In this article:
Tech check
If you have an upcoming reservation, priority hour, or plan to be visible, you must complete the tech check first. You can conveniently skip the tech check if you are logging on to check your schedule, respond to messages, or accept/deny reservation requests. Click 'Get started' from your dashboard to be directed to the tech check screen.
Click on 'Get started' from your dashboard to be directed to the tech check screen.
The tech check will test your connection and preview your video on the left. The checklist on the right will help you prepare your tutoring environment. Everything on the list must be checked off before you can click “Continue”. You have the option to "check all" to quickly mark all of the boxes before continuing.
If you have trouble passing the tech check, please visit the Troubleshooting Guide to find a number of solutions.
Priority Hour
Once you successfully complete your connection test a few minutes before your priority hour starts, you will be directed to the Dashboard to wait until it begins. Incoming calls will be displayed on your dashboard to answer.
When you sign up for the priority hour, you sign up to tutor any students who call you during that hour. Because of this, the expectation is for you to be ready right when the priority hour starts and to answer all incoming calls during the time you have signed up for. Students also have the ability to book a reservation during your priority hour at anytime leading up to the time your priority hour is set to start.
If you are on a priority hour and you receive a call that extends beyond the duration of your priority hour commitment, you will have the option to decline it. If you are able and willing to complete the entire call length, please accept the call. If you are unable to stay for the entire call, please decline the call.
For example: if you have 45 minutes left of your Priority Hour, and a call comes in for 60 minutes, you will have the option to decline the call. If you are willing and able to stay the entire 60 minutes, extending beyond the priority hour, you are encouraged to accept the call. If you are unable or unwilling to stay for the entire 60 minutes, please decline the call.
While on Priority Hour, you do not have the option to be "visible only to your reserved student." If you have a reservation on a priority hour, you will not receive a call that extends into the reservation start time. Because of this, you are still able to answer all incoming calls and be on time for reservations. If your reserved student doesn't show up after 10 minutes past the lesson start time, you may end the lesson and return to your priority hour to continue receiving calls.
Why can't I hear calls ringing?
With the latest Chrome updates by Google, it is getting harder for sounds and notifications to grab your attention in tabs that have not been interacted within a set amount of time. This can have adverse effects on Cambly with incoming calls not ringing on your dashboard which can lead to missed calls.
To try and solve this we have added a notification to let you know that your ringer has been disabled and that interactions are needed on Cambly in order to re-activate the page. You will see a notification that looks like this:
By pressing on 'Enable Ringer' you are letting Chrome know that the page is still active and you are allowing audio to come through, you can also click anywhere on the page to reactivate the ringer.
Why aren't I getting any calls?
If you are not receiving any calls, first, make sure your status is set to "visible"! Next, make sure you are signed up for priority hour, especially if you are a new tutor. While you're on priority hour, we will automatically direct students' calls to you. If you are not on priority hour, you will only receive calls from students who specifically request to talk to you after searching for skills/experiences listed in your profile.
What if I don't want to answer a call from a specific student but I'm on a PH?
When you are on a Priority Hour, you should answer the call from the student at least once. If your student is clearly not serious or is causing problems, you can politely suggest that they call you back when they are ready to learn English and say goodbye. If the student continues to call you, you can either give them another chance, or you can ignore the call.
As long as you have answered the student's call at least once during Priority Hour, avoiding their calls during the rest of the PH will not be counted as "missed calls" for you. For example, if you chat with John once during your PH and then ignore him 2 more times after that, we will not count as you as having missed any of John's calls.
Can I view the student's information before answering a call?
If you are on Priority Hour, calls from a variety of students will be directed to you and you will not have the option to view their information other than their username. This means that while on PH, you will not be able to see how many minutes the student has, their level, where they are from, etc. You may be the student's first-ever call, so it's a great chance to get to know the student with introductions!
On-demand call
Once you successfully complete your connection test, you will be directed to the Dashboard where you can set yourself as "visible". You are able to select which students you will be visible to, as shown below:
Incoming calls will be displayed on your dashboard to answer.
After you select Answer, you will first be taken into the tutor lobby. Here is where you can view your video and audio settings prior to entering the classroom. After clicking Continue in the lobby, the lesson automatically starts, and you are sent into the classroom with the student.
All on demand calls are displayed in the tutor's Call Log. Calls where, for example, the student hung up before the tutor could answer are displayed with a "n/a" instead of a chat length.
Please note: A missed call does not indicate a penalty. Missed calls are only penalized while on Priority Hour.
Declining a call
If you are not on Priority Hour and simply set to “visible”, you are able to decline any call that comes in (assuming it is not a reservation).
If you decline an incoming call, the student sees the decline message below and will be prompted to select another tutor.
Reservation
If you have a reservation with a student, you will have the ability to enter the classroom up to 10 minutes prior to the lesson start time.
At the start time of the reservation, if you are not yet already in the classroom, the phone icon will illuminate and the ringtone will play, indicating that it is time to enter the classroom and start the lesson.
After you select Enter Classroom, you will pass through the tutor lobby. Here the system will confirm your audio and video inputs are accessible and move you along into the classroom.
Students will not be able to join you in the classroom until you click “Start Lesson”, so be sure to selected that at the scheduled start time.
Will I earn additional pay if I enter the classroom early?
Starting a lesson early will not earn you additional pay. The classroom clock for a reservation begins counting down at the lesson start time. While you are able to start the lesson up to a minute early, you are not required to select "Start Lesson" until the lesson start time.
How long do I wait for my student to call?
While we encourage all students to start their lessons on time, sometimes a student may call in late. If this is the case, you will be paid to wait 10 minutes after the start time for the student to join the lesson. If the student hasn't joined after the first 10 minutes, you may leave the classroom and you will be automatically paid for the time you waited for the student. Please note that you are welcome to wait longer for your student if you wish, but you will not be paid beyond 10 minutes.
Note: you must wait until the 10 minute mark to be paid for your wait time.
If your student arrives late within the first 10 minutes of the lesson, you will be paid for the minutes you waited. There is in-classroom guidance to help ensure you know when you can end the lesson if you find yourself in the classroom alone and aren't sure what to do!
What if I don't want to accept a student's reservation?
If you're not able to make it, you're welcome to cancel the reservation. Be sure to send a quick note to the student to explain why.
If you cancel multiple reservations in a row, however, the system will consider your schedule outdated and may clear it automatically. You can re-update your schedule at any time. More information on cancelling reservations can be found here.
Please note, if you feel that a student can chat on Cambly respectfully but you'd rather not work with them, please let us know by submitting a request and explaining the circumstances. We can block the student from being able to see, message, or make reservations with just you.
What if my student never accepted my reservation proposal?
If you propose a reservation and your student does not confirm, you can cancel that lesson at any time without penalty.
In the same way tutors did not receive a no-show payment for an unconfirmed reservation in the old classroom, tutors are unable to earn late student minutes for unconfirmed reservations in the new classroom. Because of this, you are now able to cancel anytime without penalty.
⚠️ Think your student is a no show? Double check that you have opened up the lesson by clicking the “Start Lesson” button. Failure to do so will prevent your student from entering the classroom, and may in-turn result in you registering as a tutor no show.New student details
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New Cambly students now have the option to provide different details about themselves and their learning goals. These details include:
If a new student chooses to use this feature for an upcoming lesson with you, it will be shared with you via Cambly messages, giving you additional information about the student before your lesson. These details can also be viewed in the classroom or by visiting the student's profile. |