Hi-Mandarin Tutor/TA Policy
Version 1.0 — Effective: September 2025
Hi-Mandarin partners with professional Tutors and Teaching Assistants to deliver respectful, reliable, and learner-centered experiences. This policy uses clear, accessible language to outline our collaborative framework from onboarding and scheduling to compensation, privacy, and dispute resolution. We value your expertise and treat all instructors as equal partners in our educational mission.
Key Resources (for your reference):
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Privacy Policy: https://www.hi-mandarin.com/privacypolicy
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Tutor Agreement: https://instructor.hi-mandarin.com/tutor-agreement
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Instructor Manifesto / MCA: https://instructor.hi-mandarin.com/manifesto-mca
Overview & Role Expectations
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Tutors deliver structured one-on-one lessons lasting 50 minutes, tailored to learner goals and curriculum requirements. These sessions form the core of our educational offering and require comprehensive preparation and engagement.
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Teaching Assistants (TAs) provide focused one-on-one practice sessions lasting 20 minutes, specifically designed to build conversational fluency and learner confidence. These sessions complement formal lessons by offering intensive speaking practice.
We are committed to treating all instructors as valued partners. This means maintaining clear communication, respecting your professional time, and applying fair, evidence-based approaches to attendance tracking, quality assessment, and compensation. Your expertise drives our platform's success, and we recognize this partnership as fundamental to delivering exceptional learning experiences.
Readiness & Training
Onboarding Pathways
Tutor Onboarding (Self-Application Process):
To join as a Tutor, please apply at instructor.hi-mandarin.com and submit all five required items listed below. Each submission undergoes careful review to ensure we maintain our quality standards while welcoming qualified educators to our platform.
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Square personal photo or avatar in JPG format
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Passport photo page in JPG or PDF format
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Signed Tutor Agreement in PDF format
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Teaching credential such as WZU completion certificate or equivalent qualification in PDF format
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PayPal email address for receiving compensation payments
Upon submission, you will complete our comprehensive platform training, which includes instructional videos and documentation, followed by a personalized system walkthrough to ensure you are fully prepared to deliver excellent lessons.
TA Onboarding (Invitation-Only Process):
After we confirm your teaching qualifications through our internal review process, we will invite you to consider playing a double role as TA. Once confirmed, you will provide your email address for TA account creation. Our administration team will establish a dedicated TA account specifically for you, maintaining separation from any existing Tutor account you may hold.
While you will have access to the same comprehensive teaching tools as Tutors, the TA interface excludes the "Compensation" menu for streamlined functionality. To review your teaching activity and session history, access the Teaching Time section. For any questions or concerns requiring attention, submit requests through Footer → Report Issue.
Important Account Management: Tutor and TA accounts are maintained as completely separate systems. If you serve in both roles simultaneously, please manage credentials and activities distinctly for each account to ensure proper tracking and compensation processing.
Equipment & Environment Standards
To ensure consistent, professional lesson delivery, please maintain stable internet connectivity, fully functional camera and microphone equipment, adequate lighting for clear visibility, and a quiet, professional background environment. We recommend testing your complete technical setup before each session and keeping your profile information and payment details current at all times.
Pre-Session Preparation & Notifications
Automated Reminder System: Our platform automatically sends reminder notifications at 60 minutes and 30 minutes before each scheduled session. These reminders reach both instructors and learners through platform messaging and email to ensure everyone is prepared and on time.
Check-In Availability Windows:
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Tutors: Check-in functionality opens 20 minutes before the scheduled session start time
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Teaching Assistants: Check-in functionality opens 10 minutes before the scheduled session start time
Teaching Materials & Lesson Preparation
Hi-Mandarin provides carefully developed standardized teaching materials for each lesson and session. These materials align precisely with learner-selected Topics and Lessons while incorporating commonly used Mandarin phrases essential for practical communication skills.
All instructors must follow the established guidelines for these materials while remaining responsive to individual learner requests, interests, and learning pace. Prior to each lesson or session, please prepare curriculum-aligned conversational practice activities. You may utilize our TalkMate Dialogue Generator tool or develop your own complementary materials that support the prescribed curriculum.
TalkMate Dialogue Generator: [TBA]
Scheduling & Attendance
Session Duration Standards
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Tutor lessons: 50 minutes of dedicated instruction time
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TA practice sessions: 20 minutes of focused conversation practice
Attendance Classification System
Our attendance system applies equally to both Tutors and Teaching Assistants, ensuring fair and consistent treatment across all instructor roles. Your compensation directly reflects your punctuality and reliability, which are essential for maintaining learner satisfaction and trust.
Attendance-Based Compensation Structure:
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On-Time Attendance: Check-in completed 5 minutes or more before scheduled start time → 100% full compensation
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Late Attendance: Check-in completed less than 5 minutes before start OR within the first 10 minutes after scheduled start → 50% reduced compensation
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No-Show: Check-in completed 10 minutes or more after scheduled start time → 0% no compensation
Attendance Verification Process
All attendance determinations rely on objective platform records including session IDs, precise check-in timestamps, and detailed activity logs. When necessary for dispute resolution, we may reference additional system metadata to ensure accurate and fair assessments. This evidence-based approach protects both instructors and the platform's operational integrity.
