Terms of Service
SmartTutor Terms of Service
Last updated: 27 July 2026
Welcome to SmartTutor. These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) form a legal agreement between you and AETHERGATE AI PTE. LTD. (UEN: 202630662K, “we”). By using the Platform, you are deemed to have read and agreed to all the Terms.
1.About these Terms
These Terms apply to all access to and use of the SmartTutor platform (including https://smarttutor.sg and its subdomains, APIs and new pages). If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Platform; using it on behalf of an organisation requires lawful authority. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Platform rules, form the entire agreement; in case of conflict, the most recently published version prevails.
2.Definitions
For ease of reading, the following terms have the following meanings in these Terms:
- “Platform / we”: AETHERGATE AI PTE. LTD. and the SmartTutor website and related services we operate.
- “Tutor / Tutor User”: an adult natural person who registers on the Platform to provide tutoring services to families.
- “Parent / Parent User”: an adult natural person, being the parent or lawful guardian of a Student, who uses the Platform to find a tutor for that Student.
- “Student”: the person who actually receives the tutoring service, typically a person under 18 years of age.
- “Matching Services / Platform Services”: the information aggregation, recommendation, introduction and operational support we provide between Parents and Tutors.
- “First Month Tuition Fees”: the amount produced by “hourly rate × duration in hours of each lesson × number of lessons per week × 4 weeks”. This is the base on which the Introduction Fee is calculated.
- “Introduction Fee”: the one-off service fee we charge for a successful match, being 35% of the First Month Tuition Fees (0% on the first match for the first 100 tutors onboarded). It is borne economically by the Tutor and is paid by the Parent to the Platform out of the first month's tuition under Section 9.2.
- “Successful Match”: a Tutor and Parent introduced through the Platform proceeding to a trial lesson, agreeing on tutoring (orally or in writing) or commencing paid lessons.
3.Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years old and have full legal capacity to register or use the Platform. Students under 18 may not register or use it themselves; their parent or lawful guardian must submit needs on their behalf. You must ensure the information you submit is true and accurate, and update it when it changes.
4.Account Registration and Security
You may register with email or a third-party account (e.g. Google), and you are responsible for all activity under your account. Keep your credentials secure, do not lend your account to others, and notify us immediately of anything unusual. We may restrict, require verification of, or suspend accounts that pose a risk.
5.Our Role (important)
SmartTutor is an information aggregation platform for tutoring, providing only information aggregation, recommendation and introduction support between Tutors and Parents. The tutoring contract is formed and performed directly between the two parties; the Platform is not a party to it and bears no performance liability. The Platform does not employ Tutors, who act as independent service providers. The Platform does not collect or remit lesson fees and charges only a one-off Introduction Fee: the first month's tuition is paid in two parts, with the 35% Introduction Fee paid to the Platform and the remaining 65% paid directly to the Tutor; from the second month, tuition is paid in full to the Tutor. The Introduction Fee comes out of the first month's tuition, is not added on top for Parents, and your total outlay is the same as engaging the Tutor directly.
6.Tutor Terms
If you register or use the Platform as a Tutor, you must additionally comply with the following.
6.1Eligibility and truthfulness
You must be at least 18 years old and legally qualified to provide tutoring services in Singapore, and all information you submit must be true, accurate and complete. The Platform may verify your information; if it is inaccurate, we may suspend recommendations, request further materials or terminate your account.
6.2Independent contractor status
There is no employment, agency or partnership relationship between you and the Platform; as an independent service provider you bear all taxes, statutory contributions and legal obligations yourself.
6.3Duty of reasonable care
Throughout teaching you must comply with Singapore's child-protection and education laws, teach in a safe and compliant environment, avoid inappropriate contact, and not solicit unrelated personal information. Breaching these obligations means the Platform will immediately terminate your account and reserves the right to cooperate with the relevant authorities' investigations.
7.Parent / Guardian Terms
If you register or use the Platform as a Parent, you must additionally comply with the following.
7.1Guardian authorisation
You must be the parent or lawful guardian of the Student, with lawful authority to submit the Student's information and select a Tutor on their behalf.
