Sometimes students don't show up. It can happen because of technical issues, family circumstances, or simply because they forgot. Follow this simple algorithm: it'll help you stay calm, reach out to the family, and record the situation correctly.
🕑 During the lesson
While the lesson is in progress, your job is to make sure the student really isn't coming and to give them a chance to join later.
- Wait 3 minutes after the lesson starts. The student might just be running late.
- If the student still isn't there, contact the parents. You can find their contact details in Lesson Details or in the Student Journal.
💡 While you're waiting for a reply, stay with your camera on. The student might join a bit later. - If the parents don't respond, wait until the 15-minute mark and end the lesson.
📝 After the lesson
Once it's clear the student won't be joining, you need to record the absence in the system.
- Open Lesson Details and click Mark as Missed.
- Select Student didn't show up without notice. Then, depending on how often this has happened this month:
- First time this month. Just record the absence. The lesson isn't deducted from the student's balance.
- Second time this month. Record the absence the same way, but also confirm the lesson deduction from the balance. The lesson will count as conducted, and you'll receive your payment for it.
⚙️ How balance deduction works
- First miss. The system registers the no-show, but the lesson stays on the student's balance. You don't receive payment for it.
- Second miss. The lesson is deducted from the balance and counts as conducted. You receive full payment, the same as for a regular lesson.
- Third miss and beyond. Automatic deduction is no longer available. To resolve the situation, message us in the support chat, and we'll review each case individually.
🎯 What to do if a student doesn't join an introductory lesson
An introductory lesson is the first lesson for the student and their parents on our platform, so the student may be absent if they ran into connection issues or got the lesson time mixed up.
What to do
- Wait 3 minutes. The student might just be running late.
- Contact the parents. You can find their contact details in Lesson Details or in the Student Journal.
- If there's no reply, wait until the 15-minute mark and end the lesson.
- Message the support chat to let us know the student didn't join.
- Leave the lesson in your schedule as is. Don't click Mark as Missed, don't cancel it, and don't mark it as conducted.
A manager will then reach out to the family and reschedule the lesson for a convenient time.
⚠️ Teachers only get paid for introductory lessons that actually take place.
💬 Helpful tips
- Keep a record of your attempts to get in touch. Save the time of your call or a screenshot of your message. It'll come in handy if the parents want to clarify the details later.
- Write kindly. Simple, warm wording ("I was waiting for Sophia today, but the lesson didn't happen. Could you let me know if everything's okay?") helps smooth things over without tension. Often there's an everyday reason behind a missed lesson, not a loss of interest in learning.
