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Student FAQs

About Nattives
Plans
Classes
Cancellations

About Nattives

Nattives is the future of teaching English. We are the first Education Technology Company that focuses on the most important thing in learning a language: speaking it. So forget about your boring grammar books and start speaking it fluently from day one with private tutors all to yourself.

Because at Nattives we focus on the most important part of learning a language; talking, talking, and talking. No matter what level you have, our curriculum is adapted to all levels. In addition, all our classes are online and one to one. You can study from anywhere and whenever you want. You DO NOT have to share your time with other students. Just you with your teacher.

To become a teacher with us you need to have:

A certificate to teach English like TEFL or TESOL is highly desired.
A bachelor’s degree is required.

To become a Trainee teacher:

You need to be enrolled in university or have a degree.
Complete a TEFL course during the first 6 months of working for us.

We offer 3 plans depending on your time and how fast you want to speak fluently. It doesn’t matter which plan you choose because they all give you access to the same content and the same type of classes.

There are no typical classes. All classes are different, because each topic has very interesting questions that will make you think, that will make you have fun, and that will surprise you.

Plans section

Of course. With a single click from your student area. And you can change plans as many times as you need.

It is not about us, it is about you. So of course, you can ask your teacher for help in preparing for any kind of official exam such as the FCE, CAE, or PROFICIENCY exam.

 

Yes, all our teachers are native speakers of English.

Unlimited means you can have one class every day for as long as you maintain a subscription.

With the monthly price of the plan you will have access to our content library which includes listening, grammar, and reading exercises. It also gives you access to as many hours of private classes as your plan includes.

Not currently, it is specially designed for people over 12 years old.

We accept payment by credit card and direct debit.

We have an eclectic mix of teachers, so there is sure to be someone you will connect with. If you don’t connect with your teacher, simply don’t book a class with them again. In fact, we encourage you to try new teachers as often as possible so that you can get used to hearing different accents and learn from different people.

We invite you to check our calculator here.

You’re encouraged to use all the classes within your plan as you are not able to transfer unused classes into the next month. You can upgrade and downgrade your plan at any time.

No, we are not a grammar academy. Our mission is to get you speaking English confidently as quickly as possible.

From here.

Yes, you can call here.

Yes, you can register by clicking here.

Yes, no problem. You can switch between direct debit and card payments. Please contact [email protected] to change your payment method.

Yes you can pause your subscription at any time. You will still have access to the platform but you won’t be able to book lessons. Once you’re ready to rejoin just update your profile by choosing a plan.

Class section

It is always advisable to complement conversation classes with the occasional exercise. We recommend watching movies in English, reading articles or listening to songs … It all adds up.

Yes, ask your teacher to work on whatever aspect you need.

 

There is no minimum level to start speaking English. Our classes are adapted to all levels.

At the moment we are operating from 6am to midnight (Madrid, Paris and Berlin time).

From your student profile you can book classes at any time.

Yes, ask your teacher to work on whatever aspect you need.

Yes, we only offer one-to-one classes.

Instantly.

You can book a class from 2 weeks up to 15 minutes before the start.

Classes last 45 min.

We will try to ensure that this never happens, but in the event of a cancellation or a no show we will redirect you to another teacher. If a standby teacher is unavailble, that time won’t be deducted from your plan.

Your teacher will be waiting for you for a maximum of 10 minutes. Once this time has passed, the class will be computed as a no show.

You only need a PC, a mobile or a Tablet with internet access, microphone and camera.

No. We are an EdTech so we are totally paperless and mainly focus on speaking.

You don’t need to download or install any software. Our platform is 100% cloud based.

Yes please! You need to have your camera on during lessons because we are a conversation based platform and great conversations are made greater when you can see someone’s body language.

If you lose connection half way through a class, the class will be deducted as if a normal class took place.

 

Just to be respectful and open to learn. Being respectful means being fully engaged in the class, having a working device with good connection, being in a quiet space free from distractions, having your camera on and being kind to the teacher.

Cancellations

Yes, you can cancel anytime from your student portal.

