Do private tutors need an enhanced DBS check?
Private tutors do not need an enhanced DBS check for every possible tutoring arrangement, but many private tutors who work directly with children are eligible for one. If the tutoring is regular and involves teaching, training or instruction of children, the check may be an enhanced DBS check in the child workforce, and in some cases it can include a Children’s barred list check.
This matters because parents cannot usually apply for a DBS check on a self-employed tutor’s behalf. Since 21 January 2026, eligible self-employed people and personal employees can apply for enhanced DBS checks through a DBS umbrella body. Self Employed DBS helps eligible tutors apply for the appropriate enhanced check.
The short answer for private tutors
A private tutor who teaches children one-to-one or in small groups will often be eligible for an enhanced DBS check. Where the tutor’s work counts as regulated activity with children, the check can include the Children’s barred list.
For tutoring, the usual starting point is whether the role involves teaching, training or instruction of children under 18. Frequency, setting and supervision can affect the level of check. A tutor giving regular lessons to school-age pupils in their homes is a common example of a role that may meet enhanced DBS eligibility.
For adult-only tutoring, an enhanced DBS check is not normally based on the fact that the person is a tutor. Adult workforce eligibility depends on the nature of the adult service, not the job title. For example, a tutor providing ordinary GCSE maths tuition to an adult learner is different from a worker providing regulated health or care activity.
If you are unsure where your role sits, use an eligibility check before applying. You can start with our DBS Eligibility Check or read our occupation page for tutors.
When tutoring can include a Children’s Barred List check
A Children’s barred list check is not added to every enhanced DBS check. It is normally available when the role is in regulated activity with children.
For private tutors, regulated activity can apply where the work involves teaching, training or instruction of children and meets the frequency condition. The current DBS guidance says this activity can be regulated activity when it happens on more than 3 days in a 30-day period, or once overnight between 2am and 6am with the opportunity for face-to-face contact with children.
That means a tutor who teaches several children each week, or gives weekly lessons throughout a month, may fall into a stronger eligibility position than someone who delivers a single ad hoc revision session. The exact application should reflect the actual tutoring arrangement, not a general description such as “education”.
Supervision can also matter. In some supervised roles, a person may be eligible for an enhanced DBS check without the Children’s barred list. Private one-to-one tuition in a family home is usually different from a supervised volunteer helping in a school classroom, so the facts of the role need to be checked carefully.
Self-employed tutors can now apply for eligible enhanced checks themselves
For years, self-employed people often found enhanced DBS checks difficult because individuals could not apply directly to DBS for this level of certificate. The process changed for eligible self-employed people and personal employees from 21 January 2026.
DBS guidance now says an eligible self-employed person can apply for an enhanced DBS check, or an enhanced check with barred list information, through a DBS umbrella body. GOV.UK gives the example of a private maths tutor who offers one-to-one lessons to students in their homes.
Parents and private families should not try to apply for the check on the tutor’s behalf. The tutor applies through an umbrella body, receives their certificate, and can then show the original certificate to families who are considering their services.
Self Employed DBS can only provide enhanced DBS checks, so the first question is always eligibility. If your tutoring work is eligible, you can apply for a DBS check as a self-employed person through the correct route.
How to approach a DBS check for a private tutor
Use the role facts, not the job title alone. These five checks will help tutors and parents avoid the most common mistakes.
Confirm who the tutor works with
Identify whether the tutor works with children under 18, adults, or both. Child tutoring is assessed under child workforce rules.
Check the frequency
Regular teaching, training or instruction of children can support enhanced DBS eligibility and may support a Children’s barred list check.
Choose the right route
A self-employed tutor who is eligible should apply through an umbrella body. A parent cannot normally apply for the tutor’s enhanced DBS check.
Use an accurate role description
State the subject, age group, setting and frequency. Clear wording helps the application match the role.
Review the original certificate
Parents should ask to see the original certificate and check the level, workforce, issue date and barred list status where relevant.
What parents should ask to see
Parents and carers can ask a tutor to show their DBS certificate where the check is appropriate for the role. The certificate should be the original document. Copies, scans and photographs should not be treated as a substitute for seeing the original certificate.
Check that the certificate matches the tutor’s identity. Look at the name, certificate date, level of check, workforce and whether barred list information is included where the role requires it. A certificate for a different workforce or an old role may not give the same assurance.
If the tutor subscribes to the DBS Update Service, a parent may be able to run an online status check with the tutor’s consent. The person checking must have the right to view that level of check for the role. Our guide to the DBS Update Service for self-employed workers explains how this can help when a tutor works with several families.
A DBS check is only one part of safer selection. Parents should also consider references, qualifications where relevant, how lessons are supervised, whether lessons take place in a suitable environment and how concerns will be handled.
Online tutoring, group lessons and out-of-school settings
Tutoring does not have to happen in a family home to raise DBS and safeguarding questions. The Department for Education’s out-of-school settings guidance covers private tuition, music lessons and sports training, as well as clubs and community activities.
Online tutoring should still be approached as work with children where the tutor teaches or instructs children directly. The practical risks differ from in-person tuition, but parents and tutors should still think about safe communication, lesson recording, one-to-one contact, platform settings and what happens if a safeguarding concern arises.
Group tuition can also be eligible for an enhanced DBS check. The number of children is not the main test. The role, frequency, age of the children, setting and level of supervision are more important than whether the lesson is one-to-one or in a small group.
If a tutor works through a school, tuition company, local authority or another organisation, that organisation may apply for the check in line with its own safeguarding policies. If the tutor contracts directly with families as a self-employed person, the self-employed route is usually the relevant one.
How tutors should describe their role on an application
The DBS application should describe the real work being done. Vague wording can cause delays or lead to the wrong level of check. For a private tutor, the role description should usually state the subject or type of tuition, the age group, whether the work is one-to-one or group-based, the setting and how often the work takes place.
For example, “self-employed maths tutor providing weekly one-to-one tuition to children aged 11 to 16 in family homes” is clearer than “education consultant”. It gives the eligibility assessor the details needed to decide whether the child workforce and Children’s barred list apply.
Tutors should not request a barred list check “just in case”. barred list information can only be requested where the role is eligible. If the role supports an enhanced DBS check without barred list information, the application should reflect that.
If you are preparing to apply, it can help to read about DBS workforce types before starting, especially if you tutor children and adults or work across several settings.
This guide is general information for England and Wales. DBS eligibility depends on the exact role, setting and frequency of work. It is not legal advice and does not guarantee the outcome of any DBS application.
Apply for an enhanced DBS check as a private tutor
If your private tutoring work is eligible for an enhanced DBS check, Self Employed DBS can help you apply online through the correct self-employed route. We’ll help you provide the right role details so your application can be assessed properly.
Start your application if you tutor children directly and want a clear, suitable enhanced DBS process.