Teacher Terms of Service

You confirm that you have read and understood our Terms of Service and you agree to be bound by them.

1. Introduction. If you wish to offer your teaching services on www.talkingtourist.com , you are required to read the following “Teacher Terms of Service” and agree to be bound by these. If you refuse to accept these Terms of Service, you will not be able to teach on the Talking Tourist platform. This Teacher Terms of Service has been created to outline teacher expectations and provide both information and support for teachers in numerous different scenarios, which includes before, during and after conducting a lesson online.
2. Becoming a teacher
   1. How to become a teacher. If you wish to become a teacher on the Talking Tourist platform, you need to first complete the “Become a teacher” form on our website https://talkingtourist.com/become-a-teacher/. This will be followed up by an email from hello@talkingtourist.com to arrange a chat with you over a video call in order to gather more information and conduct a short interview. You will need to read the Teachers Terms of Service and accept them before being accepted as a teacher.
   2. Successful application. If successful, you will be approved by the platform and receive a confirmation email with login details to begin completing your teacher profile. Once you have completed your profile, you will be visible to potential customers to book a lesson with you.
   3. Unsuccessful application. If unsuccessful, you will receive an email from Talking Tourist to let you know the reasons why, followed up by a formal application rejection.
   4. Background checks. Talking Tourist may obtain background checks from public records or via third party companies to check for criminal records or sex offender registrations, and in order to complete identity checks. In accepting these Terms of Service you agree and authorise Talking Tourist to use the personal information you have provided, e.g. name and date of birth, to obtain these reports. If additional items are requested for verification such as identification documents (passport) or qualification certificates, you agree and authorise Talking Tourist to provide these to a third party to verify the authenticity of these documents.
3. Setting your price per lesson.
   1. Select your own earnings. You can choose to set your price per lesson (50 minutes). Talking Tourist is focused on personalisation of lessons and offering a premium service, therefore there is a minimum and maximum earnings per lesson within the platform settings. This ensures teachers don’t continue to reduce their prices to compete with each other for visibility of customers. It also stays within a competitive price framework as per Talking Tourists customer research. The minimum per lesson is £11.50 GBP (Great British Pound) or equivalent in your currency, with the maximum price you can set being £31 GBP (Great British Pound) or equivalent in your currency.
   2. Customer price. You will notice that the amount you set in your teacher dashboard to earn per lesson, and the price the customer sees and pays is different. The price that the customer pays per lesson (which will show on your teacher profile and when the customer goes to book a lesson) is a greater price. The difference covers the costs associated in running the Talking Tourist platform. This includes all video call hosting and whiteboarding software used during the lessons, absorbing the costs of international payment fees, and marketing to customers. Using this model prevents us from needing to charge you a fee for use of the platform. In addition, Talking Tourist will also absorb the cost of discounting on lesson packages, to increase the volume of bookings you receive. For example, customers can select from 3 lesson package options e.g. 1 lesson, 5 lessons, 10 lessons. There will be a discount applied to customers who select more than 1 lesson, this will be paid for by Talking Tourist and you will still receive the earnings per hour you set in your dashboard.
4. Setting your availability. Please set your availability as far in advance as you are able to, this will enable customers to be able to book with you. If your availability changes and you have not already had a booking for that time slot, please ensure to update this as soon as possible so as not to receive a booking for that time slot.
5. Lesson bookings. All lessons will be automatically booked if you show as an available teacher. This means you need to keep your availability up to date and accurate at all times to avoid disappointing a customer.
6. Lesson requirements
   1. Lesson planning
      1. Your lesson booking will be no less than 48 hours in advance, to allow you to receive a minimum time frame in order to prepare for your lesson and contact the customer.
      2. Plan your lesson in accordance with the “trip details” description sent to you when a lesson is booked.
      3. Communicate with customers before the lesson to share the lesson plan outline and ensure it meets their needs and expectations. Give them the opportunity to share any other relevant information that will help you prepare for their lesson. This is to ensure a personalised experience and increase the chance of receiving a good review for yourself as a teacher.
   2. Lesson start time: Lessons will be booked to start on the hour e.g. 1.00pm, 2.00pm, 3.00pm. Be on time or early for each lesson.
   3. Lesson length: 50 mins per lesson. This allows you to take a break between teaching lessons, and book lessons starting every hour if you wish to maximise your earnings.
