Annex No.

Frequently Asked Questions

Table of contents:

1. Welcome! My First Day!

2. Technical/ What if…
3. Student’s Issues
4. Time
5. Feedback
6. Lessons
7. Teacher support & Mentoring
8. Resources
9. ​Admin
10. Teacher Account Health
11. Contact information

 
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 Annex No. 1
 
1 Welcome! My First Day!
1.1 Step 1 1. Install Skype app on your phone.
2. Check you have Novakid Support in your Skype contacts.
3. Check your laptop and mobile phone are fully charged. In case you
suddenly have technical issues or no power, contact Novakid
Support immediately via Skype!
Please mind that Novakid Support is normally to be contacted via chat in
your web cabinet ( lower right part of the screen, message icon):

Skype app is for emergency situations only!

We highly recommend to have a UPS backup battery for emergency
situations!
Also, check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzavm16CnOE

1.2 Step 2 Log into the Novakid portal.

https://www.novakidschool.com
Enter your Email & Novakid password and sign in.
https://school.novakidschool.com/dashboard

1.3 Step 3 Run a Test and do Internet Speed Test before your first class every day.

1.4 Step 4 Prepare for the lesson. By clicking on the lesson, the ppt will open:

Familiarise yourself with the lesson and any props you may find useful.
Close the window once you have finished, go back to your dashboard and
refresh. If you want to see the upcoming classes during the day, use the
button “View lesson”.

Additional materials (e.g. Phonics/ Teachers Aids/ Example Lessons etc.)

are available and constantly being updated on Google Drive Folder -
Teachers Library

1.5 Step 5 Read through any previous feedback if applicable.

1.6 Step 6 You are ready for your first lesson! Enter classroom!​ Have fun!

 
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 Annex No. 1
 
2 Technical / What if…...
2.1 GENERAL Refresh. Use Translator (Chat Box) to get student to refresh. (​Type “Please
refresh the page” and nothing else. Your message will be translated
automatically.)​ Use Low Quality setting. ​Remember to Run a Test and do
Internet Speed Test before your first class every day.

2.2 My pc / laptop crashes Always check your equipment before the lesson to be sure you can work
just before or during a effectively! ​All Operating System upgrades should be completed in
lesson. advance!​ Ensure your phone is charged and has Skype app. Let Novakid
Support know immediately via Skype.

2.3 The student can’t see me Check your camera settings. Use the Translator in your ppt and ask
/ I can’t see the student. student to refresh (​Type “Please refresh the page” and nothing else. Your
message will be translated automatically).​ Refresh yourself & try “low
quality” in settings.
There is lag on the video.

Please note that if you don't see the student but the student sees and
hears you well, you may continue teaching the lesson. There’s no need to
inform Support Group about this.

2.4 The student can’t hear Check your headphone connection and mute button if applicable. Refresh
me / I can’t hear the & use Translator to get student to refresh (​Type “Please refresh the page”
student. and nothing else. Your message will be translated automatically.​) If the
The sound is bad. problem persists, contact Novakid Support Group via chat in your web
cabinet.

2.5 The connection is Refresh yourself, ask student to refresh via Translator (​Type “Please
unstable; the student refresh the page” and nothing else. Your message will be translated
keeps losing connection. automatically​) & try “low quality” in settings.

Remember to Run a test and do an Internet speed test (located on

dashboard) ​immediately after ​the lesson.

2.6 The incorrect lesson has Always check before entering classroom. Try to check at least 10 minutes
loaded. before class begins. Let Novakid Support Group via chat know
immediately. ​Please note that it is impossible to change the lesson
materials once the class has started!

2.7 I can’t see the lesson / Refresh & use Translator to get student to refresh ("Please refresh the
the student can’t see the page". Do not write anything else!). If the problem persists, contact
 
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 Annex No. 1
lesson. Novakid Support via chat in your web cabinet.

