Choosing an IB Tutor in Hong Kong: Fit, Credentials, and a Trial Lesson

An IB tutoring decision has four separate questions: does the tutor teach the exact subject the student sits, do the tutor’s credential and safeguarding claims match a checkable record, who receives the payment, and did the trial lesson answer the question you hired it to answer. Handle each in writing before you commit to a schedule.

Write down the subject, level, and syllabus year first

Copy the subject name, the level, and the syllabus or examination year exactly as they appear in the student’s school subject confirmation. Ask the tutor to state in writing which of those they teach and which assessment components they cover. A tutor who teaches the same subject at a different level or under an older syllabus is answering a different question.

Treat marketing labels as claims, not records. The Customs and Excise Department says the Trade Descriptions Ordinance prohibits false trade descriptions of services. If an advertisement says a tutor is “approved”, “certified”, or “accredited”, ask which named body issued that status and check it with that body’s own published records. Do not treat the IB name in an advertisement as an endorsement of the tutor.

Check the tutor’s credential claims against official records

The Education Bureau teacher-registration page says a person who teaches in a school has to be either a registered teacher or a permitted teacher, and notes that some private schools offering a non-formal curriculum may have exemptions. That is a rule about schools. It does not mean every private tutor appears in a teacher register, and a tutor who is not registered has not necessarily claimed anything false.

When a tutor does claim registered-teacher status, the Education Bureau gives parents and members of the public a consent-based path: ask the teacher for consent, then apply to the bureau for release of the registration information. Keep the reply with the date of your check.

For any other credential, such as a degree, an examiner role, or a school post, ask for the document and the issuing body, and check with that body where it offers a record. Record what you could and could not confirm.

Ask about safeguarding checks for work related to children

The Hong Kong Police Force runs the Sexual Conviction Record Check Scheme, in operation since 1 December 2011. The scheme was expanded on 16 December 2024 to cover prospective self-employed persons, and it further expands to cover volunteers from 15 December 2025.

The check is made by the applicant, not by the parent. The police page says a new applicant brings a Hong Kong Identity card and documentary proof from the relevant employer of employment related to children or mentally incapacitated persons. A private tutor working alone with a child fits the situation the expanded scheme describes, so a reasonable question at engagement is whether the tutor is willing to apply. The scheme is not a licence, and declining to apply is not evidence of an offence; treat the answer as one factor you record.

Confirm the business identity behind the payment

Before paying, get in writing the exact name of the person or company that will receive the money, and a receipt that shows that name. If lessons are sold by a centre or an agency, ask whether the person teaching is the party you are contracting with. You can look up Hong Kong education and tutoring companies in our company directory as a starting point, then confirm details with the provider directly.

The Customs and Excise Department explains that an amendment ordinance effective 19 July 2013 extends the Trade Descriptions Ordinance to prohibit unfair trade practices, including false trade descriptions of services, misleading omissions, aggressive commercial practices, bait advertising, bait-and-switch, and wrongly accepting payment. The same page states that the Customs and Excise Department is the principal agency enforcing the ordinance. A written record of who promised what, and who took the payment, is what makes such a complaint possible.

Limit the personal data you hand over

Tutoring enquiries often ask for school reports, predicted grades, and identity details. The Privacy Commissioner’s overview of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance says personal data shall only be collected for a lawful purpose directly related to a function or activity of the data user, and the data collected should be necessary and adequate but not excessive for that purpose.

Share what the lesson needs and hold back the rest. The same overview says personal data may not be used for a new purpose unrelated to the original collection purpose without the data subject’s express and voluntary consent, and that data users must take all practicable steps to protect the personal data they hold against unauthorised or accidental access. Ask how the tutor or centre stores the student’s documents and when they delete them.

Run a trial lesson and record the decision

Ask for a single paid or unpaid trial lesson on the student’s current topic before any package. Immediately afterwards, complete a short decision record:

Field	What to write
Date and format	When the trial happened, online or in person, who attended
Subject match	The subject, level, and syllabus year the tutor taught
Content covered	The topic and assessment component worked on
Checks completed	Credential, safeguarding, and business-identity checks done, with dates
Open gaps	Claims you could not confirm and who is resolving them
Terms offered	Schedule, cancellation terms, and payment schedule as written by the provider
Decision	Continue, decline, or continue conditionally, with a review date

Decide from the record, not from the conversation. If an open gap involves a credential, a safeguarding answer, or the payee name, resolve it before the first paid block, and keep the record for as long as the arrangement lasts.

Common questions

Does an IB tutor in Hong Kong need teacher registration?

The Education Bureau states the registered-teacher and permitted-teacher rule for a person who teaches in a school, with possible exemptions for some private schools offering a non-formal curriculum. Do not extend that school rule to every private tutoring arrangement, and do not treat a registration claim as checked until you have used the bureau’s consent-based enquiry path.

Can a parent ask a private tutor for a Sexual Conviction Record Check?

You can ask. The Hong Kong Police Force says the scheme covers prospective employees and, since 16 December 2024, prospective self-employed persons, and the application is made by the tutor with documentary proof from the relevant employer of employment related to children. The scheme does not make the check compulsory for private arrangements, so record the tutor’s answer and weigh it with your other checks.

What can I do about a misleading claim from a tutoring service?

Keep the advertisement, the written promises, and the receipt. The Customs and Excise Department says the Trade Descriptions Ordinance prohibits false trade descriptions of services, misleading omissions, aggressive commercial practices, bait advertising, bait-and-switch, and wrongly accepting payment, and that it is the principal agency enforcing the ordinance.

What personal data should I give before the first lesson?

Only what the lesson needs. The Privacy Commissioner’s overview says collected personal data should be necessary and adequate but not excessive for the collection purpose, and that a new use of the data needs the data subject’s express and voluntary consent. Ask how documents are stored and when they are deleted before sending school reports.