Schedule Changes & Cancellations
If you cannot attend a scheduled session, please cancel through the platform interface as early as possible. Early cancellation helps us facilitate rebooking opportunities for learners and demonstrates the professional courtesy we expect from all partners.
We maintain comprehensive restrictions and penalty mechanisms for learners designed to discourage last-minute changes and cancellations that disrupt our instructors' schedules. However, when these situations do occur despite our protective measures, we commit to prioritizing affected Tutors and TAs in subsequent booking opportunities to minimize income disruption.
Quality & Professional Conduct Standards
We expect all instructors to maintain thorough lesson preparation, consistent punctuality, and courteous, professional interaction with learners. Sessions should remain focused on scheduled learning objectives while avoiding inappropriate content or discussions that fall outside educational scope.
When performance issues arise, our first response involves providing coaching support and practical remedies to help you succeed. If reliability concerns persist despite our assistance efforts, we may temporarily restrict or suspend teaching privileges following individual case review. All such decisions involve transparent communication and clearly defined reinstatement pathways that respect your professional development.
Support & Priority Management
Contact Procedures
For all support needs, submit detailed requests via Footer → Report Issue. Please include relevant session IDs, specific dates and times, brief but comprehensive descriptions of the situation, and supporting screenshots when applicable. Complete information helps us resolve your concerns more efficiently.
Priority Handling Protocol
Our support team prioritizes all cases based on their impact on teaching activities and urgency for resolution. High-priority issues receive immediate attention with dedicated resources. Our internal response framework ensures consistent case progression and prevents delays. You can expect regular updates and clear next steps throughout the resolution process, particularly during active session periods or compensation processing times.
Compensation, Adjustments & Corrections
Compensation Structure & Rates
Our compensation system reflects our respect for your professional expertise and time investment in each learner interaction.
Base Compensation Rates:
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Tutors: USD $25 for each complete 50-minute lesson
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Teaching Assistants: USD $10 for each complete 20-minute session
Attendance-Based Payment Adjustments:
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On-Time Attendance: 100% of base rate
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Late Attendance: 50% of base rate
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No-Show: 0% of base rate
Payment Processing Timeline
Our structured payment cycle ensures reliable, predictable compensation while allowing adequate time for record verification and dispute (D1) resolution.
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Settlement Cutoff (Backend Processing): 21st of each month
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Instructor Center Announcement: 23rd of each month
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Dispute Window Period: Through 28th of each month (inclusive)
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Finance Processing Period: D1+1 through D1+2, completing by Pay Day minus 1
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Payment Issuance: First working day of the following month
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Payment Method: Monthly disbursement via PayPal to your registered email address
Corrections & Dispute Resolution Process
If you identify any compensation discrepancies or attendance classification errors, please submit a detailed ticket via Report Issue within the dispute window period specified in our Payout Calendar. Prompt reporting helps us maintain accurate records and resolve issues efficiently.
Required Information/Documentation for Dispute Resolution:
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Specific session IDs and scheduled timestamps
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Screenshots from Teaching Time / Completed Sessions interface
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Clear, concise summary of the discrepancy (for example: "System shows late classification despite check-in 7 minutes before scheduled start time")
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Any relevant system alerts or notification messages received
Our verification team will thoroughly review platform records and provide definitive outcomes. All approved corrections will be reflected in your next scheduled payout cycle, or as specifically noted in your individual ticket response.
Data Privacy & Information Management
To continuously enhance service quality and provide comprehensive support for dispute resolution, some teaching sessions may be recorded or associated with technical metadata. We maintain strict data governance protocols, retaining such information only for limited periods and using it exclusively for service delivery, quality improvement initiatives, and dispute resolution processes.
All instructors must respect learner privacy by not downloading, storing, or repurposing learner data beyond specifically authorized educational uses. Within our retention periods and subject to legal and operational requirements, you may request access to or deletion of eligible records relating to your teaching activities.
Comprehensive Privacy Information please refer to our Privacy Policy.
Dispute Resolution & Escalation Framework
Our three-tier support structure ensures appropriate expertise handles each type of concern while maintaining efficient resolution timelines.
Level 1 - Administration Team: Handles general inquiries, scheduling and attendance matters, verifies platform logs, and coordinates standard resolutions
Level 2 - Finance Team: Addresses all compensation and settlement questions, processes approved corrections, and manages payment-related disputes
Level 3 - General Management: Manages urgent incidents, complex or high-impact disputes, policy interpretation questions, and escalated cases requiring senior review
We maintain unwavering commitment to fair, timely resolutions and provide regular communication updates throughout every dispute resolution process until complete closure.
Reference Documentation
Time Window Reference Matrix
Support Escalation Framework
Compensation Adjustment Reference
Policy Updates & Amendments
We may periodically update this policy to reflect operational improvements, regulatory changes, or enhanced service offerings. For any material modifications that affect your rights, responsibilities, or compensation, we will provide minimum 30-day advance notice through both platform messaging and email communications. The most current version will always remain accessible in your Instructor Center for easy reference.