Terms of service | troupe.academy

Troupe Ltd (“Troupe”, “we”, “us”, “our”)
Effective date: 20 September 2025
Registered office: 51 Princes Street, Ipswich • Company No.: 13521849

Contact: admin@troupe.academy

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Troupe website and platform at troupe.academy and troupeacademy.com (the “Platform”). By creating an account or using the Platform, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

Incorporated Tutor Annex. If you tutor on the Platform, Annex A – Tutor Terms forms part of these Terms and applies in addition to the general provisions. In the event of conflict, Annex A governs your tutoring activities

Incorporated Policies. The following are incorporated by reference and form part of these Terms: the Tutor Code of Conduct and the Learner & Parent/Guardian Guide, together with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. If there is a conflict, these Terms prevail.

1) What Troupe is (and isn’t)

Troupe is an online marketplace and toolset that connects learners with peer tutors and provides standardised, AI-supported lesson materials and supervision tools for live tutoring. Troupe is not a school, an awarding body, or a provider of professional advice (legal, medical, financial). Learning outcomes are not guaranteed.

Learners pay to access sessions and features.
Tutors are independent, self-employed individuals who use the Platform to teach. They are not Troupe employees or workers.

Learning Method. Our one-to-two (1–2) format is designed to improve consistency and reinforce understanding through peer explanations. While we aim for strong outcomes, results are not guaranteed.

1.1 Class Size & Format

Sessions are delivered as one-to-one or one-to-two lessons (maximum 2 learners per session). A session that begins with one learner may later include a second learner; solo-only sessions are not guaranteed. Class composition does not change tutors’ quality obligations or Troupe’s service standards.

2) Eligibility & accounts

You must be 11+ to use the Platform. Users 11–17 require a parent/guardian to review these Terms and supervise use as appropriate.
Keep your credentials confidential. You are responsible for activity under your account.
We may require identity or right-to-work checks for tutors (see §15).

2.1 Tutor Eligibility & Progression. Learners may apply to become tutors subject to the requirements in §7 and the Tutor Annex. Tutors must be 18+ and pass identity and right-to-work checks (and, where lawful/appropriate, a basic DBS or local equivalent). Approval is at Troupe’s discretion.

3) Code of conduct & safeguarding

You agree to:

Be respectful, lawful, and non-discriminatory. No harassment, hate, exploitation, or abusive behaviour.
Keep all interactions on-platform. No in-person meetings or sharing personal contact details (phone, personal email, personal social handles) to circumvent Troupe.
Avoid illegal, harmful, sexualised, or age-inappropriate content.
No plagiarism or cheating. Tutors must not complete graded work on behalf of learners.
Report safety concerns to safety@troupe.academy. We may monitor, record, or review sessions and communications for trust & safety, training, and compliance (see Privacy Policy).
We may suspend or terminate accounts for violations (see §20).

Small-Group Safeguarding. In one-to-two sessions, tutors must maintain professional boundaries, keep all communication on-platform, and actively moderate peer interactions. Sessions may be monitored or recorded for trust & safety and quality, per our Privacy Policy. Users must not exchange personal contact details.

Role Transition. Users progressing from learner to tutor must accept the Tutor Code of Conduct and complete required training and checks before delivering sessions.

4) Educational integrity

Troupe supports learning, not academic dishonesty. Submissions must be your own work. Tutors provide guidance, explanations, and practice—not answers to submit.

5) Platform features & AI supervision

Troupe uses AI to generate standardised quiz/lesson content and to provide quality prompts and session guidance to tutors. AI outputs may contain errors; you should review content for accuracy and appropriateness. We may adapt, add, or remove features (including beta features) without notice.

6) Subscriptions, pricing & refunds (learners)

Access is offered via subscriptions and/or session packages. Prices are shown at checkout and may include tax where applicable.
Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled in your account before the renewal date.

Refunds

UK 14-day cooling-off may apply if you have not received paid digital content or begun a session; once digital content is delivered or a session starts within the cooling-off period with your consent, the right to cancel may be lost.
Aside from statutory rights, refunds are at Troupe’s discretion (e.g., failed delivery, proven policy breaches).
Chargebacks or unpaid amounts may result in suspension.
Consumer rights vary by jurisdiction; nothing here limits non-waivable rights.

