Comprehensive Tutor Guidelines
Introduction
As a valued member of our tutoring team, it is essential to understand the various policies, penalties, and procedures that guide our operations. This document aims to provide you with comprehensive guidelines on our company policies, the penalties associated with policy violations, and the steps you need to follow if you wish to take leave or resign from your position.
At Tutopiya, we are committed to maintaining a high standard of educational excellence and professionalism. Our policies are designed to ensure a smooth and efficient working environment, while also supporting your professional growth and well-being. By familiarizing yourself with these guidelines, you can help us uphold our standards and continue to deliver exceptional educational experiences to our students.
We encourage you to read through this document thoroughly and reach out to us if you have any questions or need further clarification. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to Tutopiya. Together, we can continue to provide outstanding education and support to our students.
Sincerely,
Malinda Wijayasinghe
Head of Academic Quality Control
Mandatory Free Slot Requirements for Tutors
To ensure that we can accommodate new student trials efficiently, we require all tutors to add at least two free slots per week during peak hours. This is a mandatory requirement to maintain your availability for trial classes.
Peak Hours
- Weekdays (Monday to Friday):
- Weekends (Saturday and Sunday):
- Adding Free Slots
- Time Zone Conversion: The peak hours are provided in IST. When adding free slots, you can convert these times to your local time zone. The system will automatically show the peak hours marked in red according to your time zone.
- How to Add Free Slots:
- Log in to your tutor account.
- Navigate to the “My Schedule” tab.
- Click the “Add Free Slots” button.
- Available free slots will be highlighted in red.
- Select at least two free slots per week during the peak hours.
- Remember to hit the save button after adding the free slots.
- Removing Free Slots:
- If you need to remove a free slot, click the “Add Free Slots” button.
- Click on the slot you want to remove.
- Don’t forget to click save at the end.
- Importance of Free Slots
- Increased Chances of Getting New Students: Adding free slots increases your chances of getting new students. While the minimum requirement is two slots, we advise adding as many slots as possible, especially during weekends.
- Automatic Booking of Trial Classes: Trial classes are booked automatically in the provided free slots. Tutors should be ready to conduct trial lessons if a trial class is booked in a given free slot.
- Managing Commitments: If you learn that you have any other commitments that impede the provided free slots, you need to immediately remove the said slot from your schedule. Rescheduling or canceling a trial class after it has been booked is subject to penalties.
Guidelines for Conducting Trial Classes
To ensure a smooth and professional experience for both tutors and students, we have established the following guidelines for conducting trial classes. Please read these guidelines carefully and adhere to them during every trial session.
1. Duration and Timing
- Trial Duration: Each trial class is scheduled for one hour.
- Punctuality: Tutors must start the trial on time.
- Student Absence: If the student is not present within the first 15 minutes, the tutor can leave. The tutor will be paid 25% of the lesson fee in such cases.
2. Compensation
- Late Arrival: Tutors will be compensated 25% of the lesson fee if the student does not show up within the first 15 minutes, regardless of whether the tutor stays longer.
- Successful Trials: If the trial is successful and the student is enrolled, the tutor will be paid the full lesson fee based on the grade of the student.
- Unsuccessful Trials: If the trial is not successful, the tutor will not be paid for the trial.
- Cancellations and Reschedules: Last-minute cancellations or reschedules from the student’s end or from Tutopiya’s end will not result in compensation for the tutor.
3. Technical and Presentation Requirements
- Virtual Background: Tutors must use the Tutopiya virtual background during the trial.
- Device Requirements: Trials should be conducted using a desktop or a laptop. Mobile phones and tablets are not allowed.
- Camera Usage: Tutors must keep their camera turned on during the trial class.
- Internet Connection: Tutors must ensure a stable internet connection.
- Environment: Tutors must conduct classes in an environment suitable for online learning, free from distractions and noise.
4. Professional Conduct
- Guidelines Compliance: Tutors must follow the trial guidelines provided by the Tutor Training team.
- Personal Information: Sharing personal information with the student or parents during the trial is strictly prohibited.
Guidelines for Regular and Non-Regular Classes
To ensure consistency and professionalism across all classes, we have established the following guidelines for both regular and non-regular classes. Please read these guidelines carefully and adhere to them during every session.
- Duration and Timing
- Punctuality: Tutors must start all lessons on time.
- Student Absence:
- Informing Absence: Tutors must inform about a student’s absence using the button on the platform.
- Waiting Period: Whether the class is scheduled for one hour or more, tutors are required to stay for 30 minutes if the student is absent.
- Compensation: Tutors will be paid the full lesson fee for one hour even if the class is scheduled for more than one hour. If the student does not show up within the first 30 minutes, tutors can leave, and they will still be compensated for one hour.
- Technical and Presentation Requirements
- Device Usage: Tutors are not allowed to use mobile phones or tablets to conduct classes. Only desktops or laptops should be used.
- Virtual Background: Tutors must use the Tutopiya virtual background during all lessons.
