| Student/Executive FAQ |
General Questions
What's Teacherjames.com and what's for FREE?
Student Questions
How do I look for teachers on Teacherjames.com?
How can Teacher James Teacher Profiles help me find the right teacher for me?
Teacher Questions
How can I attract more students?
Teacher Profiles and Verify Credentials
Professor Profile Videos and Tip of the Day
What's the Last Student Registered and Latest Teacher Request in my profile?
What's inside the Teacher Lounge?
Tell me about all your Rating Systems
Troubleshooting
How do I schedule a class with a teacher?
Why can't I find a teacher or student?
Why can't I send a message to a teacher or student?
Why can't my teacher find me to schedule a lesson?
I'm not receiving any lesson confirmation emails from you!
On a Teacher's Calendar, what does the check mark mean?
Why does it say I'm from Afghanistan?
Where do I change my timezone?
I've signed up for a Professor account, but my video uploader keeps getting stuck!
What's Teacherjames.com and what's for FREE?
Teacherjames.com is a Social Education Platform that empowers teachers, students, and users with the ability to learn languages with ease, flexibility and efficiency. You are no longer bound by set curriculums, semester packages, or selected teachers. You can learn English from your home, from your office, or from anywhere in the world.
TeacherJames offers Free English video lessons on all subjects from TOEFL, TOEIC, and even Daily Tutorials on CNN, ESPN, and much more. In addition, we encourage students to interact with the teachers using our blogs, forums, and weekly live chat sessions. These are ad supported and always Free!
What kind of classes are offered on Teacher James
There are three ways to learn with Teacherjames.com:
1. SKYPE or other Internet Mediums - Use Teacherjames.com for scheduling a SKYPE lesson. This also works with other Internet Mediums too like NetMeeting or WebEx.
CLICK HERE FOR STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW YOUR TEACHER CAN SCHEDULE A SKYPE CLASS WITH YOU!
2. Offline Lessons - If you and your teacher have classes offline, use Teacherjames.com to track and rank these offline lessons. Tracking them allows the teacher to build up their personal profiles and Apple Rankings, but also allows you to keep a history of when you've taken lessons.
3. Free Language Exchange - Browse our Language Exchange lists for teachers who are interested in doing a language swap. You teach them your language and they teach you English (or another language).
Who schedules a lesson, teacher or student??
The Teacher always SCHEDULES the lesson with the student. Here are the steps:
1. A teacher and student contact each other on TeacherJames using the private inbox (or other methods) and agrees to a time, price, and type of lesson (SKYPE, Free Language Exchange, Other).
2. The Teacher goes into their account and clicks "SCHEDULE LESSON".
3. On the next page, the Teacher searches for the student name, selects the student, and continues to the schedule lesson page.
4. On the SCHEDULE LESSON page, the teacher sets the date, price, time, length, and type of lesson.
5. When a teacher finishes scheduling a lesson, the student receives a Lesson Request in their personal email and TeacherJames inbox.
THE LESSON IS NOT CONFIRMED YET!
6. The teacher can go into their UPCOMING LESSONS and see the status of the Lesson Request (Pending or Confirmed).
7. The student uses TeacherJames Points to CONFIRM the lesson. * A student MUST have TeacherJames points in their account to pay for the lesson. They can purchase more points with credit card or Paypal.
8. After the student CONFIRMS the lesson, then the lesson is officially recorded. The funds are transferred from the student's account to the teacher's account.
9. Everything can be seen and tracked in BILLING HISTORY section of both the teacher and the student account.
10. **** The lesson is considered PAID once the student confirms. It is up to the teacher and student to meet and have the lesson. In the event the lesson doesn't occur, then the teacher needs to schedule a "make-up" lesson for $0 or some way to make up the fees from the student.
How do I schedule a class with a teacher?
You don't.
