W Tutors

FAQ

Are time slots and lessons listed in my timezone?

Yes, time listed are in your timezone unless you set a different one in your profile.

Why did I not receive the verification email?

All users on W Tutors have to verify their email addresses. If you did not receive the verification from our system, please try to log in and request for one to be resent. Some users might find the email in their spam/bulk folder. Do contact us if you continue to have trouble verifying your account.

Why did I receive an error?

As much as we hope to have an error free website, there might be times when script or server errors occur. Please write to us at [email protected] with a description of the issue and, if possible, a screenshot of it.

Will I get notifications of messages or lesson bookings?

Yes, tutors and learners will receive emails whenever there is a message posted through W Tutors or lesson purchases, bookings, or changes. Please include [email protected] in your email safelist to ensure you receive the emails in your inbox.

You may also use Google Calendar in the Account Settings to receive reminders.

Can I pass my phone number or email to my tutor/learner?

No, we do not recommend giving your personal information to your tutor/learner. For your security and privacy, the W Tutors platform will block sensitive information in messages. You will see **BLOCKED** in places where numeric numbers and emails are sent.

Can I view prices in other currencies?

The base currency on W Tutors is US Dollars.

You may view estimated prices in other currencies simply by click on the USD at the top right corner of your screen to switch to Great British Pound (GBP) Euro (EUR), Hong Kong Dollars (HKD) and Singapore Dollars (SGD).

Do note that the display of prices in other currency is a best estimate and they do not represent actual rates. All purchases remain in US Dollars.

How do I unschedule/reschedule a lesson?

Follow these steps to unschedule a booked lesson

1. Find your booked lessons in My Lessons. Click on the down arrow to reveal an option to Unschedule.

2. Provide a reason and click on Send. The lesson is now unscheduled which the learner could use to book another available slot.

This process is the same for both tutor and learner.

How do I contact a tutor?

You can contact a tutor directly from their profile.

Just write a short message explaining what you need help with and click "Send Message". The tutor will get back to you as soon as they see your message, usually within a day or so. You can then set up a free 30 minute trial lesson (if the tutor allows) or a 60 minute lesson with the tutor in our online lesson space.

Can I pay my tutor directly?

No, W Tutors cannot ensure the security of your identity if you chose to contact or pay your tutor directly away from the site. Furthermore, W Tutors will not be able intervene and help you in a dispute, for example, a tutor is not contactable after paying him/her directly.

Are the tutors qualified?

Only 1 in 20 tutors who apply at W Tutors eventually make it to the tutor list to ensure that you get the most qualified. All tutors have to provide their qualifications as part of our verification process. If tutors are found to be under qualified, we will have them removed.

My tutor did not turn up, what should I do?

Tutors are usually punctual but at times, there may be unexpected events, such as an accident, a power cut where they are, or some urgent matters that they have to attend to. Please send a message to your tutor to reschedule the lesson. If you need assistance, simply reach out to us at [email protected]. Our staff will be at hand to help.

Can I get a refund for purchased lessons?

Yes.

All purchased lessons are protected by W Tutors.

You will get a credit to your learner account Wallet for the following -

(a) An unscheduled lesson is cancelled - 100% refund credit
(b) A scheduled lesson is cancelled - 100% refund credit

You may use the credits in your Wallet for your next lesson purchase or contact us for a refund to your mode of payment.

Can I reschedule a lesson if I missed it?

At times, you might miss a lesson due to a variety of reasons. If the reason is not communicated to your tutor prior to the lesson starting, it is only right that he/she is compensated for the effort in preparing and the time spent waiting for you in the lesson space.

However, it is your tutor's decision whether to grant you a reschedule. If the lesson has been marked as completed, please contact us and we will help to allow it to be booked again.

I am a new tutor. How do I sign up?

Thanks for your interest in teaching with W Tutors!

To apply to teach, please do the following:

1) If you haven't already, create an account with W Tutors.

2) Go to Apply to Teach and fill in all the required information. Provide as much information as possible about your qualifications and experience in teaching for each subject. Learners who approach tutors for help are often going to take tests or exams in the future. It is important that tutors be familiar with curriculum and syllabuses of the subjects they teach.