Pricing is format-agnostic. Subscription pricing applies to both one-to-one and one-to-two delivery. Unless required by law, changes in class composition (solo ↔ 1–2) do not trigger refunds.
Service Credits. Credits/refunds are issued for service failures (e.g., tutor no-show, platform outage) as set out in these Terms—not for adding a second learner to an open slot.

7) Tutor payouts & fees (independent contractors)

Who can tutor. Only users approved by Troupe as tutors may deliver paid sessions. Approval may follow a learner-to-tutor progression under §2.1 and §A (Tutor Annex).

Tutors set availability and deliver sessions using Troupe tools.
Minimum payout per class. For each class you deliver (whether 1–1 or 1–2), Troupe will pay you the Tutor Minimum Payout, equal to 70% of the Class Minimum Fee (currently £21 per class), regardless of the number of attending learners and regardless of any higher amount charged to or received from learners for that class, unless a cancellation, refund, or dispute applies under these Terms.
Payout timing: typically within 7 days after session completion/clearance, subject to fraud checks, chargeback windows, or disputes.
Tutors are solely responsible for taxes, national insurance, and filings.
Troupe may hold or reverse payouts for suspected fraud, policy breaches, chargebacks, or safety concerns.
Non-circumvention: during an active subscription and for 6 months after your last session with a counterpart introduced via Troupe, you must not solicit or accept payments off-platform for substantially similar tutoring services.

8) Scheduling, cancellations & no-shows

Learners may reschedule or cancel sessions per the policy shown at booking (e.g., free ≥ 24 hours before; within 24 hours may be charged).
Tutors must provide reasonable notice for cancellations; repeated short-notice cancellations can lead to penalties or suspension.

Pairing & Composition. We pair learners by subject, preparedness, level, and availability (and, for under-18s, age appropriateness). We may add a second learner to an open slot to form a one-to-two session. If a pairing is not suitable, contact admin@troupe.academy; we may re-pair or adjust future sessions at our discretion.
No Right to Solo Continuity. Choosing a slot that is 1/2 at booking (one seat open) does not entitle you to a continuing solo session.

No-show rules (e.g., tutor no-show → credit/refund; learner no-show → session charged) are displayed at booking.
If the other learner is absent, the session proceeds one-to-one at no extra cost. If a second learner is added to an open slot, the session proceeds one-to-two; this change alone is not grounds for a refund or credit.
Re-Pair Requests. If a pairing is educationally unsuitable (e.g., persistent level mismatch or conduct issues), we will evaluate and may re-pair or credit future sessions at our discretion.

9) Third-party services & payments

We use third-party processors (e.g., Stripe) and infrastructure providers. Your use of payments is subject to their terms. We may change providers. Troupe is not responsible for third-party outages, delays, or errors beyond our reasonable control.

10) Ownership, licences & user content

Your content. You retain ownership of content you upload or create (messages, work product, profiles), subject to the rights you grant below.
Licence to Troupe. You grant Troupe a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to host, store, transmit, display, and adapt your content solely to operate, improve, and promote the Platform (including trust & safety, training, and support).
Tutor materials. Tutors grant learners a personal, non-transferable licence to use materials for private study only. No redistribution or commercial use.
Troupe content & AI materials. Troupe owns or licenses the Platform, templates, and standardised AI-generated materials. We grant you a personal, limited licence to use them only within the Platform for learning or teaching. Reverse-engineering, scraping, or bulk downloading is prohibited.
You represent you have rights to what you upload and that it does not infringe others’ rights.
IP complaints: email admin@troupe.academy with details; we may remove material and notify the user.

11) Privacy & data

Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and share personal data (including session monitoring for safety and quality). By using Troupe, you consent to those practices. For minors, a parent/guardian should review the Privacy Policy.

Limited Peer Disclosure. To enable a one-to-two session, learners may see limited profile information about each other (e.g., display name/first name, level/subject). We do not share personal contact details. All communication remains on-platform.

Performance Signals. We may use aggregated engagement data, attendance, quality signals, and ratings to identify potential tutor candidates, with human review before any progression decision. See our Privacy Policy for details.

