Bookings

For Students: Booking a Session

Step 1: Find a Tutor

Browse the Marketplace to find tutors by:

• Subject and level
• Price range
• Availability
• Location (online or in-person)
• Reviews and ratings

Step 2: View Available Times

Click on a tutor's profile to see:

• Their calendar with available time slots
• Session duration options (30 min, 1 hour, 2 hours)
• Hourly rate
• Session type (online/in-person)

Step 3: Request a Booking

1. Select your preferred time slot
2. Choose session duration
3. Add session details:
   • Subject or topic to cover
   • Any specific materials or homework
   • Learning goals for the session
4. Add payment method (required)
5. Confirm booking request

Step 4: Scheduling Flow

Once your booking is created, the scheduling process begins:

Scheduling Status:

1. Unscheduled - Booking created, no time set yet
2. Proposed - One party has suggested a time (15-minute slot hold)
3. Scheduled - Both parties confirmed, session is locked in

How it works:

• Either party can propose a time slot
• The proposed time is held for 15 minutes
• The other party confirms or proposes a different time
• When confirmed, payment is processed (for paid sessions)

Step 5: Wait for Confirmation

• Tutors have 24 hours to respond
• You'll receive an email when they accept or decline
• If accepted, you'll get calendar invite and session details
• If declined, no charge is made to your card

Session Reminders

Once your session is confirmed, you'll receive 3 automatic reminders:

1. 24 hours before - Email reminder with session details
2. 1 hour before - Final preparation reminder
3. 15 minutes before - Get ready to join!

Step 6: Attend Your Session

For Online Sessions:

• Click "Join Session" from your Bookings page or Dashboard
• You'll be taken to VirtualSpace — Tutorwise's collaboration environment
• Use the interactive whiteboard to work through problems together
• Google Meet provides video and audio alongside the whiteboard
• Test your setup 5 minutes early
• Have materials ready (notebook, textbooks)

For In-Person Sessions:

• Arrive on time at the agreed location
• Bring required materials
• Confirm location details with tutor beforehand

For Tutors: Managing Bookings

Setting Your Availability

Keep your calendar updated to receive bookings:

1. Go to your Dashboard
2. Click "Manage Availability"
3. Set your regular teaching hours
4. Block out personal commitments (holidays, vacations)
5. Set buffer time between sessions

New: Block Dates for Holidays/Vacations

You can now block entire days or specific time ranges:

1. Click "Add Exception Date"
2. Choose exception type:
   • Holiday: Bank holidays, public holidays
   • Vacation: Personal time off
   • Personal: Doctor appointments, emergencies
   • Unavailable: Other commitments
3. Select dates (single day or date range)
4. Choose block type:
   • All day: Completely unavailable
   • Specific times: Block only certain hours (e.g., "2pm-5pm")
5. Confirm exception

Bulk Import UK Bank Holidays:

• Click "Import UK Holidays"
• Select year (e.g., 2026)
• All 8 UK bank holidays added automatically

Receiving Booking Requests

When a student requests a booking:

1. Email Notification: You'll receive immediate notification
2. Dashboard Alert: Request appears in your dashboard
3. 24-Hour Window: You have 24 hours to respond

Accepting Bookings

Review the booking request:

• Student's name and profile
• Requested date and time
• Session duration
• Subject and learning goals
• Any special requests

Click "Accept" if:

• Time slot still works for you
• You're comfortable teaching the subject
• You have materials ready

Click "Decline" if:

• Time no longer available
• Subject outside your expertise
• You need to reschedule

Preparing for Sessions

Before the Session:

• Review student's learning goals
• Prepare relevant materials
• Test your VirtualSpace setup (whiteboard, Google Meet)
• Send any pre-session materials

During the Session:

• Start on time
• Follow the agreed curriculum
• Be engaging and patient
• Take notes for follow-up

After the Session:

• Send summary notes
• Assign homework if appropriate
• Leave a quick rating (optional)
• Suggest next steps

Quick Session Ratings

After your session completes, you can immediately rate it with 1-5 stars:

How it works:

1. Session ends
2. "Quick Rate This Session" prompt appears
3. Select 1-5 stars (takes 5 seconds)
4. Skip if you want to rate later

Why quick rate?

• Capture your immediate impression
• Pre-fills the full review form (you can still add comments later)
• Helps both parties remember the session quality
• You still have 7 days to write a detailed review

Payment Processing

How Payments Work

Cancellation Policy

Student Cancellations

More than 24 hours before:

• Full refund (minus Stripe processing fee of ~£0.20 + 1.5%)
• No penalty
• Instant processing

Less than 24 hours before:

• No refund - Tutor is compensated for the late notice
• Your account will be flagged for a late cancellation
• ⚠️ Repeat Offenders: 3+ late cancellations in 30 days may result in account restrictions

No-show (student doesn't attend):

• No refund
• Tutor receives full payment
• Automatically detected 30 minutes after session start time
• Both parties notified

Tutor Cancellations

More than 24 hours before:

• Student fully refunded
• No impact on tutor rating

Less than 24 hours before:

• Student fully refunded
• May impact tutor rating
• Multiple late cancellations may result in account review

No-show (tutor doesn't attend):

• Student fully refunded
• Serious impact on tutor rating
• May result in account suspension

Rescheduling Sessions

How to Reschedule

Students:

1. Go to Bookings
2. Find the session
3. Click "Request Reschedule"
4. Select new time slot
5. Wait for tutor confirmation

Tutors:

1. Go to Bookings
2. Find the session
3. Click "Suggest Reschedule"
4. Propose alternative times
5. Student accepts or proposes new time

Recurring Bookings

Book multiple sessions at once to:

• Secure your preferred time slot week after week
• Build learning continuity and momentum
• Save time on repetitive booking
• Never worry about scheduling again

Setting Up Recurring Bookings

1. When creating a booking, select "Make this recurring"
2. Choose your pattern:
   • Weekly: Same day/time each week (e.g., Every Monday at 3pm)
   • Biweekly: Every other week
   • Monthly: Same date each month
3. Choose how long to continue:
   • After X sessions: e.g., "10 sessions then stop"
   • Until specific date: e.g., "Until end of term"
   • Never: Ongoing until you cancel
4. Review all auto-generated sessions
5. Confirm series

Managing Your Series:

• Pause: Temporarily pause series (e.g., during holidays)
• Resume: Restart a paused series
• Cancel: Stop all future sessions in the series
• Individual sessions: Can still cancel/reschedule individual sessions

Session History

Track all your sessions in your dashboard:

For Students:

• View completed sessions
• Download receipts
• Leave reviews
• Rebook favourite tutors
• Track learning progress

For Tutors:

• Session history with each student
• Earnings per session
• Student notes and progress
• Review history
• Performance analytics

Common Issues

Tutor not responding to booking request?

• They have 24 hours to respond
• Request expires after 24 hours
• Try booking another tutor

VirtualSpace session not loading?

• Check your internet connection
• Try refreshing the page
• Use Chrome or Firefox for best compatibility
• See VirtualSpace Troubleshooting
• Contact support if issue persists

Payment declined?

• Check card details are correct
• Ensure sufficient funds
• Try different payment method
• Contact your bank if needed

Technical issues during session?

• Screenshot the error
• Contact support immediately
• Session may be rescheduled free of charge

Need Help?

Quick Links

• Getting Started for Students
• Getting Started for Tutors
• Payment Information
• Cancellation Policy

Ready to book? Browse our Marketplace to find your perfect tutor today!