Everything you need to list as a tutor — what the check is, what it costs, and the 2026 rule change that finally lets you sort your own.
Tutors in the UK need a valid Enhanced DBS check (with the children’s barred list) before a profile goes live, whether they teach online or in person. The “DBS-checked” badge on a profile means we have seen the certificate.
Until recently a self-employed tutor genuinely could not get an Enhanced DBS alone — you needed an employer to arrange it. That changed on 21 January 2026: self-employed people can now apply for an Enhanced (and Enhanced with Barred List) check through a DBS “umbrella body”, and gov.uk names private tutors as one of the groups this is for. If you have been putting it off because it felt impossible, it is now a straightforward form.
The set fee for an Enhanced check — the same price whether or not it includes the barred list.
The umbrella body that processes your check adds its own admin fee on top. It varies by provider — check before you apply.
Optional but strongly worth it — it lets us re-check your certificate online, so you never have to redo the whole thing.
Timescales vary — often a couple of weeks from applying, sometimes longer.
You have 30 days from the date your certificate is issued to register it on the DBS Update Service. Register it, and your check stays verifiable online for £15/year. Miss the 30 days and there is no way back onto it except paying £41 for a brand-new check. If you do one thing, do this on time.
Use the gov.uk “find an umbrella body” tool and filter for ones that process checks for self-employed people — not every provider does. This is the part that changed in 2026: you no longer need an employer to arrange it.
Ask for an Enhanced with Barred List check in the child workforce. That is the right level for teaching children, and gov.uk’s own guidance uses a private maths tutor as the worked example.
Once your certificate is issued you have 30 days to add it to the DBS Update Service for £15/year. Miss that window and you would have to pay for a whole new £41 check to get back on it.
Give us your certificate number and let us verify it on the Update Service. Once we confirm it, your profile can be listed with the DBS-checked badge.
Great — you are most of the way there. Make sure it is an Enhanced check with the children’s barred list and that it is on the Update Service, so we can verify it online in minutes rather than asking you to post anything. Then just tick the box on the application form and give us the certificate number.
We are a tutor directory, not a DBS umbrella body, and this page is general information, not legal advice — always check the current detail on gov.uk before you apply. Fees change, so check the current figures on gov.uk.
gov.uk: DBS checks for self-employed peoplegov.uk: DBS Update Servicegov.uk: DBS check fees