Do include how you are able to help them succeed in your bio.

PS - Please ensure you are able to receive emails/messages from us at [email protected]. Tutors who are not contactable by emails/messages may be removed from our system.

PPS - As an International tutoring platform, you may get students of different races from other parts of the world. Please do not sign up if this is an issue for you. We will reach out to you if we think you might be a good fit for one of our tutoring positions!

How do I become an approved tutor to start teaching?

W Tutors will vet through your application. Please include all experience, including education (University and degree awarded/attending), A-Level/College equivalent results, teaching courses and/or work related to teaching.

Usually, an eligible applicant will be approved in-principle, subjected to the completion of your profile with the relevant diplomas or transcripts before you will appear on tutor listing. Tutors who are unable to furnish these information may be rejected.

PS - Please ensure you are able to receive emails/messages from us from [email protected]. Tutors who are not contactable by emails/messages may be removed from our system.

PPS - As an International tutoring platform, you will get students of different races from other parts of the world. Please do not sign up if this is an issue for you.

Why am I not showing in the tutor listing?

All approved tutors are required to complete their tutor profile, such as setting their rates, subjects, languages and submit their certificates before they are listed.

Can I teach a subject that is not listed?

Absolutely! Please contact us at [email protected] with the subject you have in mind and we will add it in if it is suitable.

Which subjects can I tutor?

Learners who approach tutors for help are often going to take tests or exams in the future. It is important that tutors are familiar with curriculum and syllabuses of the subjects they teach. Do include your proficiency and how you are able to help them in your bio.

You can tutor subjects at 11+, 13+, GCE/GCSE/iGCSE which you have studied at A-level, Senior School, College (or equivalent) and achieved an A* or an 8 (or equivalent) grade.

To tutor a subject at A-level (or equivalent), it must additionally form a major part of your degree. We also ask that you have the relevant syllabus and/or exam board knowledge in the subjects you tutor. For example, to tutor a subject at A-level, you have to have sat the A-level exam.

As a simple rule of thumb, you should acquire an A* grade for the subject you tutor. For languages, we ask that you have at least obtained an A* in the exam you sat or as a native speaker.

The crux is to only teach the subjects you are good at and describe your proficiency of each subject in your bio. Simply adding many subjects into your profile will not get you more learners!

Am I an employee of W Tutors?

Short answer is no.

Tutors are sole proprietors or freelancers who are not under an employment contract with W Tutors. It is your responsibility to check your earnings and pay income taxes, if any, to your local government.

How much can I earn?

Tutors set their own rates and they get to keep 85% of every lesson conducted. 15% will be used for the running of the W Tutors system.

Your tutor account will be credited after the completion of each lesson.

While tutors get to set their own rates, they have to be within a reasonable sum. Most tutors set between US$20-$40. To set higher rates, you should have extensive relevant experience and expertise in the subject you teach. W Tutors will remove tutors who set excessive rates, for e.g. a junior at university who has little or no tutoring experience but setting US$80 and above for a lesson.

Withdrawal requests from US$25 once every 7 days directly to your bank account.

Does W Tutors provide guidelines, curriculum and material for tutors to teach?

No, W Tutors provides the platform for tutors and learners to connect. Tutors have to update themselves with current subject syllabuses, to discuss with learners their requirements, and to provide learning material for them.

How do I write a good bio?

Your tutor listing is your advertising space. It is important that it is eye catching.

1) Do not be shy to flaunt your academic results and related experiences. Write it truthfully and convincingly.

2) You would want to put in ALL your academic accomplishments, including the university that you have attended or are attending.

3) Put forward your strengths and tell students how you are able to help them.

4) Reduce the number of subjects you are teaching unless you are very experienced and qualified. Please mention in your bio your proficiency in every subject. Learners will not select you as their tutor if you are unable to show your capability, for example having a degree in History yet teaching Maths. Whenever possible, include the exam board that you are familiar with.