   4. Ending a lesson.
      1. Politely remind the customer at the start of your lesson or when the time is almost up, what the end time for the lesson is. Let them know you need to finish on time to take a break and prepare for the next lesson.
      2. The only reason not to end your lesson on time is if the customer is late and you have pre-agreed to extend their lesson time for them (so long as this doesn’t run into another customer's lesson. It is important that you take the full 10 minute break in-between lessons to allow you as a teacher to take a comfort break, be adequately prepared for the next customer, and be on time or early for the next lesson.
7. Reviews and feedback
   1. Customers will be able to review your lesson straight after they finish. If they choose not to leave feedback at this point, then they will also receive an email with the opportunity to review their lesson at a later date.
   2. Customers can review with their name showing or post their review anonymously.
   3. Your reviews will determine where you show up when a customer goes to book a lesson. If there are 6 teachers for the destination Argentina who teach Spanish, then the 3 that will be displayed are those that have the highest reviews, with the highest rated showing as “best match”. The customer can then use the filter option to set their budget per lesson and availability. The teacher that best matches the criteria will then show up in the options list. Where the teachers are the same price and have the same availability then the one with the highest rating will be presented first.
   4. Customer feedback. It is optional as to whether you want to provide a customer with feedback on their level or progress after the lesson to help them with their development. You may also share homework or supporting resources for their trip via the inbox functionality.
8. Minimum age requirement for customers. The minimum age requirement of a customer is 18. If you suspect a customer is younger than 18, please ask them to confirm their age. If they confirm they are younger than 18, inform them that you are not able to complete the lesson and that Talking Tourist will be in touch.
9. Late for a lesson
   1. Teacher is late and can notify the customer. If you are late or know you are going to be late, please contact the customer and let them know you are running late. If they are able to wait then you can offer to extend the lesson by the time lost once you have joined.
   2. Teacher is late by more than 15 minutes and did not notify the customer. If you are late by more than 15 minutes and were not able to notify the customer then this is classed as a teacher no show and the customer is able to leave the lesson. You will not receive payment for this lesson.
   3. Customer is late and has notified teacher: If the customer is late and notifies you of this, you must stay on the lesson until they join. The remaining time will be their lesson. This cuts into their time and this is made clear in customer terms and conditions. It is your discretion as to whether you decide to extend the lesson for them to give them the full 50 minutes. If you have other lessons or commitments after their lesson, there is no requirement to extend the lesson for them. It is out of goodwill and customer retention that you may wish to allow a lesson extension and is down to your discretion.
   4. Customer is late by more than 15 minutes and did not notify the teacher. If they are more than 15 minutes late and you have received no notification from the customer, this can be classed as a missed lesson and the customer will not receive a refund on their lesson. You will receive payment for the lesson and are allowed to leave the lesson after 15 minutes, you do not need to stay and wait for them.
10. Rescheduling a lesson
    1. Teacher rescheduling of a lesson more than 24 hours before the lesson start date/time. If you need to reschedule your lesson, and it is more than 24 hours before the lesson start date & time, then please send the customer a reschedule request within your teacher dashboard. They will then be able to select a new date and time for their lesson. Please make sure that a customer has accepted this request. You can send them a message using the inbox functionality to make sure they have received this.
    2. Teacher rescheduling of a lesson less than 24 hours before the lesson start date/time. You are unable to reschedule a lesson with less than 24 hours notice, please see the cancellations section.
    3. Customer rescheduling of a lesson more than 24 hours before the lesson start date/time. Customers can reschedule a lesson if it's more than 24 hours until the lesson is due to start. You will receive a notification in your dashboard and an email to notify you of the new lesson date and time.
    4. If the customer misses a lesson (is a no show): If the customer did not reschedule a lesson with you, you have not received a notification that they are running late, and are more than 15 minutes late to the lesson then this can be classed as a missed lesson (no show). You can therefore abandon the lesson after 15 minutes and end the lesson. You will still receive the full payment for the lesson.
    5. If you or the customer are unable to join or continue a session due to technical reasons, you shall do your best to reschedule the session with them. Please contact hello@talkingtourist.com if you believe it to be an issue with the lesson software and not either your or the customers internet connection or other technical issues.
