Terms of Service · Privacy Policy · Cookie Policy · Refund Policy · Impressum
UniSkilled is not subject to a sector-specific supervisory authority. Data protection matters are handled by the competent German state data protection authority (Datenschutzaufsichtsbehörde) for the operator's place of business.
UniSkilled ("we", "us", "the platform") is an online marketplace that connects university students offering tutoring services ("Tutors") with individuals seeking tutoring ("Students"). UniSkilled acts as an intermediary platform only — we are not a party to the tutoring contract between Tutors and Students, and we do not employ Tutors.
To use UniSkilled you must:
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity under your account. You must notify us immediately at info@uniskilled.com if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account.
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, contain false information, or engage in harmful behaviour.
The following are strictly prohibited on UniSkilled:
UniSkilled provides a technology platform to facilitate connections between Tutors and Students. We do not guarantee the quality, safety, legality, or accuracy of any content posted by users, nor the ability of Tutors to teach or Students to learn.
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, UniSkilled's liability for damages arising from platform use is limited to the fees paid by the user to UniSkilled in the three months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. This limitation does not apply to damages arising from intentional misconduct or gross negligence, or to liability that cannot be limited under German law (including the German Civil Code §§ 305–310 on standard terms).
All platform content, design, code, and branding are the property of UniSkilled or its licensors. Users grant UniSkilled a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display content they submit (such as tutor profiles and reviews) for the purpose of operating the platform.
Either party may terminate the user relationship at any time. Users may delete their account by contacting info@uniskilled.com. We may suspend or terminate accounts for violations of these Terms. Termination does not affect any rights or obligations that arose before the termination date.
We may update these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated to registered users by email at least 14 days before taking effect. Continued use of the platform after that date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
These Terms are governed by the law of the Federal Republic of Germany. The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) does not apply. For consumers within the EU, mandatory consumer protection provisions of your country of residence also apply.
The data controller responsible for your personal data is the operator identified in the Impressum above. Contact: info@uniskilled.com
| Category | Examples | Legal Basis (GDPR Art. 6) |
|---|---|---|
| Account data | Name, email address, password (stored only as a secure hash), role (tutor/student), time zone | Art. 6(1)(b) — contract performance |
| Profile data | University, degree, subjects, bio, photo, availability, hourly rate, certificates you choose to upload | Art. 6(1)(b) — contract performance |
| University verification (tutors) | University email address and whether it was verified; one-time codes are stored only in hashed form | Art. 6(1)(b) — contract; Art. 6(1)(f) — legitimate interest (trust and safety) |
| Booking & scheduling data | Booking requests, session times, reschedule requests and responses, cancellations and their refund outcome, payment deadlines | Art. 6(1)(b) — contract performance |
| Payment & payout data | Amounts, currency, payment and payout status, refunds, discounts and account credit, Stripe reference numbers. Card details are entered on Stripe's checkout and never reach UniSkilled. Tutors give their identity and bank details for payouts directly to Stripe. | Art. 6(1)(b) — contract; Art. 6(1)(c) — legal obligation (tax and accounting) |
| Communication data | Messages sent via the platform, attachments, notifications and emails we send you | Art. 6(1)(b) — contract performance |
| Reports & disputes | Issues you report about a session, our review notes and the outcome | Art. 6(1)(b) — contract; Art. 6(1)(f) — legitimate interest (resolving disputes) |
| Referral data | Who referred whom, referral rewards and credit balance | Art. 6(1)(b) — contract performance |
| Technical data | IP address, browser type, session timestamps, error logs | Art. 6(1)(f) — legitimate interest (security, fraud prevention) |
| Usage analytics | Pages visited, clicks and booking steps; with your consent also session recordings (all form inputs are masked, and chats and admin pages are never recorded) | Art. 6(1)(a) — consent (see Cookie Policy); without consent only anonymous, cookieless counts — Art. 6(1)(f) |
| Reviews & ratings | Star rating, quick tags and written review for a lesson; the tutor's public reply; optional private feedback to UniSkilled (never shown to the tutor) | Art. 6(1)(b) — contract performance; Art. 6(1)(f) — legitimate interest (quality and safety of lessons) |
| Lesson classroom | When you entered and left the lesson room and how long you were connected to the other person (attendance record). Video, audio, chat and files are not recorded or stored by UniSkilled — they go directly between the two participants | Art. 6(1)(b) — contract (providing the lesson); Art. 6(1)(f) — legitimate interest (resolving disputes, e.g. no-shows) |
We work with the following sub-processors who may process your personal data:
| Provider | Purpose | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Supabase (via AWS eu-north-1) | Database, authentication, file storage, server functions | EU (Stockholm) |
| Stripe (Stripe Payments Europe Ltd., Ireland) | Card payments, refunds, tutor payouts and identity checks (Stripe Connect), fraud prevention | EU / USA (SCCs) |
| Klarna | Pay-later option, only if you choose Klarna at checkout (Klarna processes your data as its own controller) | EU (Sweden) |
| Resend | Transactional email delivery | EU (based on sending region) |
| Microsoft 365 (Microsoft Ireland Operations Ltd.) | Our support mailbox: receives the emails you send us, including replies to our booking emails | EU / USA (SCCs) |
| Sentry (Functional Software, Inc., EU data region) | Error monitoring: technical error reports from the website and our servers. No IP addresses, cookies, names or email addresses are sent; logged-in users appear only as an anonymous user ID | EU (Frankfurt), SCCs for support access |
| PostHog (EU Cloud) | Product analytics and session recordings — only with your consent, beyond anonymous counts | EU (Frankfurt) |
| jsDelivr | Delivers website code libraries (receives your IP address to serve the files) | Global CDN |
| GitHub Pages | Static website hosting | Global CDN |
| Cloudflare (Realtime) | Helps the two devices in a lesson find each other and, if a network blocks direct connections, relays the encrypted call. Lessons are not recorded | Global network (SCCs) |
| Zoom / Google Meet | Only if a tutor adds a backup meeting link and you choose to use it (not controlled by UniSkilled) | Global (user's own account) |
All EU-based processors operate under Data Processing Agreements (DPAs) compliant with GDPR Article 28. For transfers outside the EU/EEA, Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) are in place. Website fonts are hosted by UniSkilled itself, so no font provider receives your data.
