If you are an existing family who bought one-time plans, please read the section “Already on a one-time plan? Your hours are still yours”, which explains exactly what happens to the hours you have already purchased.

The short version

Why one-time packages worked against learning

One-time plans were simple: buy 15, 30, or 60 hours, then use them whenever you like. The problem was what “whenever you like” turned into in practice. Across our one-time customers we saw the same three patterns repeat.

• Hours get saved “for later.” Families naturally protect a paid balance, so lessons get postponed until a test is close. The package is then spent in a panic block of sessions two weeks before an exam, which is the least effective way to learn a two-year syllabus.
• Gaps break momentum. A three or four week gap between lessons means the first 15 minutes of every session are spent re-warming old ground. Families were paying for revision of the last lesson rather than progress.
• Scheduling became a monthly negotiation. With no standing slot, every lesson had to be re-booked around the tutor's other commitments. Preferred times were often gone, and students ended up with a different time each week, or a different tutor.

Buying hours in bulk is a purchasing decision. Learning is a habit. A subscription aligns the two, because the plan renews on the same rhythm the studying should happen on.

What consistency actually does for results

Exam performance is built on spaced practice: meeting a topic, leaving it, then returning to it before it fades. That is only possible when lessons are regularly spaced. Here is the practical difference we see between the two patterns.

	Bursty (typical one-time pattern)	Steady (subscription pattern)
Lesson spacing	Long gaps, then several sessions in one week	Weekly or twice weekly, all term
Time spent re-warming	High, as the tutor re-teaches forgotten ground	Low, as each lesson starts where the last one ended
Homework between lessons	Rarely set, with no deadline to work to	Set every lesson, reviewed the next one
Weak topics	Found late, often during exam-week cramming	Found early, with months to fix them
Exam season	Intensive catch-up under pressure	Past-paper practice and technique polish

Continuous progress your tutor can plan for

A tutor who knows a student is continuing can do things that are impossible on ad-hoc bookings:

• Map the syllabus across the term, sequencing topics so the hardest content lands with enough time to revisit it before mocks.
• Set and mark homework between sessions, then use the next lesson to close the specific gaps that homework exposed.
• Run progress checkpoints, meaning a short assessment every few weeks with feedback recorded in the learning portal, so parents can see the trend rather than just individual lesson notes.
• Adjust pace deliberately, slowing down on a topic that has not landed and speeding up where the student is strong, because there is a next lesson to plan around.

Steady class planning for your family and your tutor

A plan reserves a place in your tutor's week. That matters more than it sounds.

• Your slot is protected. The same day and time each week becomes part of your child's routine, the way a school timetable or a sports practice does.
• Your tutor stays yours. Continuity with one tutor who knows how your child thinks is one of the biggest quality factors in tutoring. Plans make that relationship the default rather than something you rebuild each time you buy hours.
• Life still flexes. Lessons can be rescheduled, plans can be paused for holidays, and you can add extra lessons before mocks. Structure by default, flexibility when you need it.

Our plans: monthly and quarterly

Plans are counted in lessons, and one lesson is one hour of one-to-one tutoring with your tutor. You choose how many lessons per month, and whether to be billed monthly or quarterly.

Quarterly discount tiers

Quarterly plans reward the longer commitment with a discount on the per-lesson rate, available all year round.

Lessons per month	Billed per quarter	Discount on the per-lesson rate
4 lessons	12 lessons	5% off
8 lessons	24 lessons	7% off
12 lessons	36 lessons	10% off

The tiers above are the current standard rates. The exact price, and any seasonal promotion, is always shown on the plan screen before you confirm payment.

“Is a subscription more expensive than buying a package?”

No, and for most families it commits less money, not more.

• The per-lesson rate is the same or lower. Bulk discounts used to require buying a very large block of hours upfront. A quarterly plan gives you a comparable discount for a fraction of that upfront amount.
• You commit far less at a time. A 30 or 60 hour package is a large single payment. A monthly plan is one month of lessons, and a quarterly plan is one term.
• Lessons you pay for stay yours. Lessons remain on your course balance to be booked and attended, so you are not racing a deadline to use them.
• No cancellation fee, no lock-in. If it stops working for your family, you stop before the next renewal. That is a smaller risk than a large prepaid package.