11. Cancellations
    1. Teacher cancellation of a lesson more than 24 hours before the lesson start date/time. If you are able to reschedule the lesson within the next 2 weeks, please see the reschedule section. If you are unable to reschedule the lesson within the next 2 weeks with the customer e.g. due to a personal or family illness or other reasons, please select the cancel lesson button within the dashboard and email us at hello@talkingtourist.com for support. We will find an alternative teacher for the customer. You will not receive payment for the lesson that was unable to go ahead. If there are future lessons booked in, it is at the customers discretion as to whether they continue with yourself (if available) or with another teacher.
    2. Teacher cancellation of a lesson less than 24 hours before the lesson start date/time. If you need to cancel the lesson and it is less than 24 hours until the lesson is due to take place, please select the cancel lesson button within the dashboard and also message the customer to notify them and provide a reasoning where possible. You will not at this point be able to send a reschedule request. We will offer the customer different options and find an alternative teacher for the customer. You will not receive payment for the lesson that was unable to go ahead. If there are future lessons booked in, it is at the customers discretion as to whether they continue with yourself (if available) or with another teacher.
12. Payments. You will receive payouts from your completed lessons every 2 weeks. You can view your earnings total in your teacher dashboard, and a breakdown of payouts and earnings due in the payments dropdown option within your dashboard. This will also provide a breakdown of payments per lesson and the date earned.
13. Teacher conduct and rules
    1. Please be patient with customers and their pace of learning. Be positive and encouraging. Do not be rude or use any derogatory language towards them.
    2. Be professional at all times before, during and after a lesson. Do not request any personally identifiable information from customers such as date of birth, gender identification, age, religion, sexuality, phone number, home address.
    3. Maintain the privacy of your own personal information. Do not share with customers your personal email address, number, or social media account.
    4. All messaging between teacher and customer should take place through the platform.
    5. Do not use any personal video or audio recording devices to record a lesson, without the permission of the customer. Do not use any personal video or audio recording devices to record a lesson, or take pictures of your screen if the student's camera is on without the permission of the student prior to doing so.
    6. You must provide information to your teacher profile that is accurate, fair and not misleading.
    7. You must maintain your profile regularly to ensure it is up to date, in particular your availability for lessons.
    8. You should not encourage customers to have lessons with you outside of the platform. If they are asking for this, please let them know that this is not possible. If you fail to meet any of these requirements, Talking Tourist LTD reserves the right to remove you from the platform, cancel any future booked lessons, and if necessary, take legal action.
14. Customer misconduct. If a customer speaks to you in a derogatory way, please report this immediately to hello@talkingtourist.com to be dealt with in a sensitive manner. Please end a lesson early if you are uncomfortable with anything said by a customer.
15. Content
    1. Ownership of Talking Tourist content. © 2022 Talking Tourist Ltd, all rights reserved. Talking Tourist® is a registered trademark of Talking Tourist Ltd. The website www.talkingtourist.com domain name, original content, features, visual assets, functionality and company name are owned by Katie Gray and are protected by United Kingdom copyright, trademark, and intellectual property or proprietary rights laws. They cannot be copied or resold. Unauthorised use of this content may violate copyright, trademark, and other laws.
    2. Ownership of your content. Any content provided by a teacher to the platform, is owned by the teacher and not by Talking Tourist LTD and cannot be reused or shared unless given permission.
    3. Customer use of content. Customers are able to use education information provided by you for personal use only e.g. documents shared for homework or prep sheets for when they travel. They are not allowed to copy, reuse, repost or sell the materials provided by you for any public or commercial purpose without your prior consent.
16. Use of lesson recordings. We do not record audio or video for the lessons without prior consent to do so. We do record tab contents (whiteboards, documents etc) and chat conversations for the purpose of tracking teacher and student attendance when it is required (e.g. if either party is late) and ensuring the quality of the lessons.
17. Liability and warranties
    1. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable laws, we disclaim responsibility for any harm resulting from your use of all or any part of the platform, site and services. We shall not be liable to you for platform failure, any indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, incidental or punitive damages, including lost profits, whether such claim is based on warranty, contract, tort or otherwise (even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages)
    2. If, notwithstanding the other provisions of these Terms of Service, we are found to be liable to you for any damage or loss which arises out of or is in any way connected with your use of the platform, site and/or any of the services, our liability shall in no event exceed the lower of (1) the total of any fees with respect to the services, or (2) £100.00.
18. Contacting Talking Tourist. If you have any queries, need help, or wish to report anything, please contact Talking Tourist on hello@talkingtourist.com for support.