Terms And Conditions

Welcome to Pioneering People (PP), the trailblazers of a new era in connecting contractors to Destinations. We’re a company registered in the UK under the number 14051437, and these are the rules of the game.

The Pioneer Way:
At PP we’re all about matchmaking self-employed contractors (‘Pioneers’) and businesses (‘Destinations’) together.

PP is simply bespoke software that matches Pioneers and Destinations. PP is not an employer or an employment agency. Our platform is the stage for this encounter. Here’s how it all works:

Services:
Services on PP are where our software matchmakes people with businesses who are looking to fill part time or temporary shifts. We are the software that does the verifying, matching and paying.

The Journey Begins:
A business posts and chooses the hourly wage rate, the hourly minimums on PP are over £15 an hour in London, £14 an hour nationwide.

Pioneers then apply to the job, after completing their Right to Work and identity verifications. Once a business has received applications, they choose the Pioneer they would like for this role. To hire a Pioneer, the Destination must pay the shift cost in escrow. These funds will only be released once the Pioneer successfully completes the shift.

If the Pioneer is incompetent or has caused a loss, the Destination has the right to leave the Pioneer a rating for other Destinations to see on their profile or dispute the shift.

Honoring Agreements:
Pioneers pledge to complete their shifts to a high standard using all reasonable care and skill as would be expected from a competent contractor and will only be paid if they do so. Any incomplete shifts by a Pioneer will result in a £10.00 administration fee being paid to PP. If a Pioneer fails to pay the fee, PP reserves the right not to allow the Pioneer access to PP services in the future.

Cancellation Policy:
We know plans can change, but last-minute cancellations can leave both of our businesses and people majorly inconvenienced. To make it fair for everyone, here’s how our cancellation policy works:

Free Cancellation (48 hours or more before shift start time)
If a cancellation is made 48 hours or more before the shift begins, by either party:
The Destination receives a full refund.
The Pioneer is not charged any fee.

Late Cancellation (48 to 12 hours before shift start time)
If the Destination cancels: They are charged a £20 late-cancellation fee, and the Pioneer receives £10.
If the Pioneer cancels: They are charged a £10 late-cancellation fee and the Destination is fully refunded.

Very Late Cancellation: (less than 12 hours before shift start time)
If the Destination cancels: They do not receive a refund, and the Pioneer is paid in full for the shift as originally agreed.
If the Pioneer cancels: They are charged a £20 very-late cancellation fee, and the Destination receives a refund

This ensures our workers are fairly compensated and helps us maintain reliability across the platform.

With the introduction of the Employment Rights Bill 2024/25, these notice periods or fee amounts may change to reflect new legal requirements. Pioneering People will review and update this policy accordingly and notify all users of any changes in advance.

Payments Made Simple:
At PP, we’re all about making payments easy. Here’s how it works:

When the Destination pays the full amount for the shift to PP (which is the hourly rate plus 12% per hour to PP), PP will hold this money until the Pioneer satisfactorily completes their shift. Once a Pioneer has done so, they will be paid the money held by PP within one to three working days. This aligns with fair pay and information transparency standards under the Employment Rights Bill 2024/25.

Privacy and Security First:
A Pioneer’s privacy and data security are paramount to PP.

A Pioneer can opt out of receiving job invites and email notifications from PP by pressing unsubscribe at any time to emails.

User Accounts Unveiled:
To unlock the full PP experience (and therefore apply to a job and get paid) a Pioneer will need to register for an account, providing accurate and complete information, and be diligent about keeping it up to date. A Pioneer will be asked to complete an identity verification through our partner platform, Yoti. They will need to upload a form of photo ID which can be a passport, driver’s license or biometric license. Once the ID has been uploaded, the Pioneer will also have to take a selfie to verify that this documentation is their own. This process should take a maximum of 3-4 minutes.

If the Pioneer is not a British or Irish passport holder, they will also have to upload their Sharecode. This may take up to two working days for the PP team to verify. More information is available in our Privacy Policy.

Employment Status:
Pioneers are self-employed contractors and are neither an employee nor a worker of PP. As such, Pioneers are responsible for the payment of their own their own taxes and National Insurance contributions. In the event of PP being called upon to pay any tax and/or National Insurance in respect of the provision of services, Pioneers agree to indemnify PP for the full amount of tax and National Insurance that PP has had to pay.

For the avoidance of any doubt, Pioneers shall not be entitled to any benefits which would, ordinarily, be provided to employees of PP. Such benefits include, but are not limited to, bonuses/commission, holiday pay, pension, reimbursement of expenses and sick pay.

Pioneers are free to register on other platforms and provide their services to any third party.

In certain circumstances, a Destination may require proof that the Pioneer has appropriate insurance in place.

In the event of a Pioneer seeking to challenge their self-employed contractor status by bringing any employment related proceedings before a court or an Employment Tribunal, the Pioneer agrees to indemnify PP for all costs and expenses (including legal costs) incurred by PP in defending the same.

More information about self- employment can be found on the gov.uk website.

Destination Verification
Destinations will also be subject to a verification process. The site manager who will be uploading the jobs on PP will have to provide their registered company name, address and number which will be checked against Companies House. Alongside this, companies will have to provide their company website address as well a finance contact, email address and a VAT number (if relevant).

Destinations will be asked for a trading address if it is any different to their registered address. This is so both PP and Pioneer are aware of where the job they are posting will be held.

Predictable Working Pattern and Flexibility

Pioneers who frequently collaborate with the same Destination may request flexible arrangements or consistent scheduling.

PP will help facilitate such requests with Destinations, and any refusal will include a reasonable explanation, this is in line with the Employment Rights Bill 2024/25.

