Tutoring agreements parents sign before the first lesson
Tutoring is a promise between three people: the tutor, the student and the parent paying for it. A short signed agreement settles the questions that cause trouble later, like how far ahead to cancel, what happens to unused sessions and whether you'll help with graded homework. SignMaster gets it signed by the parent from a link, with the student's signature too when they're old enough.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
On this page
What a tutor gets signed
- Tutoring agreementSubjects, the weekly schedule, the rate or package, cancellation notice and when packages expire. Start from the tutoring agreement.
- Parent consentFor students under 18: the parent agrees to the terms, gives emergency contacts and says who may pick the student up from in-person sessions.
- Online session consentWhich video tool you use, whether sessions are recorded, who can watch the recordings and when they're deleted.
- Academic honesty policyYou explain and coach; you don't complete graded work. The student and parent both initial it.
- Permission to talk to the schoolConsent to speak with a teacher or counselor about the student's progress, naming who and for how long.
- Tutor contractsFor centers: the tutor's pay rate, a non-solicitation clause about your families, and a background check authorization.
A new family, start to finish
- 1
After the free consult
Fill your agreement template with the student's name, the subject and the package. Put the number of sessions in a number field and let a calculated field show the total.
- 2
Parent first, then the student
Set signing in order: the parent signs the agreement and consent, then a teenage student signs the honesty policy from their own email. See how to get a parent's signature for a minor.
- 3
Everyone gets a copy
When the last person signs, each of you gets the sealed PDF with a certificate of completion. When a parent disputes a cancellation fee in March, the initialed policy is one search away.
In SignMaster, each send is an envelope: one or more documents going to one or more signers. The agreement, the online session consent and the honesty policy can travel together as one envelope.
Semester renewals and test prep groups
At the start of each semester, list your returning families in a spreadsheet with the student, the new schedule and the rate, and bulk send the renewal. Each family gets its own envelope with its own terms in text boxes. Bulk send is on every paid plan.
For an SAT or ACT prep group, turn the enrollment terms into a public signing link and post it with the class dates. Each family signs their own copy, and you can close the link when the class fills by setting a limit on responses.
Running a tutoring center?
Keep your tutors' contractor agreements and a W-9 in one envelope, and add new tutors as Crew members so they can send agreements to their own families from shared templates.
Parents can read the signing page, emails and e-signature consent in 6 languages, Spanish among them, which helps when a student is fluent in English and a parent is more comfortable in another language.
Pricing for tutors
An independent tutor can start on Free with 3 envelopes a month, then move to Solo at $15 a month for unlimited envelopes and bulk renewals. A center fits Crew at $49 a month for 5 people. New workspaces get 14 days of Crew free. Compare plans.
What SignMaster doesn't do
- It doesn't schedule lessons or take payment for packages.
- It doesn't host video sessions or store recordings.
- It emails signing links. Copy a parent's link to text it if that's how you talk.
Questions? Answers.
Do I need a contract as a tutor?
It isn't required, but a short signed agreement prevents the common disputes over cancellations, unused sessions and refunds. Keep it to one or two pages.
Can a parent sign for a student who's a minor?
Yes. Make the parent the signer on the agreement and consent. An older student can sign the honesty policy as a second signer.
Can I send renewals to all my families at once?
Yes. Bulk send the renewal from a CSV, one family per row, with each family's schedule and rate printed in their copy.
Do parents need an account to sign?
No. They open the email link on any phone or computer and sign. Nothing to download.