Because of our no commitment plan you can cancel at any time, which means we do not offer refunds.

We want you to enjoy all the benefits of booking anytime and cancelling anytime because learning is supposed to work around your busy life. However we have a ‘courtesy cancellation policy’ which means if you cancel with the same teacher 3 times within a week, they will then have the right to cancel classes that you book with them without any penalty. For more information see our Courtesy cancellation policy.

This policy is designed to protect both the student and the teacher. When you find the right learning partner that’s where the magic happens, learning is so much better with the right person. Because of this, if a student cancels or is a no show 3 times in row, the teacher then has the right to cancel subsequent lessons booked by the student without any penalties. We want our students and teachers to feel respected and cared for, and repeat cancellations / no shows can have an impact on the relationship we want to foster here at Nattives.

You can cancel at any time. There is no additional cost for cancellations up to 1 hour before the start of the class. However, if you cancel less than 1 hour in advance, we will have to deduct that hour. If you’re on the unlimited plan read the section called I’m on the Unlimited Plan, what happens if I cancel a lot of times?

FAQs

Teacher FAQs

Application
Teaching
Payments
Safeguards

Application process

Through our simple, fun and innovative approach, we are changing the way the English language is being taught. Our wish is to bring back the joy of learning a new language. You should join us if you like helping others achieve their goals and having fun at the same time. We’re not only teaching students, we’re also growing careers. Our Nattives Teacher Program is designed to give more people access to an important role in our society; teaching the future generation. If, like us, you believe teaching is an invaluable profession, you should join us.

Telephone interview

We’d love to have a chat with you over the phone first. Our goal here is for us to learn a little more about each other. You should ask as many questions as you need to see if we’re a good fit.

Video interview

A more in-depth interview with us will allow us to explore if our values align.

Trial period

The third and final stage is a trial period. Our students decide how much they enjoy your lessons, so their feedback will determine your progression with us. This also allows you to get a feel for the way we work.

At Nattives we like to make things easy. That’s why there are only 3 monthly plans. You can check our plans and pricing here.

The process takes approximately 2 weeks.

There are no minimum hours. You can work as many hours as your schedule permits.

Yes, please visit our career page as this will have the most up to date listings for our full time positions.

About Teaching

You can set your availability to match your lifestyle, from a few hours a week to full-time availability. We have no minimum hours, all our teachers work with us on a freelance basis meaning that we support a busy lifestyle. However, we recommend our teachers to work at least 10 hours per week and during peak time but it’s up to you how that looks. Peak time is usually before work and after work in central europe.

If the student cancels one hour or more before the class the student is not charged and the teacher is not paid. If the student cancels less than one hour before the class they will be charged as if the lesson took place. The teacher will receive half the pay as if the class happened.

 

You will only be paid for classes that you actually teach, therefore you will not be paid for this scheduled time. If you cancel or fail to show up three times with no valid reason we may stop using your services.

If you have access to your portal please cancel the lesson from your account. If you don’t have access to your portal please email [email protected].

This policy is designed to protect both the student and the teacher. When you find the right learning partner that’s where the magic happens, learning is so much better with the right person. Because of this, if a student cancels or is a no show 3 times with the same teacher, the teacher then has the right to cancel subsequent lessons booked by the student without any penalties. We want our students and teachers to feel respected and cared for, and repeat cancellations / no shows can have an impact on the relationship we want to foster at Nattives.

Students can book their classes two weeks in advance. The shortest notice they have to give is 15 minutes.

Lessons last 45 minutes or 90 minutes. The final 5 minutes of each lesson should be used for providing feedback to the student.

Please always check your internet connection before starting a lesson. You can test your connection speed here and improve your connection speed here. If your internet doesn’t work please cancel the lesson from your account. Alternatively email [email protected]. If you’re experiencing poor internet connection before a lesson you can try the following to speed up your internet: Make sure you’re connected to Wifi or a cable internet network, not to your mobile internet.

