How we ensure quality.
Every Forum tutor clears the same eight-step pipeline. Here's exactly what that looks like — and which third-party services verify each step.
Minimum bar: BA required, 100+ hours teaching experience, C1 English (CEFR).
The pipeline
Eight steps. No shortcuts.
Steps 1–6 apply to every tutor. Steps 7–8 add a teaching-sample review and methodology training for Certified Tutors.
Application
Applying is free — there's no upfront fee. To cover the vendor pass-through costs further down the pipeline, the platform recoups its one-time vetting cost by retaining the tutor's earnings from their first completed session; from the second completed session onward, the tutor earns their full payout.
Credential verification
Degrees and prior teaching employment are verified directly against the issuing institutions. We don't take resumes at face value — every entry returns a verified-yes or verified-no.
Verified by Vetty— contacts universities and prior employers directly and returns a verified-yes/no per credential entry.
Identity verification
Government-issued photo ID is captured and matched against a live selfie with liveness detection. The name and date of birth on the ID are cross-referenced against the application. Required for every tutor, no exceptions.
Verified by Persona— handles document capture, liveness checks, and the cross-reference of submitted name + DOB against ID data.
Criminal background check
Every tutor clears a criminal background check before they can teach. Checkr handles US candidates; Sterling covers ~190 countries for international tutors. Only a clean report passes.
Verified by Checkr (US) / Sterling (international)— criminal record screening — Checkr for US applicants, Sterling for jurisdictions Checkr doesn't cover.
English language assessment
Every tutor — including those for whom English is a second language — completes a structured English fluency assessment scored on the CEFR scale. The platform threshold is C1 (advanced) for both spoken and written English.
Verified by Versant (by Pearson)— scores spoken + written English on the CEFR band scale; we gate eligibility at C1.
30-question subject diagnostic
Applicants sit a 30-question multiple-choice diagnostic in each subject they choose, with items spanning five difficulty bands (Essentials → Elite) calibrated to the published curriculum. Performance across the bands yields a percentage score plus a recommended tier — the highest difficulty level the applicant demonstrably handles.
Recorded teaching sample
Certified Tutors onlyCertified track only. Candidates record an async video answering a fixed set of teaching prompts. Our staff review the recording for clarity, pacing, error-handling, and rapport — the qualitative things a credential can't tell you. Independent tutors skip this step.
Verified by HireVue— hosts the async video interview against a fixed template; our staff scores the result.
Methodology training
Certified Tutors onlyCertified track only. Approved candidates are enrolled in the Certified Tutor Onboarding Course covering platform pedagogy, child-safety policies, and the live-classroom toolkit. They must complete the course before taking their first session.
Verified by Thinkific— delivers the Certified Tutor Onboarding Course; we gate live-session eligibility on course completion.
The credential floor
What every tutor brings.
Hard minimums vs. preferred qualifications — published, never moved.
BA degree
RequiredVerified by Vetty against the issuing institution.
Master's degree
PreferredNot required, but common at the Certified Specialist and Senior tiers.
Teaching license
PreferredPreferred for US states with licensure requirements; verified when present.
Teaching experience
100+ hoursDocumented prior teaching, tutoring, or instructional work, verified through Vetty.
English (CEFR)
C1 minimumVersant-assessed on both spoken and written English. C1 is advanced; C2 is proficient.
30-question subject diagnostic
Required30 questions per subject spanning five difficulty bands. Performance recommends a tier and must clear the admission floor.
Two tracks
Certified vs. Independent.
Same vetting floor for both. Certified adds a teaching-sample review and methodology training; Independent stays pay-as-you-go.
Certified Tutors
Direct-employed. Complete all 8 steps, including the recorded teaching sample (HireVue) and Certified Tutor Onboarding Course (Thinkific).
- Eligible for packages, monthly plans, test prep, programs
- Platform-set customer rate; tutor paid on a fixed wage
- Trained on Forum's published methodology before going live
Independent Tutors
Self-employed contractors. Complete steps 1–6 — every vetting check and the subject diagnostic, but not the Certified-track teaching sample or methodology training.
- Pay-as-you-go only — no packages, plans, or programs
- Set their own rate within the published tier band
- Onboarded as 1099 contractors via Deel for tax + payout compliance
Honest by default
Why no testimonials?
We're a new platform. We don't have years of student outcomes to point to, and we won't fabricate user counts, satisfaction percentages, or testimonials before we have real ones to share. The internet is full of made-up five-star reviews. We'd rather be the platform that doesn't do that.
What we will tell you is exactly how we vet — the eight steps above, the third-party services we use, the credential floor we publish. That's checkable. Stats aren't, until you can see the underlying data.
The real proof is your first session. Our money-back first-session guarantee applies to every Certified Tutor booking. If the session isn't what you expected, you don't pay. Try us with no risk; let the work speak for itself.
Ready to find a tutor?
Browse tutors who've cleared every step above. Or apply to teach and clear the bar yourself.