Your Personal Professor FAQ
Book a Tutor with Your Personal Professor
I dont live in Europe, can I still have tutor?
Our experienced online tutors can help students all over the world.
Can the tutor come to my house?
If the tutor lives in the same city as you, we could come to an agreement if the teachers agree for an extra fee.
Will you check how I'm getting on?
Absolutely! We’ll call you to introduce you to your tutor and after your first tutorial to check that everything is going OK. You can call us at any time – we’re always up for a chat about tuition!
What is your opening time?
We are always open. You can call us on +47 919 08 939. If we don’t answer please send us a message in our contact form or email us at ad***@yo*******************.no and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
I am unhappy with my tutor, what should I do?
If you are ever dissatisfied with your tutor or any aspect of our service then please do let us know; it is very important to take feedback from our clients so that we and our tutors can improve. Usually, issues with placement can be resolved in discussion between Your Personal Professor and the tutor, and the placement can then continue on the right track. Clear and open communication is the most important thing. Where the problems are really insurmountable, we will be happy to arrange an alternative tutor as quickly as we can.
Can I have a trial lesson?
Unfortunately, we don’t offer trial sessions, but you will have a chance to speak to your tutor before your first session, usually for around half an hour, to discuss your requirements in more detail and to help them prepare properly for your time together. We also have a student satisfaction policy for the first session, which you can read more about in our Terms and Conditions.
What are the benefits of online tuition?
Online tuition is the future of tuition and Your Personal Professor are pioneers in this field. Please see our Online Tutoring Page for more information.
What is your privacy policy?
All our client profiles are anonymous, to everyone except the office team, until we match a student with a tutor when details will be shared with them alone.
Am I guaranteed a high grade?
No. We undertake to provide the best help and advice that we can, by putting you in touch with the right tutor. We can never guarantee the outcome of the work, however; at the end of the day a student’s success is down to them, to their hard work and ability, and we can only provide support towards achieving that success.
Have you got testimonials from your previous students?
We store the feedback on all our tutors’ work, so we can make sure that we are confident when we put them forward. Unfortunately, we cannot give out details of our students.
How many sessions will I need?
It really depends what you are trying to achieve, but it’s very difficult for anyone to make good progress with any topic in less than 5 hours, total, and we don’t arrange tuition placements for any less than that. We usually recommend a 2 hour session to begin with, and many students stick with that length. Weekly or twice weekly sessions are usual, but this is always open to discussion with the tutor, and depending on the time-limit we can always arrange sessions more or less frequently than that. Part of the service our tutors provide is an initial “consultation”. The tutor will be able to discuss your aims with you, and based on their experience with the topics, will be able to give you an estimate of the time needed. They can also help you to structure your study, in between sessions, to ensure that you are making good progress.
Where and when can I meet my tutor?
Online tutors can work with students from anywhere. The timing of sessions is always different and depends on your own availability and the tutor’s schedule. Let us know any preferences or restrictions on your time, and we will do our best to accommodate. Tutors work evenings and weekends too. Our best tutors are expertly trained online tutors, who can work with you anywhere in the world (we believe that online tuition can be more effective than face-to-face with a trained tutor!). Talk to a member of our team to learn more about the benefits of online tuition.
I can’t complete my work on my own. Can someone finish it for me?
No!! Our tutors act within university ethical practise guidelines for all the work they undertake, and our tutors will never do your work for you; we are teachers, not cheaters. There is always a limit to how far a tutor can involve themselves in a student’s work, which is determined by the tutor’s own discretion. Things they can do: make detailed suggestions for improvements to coursework essays; explain how to run statistical tests on practise data sets, and how to choose which tests to run; Things they can’t do: write material for essays, or tell students what to write; edit or correct written work themselves; run statistical tests or interpret the results. See Your Personal Professor’s Terms and Conditions for more information on our plagiarism policies.
How quickly can you find someone for me?
Matching you with the right tutor can’t be rushed, but we won’t be wasting any time either. It usually takes around 2-3 working days, so do get in touch as soon as you can to give yourself the best chance of success. If you need to find someone sooner than that, you will need to request a Priority Placement, for which there is an extra charge (see our pricing page). We will then undertake to find someone on the same day if possible.
How is my tutor selected?