Students don't schedule classes with teachers. Teachers schedule classes with students. Here are the usual steps:
1. Student finds teacher through Search Engine, Top Professionals or other methods.
2. Student contacts teacher by sending a private message.
3. Student and teacher agree to time, date, price, length of class by sending private message.
4. Teacher schedules a class with student.
5. Student is sent a LESSON CONFIRMATION EMAIL in their email box.
6. Student CONFIRMS lesson confirmation email (if paid lesson, student will need to purchase Teacher James Points first using the BUY POINTS tab in their profile).
7. At the time of lesson, student and teacher log into their profiles and click "ENTER CLASSROOM".
Why can't I find a teacher or student?
If you're trying to find a teacher or student by name, and you can't find him/her...it's probably because they haven't verified their email yet. Teachers nor students who have not verified their email cannot be found by name search.
To verify your email is simple. Just log into your account, and under your picture is "ACTIVATE YOUR ACCOUNT". Follow the steps to verify email.
Why can't I send a message to a teacher or student?
Because you're not logged into your account. Try logging into your account and then sending a message to the teacher or student.
Why can't my teacher find me to schedule a lesson?
If your teacher says they can't find your username to schedule a class, it's probably because you haven't verified your email yet. Teachers or students who have not verified their email cannot schedule a lesson. To verify your email is simple. Just log into your account, and under your picture is "ACTIVATE YOUR ACCOUNT". Follow the steps to verify email.
I'm not receiving any lesson confirmation emails from you!
If you are not receiving lesson confirmation emails from your teacher, please check:
1. Your Junk Mail box
2. Your Trash Mail box
** 3. Do you have a Yahoo email account? Sometimes Yahoo accounts do not receive our lesson confirmation emails. If you are having troubles and you use a Yahoo account, please email info@teacherjames.com.
The Lesson Confirmation Email should look like:
From: info@teacherjames.com
Subject: Please confirm your new lesson from Teacher James
Your Teacher James Teacher has scheduled an e-English lesson with you on 21-10-2008 05:45. Please confirm and pay for this lesson by following the link below. Click on the link above to confirm your lesson. Teacher James Staff
If you do not agree with the date, time or rate, please contact your teacher by private message.Thanks and study hard!
Teacher Name: Professor
Lesson Type: (e-English - Demo)
Lesson Date & Time: 21-10-2008 05:45
Hourly Rate: $$0
# of hours: 1
Click here to confirm your lesson.
On a Teacher's Calendar, what does the check mark mean?
If you go to a Teacher's Profile, you can see their calendar availability with check-marks. The check-marks mean their PREFERRED teaching times. This is not a strict availability schedule, this is just preferred times. Many teachers are very flexible with their times so they leave the calendar blank. This means that they are available to teach whenever you want to learn.
You can also see the times in our local time zone by clicking "Display in your local time." If you are logged in, our system will convert all the times to your time zone.
You can also click any time box to send a private lesson request to the teacher. Just fill out the details, and the message is automatically sent to teacher. You can send a private lesson request for any time (even if there is no check mark).
Why does it say I'm from Afghanistan?
Each teacher and student profile has two "location" settings. The 1st one is under your picture profile and says "current location". This is easily changed in case you want to let your teachers or students know that you are traveling or away for a way.
The 2nd "location" setting is in your Account Settings and asks "What is your Nationality?" This is asking what country you are from. This is what you provided on the registration form.
Every new profile will say "Afghanistan" because it is the first country in the country list. Once you change your "current location" it will save correctly.
Where do I change my timezone?
Log in, and click "About Me". Time Zone selection is at the bottom near Student Bio.
I've signed up for a Professor account, but my video uploader keeps getting stuck!
If your video uploader keeps getting stuck, it probably is a matter of file size. Please send email to: info@teacherjames.com and we will contact you to transfer your video clip.
A few ways to contact teachers:
1. Send a private message - If you have a found a teacher that you want to contact, go to his/her private profile and send them a Private Message. Every time someone receives a Private Message, they are notified by email.
2. Request a Lesson - On any particular teacher's profile page, you can see their availability calendar. Clicking on any time block of that availability calendar will let you request a lesson at that specific time.
