Legal

Terms and Conditions

These Terms and Conditions govern the use of services provided by 123tutors to students, tutors, and bursary administrators. By engaging with our services, all users agree to comply with these terms.

Questions can be directed through the official platform channels or via payment@123tutors.co.za.

Section A

Student Terms & Conditions

  1. No cheating policy: Tutors are not authorized to answer assessments or assignments directly for students, sit in during tests or exams, or write on behalf of the student. Any student found prompting a tutor to do so may be reported to the relevant academic institution.
  2. All tutoring hours expire after 12 months from the date of purchase.
  3. Satisfaction policy: If a student informs us they are unsatisfied with a lesson delivered by a tutor, the client does not pay for that lesson. The tutor may redo the lesson or we may arrange a new tutor at no extra charge.
  4. If a student needs a tutor immediately and insufficient preparation time is given to the tutor, the student may forfeit a lesson of up to 30 minutes.
  5. Money-back guarantee policy: If a student is unsatisfied with their allocated tutor and we cannot find a suitable replacement after 5 lessons, and the tutors have not been paid for those lessons, a full refund may be made to the client. A partial refund may apply depending on how much the student benefited and how much the tutor has already been paid.
  6. If the student does not inform us of any issue with the allocated tutor within the first five hours of tutoring or after the first lesson, and later requests a full refund, only a partial refund may be made because insufficient time was given for us to resolve the issue or allocate a new tutor.

No Refund Policy

  1. Once contact is established between the student and tutor and the student is satisfied with the lessons, refunds are not issued. If the student wishes to cancel hours for the requested modules or subjects, those hours may be used for other modules or subjects in the following academic year, term, or semester. If the student has completed schooling or studies and requests a refund, a refund may be made for outstanding hours less a R200 deduction.
  2. Tutor Swap Policy: Students must provide sufficient time for us to find or swap out a tutor. If a student is struggling to find a suitable tutor or wants to change tutors, they must notify us at least 3 days in advance.
  3. Communication of Requests: Students must notify us through WhatsApp or email using the contact details provided in the student dashboard or on the website for tutor changes, cancellations, or scheduling adjustments.

Additional Student Conditions

  1. Tutors cannot guarantee students will pass tests, assignments, or exams. Poor academic performance does not qualify the student for a refund.
  2. Tutors work as independent contractors to 123tutors. Any incident of sexual misconduct or irresponsible conduct by a tutor does not make the Company liable. Any legal affairs must be directed at the tutor and not the Company.
  3. The tutor may require the use of study material issued by the school to the student.
  4. If the student wants to schedule a lesson with the allocated tutor, the tutor must be notified at least 24 hours in advance to allow adequate preparation.
  5. When scheduling a lesson, the student must inform the tutor of the scope of work at least 24 hours in advance.
  6. We can only allocate a tutor once proof of payment for the relevant invoice has been emailed to payment@123tutors.co.za.
  7. If a student wants to cancel a scheduled lesson, they must do so at least 6 hours in advance. Failing that, the student forfeits 30 minutes from the remaining hours.
  8. The tutor may cancel a lesson if the student arrives more than 15 minutes late without notice. In that case, the student forfeits 30 minutes from the total remaining hours.
  9. Students must notify tutors when their contact details change so communication can continue.
  10. Students must treat tutors with respect.

Primary School Tutoring

  1. Tutoring for primary school students from Grade 0 to Grade 7 must be conducted under adult supervision, and the adult must be on the same premises as the student.
  2. The role of the tutor is to assist the student with learning a new skill or acquiring knowledge. Tutoring is not a babysitting service.
  3. If the student has a mental or physical disability such as ADHD, ADD, autism, blindness, deafness, or any other disability, this must be disclosed to 123tutors before tutor allocation so that a special-needs tutor may be allocated where appropriate.
  4. If the student is restless and refuses to learn despite the tutor's best efforts to create a productive environment, the tutoring time used during that lesson will still be deducted from the student's available hours.

Section B

Tutor terms & conditions

Tutor obligations including off-platform conduct, penalties, training material copyright, responsibilities, payment, and restraint of trade — aligned with the Bubble about_us tutor terms (May 2026).

External tutoring — “off platform”

We do not restrict any tutor from joining any other platform or organization as a tutor. Should the tutor already have or gain employment as a tutor for any public academic institution or an external private tutoring organization, this will not result in a violation of these terms.

