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Scheduling & Availability

Managing your schedule efficiently is vital for ensuring a smooth experience for both you and your students. Acuity Scheduling is the platform we utilize to streamline this process. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you navigate its features:

1. Accessing Acuity Scheduling:

Upon joining “Your Native Teacher” as a tutor, you’ll receive an invitation email from Acuity Scheduling. Accept this invitation to set up your account. This will grant you “Scheduling View & Edit” permissions, enabling you to efficiently manage your schedule.

2. Managing Availability:

Acuity Scheduling offers a robust environment to manage your availability:

  • Setting Availability:
      • Open the Availability panel.
    • You’ll find three main groups in the availability section:
      • Group 1 (Trial Lessons Availability): This is the availability that students will see on our platform when they decide to book a trial lesson with you. It’s crucial that you consistently keep this availability updated. Students will directly see and book based on this availability. If you forget to update this group and a trial lesson gets scheduled at a time you cannot accommodate, you will have to adjust your schedule to ensure you honor that booking. Please be aware of our strict policy regarding trial lessons: they cannot be rescheduled or canceled once they are booked.
      • Group 2 (Existing Students): Specifically tailored for students who’ve already taken lessons with you.
      • Group 3 (Group Lessons): This category is designed for group lessons. A special feature allows up to three students to book a lesson at the same time. Only modify this availability if you’re conducting lessons for a group of students.
      • Click “Edit availability/limits” on one of them.
    • In the Regular weekly hours section, ensure “I have regular hours every week” is checked.
    • Enter your hours in the fields for each day of the week. For formatting these hours, see the Formatting hours section below.
    • Click “Save regular hours.”
  • Setting Different Hours for Each Day:
    • If you want to set different hours for each day, uncheck “I have regular hours each week” in the Regular weekly hours section.
    • Click “Save, switch to specific days.”
      • A calendar will appear below. Click on a day to add override hours for that specific day. Days left blank won’t be bookable:
      • Click a day on the calendar.
      • Enter your hours for that day and click “Set hours.” For formatting, refer to Formatting hours below.
    • Repeat the above steps until your schedule is complete.
  • Formatting Hours:
      • Format example: 8 AM – 5 PM
      • Effect: Appointments can start at 8 AM. The last must end by 5 PM.
      • Format example: 8 AM – 1 PM, 2 PM – 5 PM
      • Effect: Appointments can start at 8 AM and must end by 1 PM. They can begin again at 2 PM, ending again by 5 PM.
      • Format example: 8 AM, 9 AM, 10 AM
      • Effect: Appointments can start at 8 AM, 9 AM, and 10 AM.
      • Format example: 8 AM – 3 PM, 4:30 PM, 5 PM
      • Effect: Appointments can start at 8 AM and must end by 3 PM. Appointments can also start at 4:30 PM and 5 PM.
    • Regularly update these availability sections to ensure they match your current schedule.


Note: Remember, the Acuity Scheduling platform is for internal use only. Do not communicate about this software to students. Always ensure your availability is updated to provide a seamless experience for both you and your students.

3. Managing Lessons:

  • Adding New Lessons:
    • Remember, tutors should refrain from booking lessons to avoid mistakes. Instead, students will schedule their lessons using the “schedule lessons” button in their subscription confirmation email.
  • Rescheduling Lessons: If there’s a change in your availability or a student requests it, you can easily reschedule lessons. To reschedule a single appointment:
    • In Acuity, click Calendar.
    • Click the appointment in the calendar. 
    • Click Reschedule.
    • Choose a date on the calendar, then choose a new time. To choose a date and time outside of your availability, click Custom.
    • Click Reschedule appointment.
  • Canceling Lessons: Lessons can be canceled directly from the calendar. To cancel a client’s appointment:
    • In Acuity, click Calendar.
    • Click the appointment in the calendar or agenda list.
    • Click Cancel.
    • Click Cancel Appointment.

 

Please note that students may reschedule or cancel lessons up to 12 hours prior to the lesson. However, tutors have the final say in these matters. If a student requests a reschedule or cancellation, the tutor can either:

  • Reschedule the lesson to make it up with the student, ensuring that the student doesn’t lose the lesson and isn’t charged.
  • Leave the lesson in the calendar without making any changes, in which case the student will lose the lesson and will be charged accordingly.


Proactive schedule management is key. Make it a habit to check for bookings, update your availability as needed, and communicate timely with students about any schedule changes. Efficient use of Acuity Scheduling promises a hassle-free tutoring experience and reinforces the trust your students place in you.