Want to know more about online lessons, payment options, and so on? Read these Frequently Asked Questions!
And if your question is not covered here? Just write to us at nativespeakerteachers@nonparlo.com and we’ll get you an answer ASAP!
Questions about Online Lessons
How does buying online lessons work?
Select the lessons package that you prefer from our catalog and proceed with the payment in the usual ecommerce way.
When we are notified of your payment, our teaching management team will get a copy of your order. They will then contact you to find out what your needs are and when you would like to take your lessons, before passing your details to a teacher from our team who has availability at the day/time you prefer.
Who will my online teacher be?
All our online lesson teachers are professionals who have significant teaching experience and usually speak reasonable English.
We interview new teachers online before accepting them, and brief them thoroughly regarding what our clients need and expect.
In the unlikely event there is anything (at all) that you’re not happy with, our teaching management team is your first point of call. Whatever the problem is, they’ll sort it out for you.
Organisation of online lessons
Teacher and student should arrange, via email, the day/time of lessons and the platform to be used (Skype, Zoom), taking into account time zones and the availability/preferences of both.
Both teacher and student should confirm that a lesson has been arranged for a particular day/time, or the lesson is NOT confirmed.
Lesson content should be agreed between teacher and student, either a general direction/preference discussed at the beginning of the course of lessons, then occasionally thereafter, or time by time.
Does the student want just conversation? Grammar input? Correction of mistakes? Help with pronunciation? Preparation for an exam? Homework? Something else? The teacher should ask, and the student should communicate any change in their requirements.
In the event of cancellation of a confirmed lesson by the student, this should happen at least 24 hours before the agreed day/time, otherwise the lesson should be considered ‘done’ and the teacher will be paid accordingly.
In the event of cancellation/no show/lateness by the teacher, the student should contact the teaching management team.
If the student is not happy with the assigned teacher, or if the assigned teacher has limited availablity, the student should contact the teaching management team to ask for a change of teacher or for an additional teacher to be assigned.
Lesson credits do not expire, but if a student is unable or chooses not to take regular lessons, they should inform the teacher and the teaching management team so that other students can be assigned.
How many lessons have I got left?
We get this question very often, especially around sale time, when people are working out if they should take advantage of the discount to buy more lesson credits.
Your online teacher keeps a note of each lesson (date, topic, notes) in an online file, shared with us. We tell the teacher (or teachers) how many lesson credits you’ve paid for, so she will know how many lessons to do with you.
So the simplest answer is to ask your teacher! But if, for whatever reason, that doesn’t work, our Teaching Admin team – who manage the teacher and so check the payments we make to them for your lessons – will have access to that same online file. They’ll be happy to help.
How can I contact the Teaching Admin team?
To find out how many lessons you have left, to sort out problems with your teacher, to request a different teacher, or simply to ask a question that your teacher can’t answer to your satisfaction, contact our Teaching Admin team. They are experienced managers with decades of experience dealing with teachers and students, so they’ll certainly know how to help you. Their email is now teachingnst@gmail.com.
I live in the USA/Australia/New Zealand. What days/times can I take lessons?
We know there may be a big time difference between where our teachers are and where you live.
For this reason we look for teachers who are willing to teach early in the morning or late at night rather than only during office hours.
With a little flexibility on both sides, it’s therefore normally possible to accommodate even large time differences.
What software/hardware do I need?
Obviously, a good broadband connection is a pre-requisite, and then you’ll need Skype or Zoom, which are free downloads.
Most computers and tablets already have Skype installed. If you already use it to make video calls, the online lessons should work just fine for you.
If you’re unsure about whether your computer/tablet is up for learning Italian online, let us know and we can organize a test call with you to check.
When do online lesson credits expire?
They don’t.
If you pay for one or more online lessons, we will credit your ‘account’ by entering the number on your ‘class register’, which your onine teacher uses to record the lessons done (and lesson content).
Registers are monitored monthly by our teaching admin team, before paying the teacher for lessons done. If, for whatever reason, you pause your lessons, or disappear, the credit will remain.
The easiest way to find out how many lessons remain is to ask your teacher, or the teaching admin team.
Why take lessons with NativeSpeakerTeachers.com rather than a cheaper alternative?
Our mission is to provide good quality online materials and online teaching, while at the same time providing work for teachers.
We’re about building a trusted team of professionals to provide the best possible learning and teaching.
Read the reviews of the lesson packages in our online shop, for example here, to see several years’ worth of genuine, un-edited customer feedback.
Why are lessons just 30 minutes long?
As a teacher I think that, while a one-hour individual lesson is ideal when face-to-face in a classroom, an hour online can be heavy, especially when you’re just starting out.
So we offer a default of 30 minutes instead.
If you’d rather have a longer session, just book two lessons to run one after another.
The price of two half-hour lessons is comparable with one full-hour session offered by other quality schools, but offers you more flexibility.
Who decides the lesson content?
Normally, you do.
Your lessons can include conversation, grammar, a mix, whatever you prefer. If you aren’t sure, ask your teacher for suggestions. She/he will be happy to advise you, or simply decide for you what you need.
Do I have to study at a regular day/time?
Nope, it’s flexible.
But people do tend to end up having a regular day/time because it just works out like that once lessons become a routine for you.
Not to say you can’t cancel a lesson you’ve booked. Just write to your teacher in advance to let him/her know.
Does the online teacher speak English?