123tutors is a tutor–student connection platform. The tutor is an independent contractor of the platform, delivering tutoring services for students on the platform. The tutor is restricted from taking any connected students off platform by receiving payment for tutoring services outside of the 123tutors platform.

The tutor may not, in their own capacity or on behalf of any natural or juristic person (such as a close corporation, partnership, or company), provide a similar service to any person with whom they established contact through the 123tutors platform — whether directly or indirectly, including by means of referrals from customers, other tutors, or otherwise.

The tutor agrees not to use the platform's reputation to solicit private opportunities to provide services similar to those offered by the platform. The tutor may not provide similar services to any person or company affiliated with the platform with whom contact was not established through the platform, where the tutor (or anyone on their behalf) mentions, implies, advertises, or indicates that they are a tutor on the 123tutors platform.

If allocated hours for a specific student's package have run out and the student wishes to continue with further lessons, the tutor agrees not to accept money off platform for further tuition from any party, and to advise the student to arrange with the company for additional hours to be added through the platform.

Off-platform penalty fees

The tutor understands that if they fail to adhere to this agreement and contact students off platform, cutting out 123tutors, the tutor agrees to pay a penalty fee to the company equal to the amount they have been paid and all amounts still due for services rendered, together with relevant legal fees to enforce this provision.

The tutor's services with the platform may be suspended until this penalty fee is paid in full. Where multiple incidents of dishonesty occur, the tutor's services with the company may be permanently terminated.

The foregoing is limited to the nature of the platform's business, products, and services. This limitation may be waived if both parties agree in writing.

Poor tutoring — penalty fee structure

Only strong service delivery is expected from tutors assigned or connected to students through the platform. If service delivery is unsatisfactory to the student, the following penalty fees may apply:

  • Complaint received against tutor: R50 (approx. USD 2) deducted from the amount paid to the tutor.
  • Tutor is not prepared for the lesson: R100 (approx. USD 5) deducted from the amount paid to the tutor.
  • Dropping a student: R400 (approx. USD 20) deducted from the amount paid to the tutor; services with the company may be terminated after careful consideration.
  • Refund request by student (due to poor tutoring): 10% of the refund amount deducted from the amount paid to the tutor.

Tutor training material — copyright

The tutor agrees to the following regarding all training material provided by 123tutors:

  • Training material is copyright protected. The tutor agrees not to distribute, copy, or sell any training material to anyone. This provision applies outside the scope of this agreement and is not alterable by the tutor alone.
  • If the tutor terminates their tutor profile with the platform, the tutor agrees not to distribute, copy, or sell any material belonging to the company.
  • Training material is for individual use only. The tutor must not distribute, copy, or sell this training material to any person or external party.

General tutor responsibilities

The tutor agrees to the following responsibilities:

  • Ideally, a minimum of 65% is required in the module or subject the tutor wishes to tutor. If this requirement is not met, another tutor may be selected. The tutor will be notified by email or SMS whether they are selected.
  • If a tutor accepts a tutoring assignment, the tutor must fulfill that responsibility unless an unforeseen situation prevents it (for example, a family crisis).
  • Be alert on WhatsApp, SMS, and email when details of a new student are sent to the tutor.
  • Contact assigned student(s) within six (6) hours after assignment.
  • Know the name of the student(s) and have their contact information.
  • Review and prepare material to be covered prior to each lesson.
  • Attend all scheduled lessons and ensure lessons start on time.
  • Communicate with students professionally at all times, digitally or in person.
  • Contact the student by phone, WhatsApp, or email at least six (6) hours in advance if there is a scheduling conflict.
  • Keep up to date with academic work in case the curriculum changes.
  • Wait fifteen (15) minutes if no contact can be established before marking a student as a no-show. Establish contact with the student before the meeting to confirm the agreed time suits both parties.
  • Present neatly when meeting with a student.
  • The tutor shall not assign duties or obligations under this arrangement to a third party without written permission (email, WhatsApp, or SMS) from the student and the company.
  • After every session, log lessons in the tutor dashboard.
  • Only lessons of satisfactory standard (3 to 5 stars out of 5) will be accepted for payment from students.

Academic dishonesty

Tutors provide tuition. They may not complete homework assignments, quizzes, projects, tests, or similar work for students where that would violate the plagiarism or academic integrity rules of the student's institution.

Cheating or misuse of resources of any kind will not be tolerated and may result in immediate dismissal. If misconduct is reported regarding a tutor, it may result in immediate dismissal and termination of the contract.

