How to Check a Hong Kong Tutorial Centre Before You Enrol

Use the centre’s exact name, address, and enrolment papers for the check. A School Search match records registration details, not teaching quality. You still need written details about the teacher, timetable, fees, and cancellation terms before you can compare courses.

Check the centre in Education Bureau records

The Education Bureau provides a public School Search and says that schools which are not yet registered do not appear in it. Start with the School Information Search and School Lists page.

Search the name and address used on the enrolment form. Save the result with the date of your check. If the result and the course documents use different names, ask the centre to explain the relationship in writing. An empty search result does not explain the reason for absence, so take that question to the centre or the Education Bureau.

The bureau sets out the statutory school definition and says it issues an electronic Certificate of Registration of a School to the school supervisor after it approves an application. Read the Education Bureau school-registration page before treating a certificate or search result as evidence.

Read the register as a dated snapshot

The Education Bureau publishes the School Registration Information dataset. The catalogue describes registered-school data covering registration status, registered premises, and permitted accommodation. It lists the basic registration, registered premises, and permitted accommodation information as updated daily, and it says registered schools exclude government schools.

The Education Bureau data specification defines fields for the registered name, school number, telephone, address, registration status, and School Registration Number. Record the fields used for a match and the date of the check. Keep a conflicting or incomplete match unresolved instead of joining records by a similar name alone.

Use the live School Search for a decision. Counts from a dated download can describe the register but cannot confirm a centre’s status after the capture time.

Confirm the course and teacher details

Ask the centre to put these details in one document:

• course name, subject, and level;
• class format and class size stated by the centre;
• teacher name or the method used to assign a teacher;
• lesson dates, lesson length, and venue;
• materials included in the fee.

Keep claims about teaching quality, exam results, admissions, or career outcomes separate from the registration result. Ask the centre for the evidence behind each claim.

Compare fees, timetable, cancellation, and make-up terms

Build one row for each course and leave gaps visible.

Field	Written detail to collect
Fee	Amount, payment schedule, and items included
Timetable	Dates, lesson length, and start point
Cancellation	Notice, charge, and refund term stated by the centre
Missed class	Make-up, credit, or no-remedy term
Course change	Who may change the teacher, venue, or schedule
Exit	Documents and notice needed to stop enrolment

Compare the stated terms instead of assuming that two courses use the same policy.

Keep the documents used for the decision

Keep the search result, registration evidence supplied by the centre, course description, teacher information, enrolment form, and payment record together. Save any written clarification beside the term it changes.

Before paying, check that the centre name, course, learner, amount, and timetable match across the documents. Record open questions and the person who answered them. Your file should show which record you checked, what the centre promised, and which questions remain open.

Common questions

How do I check whether a tutorial centre appears in Education Bureau records?

Search the centre’s exact name and address through the Education Bureau School Search. The bureau says the search excludes schools that are not yet registered. Save the result and the date of your check.

Does a School Search match show teaching quality?

A match does not assess teaching quality. The Education Bureau registration page explains school registration and certificate issuance. Compare the teacher, class format, timetable, fee, and course terms through documents from the centre.

Which registration details should I record?

The Education Bureau data specification defines fields for the registered name, school number, telephone, address, registration status, and School Registration Number. Record the fields that support your match.

How current is the School Registration Information dataset?

The DATA.GOV.HK catalogue lists the basic registration, registered premises, and permitted accommodation information as updated daily. It also says the dataset excludes government schools, so note that scope beside any result.

What should I do if the centre name does not match the record?

Ask the centre to explain the names and addresses in writing. An unmatched School Search result does not state why the record is absent. Keep the question open until the centre or the Education Bureau resolves it.