Professionalism & friendliness

  1. Dress code
    Please wear professional attire even if the student does not use video on the off-chance that you will have to use it for a brief moment. Your face and hair should be groomed and presentable.
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    A jacket, tie, and/or vest are optional, but please do wear a professional shirt. A collared shirt for men and a collared shirt/professional blouse for women are standard practice. Feel free to wear a cardigan, suit jacket, or vest if you are cold. Please ask a trainer if you are unsure of anything.
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    Whatever you wear below your computer screen is up to you (just don't stand up if you're wearing something less than professional)!
  2. Punctuality
    Please be punctual. In some countries, being a few minutes late is the norm and not a huge deal. Japan is not one of them. Many students will expect you to be on time.
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    That said, if for some reason, you are late, please apologize and if you can, offer to extend the lesson to cover for the lost time or something to that effect. 
  3. Before calling a student
    You should always send a message first (unless it says otherwise on a student's profile) especially with consultants. They are busy and may be in a meeting or something. 
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    A simple message along the lines of "Hello (name/last name-san), are you ready to start?" should suffice.
  4. Hanging up
    Please wait a bit at the end of your lesson to give your student a chance to hang up. If they don't, just hang up.
  5. Forms of address
    As mentioned in the first section, if you've never met a student before, it's good to address them as "[name]-san" in your initial message unless you'd like to do it English-style and show them what is usually done in professional settings. 
  6. If you miss a class
    Japan still has the mentality of "the customer is always right," and it's a country where people apologize and thank people often. If you have to cancel your lessons or accidentally miss a class, please apologize profusely and politely. 
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    If possible, it's also good to offer different dates/times when you can make up for the canceled lesson or other teachers who are available at that time. 
  7. No shows and thanking people
    If you get a no show, please write a short, polite message for the student (not just "See you next time!"). It might help to thank them for booking your lesson or informing you of the cancellation before the lesson.