Why Folio Tutors Charges 0% Commission

The Commission Problem

The dominant model in online tutoring is commission-based. A tutoring platform connects a tutor with a student, then takes a percentage of every lesson fee — typically 15–40%.

On a £30/hr lesson at 25% commission, the tutor receives £22.50. At 40%, they receive £18. Over a year of full-time tutoring, this amounts to tens of thousands of pounds in income that goes to the platform rather than the person who did the work.

How This Affects Families

Commission does not just affect tutors. It affects the families who pay for tutoring. When a platform charges tutors 25–40%, tutors raise their headline rates to compensate. Families end up paying more for the same tutor they could have found directly.

The Folio Model

Folio Tutors operates on a flat subscription model. Tutors pay a small annual fee to access the platform and keep 100% of everything they earn from every session. There is no per-lesson commission, no hidden fees, no percentage of earnings taken.

This means:

• Tutors earn their full rate
• Families pay what the tutor actually charges — not a commission-inflated price
• There is no platform incentive to push higher-priced lessons

Why This Is Better for Quality

Commission-based platforms have a financial incentive to maximise session volume, not student outcomes. Our model aligns with something simpler: help families find excellent tutors, and help tutors build sustainable businesses. The better a tutor performs, the longer they stay on the platform and the more students they attract. That is the incentive we want.

What We Do Instead

We invest in tutor verification, profile quality, and platform experience. Our revenue comes from a fair, transparent subscription — not from a cut of what our tutors earn.