, and subscriptions

An individual lesson and a one-off lesson pack do not renew. Recurring tutor lesson plans are not currently offered while their ownership and cancellation controls are being completed. TutorBoost Plus, where offered, is a separate monthly subscription. Its price and renewal terms are shown before purchase; it renews until cancelled, and cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid period.

4.6 Cancelling a lesson

What happens to the lesson price depends on who cancels and when. The separate booking fee is handled as described in 4.2.

• If the tutor cancels, the paid lesson price is returned to the original payment method, or the lesson is restored to the pack used to book it.
• If the student cancels with enough notice,the paid lesson price is returned. "Enough notice" is the cancellation window each tutor sets, shown before booking. Where a tutor has not set one, it is 24 hours.
• If the student cancels inside that window, there is no automatic refund. The tutor reserved that time and can no longer sell it. You can still raise an issue for review. A report does not itself promise a refund.

A lesson nobody cancels but nobody attends is not a cancellation at all. It is handled under 4.8, using what was actually recorded in the classroom.

4.7 Price Changes

We reserve the right to modify pricing at any time. Price changes will be communicated via email at least 30 days before taking effect. Continued use after price changes constitutes acceptance of new pricing.

4.8 When a lesson goes wrong

Open an issue from the lesson record or write to support@tutorboost.org. Clear outcomes may be decided automatically after the scheduled lesson ends, using the TutorBoost room attendance record. Missing or ambiguous evidence, repeated disputes, and contested decisions are sent to a person. Reporting an issue does not guarantee that settlement will pause if a clear decision has already been made.

Where the lesson was held in a TutorBoost room, we can see who joined and for how long. If no reliable room record exists, the matter is not decided automatically.

• The student joined and the tutor did not. The lesson price becomes TutorBoost lesson credit, and the tutor is paid nothing.
• Neither party joined. The lesson price becomes TutorBoost lesson credit and the tutor is paid nothing.
• The tutor was there and the student was not. The tutor is paid. They held the time.
• Both parties joined, but the record is not conclusive. A person reviews the record and any report before deciding whether to pay, credit, or refund.

Lesson credit and cash refunds are different remedies. Clear attendance-based no-show outcomes normally issue TutorBoost lesson credit for the lesson price. A timely cancellation refund returns the refundable lesson amount to the original payment method. A pack-funded lesson is restored to its original pack. The separate booking fee is not included in lesson credit and is normally not refunded, subject to applicable law.

Nothing in these Terms limits a statutory refund or other consumer right that applies where you live.

Chargebacks. You keep every right you have to dispute a charge with your bank or card issuer, and we will not penalise you for exercising it. We would rather you came to us first, because we may be able to resolve it more quickly than a chargeback. But that is a request, not a condition. Accounts are suspended for fraud, not for complaining.

5. Tutor Tools and Lesson Rooms

5.1 Tutor Pages, Bookings, and Student Tools

TutorBoost provides tutor pages, a searchable directory, scheduling and availability tools, booking confirmations and cancellation links, classrooms, messaging, student dashboards, earnings and payout records, and the operational records behind them. Tutors set their own rates, hours, subjects and cancellation window, and are responsible for the accuracy of what appears on their page. We review a tutor before their page is published, but that review is a credibility check and not a guarantee of their qualifications, conduct, or the quality of any lesson.

5.2 Lesson Rooms and Attendance

Lessons booked through TutorBoost are held in a TutorBoost classroom. Tutors cannot substitute their own meeting link, and teaching a TutorBoost booking somewhere else is a breach of these Terms. This is not a preference: we record who joined our room and for how long, that record is what section 4.8 relies on to decide who is paid when a lesson is disputed, and a lesson held anywhere else produces no platform attendance record. If a lesson has no reliable attendance record, it is sent for review rather than decided automatically. The record is kept as evidence for disputes. It records attendance only. We do not record, store or listen to the lesson itself.

