When a school or parent funds a contract, the agreed payout is held under platform payment protection until the related work is approved. This gives the teacher or tutor confidence to start and gives the funder confidence that money is only released for approved work.

We refer to this as escrow-style payment protection or contract-funded payouts. It is a platform arrangement. TeachConnect is not a bank and is not a licensed escrow or deposit-taking institution, and nothing here should be read as a claim to be regulated escrow.

Funds provided by a school or parent are processed through our payment partner and earmarked against the specific contract. They are released to the teacher or tutor as work is approved, or refunded under the Refund Policy if the work is not delivered.

Payment is based on approved work — approved periods, approved lessons, or approved milestones. The funder approves the work, or it is auto-approved under the Dispute and Approval Policy after the confirmation window.

Service fees are added on top of the teacher or tutor payout and are paid by the school or parent. They are never deducted from the teacher’s or tutor’s earnings.

If a dispute is raised before approval, the related payout may be held while the Dispute and Approval Policy is applied. Payment protection covers the funded contract amount; it is not insurance and does not cover losses outside the contract.