Terms of Use

Vocabest (“Vocabest”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) operates an online marketplace that connects language learners (“students”) with independent language teachers (“teachers”) for live, one-on-one video lessons. Vocabest is operated by Batalden Data enk, a sole proprietorship registered in Norway (org. nr 928144488). You can reach us at support@vocabest.com. By using the Platform you confirm that you have read, understood, and accepted these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

Some topics have their own dedicated pages, which form part of these Terms by reference: our Refunds & Cancellations policy, our Acceptable Use policy, and our Cookie Policy. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, please do not use the Platform.

Vocabest provides the technology that lets students discover teachers, book lessons, pay securely, and meet over video. Teachers are independent providers, not employees, agents, or partners of Vocabest. We do not employ teachers, set their lesson content, or supervise how they teach.

• The lesson contract is formed directly between the student and the teacher. Vocabest acts as an intermediary and a limited payment collection agent.
• We do not guarantee any particular teacher’s qualifications, availability, teaching quality, or results. Profile information, ratings, and reviews are provided to help you choose, but you are responsible for selecting a teacher who fits your needs.
• Teachers set their own rates, availability, and lesson durations within the options the Platform makes available.

To book or teach lessons you must create an account. You agree to provide accurate information and to keep it up to date.

• Minimum age.You must be at least 18 years old to create an account. A parent or legal guardian may create and manage an account on behalf of a minor and is responsible for that minor’s use of the Platform and attendance at lessons.
• One person, one account. Keep your password confidential and do not share your account. You are responsible for all activity under your account.
• Teacher accounts. Teachers must be legally able to provide tutoring services and to receive payouts, and must complete identity and payout onboarding with our payments provider (see Section 5).
• Notify us promptly at support@vocabest.com if you suspect any unauthorised use of your account.

Students request a lesson by choosing a teacher, a lesson type, and an available time slot. A booking is confirmed when the teacher accepts it (and, where payment is required, once payment is authorised). Times are shown in your local time zone; please double-check before confirming.

• Free first consultation. Each student is entitled to one free introductory consultation with a teacher of their choice. No card is required for the free consultation. The free consultation can be used once per student account.
• Paid lessons.Subsequent lessons are paid in advance at checkout at the teacher’s listed rate for the chosen duration.
• Showing up. Both parties should join the lesson at the scheduled time via the in-browser video room linked from the booking.

Payments are processed by Stripe. Vocabest does not store full card details. By paying for a lesson you also agree to Stripe’s terms where applicable.

• Prices. Lesson prices are set by teachers and shown before you pay, inclusive of any platform service fee unless stated otherwise. The price you confirm at checkout is the price you pay.
• Platform fee. Vocabest charges a service fee that helps run the marketplace (discovery, scheduling, video, payments, and support). The fee is reflected in the amounts shown at checkout and in teacher payout breakdowns.
• Teacher payouts. Teachers are paid out through Stripe Connect to their connected account after a lesson is completed, less the platform fee and any applicable Stripe charges. Teachers are responsible for their own taxes and for any local registration their activity requires.
• Currency & taxes. Amounts are charged in the currency shown. Depending on your location, applicable taxes may be added or included as required by law.

Plans change, and we get it. How and when you cancel affects whether a refund applies. The full rules, including timing windows, teacher cancellations, and no-show handling, live in our Refunds & Cancellations policy.

• Cancel from your bookings dashboard as early as possible so the slot can be freed up.
• If a teacher cancels or fails to attend, you are eligible for a full refund or a free rebooking.
• Repeated late cancellations or no-shows may lead to limits on your account (see Section 11).

Vocabest is a place to learn, so everyone is expected to be respectful and lawful. Detailed rules are in our Acceptable Use policy. In short, you agree not to:

• harass, threaten, discriminate against, or abuse any teacher, student, or staff member;
• share illegal, hateful, sexually explicit, or otherwise harmful content during lessons or in reviews;
• attempt to take lessons or payments off-platform to avoid fees, or solicit another user to do so;
• record, screenshot, or redistribute a lesson without the other participant’s consent;
• misuse, probe, or attempt to disrupt the Platform’s security or infrastructure.

After a completed lesson, students may leave a rating and review. Reviews must be honest, relevant, and based on genuine experience.

• Do not post fake, incentivised, defamatory, or harassing reviews, and do not include personal data of others.
• We may remove reviews that violate these Terms or our Acceptable Use policy, and teachers may publicly respond to reviews of their lessons.
• By posting a review you grant Vocabest a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display and distribute it on the Platform.

• Our content. The Vocabest name, logo, software, and site content are owned by Vocabest or its licensors and are protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, or create derivative works from them except as the Platform normally allows.
• Teaching materials. Teachers retain ownership of original materials they create. Any materials a teacher shares with you are for your personal learning use only, unless the teacher agrees otherwise.
• Your content. You keep ownership of content you submit (such as profile text and reviews) but grant us a licence to host and display it so the Platform can operate.

The Platform is provided “as is” and “as available”. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Vocabest disclaims implied warranties and does not guarantee that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that lessons will achieve a particular learning outcome.

• Because teachers are independent, Vocabest is not responsible for the conduct, content, or quality of any lesson, nor for disputes between students and teachers, though we will try to help resolve issues fairly.
• To the extent permitted by law, Vocabest’s total liability arising from the Platform is limited to the amount you paid through the Platform in the three (3) months before the event giving rise to the claim.
• Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or your non-waivable consumer rights. If you are a consumer in the EEA, your statutory rights are unaffected.

• By you. You may stop using the Platform at any time and request deletion of your account from your settings or by contacting support@vocabest.com. See our Privacy Policy for how we handle your data on deletion.
• By us. We may suspend or terminate accounts that breach these Terms, our Acceptable Use policy, or applicable law, or where necessary to protect users or the Platform.
• Some obligations survive termination, including those on payments already due, intellectual property, disclaimers, and limitation of liability.

These Terms are governed by the laws of Norway, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, and subject to mandatory consumer-protection rules of your country of residence in the EEA. Disputes will be handled by the competent courts of Norway, unless mandatory law gives you the right to bring proceedings elsewhere. EEA consumers may also use the European Commission’s Online Dispute Resolution platform.

We may update these Terms from time to time, for example to reflect new features or legal requirements. When we make material changes we will update the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you. Continuing to use the Platform after changes take effect means you accept the revised Terms.

Questions about these Terms? Email us at support@vocabest.comand we’ll be glad to help. You can reach our support team for any account, booking, or payment issue at the same address (support@vocabest.com).