3. Teacher Request - If you have an immediate need for a teacher but don't have time to search for one, then send a Teacher Request to all the teachers on Teacherjames.com. You can do this from your private profile by just submitting a few details like lesson type, lesson length, lesson topic, and when you are available for a lesson. Teachers who fit your needs will contact you.
If your teacher has scheduled an e-English lesson or SKYPE / Internet lesson with you, then you will need Teacher James Points to pay for the lesson. Each Teacher James Point is USD$1. When a teacher schedules a lesson with you, a lesson confirmation is sent to your email address (not your Teacherjames.com Inbox). When you confirm a lesson, you transfer the Teacher James Points to the teacher. This is all reflected in your Billing History in your profile.
To purchase Teacher James Points, go to your Points History where you can:
1. Pay with Paypal
2. Pay with any major Credit Card
3. In select countries (like Taiwan) you can ATM transfer funds for Teacher James Points.
Remember, for Offline lessons, it's up to you and the teacher to handle billing.
For Language Exchange lessons, there is no fee.
How do I look for teachers on Teacherjames.com?
Once you've logged into your student account, just find the teacher that you like and click "send message". You will be able to send them a private message in their inbox.
We got many different search and browse options on Teacherjames.com:
How can Teacher James Teacher Profiles help me find the right teacher for me?
Teacherjames.com has teachers from all over the world. Find one who lives near you and you can meet with them in person, on the web or both. There are also teachers who teach only by e-English to you in Asia while sitting in their homes in America, England or Australia.
Remember to use the Advanced Search when looking for a teacher who suits your needs specifically. If you’re interested in business and want your English lessons to reflect that, you might very well find a Harvard business student teaching English lessons right from the Harvard campus. No matter your interest, it’s easy to find a Teacherjames.com Teacher who has the background you want in a teacher.
You can pick a better teacher with Teacherjames.com Video Profiles. Many Teacher James Teachers haven chosen to add a video to their profile so that you can not only see a picture but also watch a video of them, hearing for yourself their accent and getting a better idea of their personality. This will allow you to pick the best teacher for you - before ever meeting them face to face.
Also look for Verified Credentials in each teacher's profile. These credentials have been verified by the Teacherjames.com staff to reflect the level or certification that the teacher has put down. Some teachers even opt to show you the original verification document.
Why is there a Lesson Ranking page when I log in?
<div> If you see a <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);"><u><b>Lesson Ranking</b></u></span> page when you first log in, that means you've recently completed a lesson. We ask you to take a quick minute and rank the lesson on 1-5 Apples and add comments as necessary. This is very important for your teachers as they count on lesson rankings to showcase themselves for future students. And it's important for future students because you give them insight into how great (or not great) this teacher is. </div> <div> </div> <div>Lesson rankings and comments are always anonymous.</div>
How can I attract more students?
Teacher Profiles and Verify Credentials
This is where your students get to meet you, so remember first impressions are lasting impressions. List your hourly rates, availability calendar, and background information. You can also show your Top Students and have your students write a recommendation about you.
A new feature in Teacherjames.com is Credential Verification. If you are a certified teacher, send us your certificate through the "verify credentials" tab in your profile, and we'll take a look to make sure it's right. Then, we'll put a star next to your Teaching Qualification that says VERIFIED BY TEACHERJAMES.COM. Depending on your privacy settings, you can even select to let anyone view your certificate or verification document as well.
Professor Profile Videos and Tip of the Day
One of the benefits of a Teacherjames.com Professor Profile is to put up an Introduction Video of yourself so that prospective students can actually see and hear you speak. A teacher’s accent is very important to students looking for a teacher with whom they can be comfortable. So if you’ve got a perfect accent, then showcase it; or if you have a thicker accent, use the video profile to overcome it by showing your great personality. The more personable you are, the more students you get....the more money you can make.
Another benefit of being a Professor at Teacherjames.com is the ability to put up a daily Tip of the Day. These are short 30 second to 1 minute clips that you can use to teach a quick tip. Great for students to see what kind of a teacher you will be to them. Tip of the Days are featured on the Homepage and also in every students' private profile pages. So it's a opportunity to showcase your teaching skills.