2.8 There is a sudden power If you have a laptop, keep it fully charged. Keep your phone charged &
outage (mainly South have Novakid Support as a contact on your Skype app. For your laptop you
Africa!) can have a dongle. Please note that your mobile phone as a hotspot most
likely will not do, as mobile Internet speed is insufficient for the platform.
If you know that the area you live in is frequently affected by extreme
weather conditions or power outages, make sure to have a UPS backup
battery. This way you will always be ready to teach lessons and make
money!

2.9 There were IT issues Please give a few extra minutes at the end of the lesson. Include this info
during a lesson in the ​feedback ​so that the parent is aware an issue occured. Remember
not to go over 28 minutes.

2.10 There were IT issues If a teacher’s IT issue take longer than 5 minutes to fix the lesson will be
from my side marked as failed. Unfortunately, no credit will be granted. Make sure you
contact Novakid Support to inform them about the issue.

2.11 There are excessive Understandably, excessive teacher IT issues that are not dealt with will
teacher IT issues result in less trials or even the possibility of stopping all bookings if the
issue persists. Where teacher IT issues occur for 2 (two) consecutive days,
resulting in all lessons being cancelled, all future lessons may have to be
cancelled. Lessons will be cancelled until all IT issues are fixed. An IT test
will need to be carried out to ensure these issues will not re-occur.

 
3 Student’s issues
3.1 The student is a Wait in the classroom till the end of the class and then exit it as soon as
no-show. the timer hits 25 minutes mark​.​A student might come late, so make sure
you wait till the end of the class.
If a student is trial wait 5 min (Native)/ 15 min (Near-Native) and exit
the class.

3.2 The student is in a state Handle it as best as you can and inform Support via chat in the web
of distress. cabinet immediately, so that they contact the parents.

3.3 The student is Close your camera immediately and inform Novakid Support via chat - be
inappropriately clothed specific about what the problem is.
or displaying
inappropriate behaviour.
You witness child
assault.

3.4 The student can’t use Creatively work around lesson. Report in feedback and inform Support via
the mouse. chat ​after the lesson​, so that they can speak to parents.

3.5 The lesson starts late Yes, if possible. You may extend the lesson to a maximum of 28 minutes.
because the student is We never want to be late for the next class. If the system indicates the
not online, should I still teacher requested early class termination contact Support via chat so that
finish the lesson on they set the right class status for you.
time?

 
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 Annex No. 1

If you feel you did not have adequate time to teach all of the important
slides, you may choose the “lesson re-do” option, so that the student
repeats the next lesson the same material.

3.6 The student can’t write Direct parent via feedback to the library, Writing Practice worksheets,
well. encouraging them to get the child to practice. The child should also
practice writing with the mouse on the computer.

Also inform Novakid Support so that they contact the parents.

3.7 The student should be Please request level adjustment of the student using the “Level
on a higher or lower adjustment needed” button. Inform Teacher Operations Department
level. about your concerns.

Lesson re-do is NOT necessary:

- if you face technical issues during the lesson. In this case the class
need to be failed!
- if there are only games left
- if it is the 3rd lesson of a unit and you worked through the main
material as the next lesson is unit redo and key points will be
revised.

3.8 The parent is interfering Notify Support after the lesson via chat so that they inform the parents
in any aspect. their participation is not required. Mind this does not refer to Pre-school
students whose parents’ help might be useful during the lesson.

 
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 Annex No. 1
3.9 Parental Please avoid discussing any issues with parents. The reason for this is that
Communication. although it may seem they are proficient in English, many
misunderstandings can occur. We all know how easily things are “lost in
translation”. Unfortunately these things can become detrimental to the
teacher, Novakid or the student. Rather avoid and use the Support to
communicate with the parent.

3.10 The student is constantly Be creative. Inform the parents in the feedback. If it doesn’t improve, let
distracted​. Novakid Support know.

3.11 The student ​can’t draw a Keep trying to model the action you are wanting from the student. See
circle​ with a mouse. also “dotted” circle in Teacher library, print it out, hold it up for student to
see and run your mouse over it. Alternately, you can use a little white
board to do the same. It seems to work 95% of the time. Also draw a
dotted circle or letters on the ppt., kids often respond by completing the
dots.
You may explain the situation in your feedback and inform Novakid
Support about it so that they contact the parents.

