A school funds a teaching contract before work begins so that the agreed payout is ready to be released as the teacher delivers and the school approves the work. This is what gives the teacher confidence to start.

We describe this as contract-funded payouts with escrow-style payment protection. It is not regulated escrow and TeachConnect is not a licensed escrow provider; it is a platform arrangement designed to protect both sides of an approved contract.

The amount a school funds is the agreed teacher payout plus the TeachConnect service fee. The service fee is added on top of the teacher payout.

For example, if the agreed teacher payout is ₦200,000 and the service fee is 10%, the school funds ₦220,000. The teacher receives ₦200,000 for approved work and TeachConnect retains the ₦20,000 fee. The teacher’s earnings are never reduced by the fee.

Funds are released to the teacher based on approved work — approved periods, approved lessons, or approved milestones as defined in the contract. Until work is approved (or auto-approved under the Dispute and Approval Policy), the matching payout remains protected.

If a contract ends early, unreleased funds for work that was never delivered are handled under the Refund Policy.

If a contract is extended or expanded, the school funds the additional payout plus fee before the extra work begins. A contract cannot release more than has been funded.

These terms operate together with the Payment Protection Terms, the Dispute and Approval Policy, the Refund Policy, and the Teacher/Tutor Payout Policy.