CultureAlley - Frequently Asked Questions (Coach)

What is CultureAlley?

CultureAlley gives expert coaches a world of opportunities to teach online!

Culture alley is the new hub for learning languages and culture! Using live video for a 1on1 live student-teacher interface that lets you teach in the comfort of your home and at hours that work for you, we are the revolution you've been waiting for!

So if you teach English, Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Japanese, Italian, French, Korean or any other language in the world, CultureAlley opens up a global network of students for you!

Why CultureAlley?

Global network of students - teach students across the globe sitting at your home!
Custom designed presentations - our team helps you in designing awesome customized content that makes your lessons shine!
Great scheduling flexibility - teach when you want to!
Guaranteed professionalism - We ensure highest standard of quality in our content and teacher community. So you will never be asked to take casual chat-room like lessons

What qualifications do you look for?

Given our promise of highest quality of delivery, we hand-pick each coach for our platform and no wonder all of them are rockstars at the languages they teach!

Key qualifications:

Teaching experience in the said language is a must
Ability to teach conversational, grammatical and cultural modules
Strong cultural know-how
Fluent English with strong grammatical hold on English
Familiarity with MS PowerPoint and Skype (video conferencing)
Ability to work flexible hours

We ideally prefer teachers whose teaching language is same as their native language. And of course we love certified teachers!

What are the technical requirements?

No student wants to see a pixelated video of their favorite teacher! Having the right infrastructure can do wonders to the lesson.

A computer running Windows^® XP, or above
A high speed broadband connection starting at 1 Mbps and going up to warp speed!
Good quality speakers and microphone - built-in or separate
A live Skype account

How do I apply?

Register as a coach on CultureAlley and complete your application form. We would conduct a review of your application and schedule an interview with you.

Once you are through the interview we would open up CultureAlley for global students to reach out to you!

Any best practices for attracting more students?

There is no one mantra, however few tips that can help

Create a clear, professional profile
Make sure your picture is high resolution and looks professional - please avoid having animal pictures/ flowers as profile photos
Upload good sample videos to highlight your teaching methodology and for building trust
Contribute to the content library - the content library features teachers who help in developing self-study modules. This can go a long way in building your brand and attracting more students
Always show up on time
Ensure professional setting while taking lessons, no one likes shabby looking coaches!
Always set clear goals with the student
Keep the lessons highly interactive...ensure students don't doze off
And of course - Take feedback and more feedback !

How do I get paid?

All payments take place through PayPal. Given our global network of teachers, we are unable to make bank transfers or use other means to pay. Hence having a PayPal account is a must! All payments are usually transferred at the end of every month.

How do I run a lesson?

The first lesson is a free 30 minute trial for the student – post which the student books a package of 10-30 lessons. Please utilize the trial lesson to understand the student’s current level, and learning goals. After finishing your trial lesson, utilize the last 5 minutes to discuss a plan for the student’s future lessons.
The tutor should connect with the student over Skype 24 hours before the session.
After the trial lesson, the tutor should send us a report of the lesson and along with that the structure for the student's package (which includes topics to be covered, duration, and goals decided to be achieved)
After every lesson the tutor should fill this form
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GHnP-O6nt7XHdSfmaaLS_LIKR4BM1DW03TS33iA_7z4/viewform

Can I re-schedule or cancel a lesson if I need to?

A free trial lesson cannot be canceled under any circumstance.
Once confirmed, a paid lesson cannot be canceled by the tutor unless there is a very serious emergency.
In case of emergencies, you may cancel and request the student for a new slot (subject to availability) with at least 24 hours of notice to the student.
Lessons cannot be canceled with less than 24 hour notice. In such cases, no payment would be made to the coach for the lesson.

What if I face a technical issue, or my Internet doesn't work?

Ensuring compliance with the minimum technical requirements goes a long way in ensuring such challenges don't take place
In a situation where a technical (and / or internet related) problem takes place within the first 45 minutes of the lesson, the coach will not receive any payment for the lesson
If such a problem takes place in the last 15 minutes, the coach would receive 50% of the payment for the lesson