Varsity Tutors acquires First Tutors in the UK to start expanding internationally

Varsity Tutors, the education platform that connects students with tutors, has today announced the acquisition of First Tutors in the UK.

This marks the first major international expansion for Varsity Tutors, which has raised $57 million since launch in 2011.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Varsity Tutors originally launched as a platform that would connect tutors with students and let them conduct their sessions offline. The company has now gone from a predominantly offline tutoring platform to running the majority of its business online, through audio, video chat, collaborative sessions, etc.

Varsity Tutors currently has more than 30,000 experts across 1,000 different subjects, and can instantly connect students with an expert within 20 seconds.

First Tutors functions a bit more like the Varsity Tutors of old. The platform connects students with tutors for a fee (ranging between £4.99 to £24.99, depending on subject and expertise) and lets them take that relationship offline.

The first step, according to Varsity Tutors founder and CEO Chuck Cohn, is to work on integrating the VT technology platform in with First Tutors and their users in the UK. That said, the two entities will continue operating on their own until the duo can better understand how to price their product in the UK.

This is just the first step in Varsity Tutors’ plans to geographically expand — the company has eyes on other English-speaking territories like South Africa and Australia.