12) Safety disclaimers for minors

For users 11–17, a responsible adult should supervise online activity. Tutors must never request personal contact details from minors or arrange offline meetings. Any suspected risk must be reported immediately to safety@troupe.academy and, where appropriate, to relevant authorities.

Peer Conduct. Bullying, harassment, discrimination, or repeated disruption in one-to-two sessions is prohibited and may result in removal from the session, re-pairing, or account action.
Parent/Guardian Acknowledgement. By enabling a learner aged 11–17 to use the Platform, the parent/guardian acknowledges the one-to-one or one-to-two format and consents to session monitoring/recording for safety as described in the Privacy Policy.

13) Prohibited uses

You must not:

Violate laws or rights; upload malware; attempt to access others’ accounts; interfere with security.
Use bots or scraping to collect data or content.
Misrepresent identity, credentials, or qualifications.
Post or request illegal, harmful, or sexual content; exploit or endanger children.
Use the Platform to advertise competitors or solicit users off-platform.

14) Ratings, reviews & feedback

We may allow ratings/reviews. They must be fair and accurate. We may remove abusive or fraudulent reviews. You grant Troupe a licence to use feedback for product improvement and marketing.

15) Verification, trust & safety checks

We may (but are not obliged to) conduct identity checks, right-to-work checks, qualification verifications, criminal record checks (where lawful), or other screenings. Passing a check does not guarantee safety, suitability, or outcomes. Users should exercise judgment and report concerns.

Troupe may invite high-performing learners to apply as tutors. Minimum criteria may include: (i) completion of specified courses or assessments; (ii) adherence to the Code of Conduct and educational integrity policies; (iii) achievement of consistently high session ratings and attendance; and (iv) successful completion of safeguarding training. Progression decisions include human review and are not based solely on automated processing. Troupe may decline, suspend, or revoke tutor status at its discretion.

16) Service changes & availability

We may modify or discontinue features, impose limits, or suspend service (e.g., for maintenance, security, law, or misuse). We will act reasonably and, where feasible, provide notice.

17) Warranties & disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Platform and all content are provided “as is” and “as available.” We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, and non-infringement. We do not warrant uninterrupted, error-free service or guaranteed learning outcomes.

18) Limitation of liability

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any liability that cannot be excluded under law.
Subject to the above, Troupe and its directors, employees, and affiliates are not liable for any:

indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages;
loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill;
damages arising from user-to-user interactions, content, or third-party services.

Cap. Our total liability for all claims in aggregate is limited to the greater of (a) £100 or (b) the amount you paid to Troupe in the 3 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain exclusions; your rights may vary.

19) Indemnity

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Troupe from claims, damages, liabilities, and costs (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your: (i) use of the Platform; (ii) content; (iii) violation of these Terms; or (iv) infringement of third-party rights.

20) Termination

You may stop using the Platform at any time. We may suspend or terminate access immediately for policy breaches, risk, non-payment, or legal reasons. Upon termination, your licence ends; certain sections survive (e.g., §§10–11, 17–25).

21) Non-circumvention & protection of the marketplace

To protect the integrity of the marketplace, you agree not to bypass Troupe to transact tutoring services with users you met through Troupe during an active relationship and for 6 months thereafter. Troupe may assess a reasonable fee for proven circumvention.

22) Communications & notices

We may send you service notices by email or in-app. Marketing communications require consent where required by law; you can opt out at any time. Legal notices to Troupe: admin@troupe.academy.

23) Governing law & disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction, except that consumers residing in the UK/EU may bring claims in their local courts as required by consumer law. We encourage informal resolution first via admin@troupe.academy.

24) Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will post the new Terms with the Effective date and, for material changes, provide reasonable notice. Continued use after changes means you accept the updated Terms.

25) Miscellaneous

Entire agreement. These Terms and the incorporated policies are the entire agreement.
Severability. If a clause is invalid, the rest remains in effect.
No waiver. Failure to enforce is not a waiver.
Assignment. You may not assign these Terms; we may assign to an affiliate or in connection with merger/sale.
Force majeure. We are not liable for delays due to events beyond reasonable control.