Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By creating an account, accessing, or using the Octopi Tutors platform (the “Platform”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree, you may not use the Platform. These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and OctopiTutors LLC (“Octopi Tutors,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

2. Eligibility — Age Requirement

You must be at least 13 years of age to create an account or use the Platform. We do not knowingly collect information from or allow access to children under 13. If you are under 13, do not attempt to create an account. If we discover that a user is under 13, we will immediately delete their account and all associated data.

Users under 18 should have parental awareness of their use of the Platform.

3. Academic Integrity Policy

Octopi Tutors exists to help students learn — not to circumvent academic standards.

• Tutors teach concepts and methods only. Tutors are strictly prohibited from completing assignments, homework problems, take-home exams, online course modules, or any other graded academic work on behalf of a student.
• Students may not request assignment completion.Asking a tutor to complete graded work for you is a violation of these Terms and of most universities’ academic integrity policies.
• Violation results in a permanent ban. Any user — student or tutor — found to have violated this policy will be permanently banned from the Platform without refund. We may also report violations to the relevant academic institution.

This policy applies regardless of how a request is framed. Asking a tutor to “walk you through” a concept is welcome. Asking a tutor to complete work that will be submitted under your name is not.

4. No Off-Platform Contact Rule

To protect both students and tutors, the following is strictly prohibited:

• Exchanging personal contact information (phone numbers, personal email addresses, social media handles, or any other personal identifiers) between tutors and students through or after a Platform interaction.
• Conducting tutoring sessions, receiving or making payments, or continuing any working relationship with another Platform user outside of Octopi Tutors.
• Soliciting another Platform user to move their relationship off the Platform for any purpose.

Violation results in a permanent ban for any user involved. Octopi Tutors never exposes tutor personal phone numbers or personal email addresses. All communication must occur through Platform-provided channels.

5. Session Cancellation Policy

• Student cancels before the session starts: The student is not charged.
• Student cancels mid-session: The student is charged for the full 30-minute billing block currently in progress. Billing is in 30-minute increments; once a billing block has begun, the full charge for that block applies.
• Tutor cancels or fails to appear: The student is not charged.

If a technical issue on our end prevents a session from proceeding, contact support@octopitutors.com and we will review and refund where appropriate.

6. Platform Fees and Pricing

6.1 Student Platform Fee

Students pay a 5% platform feeon top of the tutor’s stated hourly rate. This fee is disclosed at checkout before any payment is processed. For example: a 30-minute session at $20/hr costs $10 tutor rate + $0.50 platform fee = $10.50 total.

6.2 Tutor Commission

Octopi Tutors charges tutors a commission on completed sessions:

• Founding Tutors (first 20 tutors to join): 0% commission, for the lifetime of their account. The 5% student fee still applies, but the tutor receives their full stated rate.
• Standard Tutors: 15% commissiondeducted from the tutor’s payout. Combined with the 5% student fee, the blended take rate is 20%.

6.3 Tutor Rates

Tutors set their own hourly rates at or above the subject floor price set by Octopi Tutors. All rates are displayed before a session is booked.

6.4 Payment Processing

All payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. By using the Platform you agree to Stripe’s terms of service. Octopi Tutors does not store your card numbers or bank details. Tutor payouts are processed via Stripe Connect Express.

7. Tutor Classification — Independent Contractors

Tutors on the Platform are independent contractors, not employees of OctopiTutors LLC. This means:

• Tutors set their own rates, hours, and availability.
• Tutors use their own equipment and work from locations of their choosing.
• Octopi Tutors does not mandate specific work shifts (discretionary incentive bonuses for certain windows are not shifts and do not create an employment relationship).
• Tutors are solely responsible for their own taxes. Octopi Tutors will issue IRS Form 1099-K to tutors meeting the applicable threshold, via Stripe.
• Octopi Tutors does not provide employment benefits such as health insurance or paid time off.

By registering as a tutor, you acknowledge and agree to this independent contractor classification.

8. Tutor Certification and Conduct

Tutors must pass a subject-specific certification assessment before teaching that subject on the Platform. By completing certification, tutors affirm their competency in the subject.

Tutors must also self-certify during onboarding that they have never been charged with or convicted of any crime involving minors, violence, fraud, or academic dishonesty. This certification is stored with a timestamp and is not editable after submission.

9. Safety and Reporting

If you witness or experience inappropriate behavior on the Platform — including harassment, threats, or any conduct making you feel unsafe — contact us immediately at safety@octopitutors.com. This inbox is monitored by the founders.

10. Intellectual Property

Content you create on the Platform (session notes, whiteboard drawings, chat messages) remains yours. You grant Octopi Tutors a limited license to store and process this content to provide Platform services, including AI-powered session note generation.

The Octopi Tutors name, logo, and Platform software are the intellectual property of OctopiTutors LLC. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works without prior written permission.

11. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

The Platform is provided “as is.” We do not guarantee uninterrupted access or that a tutor will be available at any given time. Octopi Tutors is a marketplace and is not responsible for the quality or outcome of individual tutoring sessions.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, OctopiTutors LLC’s total liability for any claim arising from use of the Platform shall not exceed the total amount you paid to us in the 30 days preceding the claim.

12. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time for violation of these Terms. You may delete your account at any time by contacting support@octopitutors.com.

13. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Florida.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email or by posting a notice on the Platform. Continued use after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

15. Contact for Legal Matters

For legal inquiries, please contact us at: legal@octopitutors.com

OctopiTutors LLC
State of Florida, United States