Learners who approach tutors for help are often going to take tests or exams in the future. It is important that tutors are clear with curriculums and syllabuses of the subjects they teach. For e.g. if you are an expert with IELTS exams, write about it. If you are good with AP exams, tell your students which subjects they are.

4) Include any relevant work experience that is useful.

5) A video to introduce yourself to learners is very helpful. This will give them a first impression of you and the way you teach. Upload the video to YouTube and insert the link into your profile.

6) Use a profile photo of yourself in a casual setting, preferably smiling. Avoid passport photos which are usually stern and unwelcoming.

Final thought - teach the subject(s) you are best at. Contact us at [email protected] if you need help with your bio.

How do I withdraw my earnings?

You may withdraw your earnings once every seven days through the Wallet feature in your account upon reaching a minimum of US$25 . All withdrawals are denominated in US Dollars (rates for other currencies shown are for reference only and they are subjected to foreign exchange volatility).

We use OFX.com to remit payments to your local bank account. If you are receiving in a currency other than US dollars, it will be converted at OFX current spot price and you will not incur a fee for receiving money.

Processing time is 1-4 working days.

PS - Self topping up to reach US$25 is not permitted.

Why is my tutor application pending?

W Tutors receives hundreds of applications everyday making it impossible to reply to each and every applicant. If you do not receive an approval after two weeks of applying, please consider your application unsuccessful.

I do not have time for lessons, how do I remove my listing?

Removing all the time slots in your Availability tab will remove you from the tutor listing.

What's the difference between Availability and Weekly Schedule?

Availability is your general time slots to conduct lessons whereas Weekly Schedule allows for specific time of a particular week where you could add or remove time slots, perhaps when you are busy with work or studies.

NOTE: Update to your Availability will only be effective the following week. To update your timeslots for the current week, please use Weekly Schedule.

Can I collect payments from learners?

No. W Tutors is more than a mere classified for tutors to list their services. It is a learning platform with a host of features such as customer support for tutors and learners, online video chat for lessons, payment processing, scheduler, flashcard, messaging system and many others. We expect mutual respect and understanding that operating the site and advertising for learners incur substantial costs. If a tutor is unappreciative of the effort from the W Tutors team for getting learners for you and would rather keep all the lesson fees than to pay a nominal 15% for our services, we would be left with no other alternative but to terminate your relationship with us.

How do I offer a trial lesson to my learner?

In the Price tab of your Profile, select the checkbox "Enable 30 min Trial Lesson". While we recommend a 30 minute trial for a proper introduction, it is entirely your decision to have a shorter or longer session. Each learner is only allowed one free trial with you.

Why is my tutor account deactivated?

Below are a few reasons, but not limited to, a tutor having his/her account deactivated.

1) You were not contactable. We will remove tutors who are not contactable or not replying to emails and/or messages. Please ensure that you are able to receive emails from W Tutors by adding [email protected] to your email account safelist.

2) You have not provided documents to prove your education credentials. We require documentary proof of your educational background as part of our tutor verification process.

3) You attempted to accept payment directly from learners. As per W Tutors' terms and conditions, any tutor who collects payments from learners will not be listed.

4) You have not provided a profile photo or you have uploaded an inappropriate photo. We hope students are able to match a face to their tutors before contacting them. Use a casual smiling photo of yourself. If your account is deactivated because of this problem, please contact us with a proper photo.

5) Your behaviour during lesson was unbecoming of an educator. All tutors are expected to be punctual, professional and polite to their learners. Any leave from a lesson must be communicated to your learner. Should claims from a learner constitutes criminal activities, W Tutors will not hesitate to report to your local authority for investigation. W Tutors reserves the rights to forfeit any earnings to refund to learners.

Can I keep my current rates for learners before I change my prices?

Yes, simply go to "My Learners" in your tutor account

and toggle the lock icon beside their names.

Key in the rates you would like to charge the learner to lock in the prices. Click the lock icon again if you wish to unlock.

Can I offer 0.5 or 1.5 hour lessons to learners?

Yes, you may offer 30 or 90 minute lessons to your learners. Simply go to Prices tab of your Profile to enable the options and set prices for them.