Tutor conduct — legal

Should legal action be taken against a tutor due to academic dishonesty or the tutor's actions, 123tutors as a platform is not liable for such misconduct. 123tutors is a student–tutor connection platform and cannot be held liable for illegal actions by a tutor who is an independent contractor.

Cancellation of lessons by tutor

The tutor may cancel lessons by giving 24 hours prior notice to the student; in that case no fees shall be incurred. The tutor shall reschedule at a time agreeable to both parties; failing to do so may result in the student being allocated to another tutor.

Late arrivals by tutor

Any lost time due to the tutor's late arrival shall be compensated by extending the lesson by mutual agreement, with preference to the student's wishes, by the amount of time lost.

Remuneration / tutor payment

The platform's standard policy is that the student only pays for lessons where the student benefits. If the tutor does not meet the student's standards for a particular lesson, or if a complaint is received, remuneration may not be granted.

We will contact the tutor directly if there are issues, to understand the situation and work toward payment where appropriate. The tutor may, if the student agrees, offer extra tutoring at no charge to address shortcomings and improve their rating, which may enable standard remuneration for the initial work.

The student may request a new tutor if they feel the allocated tutor is not providing proficient service. The tutor will be notified if a change occurs.

The tutor agrees that changes to the remuneration structure may be made during the course of the year. Further information will be communicated through email, WhatsApp, and other digital channels.

Good tutoring = payment (3 to 5 stars)

Arrived on time, looked neat, prepared for the lesson, went the extra mile, brought resources, did examples with the student, and the student benefited — leaving with a positive experience. Focus on delivering value to students, not only on payment.

Bad tutoring = no payment (0 to 2 stars)

Late, complaints received, untidy, unprepared, student gained nothing — tutoring only for extra money without care for the student's academic wellbeing. Repeated poor lessons may result in being flagged and not receiving further students.

Payment for tutoring is made on the 2nd day of each month. Payments can take up to 72 working hours (Monday–Friday) to reflect in your bank account.

Profile termination

A tutor may terminate their profile at any time, provided they complete all outstanding hours with all assigned students. To do so: log in to your dashboard, open your tutor profile, and delete your profile from the profile section.

Restraint of trade

When the tutor's contract is terminated — whether on their own behalf or on behalf of any other person, close corporation, partnership, or company — the tutor shall not solicit customers from, deal with, or supply any person, close corporation, partnership, or company with whom the company dealt at any time during the tutor's service with the company.

The tutor is restrained from starting any formal (registered) or informal organisation or enterprise that resembles the internal and external operations or processes of the company in any material way.

The tutor shall not disclose information pertaining to the company's operations, systems, workings, and structures except as required by law. This limitation of trade is restricted to the nature of the company's business, products, operating system, and services. This limitation can be waived should both parties agree in writing.

Lesson allocation & authorisation

  • Tutors may only commence lessons once full payment has been received from the student and the tutor has been officially allocated through the Company's system or dashboard.
  • Any lessons conducted outside the official allocation process are done at the tutor's own risk.
  • The Company is not responsible for disputes, non-payment, or issues arising from lessons conducted without official system allocation.

Section C

Bursary Administrator Terms & Conditions

  1. Role and Responsibilities: Bursary administrators act on behalf of sponsored students. They are responsible for approving tutoring hours and payments and for sending the correct student list for each semester.
  2. Payment Agreements: Payment terms must be agreed in advance between the Company and the bursary, and invoices must be settled within the agreed time frame.
  3. Any delay in payment beyond the agreed due date results in a 10% penalty fee being added to the outstanding invoice amount for each month that payment is delayed.
  4. The Company reserves the right to suspend services until outstanding payments and applicable penalties have been settled in full.
  5. Monitoring and Reporting: The Company will provide progress updates where required, and bursary administrators may request reports on student performance and attendance.
  6. Adjustments to allocated hours may be made where students do not use their full hours, subject to agreement between the bursary and the Company. Unused hours may be carried forward or reallocated at the discretion of the bursary and the Company.
  7. All communication must be conducted through official Company channels.
  8. All student data shared with bursaries will comply with data protection and privacy laws.

Refund Policy

  1. The Company maintains a strict no-refund policy for all bursary-funded tutoring services.
  2. Once tutoring services have been agreed upon or commenced, no refunds will be issued under any circumstances. Bursary administrators acknowledge and agree to this no-refund policy when engaging the Company's services.
  3. The Company will, however, make reasonable efforts to resolve service-related concerns through tutor replacement, lesson rescheduling, or service adjustments where applicable.
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