What's the Last Student Registered and Latest Teacher Request in my profile?
When you log into your teacher account, you see immediately two boxes: Last Student Registered and Latest Teacher Request.
Last Student Registered is the immediate last student that signed up for an account. Send them a welcome message and see if they have any learning needs.
Latest Teacher Request is a feature that every student has in their home page. Any student can send a request to ALL the teachers on Teacherjames.com just by filling this out. It can be for an immediate lesson or maybe ongoing lessons, but this is a way for students to reach all of our teachers at once. Of course, if you are a teacher and fit the description, then send them a private message today!
What's inside the Teacher Lounge?
The Teacher's Lounge is a place where teachers can get together and discuss lesson materials, topics, courses, and much more. Use the Teacher's Lounge forum to talk about anything related to teaching.
In the Filing Cabinet, you can also find thousands of useful teaching materials for your next class. Any teacher can upload worksheets, tests, quizzes that they recommend for specific lesson topics. Anyone who has a registered Teacherjames.com teacher or student profile can download these for free and use them in their lessons.In the future, we will introduce the Teacher’s Store where teachers can package together their lesson plans, topics, and recordings for Enhanced Lesson Packages.
Tell me about all your Rating Systems
Great question! We've got a few different rating systems.
Next to every teacher's Profile Pic, you'll see some Apples and a number in ( ). The Apples represent our Apple Ranking System. After each lesson, students are asked to rank that lesson on 1 to 5 apples. They can add comments as well. The number in ( ) shows how many lessons that particular teacher has been ranked. Clicking on it shows the comments. Apple Rankings and comments are always anonymous so this is a good way for students to provide feedback on teachers.
Top Ten Teachers - On the Homepage, our Top Ten Teachers are ranked by highest Apple Ranking score. If there is a tie, the teacher with more lessons taught is ranked higher.
Professionals List - Teachers can list on this page stating that they have a specific background in a given field. The top 5 teachers in each category (by Apple Ranking) are shown.
Fun Teacher Awards - These rankings are little bit different. With each lesson, we also ask the student if they want to hand a FUN TEACHER AWARD to that teacher. This is completely optional, but it's a fun way to distinguish a particular teacher's special qualities. Fun Teacher Awards are changed out every three months, and if you have a good one please send us an email to: info@teacherjames.com.
Aren't time zones going to be an issue?
Why don't students respond to me??!!
We don't know either. But here is some feedback students have mentioned when looking for a teacher:
1. No Picture, no interest = Most of the students say that they will skip directly over a
teacher profile without a picture. A private tutor is a personal thing, and they want to know what their tutor looks like.
2. No Teacher Bio, no information = Also, a lot of students say that a teacher profile without a Teacher Bio is hard to tell what the Teacher's background and history is like. Since we have the "site search" bar up in the upper right corner, students can just search keywords. If you don't have a bio written for your profile, then you probably aren't showing up in many keyword searches.
3. Video Introductions really help = Students really like the video introductions that teachers have on their profiles. It gives an immediate glimpse into accent, personality, and knowledge of the English language.
4. A strong introduction message = Students have said that teachers with a strong introduction message can really interest and engage them. Although, a "strong" message is hard to describe, there are strong ones versus weak ones. Check out the forums ("How to get new students") for discussion among types of messages that have worked.
5. No Calendar, No Price Availability = A lot of teachers will forget to fill in their availability calendar or mark the prices they want to charge for classes. The student looks at this and thinks that the teacher is not taking any more students. So, if you are looking for students, please fill in your availability calendar and mark the prices for e-English, SKYPE, and face to face that you want to charge.
6. Participate in the Top Professionals, Free Language Exchanges, and Forums = Anything you can do to have your profile picture shown as many times as possible on our site is best. The more chances any student sees your picture, the higher odds that someone will contact YOU!
Remember, sending a student your private message is the first step. After that, the student is going to check out your Profile. So you need to make your profile as attractive as possible.