5.3 Reviews

A review can only be left by a student who completed a lesson with that tutor, one per lesson, and the tutor may reply to it once. We do not write, buy, solicit or edit reviews, and we do not remove a review for being unfavourable. We will remove one that is abusive, contains personal information, or is not about the lesson.

5.4 No Guarantee of Outcomes

We do not guarantee that a tutor will receive bookings, that a student will find a suitable tutor, or that any particular educational result will follow from a lesson. Tutors are independent providers and the quality of teaching is theirs, not ours.

5.5 Tutors are independent contractors

A tutor using the Service does so as an independent contractor. Nothing in these Terms creates an employment, agency, partnership, joint-venture or franchise relationship between a tutor and TutorBoost, and no tutor may hold themselves out as an employee, agent or representative of TutorBoost or enter into commitments on our behalf.

As an independent contractor, a tutor decides which students to accept, sets their own rates within the platform limits, chooses their own hours and availability, and determines their own teaching content and method. TutorBoost does not set working hours, require a minimum number of lessons, direct how a lesson is taught, or require exclusivity. A tutor is free to teach through other platforms, or privately, at the same time.

A tutor is responsible for their own taxes, including income tax, self-employment or equivalent contributions, and any sales or value-added tax arising from their teaching. TutorBoost does not withhold tax from payouts and does not provide tax advice. A tutor is responsible for their own insurance, equipment, internet connection, qualifications and licences, and for complying with the laws that apply where they live and work. Tutors do not accrue holiday pay, sick pay, pension contributions, redundancy entitlement or any other employment benefit through the Service.

The commission described in section 4.1 is a fee for the use of the Service. It is not a wage deduction and does not make TutorBoost the tutor’s employer.

Note:employment status is decided by the law of the tutor’s own country and by how the relationship works in practice, not only by what this agreement calls it. This clause describes how TutorBoost intends and operates the relationship; it cannot by itself determine a tutor’s status under local law. Tutors uncertain about their position should take their own advice.

6. User Content and Conduct

6.1 User Content

You retain ownership of content you submit (photos, bios, videos, and messages). By submitting content, you grant TutorBoost a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, publish and display it for the purpose of operating the Service, which includes showing your tutor page publicly and in search results, and promoting the marketplace. We will not use your likeness to endorse a product other than TutorBoost.

6.2 Content Representations

You represent and warrant that: (a) you own or have the necessary rights to all content you submit; (b) your content is accurate and not misleading; (c) your content does not infringe any third-party intellectual property, privacy, or other rights; (d) your content does not violate any applicable law or regulation.

6.3 Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Provide false, misleading, or fraudulent information
• Impersonate any person or entity
• Use the Service for any illegal purpose
• Submit content that is defamatory, obscene, or offensive
• Infringe on intellectual property or other proprietary rights
• Ask another user to communicate, book, or pay outside TutorBoost, or share or request contact details (phone numbers, email addresses, messaging-app handles, social profiles or external links) for that purpose
• Teach, or arrange to teach, a TutorBoost booking outside a TutorBoost classroom
• Take or attempt to take payment for a lesson outside TutorBoost
• Harass, threaten, bully or sexually solicit another user
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers
• Use automated means to access the Service without permission
• Collect user information without consent
• Engage in any activity that could harm TutorBoost's reputation

6.4 Messages

Messages sent through TutorBoost are automatically checked before they are delivered. A message may be refused, or kept for review by our team, where it appears to contain contact details, an attempt to move the booking or the payment off TutorBoost, a scam, or harassing, threatening or sexual content. Where a message is refused you are told why at the time. We keep refused and reviewed messages so that reports can be investigated, and we may act on what they show, up to and including removing an account. We do not read message threads for any other purpose.