Your Actions, Your Responsibility:
At PP, we’re all about keeping things fair. Here’s how:

We Mean Business:
PP reserve the right to take action if a Pioneer or a Destination doesn’t play by the rules, including restricting or blocking access, halting any ongoing jobs, alerting Destinations, or giving your account a formal warning. This may occur where:

There is any violation of these terms and conditions or any referenced policies.
Information is provided which PP can’t verify or authenticate.
PP suspects that behaviour might cause losses or liabilities to PP or any third party.
A Destination or a Pioneer has 3 or more 1-star reviews.

Remember, your account is your responsibility. Don’t try to use someone else’s account or registration information on our platform.

AML Regulations and Location:

As per UK Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulations, PP currently only supports users from the United Kingdom. If you’re outside the UK, we’re sorry, but we can’t assist you at the moment.

Commitment to Quality:

Quality is our hallmark at PP. Destinations rightly expect that all Pioneers will deliver quality work that meets the Destination’s needs. Here’s what we mean:

Pioneer must fully address each of the Destination’s defined requirements.
Pioneer must be dressed accordingly for the job.
Pioneers must show up on time, checking both in and out of every shift.
Pioneers must follow the rules that the Destination has.
Professional courtesy no swearing
Respecting personal boundaries

Destinations must also commit to quality by:

Making sure they are following all applicable health and safety requirements.
Keeping Pioneers informed of their tasks.
Checking the Pioneers in and out of their jobs
Professional courtesy no swearing
Respecting personal boundaries

Reviews can be written by Pioneers for Destinations and vice versa. These are completely transparent on the platform so that both parties are aware of how each other have worked in the past.

Important Stuff to Know:
Here are some crucial bits of information that we want to make sure both parties are aware of:

The type of job and the terms and conditions of the project, including tasks, specific requirements, and the remuneration set at a minimum of £15 per hour in London, £14 per hour nationwide, are exclusively determined and agreed upon directly between the Destination and Pioneer. The Destination is under no obligation to provide work, and the Pioneer is under no obligation to accept any work offered. Once agreed, both parties are responsible for establishing and abiding by the terms outlined within what is henceforth referred to as ‘the Contract for Services (‘Service Contract’)’.

It is explicitly acknowledged and agreed upon that PP is not party to the Service Contract, and as such, it is understood that it shall not bear any responsibility to either the Pioneer or to the Destination for any losses, damages, or disputes, howsoever arising directly or indirectly from the Service Contract. Both Destination and Pioneer agree to hold PP harmless from any liabilities, claims, or demands, including legal fees, that may arise from or relate to the Service Contract between them.

Once a shift has been completed and the Pioneer has been successfully checked in and checked out on the Platform, payment is automatically processed based on the agreed hours in the Platform. After this point, no amendments can be made to the shift cost, recorded hours, or any other aspect of the completed engagement unless a dispute has been formally raised with PP before the check-out is completed.

Fees:

Destinations are charged no set up, subscription or starting fees. The only fee they are charged is 12% on top of the hourly rate that they pay the Pioneer. For Pioneers, we charge no fees, what you see is what you get on the hourly rates advertised. The only fee will be an initial one on your first payout, which will be £2.50 to cover the cost of your obligatory identity verification. This is done so we can ensure you are verified to work in the UK and your account belongs to you.

Promises to PP:
As a responsible member of our community, all users promise that:

If they are a Destination, they will pay for the services; if they are a Pioneer, they will perform the services.
They are not in violation of, and will not violate, any applicable laws, rules, regulations, or obligations to any other person.
They have made and will continue to make all required legal and tax filings. If relevant, you’ll file all necessary legal documentation related to your self-employment required by any governmental body and pay all applicable taxes, including but not limited to PAYE or other income tax and national insurance.
They won’t (and won’t allow any third party to) take any action or upload, download, post, submit, or distribute any content, project, or proposal on or through the services provided by PP that infringes on any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, or other rights of any other person or entity, or violates any law or contractual duty.

Payment Outside PP:
Paying (or attempting to pay) outside of PP is a breach of these terms and conditions unless there is prior express written consent from PP. Such actions can, at PP’s discretion, lead to temporary and/or permanent suspension of the Destination and/or Pioneer’s account. The Pioneer will be liable for any losses that PP may incur in recovering fees which would otherwise have been due to PP. PP also reserves the right to withhold funds held in the Pioneer’s Account to recover lost fees.

Additionally, PP will not mediate any Disputes or be liable for the loss of business experienced by either the Destination or Pioneer as a result of violating this clause. Users must report any attempts or offers to make payments outside of PP by their Destination or Pioneer to PP.

Requesting a Refund:
Destinations cannot request a refund unless they have a specific and good reason for the request. If a Destination’s Pioneer does not show up to their shift or does not complete it, Destinations will be refunded the full amount that they paid for the shift.

PP will process refund requests only after reviewing the refund reason and circumstances to ensure both parties have complied with the terms and conditions.

If PP reasonably believes that parties have not complied with these terms and conditions or are attempting to avoid their obligations, PP is not obliged to issue the refund.

Disputes:
PP encourages Pioneers and Destinations to resolve disagreements between themselves by using the messaging functionality on the app. However, if that’s not possible, PP Customer Services may, at its discretion, be able to provide dispute resolution and can be contacted at hello@pioneering-people.com.

Severability

If any provision of these terms and conditions is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

Update to these terms:
PP reserves the right to modify these terms and conditions at any time. We will provide notice of material changes by:
Email notification to registered users.

Continued use of the platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the modified terms. Users who do not agree with changes should discontinue use of the platform.

For changes required by law (including implementation of Employment Rights Bill provisions), PP will implement changes in accordance with legal requirements and provide appropriate notice.