Your designated Client Liaison Manager will help you select the best tutor(s) for your needs. We interview all our tutors individually, and take feedback from every student they work with, so we’re in a great position to recommend the right tutor for you. Once we have all taken your requirements, tutors with relevant experience will let us know how they can help you, and we’ll help select the best one or two to introduce to you. Ultimately, however, the choice will be yours, so do ask our team for any information you need.
Will the tutor be expert in my subject?
90% of our students work with a specialist in their field. For original topics, it’s nearly impossible to find a tutor whose research is in the same area; if it were, it wouldn’t be original! What they can do, however, is advise on the best methods, the approach, and the requirements of research at this level, and guide you towards the right results.
Are your tutors highly qualified?
Yes! We work with only the most qualified and experienced tutors in the business. Many of our tutors have been lecturing at university level for decades, and all of them hold at least a Master’s degree. We personally interview every tutor before they join our network, asking them to deliver a tutorial to us so that we can attest to their skills. Only the best make it through to Your Personal Professor.
Do you teach my subjects?
Yes (but drop us a message to check)! We work with tutors all around the world, covering everything. We are proud of our excellent contacts in the world of Academia, and if we don’t have the right person yet, we’ll be happy to go out and find them for you!
Working as a Tutor with Your Personal Professor
What are Teaching Skills?
How can I improve my application?
Consider what the client will want to know about a potential tutor: are they experienced with my subject? Have they had success tutoring others in this field? Will they be available where and when I need them to be, and how soon can they start? Help us by answering these questions, so we can sell you to the client in a single phone call. From Your Personal Professors perspective, we would recommend making it clear that you have read the job description carefully, and that you have checked through the course material, where available. References to availability on days when the client is not free, are the best ways to ensure that you don’t get the job. Further to this, problems arising during a placement, which could have been avoided by a close reading of the job description before application, are a good way to ensure that you don’t get any more jobs with Your Personal Professor.
Can I be a full-time tutor?
Your Personal Professor is proud to work with several, expert full-time tutors. However, one of the difficult things about Higher Education tuition is that demand is cyclical over the course of the year, and very unpredictable from week to week. While there may be periods during which a comfortable living can be made through tutoring alone, most of our tutors find that tutor is the perfect part-time occupation, committing between 5-20 hours a week. This is especially true for tutors of the Humanities, for which there is substantially less demand.
Can I bill for preparation time?
Yes, but you will need to discuss this with you Client Liaison Manager, ideally before you are introduced to the client. If the preparation required for a placement is likely to exceed the usual amount expected (around half an hour to an hour for each hour of planned tuition), for example where extensive background reading is required, or where a long coursework project is in discussion, we are keen that our tutors should be reimbursed for this time, and will be happy to propose a ‘Preparation Rate’ to cover these costs. This is usually around half of the full cost of tuition.
Can I bill for expenses?
In some cases it will be appropriate to charge for expenses, like travel costs, or even, very rarely, for travel time. This will need to be agreed in advance with the client, preferably through the Client Manager before the placement is confirmed, otherwise, they cannot be invoiced. If a tutor logs expenses on the system that have not been discussed with Your Personal Professor, these will be queried and may result in a delay to your payment.
Can I get a reference?
As Your Personal Professor tutors are independent contractors, we are able to provide references to potential employers.
How do I become an online tutor?
Online tuition is the core of Your Personal Professors business model. Whether you are an experienced online tutor or just starting out, we will be happy to give advice and guidance on improving your methods. If you are interested in becoming part of our online tutor team, then send us an email to ad***@yo*******************.no, and our Tutor Liaison Team will be happy to help.
When is there most demand?
Demand for Higher Education tuition is highly cyclical, and the busiest periods are February-May and mid-July to mid-August.
Is my payment guaranteed?
Since we use the Stripe payment system, 99.9% of the time we collect the full payment of invoices on time. However, Your Personal Professor cannot guarantee payment from any client, especially in cases of dispute. We undertake to provide a stable and secure payment process as far as possible, and in cases of default, we will pursue payment on the tutor’s behalf. Where this is unsuccessful we will usually (at our discretion) enter into legal proceedings, for payment of any outstanding invoices. We cannot, however, guarantee that this will be successful. Payments are made to tutors only once the payment has been collected.
Do I need a minmum TOEFL score to join?
My profile has been made "Dormant", what does that mean?