- Camera Usage: Tutors must keep their camera turned on during the class.
- Internet Connection: Tutors must ensure a stable internet connection.
- Environment: Tutors must conduct classes in an environment suitable for online learning, free from distractions and noise.
- Professional Conduct
- Personal Information: Sharing personal information with the student or parents during the lesson is strictly prohibited.
- Guidelines Compliance: Tutors must follow all guidelines provided by the Tutor Training team.
- Penalties and Compensation
- Hourly Rate Basis: Late start and no feedback penalties related to regular and non-regular classes are based on the tutor’s hourly rate even if the class is more than one hour.
- Extra Lesson Time:
- Extra lesson time can only be claimed if:
- The lesson was extended due to technical issues on the Tutopiya platform (excluding internet connectivity or issues related to the tutor’s or student’s devices).
- The student or parent requested to extend the lesson.
- Any extension without the student’s or parent’s consent will not be claimable.
- Trial lesson extensions will not be claimable. It’s the tutor’s responsibility to stick to the agreed time.
- Tutors cannot claim extra time for cases where they are covering for late starts.
Rescheduling and Cancellation Policy for Booked Lessons
Rescheduling and cancellations of booked lessons are strongly discouraged as they can be problematic for both students and the administration. However, we understand that there may be instances where tutors need to reschedule or cancel a lesson.
Guidelines:
- Making a Request:
- Via the Platform: Any request for rescheduling or cancellation should be made through the platform as quickly as possible.
- Informing Students: It is crucial to inform the student(s) about the reschedule or cancellation to avoid conflicts.
- Tutor Responsibility: Tutors cannot request students to reschedule or cancel lessons on their behalf. This must be done directly by the tutor.
- Avoiding Penalties:
- 24-Hour Notice: Tutors can avoid a penalty by making the reschedule or cancel request at least 24 hours prior to the lesson time.
- 12-Hour Notice: If the request is made within 12 to 24 hours of the scheduled lesson, standard penalties apply.
- Less Than 12 Hours: If the request is made less than 12 hours before the scheduled lesson, the penalty will be doubled.
- Student Consent:
- If the student agrees to the reschedule or cancellation in advance, tutors will not incur a penalty.
- There is a designated place in the platform to mark the student’s consent when making a request.
- Guiding Students: If a student requests rescheduling or cancellation assistance because they do not know how to use the platform, the tutor must guide them to seek assistance from the customer support team.
- Rescheduling and Cancellations by Students:
Notice Period:
- If a student cancels or reschedules a lesson less than 2 hours before the scheduled time, the tutor will be compensated for up to one hour as follows:
- Reschedule: Tutor will be compensated for 50% of the lesson fee.
- Cancellation: Tutor will be compensated for 100% of the lesson fee.
No Shows
Importance of Avoidance: We treat no shows for lessons including trials seriously and encourage tutors to avoid them as much as possible by rescheduling or canceling the booked lessons in a timely manner.
Impact on Reputation: No shows tarnish Tutopiya’s image, and therefore, no show penalties will not be waived under any circumstance.
Changing the Students
At Tutopiya, we strongly discourage changing students once regular classes have commenced. It is the tutor’s responsibility to gather all necessary information, including rates and schedules, before starting classes with a student.
- Responsibility: After starting the classes, if a tutor decides to change the student, the tutor will be liable to repay the company for the classes already paid for that student.
- Valid Reason for Change: A tutor can only request a student change due to abusive behavior from the student. Any such request must be thoroughly documented and submitted to the support team for review using the jot form.
- Link: https://form.jotform.com/212911655809460
Refund Policy
When a customer requests a refund due to dissatisfaction with the tutor’s performance, and it is proven that the tutor is at fault, the tutor will be liable for a penalty based on the hourly rate paid for the student’s classes.
Key Points:
- Customer Request: If a customer expresses dissatisfaction and requests a refund, an investigation will be conducted to determine the validity of the claim.
- Proof of Dissatisfaction: If it is established that the tutor’s performance did not meet the required standards or expectations, the tutor will be held accountable.
- Liability for Repayment: The tutor will be charged a one-time penalty of 400% based on the hourly rate paid for that student’s classes.
For example, if the tutor is paid 25 SGD per hour for a class with the said student, the one-time penalty will be 100 SGD (400% of 25 SGD). - Repayment Process: This penalty will be deducted from the tutor’s future earnings, either as a one-time deduction or in installments, based on the tutor’s decision.
- Communication: The tutor will be informed about the decision and the penalty repayment plan through official communication channels.
Raising Concerns and Queries
Tutors can raise their concerns and queries through the following methods:
- Email: Send an email to Malinda at malinda@tutopiya.com.
- Message: Send a message to Malinda at +6587761970.
- Google Form: Fill out the Google form provided for submitting concerns and queries. Link: https://forms.gle/3FVh5qZ9QYoRU6Q38
We encourage you to use these channels to communicate any issues or questions you may have. Our team is here to support you and ensure a smooth and professional experience at Tutopiya.