Privacy policy

The Tuition Room (“we”, “us”, “our”) provides online tutoring services connecting students and parents with independent tutors. This policy explains what personal data we collect, why, and how we handle it.

1. Who this applies to

This policy covers visitors to thetuitionroom.com, parents/guardians, students, and tutors who apply to or use our platform.

2. What we collect

• From parents/students: name, email, WhatsApp number, country, subjects/curricula needed, and any details shared when booking a trial or contacting support.
• From tutors: name, email, WhatsApp number, country, subjects and curricula taught, qualifications, university, years of experience, a professional headline and bio, hourly rate, and (optionally) a photo, submitted via our tutor application form.
• Automatically: basic site usage data (pages visited, browser type) via cookies/analytics, and cookie consent choices.

3. How we use this data

• To match students with suitable tutors
• To review and process tutor applications
• To communicate about bookings, trials, and support requests (via email or WhatsApp)
• To publish an approved tutor’s public profile, only where the tutor has opted in
• To improve our website and services
• To meet legal or safety obligations, including in relation to services involving minors

4. Legal basis for processing

Where required by law (e.g. under GDPR or POPIA), we process personal data on the basis of: your consent (e.g. cookies, public profile display), performance of a contract (arranging tutoring services), and our legitimate interest in running and improving the platform.

5. Children’s data

Some students using our services are minors. Parents or guardians are responsible for the account and any booking made on a child’s behalf. We do not knowingly collect data directly from children without a parent or guardian’s involvement in the booking process. Contact us if you believe a child has provided us data without appropriate consent.

6. Third parties we share data with

We use third-party tools to operate the site and are bound by their own privacy terms, including:

• FluentForm / our website host — to collect and store form submissions
• Zoom — to host online tutoring sessions
• WhatsApp — for direct communication where you choose to contact us that way
• Stripe — to process payments, where applicable
• Google Analytics

We do not sell personal data to third parties.

7. International transfers

As we work with tutors and students across multiple countries, your data may be processed outside your home country. Where required, we take reasonable steps to ensure such transfers meet applicable data protection standards.

8. Data retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes above — for example, tutor applications that are not approved are retained for 12 months and then deleted, unless you ask us to remove them sooner.

9. Your rights

Depending on your location, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, or export your personal data, and to withdraw consent at any time. To exercise these rights, contact us using the details below.

10. Cookies

Our site uses cookies for essential functionality and (where you consent) analytics and personalisation. You can manage your preferences via the cookie banner shown on your first visit, or through your browser settings.

11. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, but no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Material changes will be reflected by updating the “Last updated” date above.

13. Contact us

This document is a general template and has not been reviewed by a lawyer. Given The Tuition Room operates internationally and works with minors, we recommend legal review before publishing, particularly to confirm compliance with data protection laws in the countries you actively serve (e.g. GDPR, POPIA, PDPA).