Independent Contractor Instructor Guidelines

Professionalism

Instructors must maintain professionalism throughout the duration of their sessions. Both your video and the
student video must be turned on. Students should be able to see your shoulder and up at all times. The
background should be a plain wall, book case, or a virtual background provided by Sinica. Instructors need
to dress appropriately for class.
When screen sharing, please make sure you are sharing only class related content. Instructors must also
speak to students in a respectful manner and directly address students’ needs and concerns.

Punctuality

It is extremely important to be online for the scheduled start time of each session, and to teach for the entire
60-minute duration of the scheduled session. Please do not show up late to sessions, and please do not end a
session several minutes early.

If you need to cancel a scheduled teaching session due to a personal emergency (illness, injury, or family
emergency) please let us know at least 24 hours in advance. Please message the student manager as soon as
possible as well as in your WeChat contractor group. Otherwise, PLEASE do your best to keep the agreed
on session time. When student managers need to initiate rescheduling for other reasons, it negatively
impacts our credibility and may result in program complaints. If you reschedule more than once with the
same student (especially less than 24hours before the session) for non-emergency situations, you will
receive a formal warning. If the trend continues after the warning, you will receive a formal write-up. One
formal warning and two formal write-ups will result in your termination.

Cancellation Policy

From time to time, students will cancel a previously scheduled class. If a student cancels a class, a member
of our team will advise you of this cancellation as soon possible.

For sessions canceled within three hours of the scheduled session start time, we will pay you 50% of your
normal rate for that cancelled session.

In the event a student does not show up for a scheduled class, you will be paid 100% of your normal rate for
that class session. However, you must stay online for the full duration of the session, in case the student
shows up late. Sometimes students may come to a session 20, 30 or even 50 minutes late. If the student
comes late to the session, please teach them for any scheduled time remaining in that session.

If a session is cancelled more than 3 hours in advance, then you will not be paid for that session.
Scheduling Requests

We schedule sessions for you based on a match between the student’s needs and your academic subject
expertise. If we reach out to schedule a session for you, you must reply “yes or no” to our request within 24
hours. If there are any changes in your availability, please report to your WeChat contractor group right
away.

Session Feedback

The per-class rate in your contract includes: 1.) one hour of teaching; 2.) written feedback to the student
after the session. Please follow the Sinica Template for session feedback. Please send session feedback to
the student as soon as possible (ideally immediately after the class). In all cases, the feedback *must* be sent
on the same day that the class was held. If you are late in sending in feedback more than once with the same
student (especially less than 24hrs before the session), you will receive a formal warning. If the trend
continues after the warning, you will receive a formal write-up. Three write-ups will result in your
termination.

Miscellaneous Items

Student Mid-Program or If student managers ask you to provide a report-style feedback for a student’s
Final Report Feedback academic report, each feedback will be logged for 15 minutes of additional
nonteaching work.
Homework Checking If students send you their homework to check outside a session, please forward
to the student’s student manager.
Essay Editing If students ask you to edit their essays outside a session, please report to the
student manager as students have different numbers of essay editing services.
Session Preparation We do not pay any “preparation time” for tutoring our courses. We hire
instructors who are familiar with the curriculum for the subjects they are
comfortable with. Please let us know if you are not comfortable enough with a
subject to tutor it without extra prep time.

Payment Schedule

You will be paid monthly, based on the total number of one-hour classes you have taught in a given calendar
month. Payment for work performed in a given calendar month will be paid out on the 15th of the next
month. For example, you will be paid on October 15 for the work completed during the period September 1
to September 30.

*Please note that your first month’s payment will be late if the provided direct deposit sheet is incorrect or
missing information. Please double and triple check the account and routing numbers. The payment transfers
will not always automatically send out a payment message, and your receiving bank may take additional
business days to receive the transfer of funds.
 Best Practices

Before Sessions
Do’s

• If you are in the student’s WeChat group, send a class reminder with the time of class and your
Zoom number/or number for another class platform (Classin) 24 hours before the session start
time.
• If you are not in the group, please send a quick message to the student manager of the student, and
confirm the class/time.

• If students add you privately and reschedule or cancel with you, please report to the student
manager right away. If you are in the student’s group -- please message in the group to say the
student wanted to cancel/reschedule privately.

• The student manager will send you background information regarding the student if it’s your first
time meeting the student
• Background info may include:
• Subject, level, specific topics
• Last class’s feedback
• Student portal information and where to find assignments
• Student’s personality, learning style, and other needs

• If you do not receive any information on the student prior to class time, PLEASE reach out to the
student manager and ask!

During Sessions
Do’s Don’t

• Report to the student’s student manager and the Contractors • Wait until the class is over to
Scheduling group if the student does not show up within 5 report that the student did not
minutes of class so that they can send a reminder in the group. show up.
If you are in the student’s group, please send a reminder for
the student to come to class.

• Turn on your camera during class and make sure the session is • Turn off your camera or
being recorded pause recording

• Have professional background and dress business casual for • Have an unprofessional
sessions background on camera or
teach from a noisy
environment

• Require students to turn on their camera • Let students turn off their
video feed (unless their wifi
is really unstable)

• Smile! Working with an adult makes most students nervous. • Lecture on without checking
• If it’s a first session, ask a quick ice breaker question like, in with the student regarding
“How long have you been studying English for?” or “What is their understanding. Ignore
your favorite subject?” students when they voice
• Ask student questions to check their understanding and to pace their needs.
working through the material. • Let students push you
• Listen carefully and be observant. around! Balance is key.
 • Instead of asking “Does it make sense?” try “Can I explain
this to you again?” if there is a pause and the student seems to
be struggling.

• If you encounter non-academic problems, and you do not • Encounter problems and
know how to resolve them, ask a coordinator or Julie. ignore them.
• Partner programs (S) please contact
Tony/Shuhan/Yuwen
• Sinica programs, please contact Julie
• A-Plus programs, please contact Tony

• If you encounter problems regarding the students’ academic • Teach something you are
materials/find yourself not being able to answer a question very unsure about and give
right away, students the wrong answers!
• 1. Ask the student for more information: class notes, class ppt, • Give the student to another
any additional materials their teachers may have provided that instructor /message student
they have not shared with us manager without gathering
• 2. let students know that you would like to double-check your all information from the
answer and that you will get back to them after the session student first.
with the correct answer (and you may need other instructors’
help- just ask!).
• Or 3. If you find the material too challenging, let a student
manager know right away, and we will work on rescheduling.
But please TRY to gather all the information from the student
first.

After Sessions
Do’s Don’t

• Follow the feedback format and provide feedback for the • Forget about sending feedback.
sessions completed on the same day There are many eyes on a single
• If you are in the same group as a student and student student’s academic program, and
manager, but not with the parents/agents, message your one of those people will notice.
feedback privately to the student manager as it will be
reported to the group with parents. If you are in the
student’s support group, please directly send the feedback
there.

• If you think the student needs more classes, let the student • Withhold any information from
manager know and we will go ahead and schedule them. the student manager. In order to
care for our students, we do need
feedback from both YOU and the
students.