There are a number of reasons why a tutor’s profile may be made dormant, and usually, you will be aware of the reasons beforehand. Essentially, this means that a tutor is no longer able to apply for placements with Your Personal Professor and is not considered to be an active tutor. You will not receive notifications of available jobs or other broadcasts from Your Personal Professor. If you are unaware of the reasons for your profile being Dormant, then please email ad***@yo*******************.no
There is a problem with my student. What should I do?
Supporting the work of tutors is a big part of what we do. If any issues arise during a placement, please contact Your Personal Professor straight away, and we will be happy to discuss it in detail and the potential solutions. Open communication, both with us and with the student is key to a successful placement, and it is much easier to assist when we are aware of problems at an early stage. Since both tutors and students are clients of Your Personal Professor, we try to be fair and impartial in the case of disputes. However, we do encourage the use of timesheets and written agreements on the part of tutors to clarify and to help prevent such disputes.
What happens when I apply for a job?
Your application for any placement goes straight to Your Personal Professors office team, and will be read initially by the Client Liaison Manager dealing with the client in question. It will be used as a source of information when putting you forward to the client, so do make sure to include any particularly relevant experience you may have, and address any specific features of the job, particularly timing, location and attached course materials.
Who sees my profile?
Only the Your Personal Professors Office team will be able to see your profile, although we will refer to it when discussing your experience with clients. It is essentially a store of information to help us sell your services to students, so please bear that in mind when setting it up.
How long wll it take for me to become a tutor?
Once you have completed your profile in our system it will be reviewed by one of the senior members of the team, and hopefully we will then be able to invite you for interview. You may be asked to improve your profile before you can be invited. We do receive plenty of applications, however, so this process can take up to a week. If invited for interview, you will have the chance to choose a date and time from a list of available slots, and will be told what you will need to prepare and bring with you.
Who can become a tutor?
Payments
How can I thank my tutor
We love to hear of success stories! Please contact the office and we’ll send you link to leave a review, that will help your tutor get more work through us in the future.
Is my money safe?
Absolutely. Stripe, our payment provider, has, the same security systems as your bank. We are a registered Norwegian company; company number: 912246817
What if I want a refund?
Your Personal Professor operates a satisfaction guarantee on your first tutorial. If you have a problem with your tutor, please contact us immediately so that we know to not charge, can help resolve the problem and work find a replacement tutor. Please see our Terms and Conditions for more information.
What if my payment fails?
Don’t worry, just contact the office ASAP, so we can sort it out. We will attempt to take the payment a second time and will contact your tutor, who has the choice to suspend the tuition until payment has been made. If it fails again we’ll have to apply a late payment administration fee, and if it fails a third time without contact we may have to move to legal action, so it’s best to get in touch straight away! Please see our Terms and Conditions for more information.
When are payments taken?
Payment is taken at purchase. Invoice is sent out within 7 days.
I have a question or problem with my invoice, what should I do?
What is the Priority Placement Fee?
If your deadline is urgent, we charge NOK1000 to push your needs to the top of the pile and focus on finding you the right tutor, ideally within 24 hours.
Are there any up-front charges?
We will ask for a deposit of NOK250 when you first contact us, to make sure you’re serious about finding a tutor! We receive a huge amount of demand, and we just can’t handle speculative enquiries. Once you’ve been matched with your tutor, this deposit will count towards your tutoring free. More information is available in our Terms and Conditions.
How much will it cost?
You can see on our Pricing Page our prices. All the rates are per hour, and we will always quote an exact hourly rate at the point that we confirm your placement with your tutor. The final rate will also be determined by the experience and standing of the individual tutor. Before meeting your tutor, we will agree all prices with you.
Can I make payments in cash?
Unfortunately, we cannot accept payments in cash. All payments must be made via Your Personal Professor or online. This creates transparency and avoids the possibility of payment disputes, which protects both tutor and client.
Do you offer any discounts?
We can offer a discount when you make a Bank Transfer for a large number of hours in advance, either 10 or 20 hours. The discount is 5% for 10 hours or 10% for 20. We do offer further discounts for even larger packages, and so please do give us a call to discuss the options.
How do you take payments?
All payments are taken by Your Personal Professor and are made through debit, credit card or Vipps. After the first payment, the card details are saved by our payment provider, Stripe, and further payments are taken automatically. Don’t worry, though; you’re still in full control, and you can request an immediate refund of any payment you think is incorrect. Our invoices are sent weekly, and you’ll have 96 hours to query any invoice from us.