What our badges mean
We want every badge to mean exactly what it says, so here is precisely what each one tells you and what we check. We only show a badge once we hold the evidence for it on file.
We have confirmed the tutor’s government-issued identity document (national ID, passport or driver’s licence) before approving them. Their ID is stored privately and is never shown to students.
The tutor has given us a teaching qualification (for example a TEFL, CELTA, PGCE or a language degree) and our team has reviewed the copy they sent us. We review the document ourselves; we do not independently authenticate it with the body that issued it.
The tutor has completed Bantu Plaza’s own short in-house training in heritage-language teaching. This is our own programme. It is not an external, professional or government teaching certificate, and it does not make the tutor a registered or licensed teacher.
The tutor submitted a short speaking sample and our team confirmed they speak the language as a first or heritage language. For elder and community-language carriers without paper qualifications, an experienced admin reviews and recommends them.
The tutor is 21 or older, has declared they have no record of offences against a child, and agrees to provide a police-clearance certificate if we ask (we do not run a background check ourselves), and the badge is granted by our team before they can teach under-18s. A parent or guardian always books the lesson and is the contact, lessons stay on the platform, and Bantu Plaza does not record lessons. You can report any concern to us at any time.
The tutor runs small, live group courses at a set level that you can join, alongside a few other learners at a shared price.
Bantu Plaza tutors are independent language tutors, not employees of Bantu Plaza and not registered schoolteachers. Each tutor is responsible for any registration, licence or tax their own country requires.