2) How to succeed, expectations & terms

After every lesson, students are encouraged to leave a rating out of 5. They also have the option of leaving a public review and/or giving you private feedback. We'll send you an email if you receive a rating/feedback. You can also view this in your account under Students > Student Details. You won't receive a rating after a trial.

As you gather more positive ratings and reviews, your profile will become more popular with students. You'll also find it easier to get bookings at a higher price!

It’s expensive for us to advertise, so our algorithm has to consider several factors to determine how near the top of the listings page your profile shows. The order is updated daily. The factors include:

  • Trial success rate - what % of your trials result in bookings?
  • Retention - on average, how many lessons do your students end up taking?
  • Reviews - do you receive lots of positive reviews and 5-star ratings?
  • Availability - if you have little availability, your profile will be less likely to show near the top.
  • Organisation & reliability

Here are some tips on staying organised:

  • It's important that your availability is accurate, so we recommend updating it regularly. This should help you avoid having to cancel or reschedule bookings due to not being available. If you cannot attend a lesson, consider apologising to the student, then cancel in the system and encourage them to book a new time (do not reschedule to a time they haven't agreed to).
  • Try to respond to messages from your students within a reasonable time period. If you have multiple students, checking twice a day on weekdays is a good idea. Students may write to you via email or Skype (if you've added a Skype ID in your Settings).
  • You'll get an email whenever you receive a booking, but emails can be missed. So, we recommend checking the site regularly to make sure you don't miss session. You could keep LanguaTalk open in your internet browser.
  • Join calls on time. Students may not be happy if you’re 5 minutes late given they're paying for your time!

Terms

Just like on other tutoring websites, you’ll work as a freelancer through our site. Among other things, this means that you're free to set your own hours, to teach how you wish, and you'll be self-employed and responsible for your taxes. At some point you may want to check out our Terms page as by using the website and offering your services, you are agreeing to all of the Terms. Warning: it’s boring!

Now move on to the next section: How to connect with students