  • Move closer to your router. If this doesn’t help, try restarting your router.
  • If connection issues continue, you may try restarting your computer as well.
  • Close other apps or tabs in your browser that might be using internet bandwidth.
  • If you are downloading files, pause the download.
  • Connect with an ethernet cable if you have one. Read more about how to set up your ethernet connection here.
  • If none of the above options help, try switching off your video and complete the lesson with only your audio on. This won’t guarantee a high quality lesson experience, but it will help you stay connected with your student.
  • If you’re still having issues, contact your Internet service provider for a more detailed diagnosis of your network.
  • We require all lessons to be given from a quiet place. However, if you need to have a lesson from a public space or a café, check that they have a strong internet connection plenty of time before your lessons.
  • Try switching to another video platform.

You will need a high speed internet connection, headset with microphone, laptop/desktop with a camera. Ideally you would also have a clear or clutter free background. You should have access to an internet connection with a speed of at least 20 Mbps to: You can test your connection speed here and improve your connection speed here.

No. We are primarily a conversation platform so we have provided all the content you need for a facilitated conversation class. We’ve also provided grammar practice content to support our conversation classes.

Conversation! We’re doing something new with our conversation first approach, so the student may be surprised at how different our lessons run. Our teacher’s job is to facilitate as much talking from the student as possible.

No. The only post class requirement you have is to provide the student with feedback after every single lesson. This is designed to be very quick and easy for you.

Teacher quality is extremely important therefore we actively monitor teacher feedback. In general 3 bad reviews in a row triggers an investigation. Investigations are there to support the teacher not penalise them and we’ll always look for a positive resolution.

Our Real World conversation classes do not have any exercises that you will have to correct. However, if a student wants to do a grammar lesson, you will have to correct the exercises. Additionally, a student may ask for help with private study, which might require you to help them correct homework etc., but you will never have to do any correcting or marking outside of the class time.

Your success is our success therefore we offer as much support as possible to enhance your experience and performance.

  • Teacher dashboard – complete transparency regarding feedback from your students.
  • Anonymous feedback – if we receive private feedback we will share this information with you anonymously via a 121 chat.
  • Unqualified teachers have the opportunity to get a professional TEFL qualification.
  • Teacher Lead – our teacher leads offer further support for trainee teachers.
  • Surveys – we collate feedback from our community to help improve our company performance.
  • All hands – we update our community regularly on important changes or news.

You can wait for a maximum of 15 minutes. Once this time has passed, the class will be computed as a now show.

About payments

We pay once a month. You receive earnings directly to the bank account you entered upon registering with us. You can change this at any time.

You need to be registered as self employed in order to work as a freelancer and then we will pay directly into your bank account.

You are paid according to the hourly rate on your contract. Each month we will tally the total number of hours worked so that this can be invoiced and paid. As an example if you work 20 hours per week you can expect to earn around $1000 per month.

Legally we can’t offer financial advice but we can certainly point you in the right direction.

We offer bonuses when your student satisfaction score is at least 4.5/5 on average each payment period. Watch out for our periodic incentive programs, we want to keep things interesting for both you and students.

About safeguards

We want to ensure that you never encounter inappropriate treatment. If you receive inappropriate treatment in or after a lesson from a student please:

  • If during a lesson, either terminate the call immediately and contact us or after the lesson contact [email protected].
  • If by message, don’t reply to them take a screenshot of the message and email it to [email protected].

We will Investigate directly with the student and take appropriate action

It’s important for everyone to remain culturally sensitive so that we don’t cause offence. Please keep in mind that conversations about politics, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, nationality and race could cause offence. Try not to stereotype or make assumptions by leading with curiosity. We will investigate complaints regarding breach of social norms, inappropriate behavior, sexual harassment or fraud directly and take appropriate action.

 

Please do not share any contact information or ask for student personal information such as phone numbers, emails, full names and social media. If there is an issue with the platform that makes conducting a lesson not possible then this is permissible.

Please do not post advertisements or recruitment announcements for other language services on the Nattives platform.

Nattives reserves the sole right to assess, resolve, and make decisions about the above-mentioned rule violations, as well as other disputes involving users of the platform.

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