BACK TO THE OP'S TOPIC: (I know, why?)
Have the young lady contact the instructor. A "professional quality instrument" is not necessarily an F tuba. Unless the teacher is French, as in Paris, and that's all that is familiar to the teacher.
and, besides, what does "be prepared to purchase" mean? Now? 2 years down the road? And, define "professional quality"? Plenty of pro players use a YBB 103 (small student tuba) for dixieland gigs.
Something doesn't smell right with this scenario. Please let us know what the situation turns out to be, in reality.