It’s one of our requirements. But we’d strongly advise you not to use English as the ‘lingua franca’ for your lessons, as that rather defeats the point…
Changes of online teacher
As with any language school, teaching staff come and go. Younger teachers may be offered their dream job elsewhere, others may have to reduce their commitments for family or other reasons.
Our policy is to leave a student with their teacher, especially when they renew, unless students themselves request a change (which is fine!)
But we can’t guarantee that the teacher will always remain the same – sometimes switching teachers may be unavoidable.
When that happens we will let you know when and why the change will take place, and put you in contact with your new teacher. Our teaching management team will be available to help smooth the transition, if necessary.
Questions about Payments, Taxes & Refunds
Payment options
We currently offer four payment options, so you can select your preferred payment method when you get to the ‘checkout’ page by clicking on the DARK BLUE DOT next to the payment method. Payment methods are (in the order that you’ll see them on the page):
Credit card / debit card – your card information is protected and processed by the well-known payment processing company Stripe.
Paypal – a popular and reliable payments provider. You can choose this option even if you don’t have (or want) an account with them, as they also process credit / debit card payments for us.
Amazon Pay – if you have an Amazon account, and a payment card linked to it, they’ll process your payment for us, just as if you were ordering physical goods from their site.
Direct Bank Transfer – if you have a UK bank account and home banking, and don’t mind typing in payment details, select this payment method. Once your order is received you will be redirected to a page with our bank information and then it’s up to you to log into your home banking and send us some cash! Please use your Order ID as the payment reference. Your order won’t be confirmed until the funds have cleared in our account, which can be the same day or take several days, depending on the bank. If you’re in a rush, email us when you’ve made the payment so we’ll know to look out for it. N.B. Any fees charged on international bank transfer payments or for currency conversion will be your responsibility – to avoid this risk, use a credit card instead (choose one of the other payment options and input your card details in the usual way.)
Is it safe to input my credit card details in your shop?
Well, actually you’ll be sending your details directly to the payment processor you selected (Stripe x credit / debit card payments, Amazon Pay, or Paypal), and while that may appear to be on our website, it really isn’t! We never get to see your card details, however we’re assured that the security offered by these organisations is the best. Besides, they offer a great deal to the customer: if you aren’t happy with your purchase, there’s a good chance of getting a refund from them or at least their help in arguing your case (not that there are usually any issues…)
Do you charge VAT/sales tax?
Yes, UK VAT of 20% is included in the advertised price of online lessons.
When’s the next sale/promotion?
We run 20% Coupon Code promotions at New Year, in the spring, in the first week of July, and at the end of September, so four times a year, spaced evenly apart. Regular students only buy their lesson credits at these times, so always pay 20% less than the prices advertised on the website.
Can I get a free trial lesson?
Sure, but only when we’re running our twice-yearly Free Trial Lesson promotions, which we organise when things are quiet in November and then again in February. Free trials are limited to one per person. To make sure you hear about the next Free Trial Lesson promotion, get on our mailing list.
The coupon code didn’t work!
We get this question a lot, too, but it’s an easy one to answer.
At our regular 20% Off promotions, we send out a code to everyone on our mailing list. Apply the code to the box in the shopping cart, press the ‘Apply coupon’ button and the result will be…
The CART TOTAL (not the item price) will be discounted. So if you applied the coupon, pressed the button, and the price of your lessons hasn’t changed, scroll on down to the CART TOTAL further down the page. The discount will be shown there.
No need to write to us that ‘the coupon code didn’t work – it says it’s already been applied’. Just scroll down to check the total.
I forgot to apply the coupon code to my order. What can I do??
Oops! But you won’t be the only one. It happens regularly. Write to our Teaching Admin team ( teachingnst@gmail.com ) and they’ll sort it out for you, if they can. The usual alternatives on offer are that we cancel the order and refund the payment so that you can try again – more carefully – or (and especially if a promotion has since ended) they will suggest an extra lesson or lessons to compensate for the missed discount.
Refunds
Twice a year we offer the chance to take a free trial lesson (in November and February). There’s also the option to buy just one lesson, or a small quantity such as five or ten. We suggest you don’t immediately buy a large number of lesson credits, even though the discount is greater that way, unless you are SURE you want to take the lessons.
For these reasons, we don’t offer refunds on online lesson purchases, except where we are legally required to. You’ll find the following information in the footer of the ‘order confirmation’ and ‘receipt’ e-mails sent out by our system when we receive your order:
NativeSpeakerTeachers.com is a trading name of: NATIVE SPEAKER TEACHERS LLP, registered in England, no. OC439581 Tregarth, The Gounce, Perranporth, Cornwall, England TR6 0JW.
The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 allows you the right to withdraw from a contract made through our website within 14 days from the date that the contract is finalized, without incurring any penalty or having to give a reason, if you are not satisfied with the purchase you have made.
To withdraw from this contract in accordance with the terms of The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, please e-mail us: info@nativespeakerteachers.com.
NATIVE SPEAKER TEACHERS LLP will repay the whole amount you paid within 14 days of the date we receive your notification to withdraw, normally using the same means of payment that you initially used.
With particular reference to the supply of services, such as for example online lessons, the right to withdraw is limited when the Customer agrees that the Provider may begin the provision of services before the expiry of the 14 day withdrawal period, and the Customer acknowledges that, if the Provider does begin the provision of services before the end of that period, then:
(a) if the services are fully performed, the Customer will lose the right to cancel;
(b) if the services are partially performed at the time of cancellation, the Customer must pay to the Provider an amount proportional to the services supplied or the Provider may deduct such amount from any refund due to the Customer.