Already on a one-time plan? Your hours are still yours

How the move works

1. Keep using your remaining hours. There is no rush. Many families finish their existing balance first, or run it alongside a plan for extra sessions.
2. Choose a plan size that matches your real routine. Look at how many lessons per week your child actually attends when things are going well, and make that your plan size. Four lessons a month is one a week, and eight is two.
3. Pick monthly or quarterly. Start monthly if you want to keep things flexible, or choose quarterly if you already know you want cover for the full term and want the lower per-lesson rate.
4. Confirm from the learning portal. Open your course, choose Top up / plans, and select the plan you want.
5. Book your recurring slot with your tutor for the rest of the term.

Common concerns from long-standing families

“We have been with Tutopiya for years on one-time plans. Do we have to change?”

New tutoring is now sold as monthly and quarterly plans, and that is where the better per-lesson rates and reserved tutor slots sit. Any hours you have already bought remain usable. If your situation genuinely does not fit a plan, talk to your advisor, because we would rather find the right arrangement than lose a family we have taught for years.

“We only need tutoring during exam season, not all year.”

That is exactly what pausing is for. Run a plan through the terms that matter, then pause renewal over the holidays and resume when school starts again. You keep your tutor and your slot without paying through the quiet months.

“What if one month is busier than another?”

You can upsize before mocks and downsize afterwards, or buy extra lessons on top of your plan for an intensive revision week without changing the plan itself. Downsizes take effect from your next renewal, so you keep what you have already paid for.

“Am I locked into a contract?”

No. There is no minimum term and no cancellation fee. You can cancel before any renewal, and lessons already on your balance stay available to book. See how to cancel your subscription.

“Will we keep the same tutor and the same rate?”

Yes. Plans are set up on your existing course with your existing tutor. Your rate is shown before you confirm, including any quarterly discount, so there are no surprises.

“What if we do not use every lesson in a cycle?”

Lessons you have paid for stay on your balance rather than disappearing at the end of the cycle, so they can still be booked with your tutor. If you regularly finish a cycle with lessons left over, that is a sign to downsize. Tell your advisor and we will right-size the plan.

One-time plans vs monthly vs quarterly

	One-time package (old model)	Monthly plan	Quarterly plan
Payment	Large single upfront payment	One payment per month	One payment per term (3 months)
Lesson rhythm	Whenever hours are booked, often bursty	Set weekly cadence	Set weekly cadence, whole term
Tutor slot	Re-booked each time, subject to availability	Recurring slot held	Recurring slot held for the term
Per-lesson value	Discount only on very large blocks	Standard plan rate	Best rate, up to 10% off
Flexibility	Money committed until hours are used	Change, pause, or cancel each month	Change, pause, or cancel each term
Best for	Occasional one-off help	Building the habit, and changing study loads	Exam years and full-term commitment

The commitments that come with your plan

Because we are asking for a regular commitment, here is what we commit to in return.

• No lock-in. Cancel or pause before any renewal, with no cancellation fee.
• Lessons you paid for stay yours. Hours on your balance remain available to book with your tutor.
• The same tutor. Continuity is the point of a plan, and we protect it.
• Right-sizing, honestly. If you consistently do not use your lessons, we will recommend a smaller plan rather than let a balance build.
• Visible progress. Lesson feedback, homework, and progress checkpoints are recorded in the learning portal so you can see what you are paying for.

Choosing your plan size

Not sure? Start with the size that matches what your child already attends in a normal week, and adjust at renewal. Under-committing and adding extra lessons is easier than paying for lessons that go unused.

Still weighing it up? Message us on WhatsApp or email info@tutopiya.com with how many lessons a week your child realistically attends, and we will tell you which plan fits, including whether staying on your remaining hours a little longer makes more sense first.