6.5 Tutor Qualifications and Accuracy

You represent and warrant that you are genuinely able to teach the subjects, languages, and skills advertised on your profile, and that all statements about your experience, qualifications, and credentials are truthful and not misleading. You acknowledge that, during onboarding, you certify the accuracy of your profile. TutorBoost may review any profile at any time and may, at its sole discretion, decline, pause, or remove any profile, and suspend or terminate the associated account, where we reasonably believe a tutor has misrepresented their abilities, qualifications, or identity. Where a tutor is removed for misrepresentation, the refundable lesson price for lessons already paid for and not yet taught is returned or the pack lesson is restored; the booking fee remains subject to section 4.2. Nothing in these Terms obligates TutorBoost to verify any tutor's qualifications, and TutorBoost is not responsible for the conduct or competence of any tutor.

6.6 Booking and paying through the Service

Lessons arranged through TutorBoost must be booked and paid for through the Service. Students and tutors introduced to each other on TutorBoost agree not to solicit or arrange payment for lessons outside it, and not to use the messaging or lesson-room tools to move a booking off-platform. This includes offering or requesting direct payment, sharing payment details, or proposing to continue lessons privately in order to avoid the commission in section 4.1.

This is not only a commercial term. A lesson paid for off-platform has no escrow, so a student has nothing to be refunded from and a tutor has nothing guaranteeing they are paid. It produces no attendance record, so neither party can evidence what happened if they disagree. It falls outside the cancellation, refund, dispute and no-show provisions of these Terms entirely, and TutorBoost cannot assist with it.

Where we reasonably believe this clause has been breached, TutorBoost may issue a warning, restrict messaging, withhold or reverse the commission avoided, suspend or terminate the accounts involved under section 3.3, and decline to act on any dispute arising from the off-platform arrangement.

This clause does not prevent a tutor from teaching on other platforms, advertising their own services independently, or continuing to teach a student they already taught before meeting them on TutorBoost. It applies to relationships that began here.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 TutorBoost IP

The Service, including its design, features, content, and underlying technology, is owned by TutorBoost and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the Service without our written permission.

7.2 Trademarks

"TutorBoost" and related logos are trademarks of TutorBoost, LLC. You may not use our trademarks without prior written consent.

7.3 Feedback

Any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you provide about the Service become our property, and we may use them without compensation or attribution to you.

8. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. WE MAKE NO GUARANTEES REGARDING STUDENT DEMAND, TUTOR EARNINGS, OR THE QUALITY OF ANY LESSON TAUGHT BY AN INDEPENDENT TUTOR.

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, TUTORBOOST AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND AFFILIATES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, USE, DATA, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM: (A) YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE; (B) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO YOUR DATA; (C) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF THIRD PARTIES; (D) THE CONDUCT OR COMPETENCE OF ANY TUTOR OR STUDENT; OR (E) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE SERVICE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR TOTAL LIABILITY EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (A) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM; OR (B) ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless TutorBoost and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your content; (c) your violation of these Terms; (d) your violation of any third-party rights; or (e) your violation of any applicable law or regulation.

11. Dispute Resolution

11.1 Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

11.2 Arbitration Agreement

Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) in accordance with its Commercial Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall be conducted in English, and the seat of arbitration shall be Wilmington, Delaware. The arbitrator's decision shall be final and binding.

11.3 Class Action Waiver

YOU AGREE THAT ANY DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEEDINGS WILL BE CONDUCTED ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT IN A CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION. You waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration.

11.4 Exceptions

Notwithstanding the above, either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to protect its intellectual property rights.

12. Third-Party Services

The Service uses third-party services including Clerk for account authentication, Stripe and Stripe Connect for lesson payments and eligible payouts, LiveKit for browser-based classrooms and attendance events, Supabase for data and file storage, Resend for email, Sentry for error monitoring, and Vercel for hosting and analytics. Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms and policies. We are not responsible for their independent availability or processing decisions.

13. Modifications to Service and Terms

13.1 Service Modifications

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service at any time, with or without notice. We shall not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance.

13.2 Terms Modifications

We may revise these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email or through the Service at least 30 days before taking effect. Your continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

14. General Provisions

14.1 Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and TutorBoost regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

14.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

14.3 Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

14.4 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights hereunder without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations without restriction.

14.5 Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, war, terrorism, labor disputes, government actions, or internet service failures.

15. Contact Information

If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us: