1. The platform and tutors
OpenTutor helps tutors, students and parents find each other and provides booking, messaging and payment tools. Tutors independently provide the teaching and are responsible for preparing and delivering lessons. Submitting your profile and agreeing means you have read and accept these terms.
2. Profile review and listing
Your name, school, program, prices and availability must be accurate and kept current. Your first listing is reviewed by an administrator; later edits go live immediately. We may ask for supporting material and may limit misleading or risky listings.
3. Education certification
An administrator turns on certification after checking your school and program. Your card then shows a green Certified badge; without certification no badge shows. Certification covers education only, not other personal information. Changing your school or program removes it until an administrator checks again.
4. Bookings
Students can book directly within your published hours and bookings are accepted automatically. You set the booking notice (2, 12, 24 or 48 hours) and your shortest and longest lesson. A lesson is confirmed once the student pays, and the time is held for 30 minutes. Keep your hours accurate, change them before your plans change, and teach confirmed lessons as agreed.
5. Trial lessons
Trial lessons last one hour. You choose whether to offer them and at what share of your hourly rate (70% to 100%); new tutors start with trials on at 80%. Price = hourly rate × that share. A trial ignores your shortest and longest lesson settings, and cannot be bought or paid for with a package. Each student can hold one active trial with you at a time.
6. Commission and collection fee
Students pay no additional platform fee. Each order first deducts actual Stripe processing fees. The platform then takes 5.5% of the net amount, at least CAD $1.50. A separate collection fee of CAD $0.80 per lesson comes out of tutor earnings to pay the payout and active-account fees Stripe charges the platform. There is no additional charge when you withdraw. These figures may change for future orders only. Each order records the figures in effect when it was placed, and existing orders keep them. The current figures and minimum lesson price are also shown when you set your prices.
7. Settlement and withdrawal
Only lessons actually delivered count as tutor earnings; prepaid lessons that have not happened do not. For 48 hours after a lesson, the student can confirm it or report an issue. After that, lessons with no confirmation or complaint are confirmed automatically by a platform check. Once a lesson is confirmed, an administrator releases the earnings to your Stripe account and you withdraw them manually. Your details list the tutor share, collection fee, recovered cancellation costs and net transfer. Withdraw released funds within 90 days. Lesson payment records are for accounting. They are not deposits or a bank account. Payments and withdrawals depend on your Stripe eligibility and available funds.
8. Cancellation, rescheduling and refunds
Cancel at least 12 hours ahead with no lesson penalty. Within 12 hours, 10% goes to the tutor with no platform share. Refund to platform credit by default with no refund fee. Original-card refunds cost 3.5% of the lesson price plus CAD $0.30, rounded to cents. Reschedule with the same tutor at least 12 hours ahead, at most twice. After the lesson starts, contact support. Tutor cancellations receive a full refund with no student fee. Within 48 hours after the lesson ends, confirm completion or report a lesson issue. After 48 hours, lessons with no confirmation or complaint are confirmed automatically by a platform check. Complaints block automatic confirmation and go to an administrator. When a student cancels within 12 hours, the 10% is released to you after the original lesson end time, once an administrator verifies the refund without dispute. No commission or collection fee is taken from it.
9. Tutor cancellations and no-shows
If you cancel or do not attend, the student receives a full refund with no fee. Stripe fees already incurred on that order that cannot be returned are recovered from your later earnings, never by debiting your bank account. Cancellations and no-shows are counted, and the platform may suspend your profile if there are too many. If you leave partway through, undelivered lessons earn nothing and the affected portion is refunded to the student. Any amount already transferred to you must be returned or reversed.
10. Teaching conduct
Do not harass, discriminate, commit fraud or post false credentials. Do not record or share lessons or conversations without consent from everyone involved.
11. Suspension and termination
For false information, safety risks, serious breaches of these terms or legal requirements, the platform may remove listings, limit features or suspend accounts. Where reasonably possible we explain why and offer a way to ask for review. Termination does not affect payments, refunds or disputes already under way, and undelivered lessons do not become tutor earnings.
12. Changes and contact
We may update these terms. Important changes will ask you to read and agree again, and confirmed orders keep their amounts and refund conditions. For questions, email opentutor.ca@gmail.com with the relevant order or lesson.