Can't teach a lesson? Start here
Situation | What to do |
Individual lesson, 12+ hours before | Cancel it yourself. No deduction. |
Individual lesson, less than 12 hours before | Cancel it yourself. A deduction is applied automatically. If you were ill or had an emergency, write to us in the chat with proof and we will review it. |
First lesson with a new student | You can't cancel it in the system. Please teach it if at all possible. If you really can't, write to us in the chat. |
Lesson in Pending status | You can't cancel it yourself. Write to us in the chat. |
Group lesson, 6+ hours before | Request a substitute with Find a Replacement (only the group's main teacher can do this). |
Group lesson, less than 6 hours before | Write to us in the chat immediately. We will cancel the lesson (late cancellation and deduction). |
❗ Individual lessons have no substitutes. If you can't teach an individual lesson, cancel it.
❗ Never leave a scheduled lesson unstarted. A late cancellation is always better than a no-show.
Individual lessons
Cancelling a lesson
Open the lesson (click its date and time on the list), change the status on the right to Cancelled and fill in the details: cancellation type, reason, comment and a message to the student. Always let your student know, especially if you left the message box empty.
Cancellations 12+ hours before the lesson are deduction-free. Cancelling less than 12 hours before is a late cancellation: the student loses the lesson and a deduction is applied to you.
Moving a lesson to another time
There is no "reschedule" button. To move a lesson, agree on a new time with your student, then:
Cancel the old lesson.
Schedule the new lesson.
This is only possible 12+ hours before the lesson. With less than 12 hours left, you can only cancel, and the deduction stays: moving the lesson to another time does not remove it.
Changing the regular schedule
Cancel the old weekly lessons.
Set up the new weekly lessons.
Before you change anything, check your availability and make sure the new slots aren't blocked or taken by other students. Read the error message carefully – it tells you why a slot can’t be booked.
The first lesson with a new student
You can't cancel or move the first lesson in the system. Cancelling or moving a first lesson is highly discouraged: it spoils the student's first experience and can affect your retention rate, performance reviews and new course assignments.
Recommended: teach the first lesson as planned and agree on any future changes with the student during the lesson.
If you really can't: message the student right away to suggest a new time, then write to us in the chat once you have agreed.
Lessons in Pending status
A Pending lesson is waiting for the student's payment. You can't cancel it yourself. If you need it removed (for example, the student has left), write to us in the chat.
Example of such lesson below:
When the student wants to cancel or move a lesson
12+ hours before: if you agree on a new time, ask the student to cancel the lesson in their Student Space or app, then add the new lesson or cancel it yourself in your panel, but only once the student has agreed.
Less than 12 hours before: moving is not possible. The student must cancel the lesson themselves. It counts as a late cancellation: the student loses the lesson and you are paid in full. This charge can't be waived.
If the lesson still shows on your dashboard, it has not been cancelled: start it and wait for the student, otherwise it counts as your no-show. If you get a no-show notification but the lesson status says "cancelled by the student in less than 12h", you can ignore the notification.
Group lessons
There are two types of group courses:
Regular groups (no icon after the name): fixed schedule. Neither students nor teachers can cancel or move lessons.
Company groups (💼 after the name): set weekly time. Changes are agreed with the students and their company.
If you can't teach a group lesson
6+ hours before: request a substitute with Find a Replacement in the course view. Only the main teacher of the group can do this. If you don't see the option, write to us in the chat.
Less than 6 hours before: write to us in the chat immediately and we will cancel the lesson. This is a late cancellation and a deduction is applied.
When your request is created, you'll get an email once a substitute accepts it. Regularly asking for substitutes may lead to the course being reassigned to another teacher.
Regular group lessons
Regular groups (no icon after the name) follow a fixed schedule set by Fluentbe. The lessons always take place at the planned time.
Moving a lesson: not possible, neither for you nor for the students. Please don’t agree on a new time with the group.
Students can’t come: they can’t cancel or move the lesson. The lesson takes place as planned for the students who join. If nobody joins, stay in the room for a full scheduled time.
You can’t teach: request a substitute with Find a Replacement (6+ hours before), or write to us in the chat if less than 6 hours are left. See “If you can’t teach a group lesson” above.
The group asks for a permanent change (new day or time, different level): write to us in the chat. Changes to regular groups are decided by Fluentbe, not agreed directly with the students.
Regularly asking for substitutes may lead to the group being reassigned to another teacher.
Moving a company group lesson
12+ hours before: ask your students in Messages if they agree to a new time. Send them a screenshot of your calendar, because they can't see it. If they agree, write to us in the chat with the new date and we will move the lesson. If they don't agree, request a substitute.
Less than 12 hours before: moving is not possible. Follow "If you can't teach a group lesson" above.
If students want to cancel a group lesson, they must cancel it themselves in their Student Space. Until they do, the lesson stays active and you need to conduct it.
Late cancellations, no-shows, deductions and suspension
Late cancellation
A late cancellation is when a teacher cancels a lesson less than 12 hours before it starts. It always results in a deduction.
No-show
A no-show is when a teacher doesn't start a scheduled lesson. 10 minutes after the start time, the lesson is marked as a no-show. We expect zero no-shows: they are the most common reason students leave or ask for a new teacher. If a lesson is on your dashboard, you must start it, or cancel it in advance.
Suspension
Each no-show results in an automatic suspension: you don't receive new offers, but your current schedule stays the same. We will contact you about the no-show. Please reply within 48 business hours with the reason and, if possible, proof of force majeure. Repeated no-shows or frequent late cancellations affect course assignments and performance reviews.
Deductions
Deductions are applied for cancellations less than 12 hours before a lesson and for no-shows. You'll find them in the Salary tab; no-shows are listed in the Stats tab.
If you had a valid reason (illness, emergency, power or internet outage), write to us in the chat with a short description and documentation, for example a doctor's note. Only documented absences are reviewed.
How to avoid deductions
Keep your Calendar of availability up to date: switching time, advance notice and working hours.
Check that your Google Calendar is still connected, and block days off in advance.
Check your Dashboard every day for upcoming lessons and flag anything unusual to us.
Keep your Profile preferences current, so you only get offers that fit you.