7.2Responsibility for Student safety
After tutoring is agreed, the Student's personal safety, the safety of the lesson environment and supervision of communications are the Parent's responsibility; the Platform does not replace guardianship duties.
7.3Truthful information
Please submit your child's learning situation truthfully; the Platform is not liable for matching errors caused by significantly inaccurate information.
8.Matching, Recommendations and Trial Lessons
The Platform recommends Tutors through automated matching and human review; the results are for reference only and are not any warranty. Trial arrangements are agreed between the parties, and the Platform may provide coordination assistance. A trial does not amount to a long-term engagement; whether to continue is for the parties to decide.
9.Introduction Fees and Payment
This Section sets out how the Introduction Fee is calculated, paid and refunded. The Introduction Fee is consideration for the matching service, is borne economically by the Tutor, and is not added on top for Parents.
9.1How the Introduction Fee is calculated
Introduction Fee = First Month Tuition Fees × 35%, charged once. First Month Tuition Fees = hourly rate × duration in hours of each lesson × lessons per week × 4 weeks. For the first 100 tutors onboarded the first-match Introduction Fee is 0%; every match after that is charged at 35%, and the rate is fixed for life. The Introduction Fee is charged once, on the first month only, with none charged on renewals. Example: S$70/hour, 2 hours per session, 2 sessions per week → First Month Tuition Fees S$1,120, Introduction Fee S$392.
9.2How Parents pay
The first month's tuition is paid in two parts, and in full to the Tutor from the second month: the Introduction Fee is paid directly to the Platform against our invoice, and the remaining tuition directly to the Tutor; from the second month, all tuition is paid directly to the Tutor and the Platform is not involved. Once the Introduction Fee is paid, your obligation to pay the corresponding first-month tuition is discharged and the Tutor may not ask you to pay it again. The Platform does not collect or remit lesson fees, nor issue invoices for them.
9.3Refund when you change tutor
If you are not satisfied after a trial and change tutor, the Introduction Fee is refundable. Two items are deducted from the refund: the fee for the trial lesson delivered (calculated as hours × hourly rate) and a SGD 5 payment-processing fee. The fee is deducted from the refund, not charged on top, and refunds are returned via the original payment method. If you give up matching without a replacement, the balance is refunded on the same basis. After a change of tutor, the Introduction Fee is recalculated on the new tutor's rate and schedule. Apart from this Section and where mandatory law requires, Introduction Fees are non-refundable once paid.
9.4Taxes and changes to the fee mechanism
The Introduction Fee is exclusive of GST. If the Platform becomes GST-registered, GST will be added in accordance with Singapore law. Tutors are responsible for their own tax obligations on lesson fees. The Platform reserves the right to adjust the fee mechanism, with material adjustments notified 30 days in advance; matches already made remain under the prior rules.
10.Off-Platform Conduct and Anti-Circumvention (important)
For 12 months from the date you first contact a counterparty through the Platform, you must not bypass the Platform to enter into tutoring directly in order to avoid Introduction Fees. Breaching this clause means paying the full Introduction Fee and compensating the Platform for reasonable losses (including recovery and legal costs). This clause applies only to the parties first introduced through the Platform and does not restrict pre-existing acquaintances or cooperation after the 12-month period.
11.User Conduct
When using the Platform you must not: submit false or infringing information, or impersonate others or fabricate qualifications; harass, threaten, discriminate against or disparage other users; solicit unrelated information from minor Students or form inappropriate relationships; collect or disseminate Student information without consent; use automated means to harvest user information at scale; engage in activity that violates Singapore law or public morality; or bypass the Platform to avoid Introduction Fees. Breaching these rules means the Platform may issue warnings, restrict features or ban accounts, and report serious cases to the relevant authorities.
12.User Content and Licence
You retain copyright in all User Content you submit. To provide the matching service, you grant the Platform a non-exclusive, sublicensable (only to service providers), royalty-free, worldwide licence to store, organise, edit (without changing meaning) and display it to other users. The licence ends when the content is deleted or the account is closed, except for anonymised statistics.
