Abstract
Purpose: This study explores secondary school students' experiences of online English private tutoring (EPT) in Kazakhstan. It examines how learners perceive and negotiate online EPT across Benson's four dimensions of language learning beyond the classroom.Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative multiple-case study employed narrative writing and semi-structured interviews with ten students aged 15–17. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.Findings: Students' engagement in online EPT was driven primarily by examination preparation, particularly IELTS, and higher education aspirations. Participants valued the flexibility, personalised instruction and convenience of online tutoring but also reported reduced emotional connection with tutors, technological difficulties and distractions within home learning environments. Parents and tutors played central roles in shaping participation, while dissatisfaction with mainstream school English instruction further encouraged engagement in EPT.Originality/value: The study extends Benson's framework to online shadow education by showing how location, formality, pedagogy and locus of control are jointly shaped by learners, parents, tutors and examination systems. It also provides one of the first qualitative accounts of secondary school students' experiences of online EPT in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, offering implications for policy, practice and future research. These insights inform equitable regulation, digital pedagogy and learner-centred support within expanding supplementary education systems.