“I taught a student for 8 months, then the parent said they never committed to a long-term arrangement and walked away owing 3 months of fees.” Stories like this pop up in the HK private-tutoring scene every year. The only difference is whether anything was ever put in writing.
A private-tutoring contract doesn’t need to be complicated — two pages of A4 are enough to protect both sides. This article covers the 7 essential clauses plus a template you can copy-paste directly.
Why do new tutors skip the contract?
- “It’s a friend’s referral, I feel awkward bringing it up.”
- “I’m scared it’ll scare the parent off.”
- “It’s never been a problem before.”
All three reasons are false economy. Once something goes wrong (an argument over make-up lessons, unpaid fees, a package with 5 lessons left and the parent stops showing up) — without a contract you have no leverage. Parents often appreciate a tutor who takes the work seriously — signing a contract is actually a professional signal.
The 7 essential clauses
1. Fees and payment method
Hourly rate or monthly fee? Package price, single-lesson price, how much is the home-visit surcharge? Payment method (PayMe / FPS / bank) + the expected due date (e.g. before the 5th of each month).
2. Lesson hours and location
How long each lesson is, which day of the week, and where. Home visits: state the address; video lessons: state the platform (Zoom / Google Meet).
3. Cancellation policy
Cancel more than 24 hours ahead for a free make-up lesson, later than that counts as attended. For details, see how to write a cancellation policy.
4. Make-up lesson deadline
A make-up lesson for a leave of absence can only be taken within 1 month, otherwise it expires. Otherwise a year later the parent suddenly claims 30 make-up lessons and the tutor is stuck.
5. Trial lesson and refunds
How much is the trial lesson? If they don’t continue after the trial, is the money already paid refundable? If a package is bought but stops mid-way, what’s the refund percentage?
6. Holidays and festival surcharges
Break for Lunar New Year and Christmas? Do the off days count toward the monthly fee? Is there a premium for extra lessons on festival days?
7. Termination clause
Parent wants to terminate: how much notice is required? Tutor wants to terminate: the same. 31 days’ notice from both sides is fair. Any unused portion of a package / monthly fee is refunded as usual.
A template you can copy-paste directly
Below is a minimum-viable contract covering the 7 clauses above. Before you actually use it, it’s best to have a lawyer friend take a look.
Private Tutoring Service Agreement
Parties:
Tutor: ____________________________ (the “Tutor”)
Student / Parent: ____________________________ (the “Client”)
Effective date: ________________________
Clause 1: Scope of service
The Tutor provides the Client with tutoring service in the subject ____________. Each lesson lasts ________ minutes, ________ lessons per week, lesson location: ________________________________.
Clause 2: Fees and payment
Fee: HK$ ________ / hour. Or monthly fee HK$ ________ / month (including ____ lessons). Package: HK$ ________ / ____ lessons.
Payment method: ☐ PayMe ☐ FPS ☐ bank transfer ☐ cash.
Payment terms: settle the previous month before the 5th of each month / package prepaid.
Clause 3: Cancellation and make-up lessons
The Client must give notice of a leave of absence at least 24 hours before the lesson; late notice counts as attended. A leave notified on time may be made up once within 1 month; a make-up lesson not taken in time is forfeited. If the Tutor takes leave at short notice, an unconditional make-up lesson or refund applies.
Clause 4: Trial lesson
Both parties agree to a first trial lesson, charged at ____% of a regular lesson. After the trial either party may choose not to continue; fees already paid are ☐ fully refunded ☐ non-refundable.
Clause 5: Holidays
Lessons are suspended by default on public holidays, and suspended days are not counted toward the monthly fee. If the Tutor holds an extra lesson on a public holiday, an additional ____% is charged per lesson.
Clause 6: Termination
Either party wishing to terminate this agreement must give the other 14 / 30 days’ written notice in advance. On termination, any unused monthly fee / package is refunded pro-rata.
Clause 7: Privacy
The Tutor undertakes to keep confidential the Client’s personal data, academic progress, and family information, and not to disclose it to any third party other than the Client’s parent.
Clause 8: Other
All matters under this agreement may only be amended by written agreement of both parties.
Tutor signature: ____________________________ Date: ____________
Student / Parent signature: ____________________________ Date: ____________
How do I send it over WhatsApp?
Easiest: turn the contract into a PDF (exporting from Google Docs works fine) and send it over WhatsApp. If the parent confirms, they reply “agreed” + send back a photo of their signature. A WhatsApp message is a valid written record under Hong Kong law.
If the parent pushes back with “why so formal?”, you can say: “I’ve been using this contract for X months, mainly to protect both sides — so if there’s ever a dispute we don’t have to rely on memory.” Most parents are fine with it, and will even see you as more professional.
After the contract is signed…
The contract is just the baseline. Day-to-day you still need to:
- Record the lesson time and attendance status after every lesson — use TutorOwl to track it automatically
- Generate a monthly fee invoice and PDF receipt
- Automatically send a WhatsApp fee reminder at the end of the month