April is in the rear mirror, and most students can already taste the summer break. Maybe you too? In which case we ask, if at all possible, that you stay in town long enough to get your students through their finals. It’s really upsetting to lose your tutor two weeks before finals when you are beginning to panic. If you do have to leave, please give everyone good notice and tell us too so we can potentially offer your clients a last-minute sub.
Mobile Apps for Apple and Android Users
We are excited to unveil In-Home Tutors’ very first mobile app. It’s pretty much identical to the web reporting system you already know, same username and password, but it should work more efficiently on your phone.
- The Apple iOS app is unlisted, since it’s just for you, not the wider world, so you need to click this link to get it.
- If you have an Android phone, please download the app from the Google Play Store
Let us know if you have any comments or problems or suggestions.
SAT/ACT Tutoring: We often gets requests for a tutor to help prepare a student for the SAT or ACT. Let us know if you’d like to be one of our test prep tutors, we often can pay more for this! We will usually provide a workbook, but it is essential that you become fully familiar with the tests and appropriate strategies. The SAT changed dramatically in March 2024. Here’s an infographic showing how the new digital SAT differs from the ACT.
Cancellation Policy Change: As the amount we pay tutors has risen over the years, the cost of no-shows has become more significant. Often we cannot charge the parent, who may feel there was a miscommunication or for whom the no-show signals that they no longer want tutoring. So we need to limit what we pay for a no-show to $25/hr. See our updated blog post for more on this. We hope you understand.
A Sense of Urgency: Can we ask everyone to feel a greater sense of urgency in your dealings with us? For example, return our calls or texts sooner. And when you contact clients, try to get tutoring underway quickly. Instead of: “Let’s start next week,” ask the client, “Would you like a session this week?” Try it! We’ll be really grateful!
Please check and double-check distance before accepting a student: Several times last fall, we assigned a tutor to a client, only to have them withdraw after the first session, saying they had not realized how far the client was from their home. Honestly, we get it: traffic sucks during prime tutoring time, and we do not charge the parent for a tutor’s travel time. We will always give you the address, please be certain the drive is manageable. And, while we are in nagging mood, let us remind you it is NEVER acceptable to say to the client, “it’s so far to drive, can we do virtual tutoring?” This is a fireable offense! Most clients call us because we offer in-person tutoring, it’s really unfair to them to establish a relationship and then ask to switch to online sessions. Online tutoring is for emergencies: a snow storm, or Covid, or the client’s last-minute request for an extra session before a big test.
Mask policy: Covid is now a part of every day life. Please adopt the mask policy that best suits you and your client. If you and the parents do not want masks, no problem. If you or they feel vulnerable, then continue to wear them.
We strongly encourage you to get vaccinated and boosted. Many parents expect their in-home tutors to be vaccinated and will not accept an unvaccinated tutor.
Please check this blog every time you report your hours. There are always new things we want to tell you.
Click for help with the Reporting System we introduced in October 2019.
Not to confuse you but there is a separate portal with your payment records operated by our accounting software, Zoho. Click here for that portal. You will need a separate username and password. (One day, we’ll figure out how to combine this with our reporting system.)
If you’ve moved, or have new credentials we should know about, or new availability, please update your information here.
We process payroll on the 1st and 15th of each month. Your hours must be reported by midnight on the 14th and the last day of each month. Payment is by direct deposit. It usually takes a calendar week so you see the money in your account on the 8th and 22nd. You can now update your direct deposit information online.
Also remember…
- Call ahead before you go to your first lesson with a student. It’s important to introduce yourself ahead of time and equally important to make sure there have been no misunderstandings about the date and time of the first lesson. Here are some guidelines for a successful first call.
- All lessons should be a minimum of one hour. Always charge at least one hour unless the shorter lesson is your fault (for example you arrived late and could not offer a full hour of tutoring). Explain a short lesson in the Comment field when you report your hours
- Conversely, please do NOT charge for more than one hour unless the parent is aware in advance. Some parents are on tight budgets and are not necessarily tracking the time that you are working with their child. At the end of your first hour, you must make sure it is ok with the parent to continue tutoring. This is so important, we have created a separate post: see Length of Lessons post.
- Make sure you get a lesson sheet signed after each session. We only need it in cases of a billing dispute– rare but it does happen. In cases where you cannot document that you taught a lesson, we will have no choice but to believe the parent who queries about the hour and credit them for the lesson. In this case, we will apply a “charge back” to your payment.
- We must also be made aware whenever you enter an hour that was due to a no-show or cancellation. Check the no-show box and usually you should add details in the comment field when you report your hours. We will pay a maximum of one hour for a no-show, and will typically try to charge the parent. If you do not want the parent charged, don’t charge us 🙂 or call us to discuss.
- Do NOT enter hours ahead of tutoring– inevitably something will happen to make that entry inaccurate.
- If you tutor a student who is taking an online course, our policy is that you should NOT be present to help the student through an online test. More>
- New tutors please read our Code of Conduct for tutors.
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