Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

ExpertTeacherTutors ("we", "us", "our") is the data controller for the personal data we process about you. We provide an online platform connecting parents and students with qualified teachers for private tuition.

For any privacy-related questions or requests, contact us at privacy@expertteachertutors.com.

2. What data we collect

The personal data we process depends on whether you are a parent, a tutor, or an administrator. We collect:

• Account information: name, email address, hashed password.
• Parent profile: postcode (for face-to-face tutor search), names and year groups of children you book tuition for.
• Tutor profile: biography, qualifications, DBS certificate number, photograph, subjects, levels, exam boards, postcode, availability, session rate, Stripe Connect account ID.
• Booking and payment data: session date and time, subject, price, transaction reference (we do not store full card details — these are held by Stripe).
• Communications: messages exchanged between parents and tutors via the in-platform messenger.
• Video sessions: connection metadata for online lessons (we do not record video unless you and the other participant both consent).
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, pages visited, error events. Used for security, debugging, and service performance.

3. Why we collect it (legal basis)

We process your data on the following legal bases under UK GDPR:

• Performance of a contract: to provide the service you signed up for — handling bookings, processing payments, enabling video sessions.
• Legitimate interest: to keep the Platform secure, detect fraud, and improve the service.
• Legal obligation: to comply with UK tax, accounting, and safeguarding law.
• Consent: for non-essential cookies and any marketing communications. You can withdraw consent at any time.

4. Children's data

ExpertTeacherTutors is intended for use by adults (parents booking on behalf of their children, and tutors). We do not create accounts for children. Where a parent provides their child's name and year group for the purposes of booking tuition, that information is treated as personal data of the child and protected accordingly. We only collect the minimum necessary to deliver the service.

5. Who we share data with

We share data with the following third-party processors, each of whom is contractually bound to protect your data:

• Stripe (payments and tutor payouts) — handles card details, bank transfers, and identity verification for Stripe Connect tutors. Data may be processed in the EU and US.
• Resend (transactional email) — sends booking confirmations, password resets, and admin notifications.
• Daily.co (video conferencing) — provides the infrastructure for online lessons.
• Pusher (real-time messaging) — delivers in-platform chat messages.
• Sentry (error tracking) — receives anonymised error events from the application so we can fix bugs. Data processed in the EU (Frankfurt region).
• Hosting provider — application hosting.

We do not sell your data. We do not share data with third parties for advertising or profiling.

6. International transfers

Some of our processors (e.g. Stripe, Daily.co) may process data outside the UK and EEA. Where they do, transfers are made under Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent safeguards approved under UK GDPR.

7. How long we keep your data

• Account data: for as long as your account is active, plus up to 6 years after closure (for tax and contractual record-keeping obligations).
• Payment records: 6 years from the date of each transaction, as required by HMRC.
• Messages and video session metadata: 12 months from the date of the session, then deleted.
• Error and security logs: 90 days.

8. Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Request erasure of your data (subject to legal retention obligations).
• Restrict or object to certain processing.
• Receive a copy of your data in a portable format.
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

To exercise any of these rights, email privacy@expertteachertutors.com. We will respond within one month.

9. Cookies

We use a minimal set of cookies. Strictly necessary cookies (for authentication and site password protection) are always active. Analytics cookies are only set if you accept them via the consent banner. You can change your preference at any time by clearing the "cookie-consent" entry from your browser's local storage.

10. Security

We use industry-standard measures including HTTPS encryption, hashed passwords (bcrypt), and access controls. We do not store card details. Despite our efforts, no system is completely secure — if you have concerns about a possible breach, please contact us.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will update the "Last updated" date at the top, and where changes are material, we will notify you by email or via the Platform.

12. Contact us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, contact us at:

privacy@expertteachertutors.com