Peer-based education site School for Everything has been launched, and will allow users to register for free and seek potential teachers who declare their areas of expertise, for either in-person or online learning, BoingBoing.net reported Wednesday.

“We wanted to keep the site free to use and give people more control over how they are educated. What we are doing is building a community which will ultimately become a market place where we can provide services such as a payment system for lessons, venues, teaching materials, etc., and we'll take a small commission from that in the same way that eBay does,” said Andy Gibson, one of the site's founders.

School For Everything aims to fill the gaps that conventional educational systems leave, particularly in “unusual” fields such as psycho-geography or Tibetan throat singing, according to the Times Online. The site includes features like reviews, pushpin maps and a notification service that informs users if an instructor emerges in a particular area.

While the site is largely free, it does charge a “small” transaction fee for people who arrange payment though it, Boing Boing reported. Although the site may not have much income for the time being, the funding raised may last until spring next year, by which it hopes to have gathered enough registered users to have a “sustainable market,” “proof of concept” and “a business pitch that is solid enough to attract venture capital.”

In 2006, the Young Foundation, which offers business resources and entrepreneurial consultancy, provided support for the project. In February this year, the company got a £350,000 investment from private individuals, Channel 4 and The Young Foundation, after being nominated for the Seedcamp awards that reward the most innovative technology start-ups.

The firm intends to expand the service across the English-speaking market and is predicted to develop the service in foreign languages, according to the Times Online. Currently, it is available only in the United Kingdom, according to Boing Boing.