Would a lessons be cancelled if I remove my time slots?

Removing your time slots in your Availability or Weekly Schedule tab do not cancel or unschedule a booked lesson. It simply prevents other learners from booking new lessons.

A scheduled lesson remains booked until the tutor or learner unschedules/cancels it.

How do I allow students to book a lesson immediately?

Tutors have the option of allowing students to book a lesson immediately or to give a notice of at least 12 or 24 hours before the scheduled time.

To make a change, simply go to your Profile and choose one of the options available. Remember to click on the Save button.

What is the cancellation policy at W Tutors?

1) A tutor can request to be credited if a student did not show up for a lesson.

2) A tutor can request to be credited if a student cancels within two(2) hours before a lesson start time.

We urge both tutors and learners to exercise flexibility whenever possible should there be genuine extenuating circumstances.

Can I use other video conference tool for lessons?

While the lesson space at W Tutors is tailored specifically for online lessons, we understand that tutors may have their preferred software when it comes to teaching, be it Teams, Zoom or Skype. You are allowed to coordinate with your learner but lessons will have to be scheduled at W Tutors.

Please start and end the lesson from your tutor dashboard so that you get credited for the lesson.

How do I pay for lessons?

Payments are through Stripe.com. You are required to have a Visa, Mastercard, Amex or UnionPay credit or debit card.

Additional modes of payment are available -

1) Bank transfers are available for USA, UK, Singapore and Hong Kong users.

2) PayNow is available for Singapore users.

3) PayMe, AliPayHK and FPS are available for Hong Kong users.

Please contact us for details.

How do I top up my account Wallet?

Apart from paying for lessons, you may also choose to top up your account Wallet which can be used to offset purchases.

Go to your account Wallet
Enter the amount in US dollars
Click on Top Up Account and you will be brought to the usual Stripe.com payment

What is the technology needed to use W Tutors?

Technical Set-Up

W Tutors has lessonspace seamlessly integrated into the W Tutors experience. The lesson space allow real time video chat between tutor and learner where they can write documents, draw on whiteboards or share their screens. No downloading of software is required. Please note that sharing of screens is not available on smart tablets.

1. You need to be using a laptop, PC or smart tablet. While it is possible to use your smartphone for lessons, we do not recommend due to the small screen size.

2. You need to be on a stable Wi-Fi/LAN connection. Check that you have at least 30Mbps for download and upload at https://www.speedtest.net.

3. You must have a webcam and microphone. Headphones are also recommended.

What should I do if I can't see/hear during a lesson?

When both tutor and learner enter a video/audio chat, the browser will ask permission to use your web camera and microphone. At times there might be different camera or microphone on your system, please make sure the right hardware is selected. Re-initiate the video call to try again. If the problem persists, please report an issue from your lesson for our team to look into.

Why is the video or audio jittery or unclear?

This is likely caused by a slow Internet connection. Please ensure you have a strong Wi-Fi coverage or a stable LAN connection. Avoid using mobile networks unless you have a good and stable 4G/LTE connection. Head to https://www.speedtest.net to test your connection. You should have at least 30Mbps for upload and download.

Which browsers are supported?

W Tutors is built and tested to work in the following web browsers. It may work in other browsers but these are not officially supported. Web browsers support are : Chrome (Latest version) * Firefox (Latest version) * Safari 10 and later Edge * Due to the limitation of iOS, only Safari works on iPhone/iPad.

What should I do if I can't start/enter a conversation in the lesson?

Please clear the cache and history in your browser and try again.

Make sure you are using one the supported browser -

Chrome (Latest version)

Firefox (Latest version)

Safari 10 and later Edge

* Due to the limitation of iOS, only Safari works on iPhone/iPad.

Can I share my screen during lessons?

Yes, have a look at our guide "How To Start An Online Lesson?" and the steps to sharing your screen is mentioned in it.

Why did the Zoom lesson end abruptly at 40 minutes?

Zoom does not limit a 1-1 lesson between a tutor and a learner. In the event that a user enters the same lesson more than once or use multiple devices, there will be a time limit of 40 minutes. Please use only one device for lessons.

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