13.Intellectual Property
The Platform's design, trademarks, brand assets, code, algorithms and copy are owned by the Platform or its licensors and protected by Singapore and international intellectual-property law. Without written consent, you may not copy, modify, transmit, reverse engineer or commercially exploit the above.
14.Third-Party Services
The Platform integrates third-party services (e.g. Google sign-in, Cloudflare security, cloud providers), which are governed by their own terms and privacy policies. The Platform is not responsible for the availability, stability or data-handling of third-party services.
15.Suspension and Termination
You may deregister your account at any time. The Platform may suspend or terminate your access without notice where: you breach the Terms' conduct rules; you submit false information verified as such; conduct threatens the safety of a minor; the law or a competent authority requires it; or your use otherwise poses a material risk to the Platform or users. Termination does not relieve obligations already accrued.
16.Disclaimers
To the maximum extent permitted by Singapore law, the Platform is provided on an “as-is” and “as-available” basis, with no express or implied warranty as to: the accuracy and fit of recommendations; the teaching quality of Tutors or improvement in a Student's results; the truthfulness of user-submitted information; uninterrupted, error-free service; or absolute security of data transmission.
16.1The Platform is an introducer only
SmartTutor's role is limited to helping Parents find a Tutor they are satisfied with — that is, aggregating tutor information, making recommendations and facilitating introductions. Tutoring is agreed and performed directly between the Tutor and the Parent; the Platform is not a party to the tutoring contract and does not take part in, supervise, direct or control any lesson or any interaction between the parties (whether conducted in person, online, at any premises or elsewhere, and whether arranged through the Platform or otherwise).
16.2Accidents, injury and loss during lessons and interactions
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Platform bears no liability for any accident, personal injury, illness, death, property loss, harassment, dispute or claim arising during or in connection with any lesson, trial, meeting, travel or other interaction between a Tutor and a Parent or Student (whether before, during or after a lesson). Each Parent and Tutor deals with the other at their own risk, and such matters are resolved directly between them or through legal channels. The Student's personal safety, the safety of the lesson environment and guardianship remain the Parent's responsibility (see also Section 7.2).
16.3Liability that cannot be excluded
Nothing in this Section excludes or limits any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under Singapore law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by the Platform's own negligence, or for the Platform's fraud. Save for such non-excludable liability, the Platform is not responsible for disputes or losses arising from the tutoring contract itself.
17.Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by Singapore law, the Platform's aggregate liability for all claims relating to these Terms is capped at the higher of: the total Introduction Fees you paid the Platform in the 6 months before the claim; or SGD 100. The Platform is not liable for indirect, incidental, punitive or consequential losses (such as loss of profit, goodwill or data), even if advised of the possibility. This limit does not apply to death or personal injury caused by the Platform's negligence, to fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or to any liability that cannot lawfully be limited under Singapore law.
18.Indemnification
You are responsible for all claims, losses, fines and reasonable expenses (including legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, breach of law or infringement of third-party rights, and shall hold the Platform and its people harmless.
19.Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Singapore (excluding conflict-of-law rules). For any dispute, the parties shall first negotiate in good faith for at least 30 days; failing resolution, the dispute is submitted exclusively to the courts of the Republic of Singapore, whose jurisdiction the parties accept. This clause does not limit either party's right to seek interim or emergency relief.
20.Changes to these Terms
The Platform may revise these Terms in response to legal changes or product iteration; routine revisions are notified by Platform announcement or email and take effect on the date specified. Material revisions affecting core rights or obligations are notified at least 30 days in advance; if you do not agree, you may close your account before they take effect. Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the new Terms.
21.Miscellaneous
Severability: if any provision of these Terms is held invalid, it will be adjusted to the minimum extent necessary to be enforceable, and the remaining provisions stay in effect.
No waiver: the Platform's failure or delay in exercising a right does not waive that right.
Assignment: you may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without the Platform's written consent; the Platform may assign to an affiliate or successor on notice to you.
Entire agreement: these Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Platform rules, form the entire agreement and supersede all prior oral or written agreements.
Contact us
AETHERGATE AI PTE. LTD., registered office: 68 Circular Road, #02-01, Singapore 049422, UEN: 202630662K.
If you have any questions, please email admin@smarttutor.sg or reach us via the contact page.