Who are Book&Table tutors?

The Book&Table tutor community is comprised solely of dedicated, passionate, and professional educators. Our tutors are full-time teachers, graduate students, and working professionals with at least two years of experience in their respective field.

Can anyone become a Book&Table tutor?

Yes and no. Book&Table tutors must have at least two years of experience in their subject area and must pass a background check (provided by Stripe, Inc.).

(Website) How do I find tutors in my area?

1. Visit www.bookandtable.com.
2. Enter the subject you would like to learn.
3. Enter your location.
4. Enter the number of students.
5. Click Search.
   
   You will then be directed to a page displaying the tutors in your immediate area.
   
6. Click the View Profile button under the profile picture of the tutor(s) you want to learn more about.
7. Contact any tutor(s) you are interested in speaking with over the phone to learn more (you must have an account but you are not charged).
8. Confirm a lesson directly with the tutor(s) you are interested in working with and the tutor(s) will send you an inquiry for the lesson directly through Book&Table.

(Mobile) How do I find tutors in my area?

1. Open the Book&Table mobile application.
2. Click the search bar at the top of the homepage.
3. Enter the subject.
4. Enter your location.
5. Enter the number of students.
6. Click Search.
   
   You will then be directed to a page displaying the tutors in your immediate area.
   
7. Click the View Profile button under the profile picture of the tutor(s) you want to learn more about.
8. Contact any tutor(s) you are interested in speaking with over the phone to learn more (you must have an account but you are not charged).
9. Confirm a lesson directly with the tutor(s) you are interested in working with and the tutor(s) will send you an inquiry for the lesson directly through Book&Table.

Who determines the price for each lesson?

Students and parents always communicate and negotiate pricing directly with tutors. Book&Table does not determine a tutor's rate, the tutor does.

Are there additional fees?

Here are the different scenarios our application currently supports and when fees applies:

1. Tutor and client connect outside of Book&Table: neither tutor nor client pays a fee. Book&Table pays the tutor's 3% transaction fee.
   
   Example: In this scenario if a tutor is charging $30/hr then the checkout price for the lesson will be $30.00 total.
   
2. Book&Table connects a client to a tutor: tutor pays a 3% Stripe transactions fee and the client pays a 12% fee on top of the tutor's rate.
   
   Example: In this scenario if a tutor is charging $30/hr then the checkout price for the lesson will be $33.60 total.

Do all of my lessons with a tutor have to be the same price?

No. Some lessons may be longer, or shorter, than others, so tutors are allowed to adjust the price of each lesson. Book&Table recommends that tutors inform you when they plan on changing their rate and the reason(s) for doing so.

How do I pay for a lesson?

After you contact a tutor through their profile they will call you to discuss the details of your potential lesson. Once you and the tutor decide you would like to work with each other the tutor will send you lesson plans directly through Book&Table to charge the payment method attached to your account. These lessons are automatically charged when the tutor sends the lesson plan but the tutor does not receive the payment until after they have provided a synopsis of the lesson to the student through Book&Table.

When do tutors receive payment for a lesson?

Tutors receive the payment for their lesson 1-2 business days after sending the student their Lesson Synopsis, detailing how they can continue improving.

What is the refund policy?

If you are able to cancel a lesson up to 48 hours prior to the meeting time, you will receive a full refund without penalty. If you cancel a lesson 24-48 hours prior to your meeting time you will receive a refund for 50% of the tutor's rate (Book&Table fees are non-refundable). Within 24 hours of a lesson, a tutor is not required to issue any refund. Our tutors are professionals and understand emergencies come up. We recommend contacting your tutor as soon as you know you are no longer available to meet and request to reschedule your lesson to another date. By rescheduling you will avoid any refund penalties.

What is the purpose of the lesson plan?

The lesson plan serves multiple purposes, most importantly, accountability. It clarifies what the tutor will be teaching, if there are any pre-lesson assignments, the lesson's price, location, date, and time.

Do I receive feedback after a lesson?

Yes, tutors are required to send a post-lesson synopsis after each lesson which includes an assessment of how well the student knows the learning objectives of the lesson and a description of how they can continue to improve independently until their next lesson.

What time should I arrive?

We recommend that you plan on arriving to a lesson at least five minutes prior to the start time, just in case you run into traffic. If you arrive at the location of the lesson and do not see your tutor, give them a call. If your tutor does not pick up their phone, send them a message through Book&Table letting them know exactly where you are and what phone number they can call to reach you.

Will I need to provide materials for each lesson?

Your tutor details what materials you need for each lesson in your lesson plan. The tutor will also detail what materials they plan to bring to the session.

What should I do after each lesson?

Following each lesson the tutor is required to provide you with a synopsis of the lesson through Book&Table. Once you receive this synopsis, you will be able to leave the tutor feedback on the lesson and request another lesson if you'd like.

How do I indicate that the lesson will be held over Skpe in my Lesson Proposal?

To host a Skype session with a student simply fill in "Skype" for both the Location Name and Location Address fields of the lesson plan.

What should messaging be used for?