To exercise any right, contact info@uniskilled.com. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your national data protection authority. In Germany: Bundesbeauftragte für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit (BfDI).
In the event of a personal data breach likely to result in risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the competent supervisory authority within 72 hours and, where required, notify affected users without undue delay, in accordance with GDPR Article 33–34.
UniSkilled uses cookies and similar technologies. Under German law and the ePrivacy Directive, non-essential cookies require your prior explicit consent. Our current cookie usage is as follows:
| Cookie / Technology | Type | Purpose | Duration | Consent required? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supabase auth token | Essential | Keeps you logged in — required for the platform to function | Session / 7 days (if "Keep me signed in") | No — strictly necessary |
| localStorage (session data) | Essential | Stores authentication state in the browser | Session | No — strictly necessary |
| us_analytics_consent (localStorage) | Essential | Remembers whether you accepted or declined analytics | Until you clear it | No — strictly necessary |
PostHog (cookie + localStorage, ph_…) | Analytics | Measures how pages and the booking flow are used, and records sessions (inputs masked) to find bugs | Up to 1 year | Yes — only after you click "Accept" |
You can manage or delete cookies through your browser settings at any time. Note that disabling essential cookies will prevent you from using the platform. Instructions for common browsers:
Refunds under this policy are issued automatically and instantly by using the "Cancel" option on your session in your UniSkilled dashboard — no need to email support for a standard cancellation. Refunds are returned to your original payment method (the card or other method used at Stripe checkout), and typically appear within a few business days depending on your bank or card issuer. For any cancellation outside these standard cases, or a payment issue that the automatic system doesn't resolve, contact info@uniskilled.com with your booking reference.
If a valid refund is approved after a tutor's payout has already been released, UniSkilled reserves the right to recover the refunded amount from the tutor's future earnings or to otherwise seek reimbursement where permitted by law.
Tutoring outcomes are subjective and depend on many factors, including the student's preparation and participation. A refund will not be issued solely because a student was dissatisfied with the teaching style or expected a different outcome.
Refunds may only be considered where:
Students must report any issue within 48 hours of the session being marked complete, using the "Report an Issue" option on the session in your UniSkilled dashboard (or by contacting info@uniskilled.com if you're unable to access your account). This window matches the 48-hour period during which the tutor's payout is held, described under "Payment Processing" below. UniSkilled may request supporting information before making a decision. No dispute raised after this 48-hour window will be considered.
All payments for tutoring sessions are processed securely by card through our payment provider Stripe (other methods such as Klarna may be offered at checkout). Students are charged only after the tutor has accepted the booking request. UniSkilled securely holds the payment until the tutoring session has been completed.
Tutor earnings become available 48 hours after the session is marked complete. UniSkilled reviews any issue reported to info@uniskilled.com within that window before the payout is released.
Once released, payouts are sent automatically to the tutor's chosen payout method. UniSkilled's 20% platform fee is deducted before the tutor's payout is released. A detailed breakdown of the payment, fee, and payout amount is available in the tutor's account.
Where UniSkilled processes payments, funds are held until the tutoring session has been completed and the 48-hour hold period below has passed.
UniSkilled enforces a minimum booking value of €15 per session ($17 for sessions priced in US dollars). Tutors set their own hourly rate, and the final price is calculated from the rate and the session duration the student selects; a booking cannot be confirmed below this minimum. For group sessions, the minimum is €10 per student ($11 in US dollars).
Tutors set their own hourly rates, displayed in their chosen currency on their profile. The price shown when booking is the total the student pays — UniSkilled does not add a booking or service fee for students. UniSkilled's platform fee is taken from the tutor's side (see "Platform Fee" below).
All sessions booked on UniSkilled are paid through UniSkilled's checkout (card via Stripe; other methods may be offered at checkout). Bookings must start at least 2 hours after the request is made. Students pay only after the tutor has accepted the booking request, and must complete payment within 24 hours of acceptance (or by 1 hour before the session, if that is sooner) or the booking expires and the slot is released. UniSkilled holds the payment until the session is complete and the 48-hour hold has passed, then releases the tutor's payout.
