Plain-language rules for Bernaly.

By creating a Bernaly account, listing yourself as a tutor, or booking a session, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, please don't use Bernaly.

You need to be at least 16 years old and legally able to enter into contracts in your jurisdiction. If you're a tutor, you also need to be eligible to work and receive payments in Switzerland (or wherever you reside).

You're responsible for keeping your login credentials secret. If someone else accesses your account, that's on you — though we'll do our best to help you sort it out.

One person, one account. No fake names, no fake tutor profiles, no impersonation.

Students book sessions in advance via Bernaly and pay by card at the time of booking. We reserve the amount when you book and charge it once your tutor accepts. If the tutor declines, or does not reply, the reservation is released and you are not charged.

Bernaly is the seller of record for the lesson and collects the payment. Bernaly takes a 10% commission, and the remainder is transferred to the tutor's own payment account, held by our payment provider Stripe. Bernaly does not hold tutor funds and does not pay them out itself. Tutors see the commission rate in their dashboard before it applies.

Tutors must complete identity verification with Stripe before they can receive money. Until that is done, nobody can book a paid lesson with them.

Be qualified: you must be a native or near-native speaker of the dialect(s) you list. We verify this during onboarding and may revoke approval if it's misrepresented.

Be reliable: show up to sessions you've accepted, on time, prepared. If you need to cancel, do so at least 24 hours in advance.

Stay on platform: all communication with students about Bernaly bookings should happen via Bernaly (so we can support you if something goes wrong).

Show up: if you book a session, attend it. Respect your tutor's time.

Pay promptly: you pay by card at the time of booking. Keep the card valid until the lesson has taken place, so a cancellation fee can be settled if one applies.

Leave honest reviews: ratings shape who gets featured. Be fair.

More than 24 hours before the session: free for both sides. Any reservation is released and you are not charged.

Less than 24 hours before the session, if the student cancels: the full session price applies. The slot was held for you and the tutor can no longer fill it. The payment is kept, and the tutor is paid as for a lesson that took place.

No-shows: the full session price applies, on the same basis.

If a tutor cancels on you, whatever the notice, you owe nothing and anything charged is refunded in full. The cancellation is recorded against the tutor, and we'll help you find a replacement.

Free trials can always be cancelled at no cost.

Don't use Bernaly to harass, discriminate against, or threaten anyone. Don't use it for illegal stuff. Don't scrape it, reverse-engineer it, or try to break the platform.

Don't use Bernaly to advertise other services to your tutor's students or your student's tutors.

The Bernaly name, logo, illustrations, and platform code are ours. The lessons themselves and any materials you share in sessions remain yours.

When you write a review, you give us permission to display it publicly on Bernaly.

Bernaly is a platform connecting students and tutors. We don't employ tutors and we don't guarantee teaching outcomes. If something goes wrong in a session, we'll do our best to mediate — but our financial liability is limited to the amount you paid for the affected session.

We may suspend or delete accounts that violate these Terms. We'll usually warn you first, except in serious cases (fraud, harassment, illegal activity). You can also delete your own account anytime from settings.

These Terms are governed by Swiss law. Any disputes will be resolved in the courts of Zürich, unless local consumer-protection law gives you the right to sue elsewhere.

Questions about these Terms: email legal@bernaly.ch.