Communication. You should message your tutor between in-person lessons to ask any questions you may have about assignments, meetings, or anything else you think they may be able to help you with.

I received a message in my email, how do I respond?

You can choose to respond by using Book&Table’s “Inbox” feature to view and respond to the message on our platform, or you can respond to the email directly through your personal email client.

I sent a tutor an inquiry; now what do I do?

The tutor will give you a call at their earliest convenience to discuss your learning needs. Once you have confirmed the details for your lesson, the tutor will then send you a lesson plan through Book&Table which will confirm the date, time, location, learning objectives and price of the lesson.

What is my Dashboard?

Your Dashboard is the first page you’ll see when you log into your Book&Table account. In your Dashboard, you’ll find Quick Links, Updates and Alerts, message threads, and notifications.

How do I Share My Profile on Social Media?

Under the Quick Links, we’ve included social sharing buttons to make it easier for tutors and clients to share Book&Table profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Click on the relevant icon to share your profile online to gain visibility and drum up new business.

What are Updates and Alerts?

In the center of the page, you’ll find Updates and Alerts. These will include things like prompts to complete your profile and new feature announcements. If Book&Table releases a new tool, you’ll hear about it through email and internal messages, but you’ll also find info about it in this section of your Dashboard.

What are Messages?

Beneath Updates and Alerts are your various message threads, with links to the conversations you’ve been having with clients or tutors on B&T. These messages are internal, and include all the communications you’ve had with your various clients. You’re also free to use email and text to communicate with clients--we don’t demand you use our messaging service.

Where is my Dashboard and how do I find it if I’ve left that page?

To get back to your Dashboard from another page, click on the Dashboard button on the top of your left-hand navigation panel. It’s represented by an icon made of four squares and the word “Dashboard.”

What are points and who has them?

Points are the metric that allows Book&Table to assess and rank the tutors on our platform. Tutors’ accounts garner points as they commit actions that prove they’re a quality educator and participant in our community.

How are points acquired?

There are a few different ways tutors can gain points. The best way to earn points is through bookings. Tutors receive points for lessons booked with tutees through Book&Table, and receive twice as many points for lessons booked with tutees that they connect with on their own. Tutors can also gain points for putting in the time to market their business or inviting others to join our community.

Do all bookings lead to tutors receiving points?

No. Only bookings that receive a minimum of 4 out of 5 stars will garner points for a tutor’s profile. We’re all about quality!

What are points used for?

Two things: ranking tutors and determining the order in which tutors receive a new inquiry that we’ve gotten from a prospective client seeking a tutor. This system rewards the tutors who put in the most hours and ensures quality lessons for all of Book&Table’s clients.

Where can I learn more about the Points Allocation Policy?

Tutors can learn more about the points system by visiting the Points Page: login to your account and click on the star icon on the top navigation bar. Then click on the link named Points Allocation Policy on the top right of the page.

How do text (SMS) and email notifications work?

Notifications are built into Book&Table to keep both tutors and tutees informed throughout the booking cycle. Both email and text notifications are triggered automatically as users commit certain actions.

What kind of notifications will I get?

You’ll receive reminders of upcoming appointments, and requests for things like lesson ratings, or booking confirmation. Text notifications will include links that carry the user to the appropriate page within the B&T app, creating a mobile friendly experience and allowing both tutors and clients to book lessons from anywhere.

How do I turn on or turn off notifications?

Right now, all notifications are automatic for all users, but this will not always be the case. A feature ready in the near future will allow each user to specify their preferences for notifications. But for now, leave us a message through the Contact Us Now window if you would like to remove all SMS notifications from your account until the preferences feature is ready.

What is the Invite a Client feature?

This feature allows you to use the application with clients that you have connected with outside of Book&Table. When you use this feature to book a first lesson with a client you’ve met on your own, they will pay no additional service fee for any lessons with you. If you are charging the client $50 for a lesson, then they’ll pay $50 for the lesson. We receive nothing since we did not make the introduction.

Do I use this feature each time I want to book a lesson with a client?

You only click on this link to build a Lesson Proposal if it is the first lesson you’re booking with this client on Book&Table. After your initial booking, go to your Lessons Page with the client and click on the Build Proposal button. To access the Lessons Page, click on Students&Lessons on the left navigation panel. Then click on the appropriate student’s contact card.

Why would I want to use this feature?

To gain points. The order in which tutors receive inquiries submitted to us is determined by who has the most points. Since you connected with this client through your own efforts, we do not charge your client a fee. And since you’ve helped us grow our community of tutees we award twice as many points for these bookings.

Why doesn’t Book&Table charge a fee for this feature?

We only charge a 12% service fee when we make the introduction between tutor and tutee. If the tutor is generating traffic to their business on their own, then we do not want to discourage them from using B&T to manage lessons with these clients. The point of the application is to synchronize and enhance your entire business, not just some parts of it.

Where do I find this feature?

In two places. The first place is on your dashboard: it is the first link inside of the Quick Links section. The second place is on the top right corner of your Students&Lessons page (see your left navigation panel).