Tutors and students must not arrange or accept payment for sessions booked through UniSkilled by any other means (such as bank transfer, cash, cryptocurrency, or a direct PayPal payment between users). Payments made outside UniSkilled are not covered by the 48-hour hold, dispute resolution, or refund protections, and may breach the Non-Circumvention Policy.
Tutors who are registered for VAT in their jurisdiction must charge VAT to students as required by applicable law. UniSkilled does not automatically collect or remit VAT on behalf of tutors. Tutors operating as businesses must issue proper invoices to students upon request.
Tutors price their sessions in euros (EUR) or US dollars (USD). The currency shown on the tutor's profile is the currency the student is charged in. Any currency conversion by the student's bank or card issuer, and its cost, is the student's responsibility.
A session is only confirmed once payment has been received. If a student does not pay within this payment window, the booking expires automatically and both sides are notified. Repeatedly letting accepted bookings expire may result in account restrictions.
UniSkilled charges a platform fee of 20% of each one-to-one session's price, deducted from the tutor's payout; the tutor receives the remaining 80%. For group sessions, the platform fee is 25% of each student's payment, and the tutor receives the remaining 75%. Students are not charged a separate fee. If UniSkilled changes the fee, users will be notified at least 14 days in advance, and the change will apply only to bookings made after it takes effect.
UniSkilled operates an optional referral program that allows users to invite others to the platform in exchange for account credit. Participation is voluntary. This section describes how it works and the terms that apply.
A referral only qualifies, and credit is only issued, once the invited user's first paid session has been marked complete, has passed the same 48-hour hold period described under "Refund & Cancellation Policy" and "Payment Processing" above, and no dispute was opened against it within that window. A signup or a booking alone does not qualify a referral — the session must genuinely go through undisputed. If a qualifying session is later refunded or found to be fraudulent, UniSkilled reserves the right to reverse any credit already issued as a result of it.
Referral discounts and account credit are funded by UniSkilled as a marketing cost. They do not reduce the amount a tutor is paid for a session — tutors always receive their normal share of the full session price, calculated as if no discount had been applied, regardless of any referral discount or credit used by the student.
Referring yourself, creating duplicate or fake accounts, or otherwise attempting to manipulate the referral program is a violation of these Terms. UniSkilled may void any referral, reverse any credit, and suspend the accounts involved where fraudulent or abusive activity is identified.
UniSkilled may modify, suspend, or discontinue the referral program, its reward amounts, or its eligibility conditions at any time. Credit already earned under the terms in effect at the time it was issued will not be retroactively cancelled as a result of such a change, except where the Fraud Prevention clause above applies.
The following will result in immediate account suspension without refund:
Tutors and students who connect through UniSkilled agree not to take a booking, payment, or ongoing tutoring relationship off-platform to avoid platform fees. This includes, but isn't limited to, arranging future sessions to be paid for directly (in cash, bank transfer, or any method outside UniSkilled) after first connecting through the platform.
This isn't only about fees. A session booked and paid for outside UniSkilled has none of the protections described in this policy — no 48-hour payment hold, no dispute resolution, no refund guarantee, and no record toward a tutor's verified track record. We built this policy to protect both sides, not just to collect a commission.
Users found to be circumventing the platform may face:
How we make sure reviews come from real students. A lesson can only be rated by the student who booked and paid for it on UniSkilled, only after the lesson has taken place, and only once per lesson (the student can edit their rating for 14 days). Such reviews are marked “Verified lesson”. We do not pay or otherwise reward students for reviews, and we publish positive and negative reviews alike. Tutors cannot remove reviews; they can publish one public reply. We remove a review only if it breaks the rules below or is subject to a valid legal complaint.
How ratings are shown. A tutor's average rating is shown once they have at least 3 reviews; before that they are shown as “New tutor”.
How tutors are ordered in search results. By default, tutors with a verified university email are listed first. Within that, tutors are ordered by a weighted rating that combines their average rating with the number of reviews (so a single review does not outweigh many), and then by number of reviews. Tutors cannot pay for a better position.
Reviews must be honest and based on your direct experience. Fake reviews, incentivised reviews, or reviews submitted by someone other than the session participant are prohibited and will be removed. UniSkilled reserves the right to remove reviews that violate these guidelines or that are subject to a valid legal complaint.
To report a user or content that violates these guidelines, contact info@uniskilled.com with details of the incident. We aim to respond within 72 hours.
If you have a complaint, please contact us first at info@uniskilled.com. We will try to resolve your issue within 14 days.
The European Commission provides an Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) platform for resolving disputes arising from online contracts between consumers and traders. As required by EU Regulation No 524/2013, we link to this platform here:
https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr
Our email address for ODR purposes: info@uniskilled.com
We are not obligated to participate in alternative dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board and do not currently do so voluntarily.
For disputes with business customers, the courts of the operator's registered place of business in Germany have exclusive jurisdiction. For disputes with consumers, the mandatory consumer protection rules of the consumer's country of residence apply, and the consumer may bring proceedings in the courts of their domicile.