3.12 Student should redo a Choose “Lesson redo” option if you need to redo a lesson.
lesson.

Please note that this option is only valid in 3 cases:

-Student was considerably late and you couldn’t cover all the slides;
-Student misbehaved or didn’t feel well;
-Student is at the right level in general but was challenged and failed to
understand the material of this particular lesson..
Lesson re-do is ​NOT ​necessary:
- if the Student doesn’t cope with the material at all. In such a case
Level adjustment needs to be requested.
- if the Student is Absent. A no-show must be set..
- if you face technical issues during the lesson. In this case the class
needs to be failed! This material will be automatically assigned to
the next lesson. Please report the issue to Support immediately
and ask them to fail the lesson for you;
- if there are only games left;
- if it is the 3rd lesson of a unit and you worked through the main
material as the next lesson is unit redo and key points will be
revised.

3.13 Student cultures. Please keep in mind that we have students from different countries and
some cultural references could be offensive to students in other
countries.

3.14 There is more than 1 Teach the lesson as best as you can and notify Novakid Support via chat,
student in the class. so that they contact the parents. This should not happen again; classes
are 1 on 1.

 
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 Annex No. 1
 
4 Time
4.1 The teacher is waiting in Wait in the class for 25 minutes then “set as no show” will appear.
the classroom for the Submit. For a trial student, wait 5 min (​Native​)/ 15 min (​Near-Native​) and
student but they are not exit the class.
there.
There is no need to report it to Support.

4.2 The teacher is late. Please make up the time by giving the student extra time but not more
than 28 minutes. Apologise in the feedback. Please mind that you may
only be 3 minutes late, otherwise the system will automatically inform
you that you haven’t covered 25 minutes of the class and it will not be
paid for.

4.3 The teacher is more than The lesson will be marked as failed and ​considered as a teacher no-show
5 minutes late. and credit will be given to the student​. Please inform Novakid Support as
to why you were late.

4.4 Never teach for more This is the maximum time you should be in a classroom for any reason.
than 28 minutes per
lesson.

4.5 There are minor IT issues Please give a few extra minutes teaching time.
during the lesson.
 
5 Feedback
5.1 Feedback submittal. Must be submitted within 24 hours. If you are aware that it will not be
possible, contact Monique Darquea for an extension. Failure to do
feedback within 72 hours will result in non-payment of lesson even if it is
provided later.
A great site for assisting with the production of quick professional
feedback is: ​http://www.eslreports.com/builder/
You can also find tips for writing different types of feedbacks it Teacher
Library:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1n2EEpmmuKXfgIqeYthI3hGRKsfZ6FFN2

5.2 Feedback for trial Welcome them to Novakid and mention what a pleasure it was teaching
students. them, how well they did and congratulate them on the level at which they
will start. Here is an example of a great trial feedback:
“Thank you for taking the time to be in class today Kirill. I appreciate your
effort, and willingness to try something new. You did a great job repeating
all the new words and participating in the class activities. You were able to
use the new words in complete sentences. An excellent first lesson .Well
Done!!”

5.3 Example feedback for “​Thank you for taking the time to be in class today. I appreciate your
non-participative effort, and willingness to try something new. I was prepared and ready for
student. class; hopefully we’ll get another opportunity soon.Until then, practice
your English while having fun–listening and singing along to English songs
can be very effective.Thanks mom and dad for your support!​"

 
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 Annex No. 1
5.4 Example feedback for Strengths​: Maria did very well in her unit review. She did a good job with
Unit review Lesson family and food vocabulary as well as grammar..
​Needs​: Maria was introduced to the word “and” during her test. I’m not
sure she fully understood the meaning, but we will address it in her next
lesson.
Next steps for improvement​: Continue working through the lessons. She is
a smart and lovely little girl and an exemplary student!

5.5 Help with feedback. A great site for assisting with the production of quick professional
feedback is: http://www.eslreports.com/builder/ ​Don’t forget to use it!

5.6 Parent feedback. All students or their parents can submit a feedback about the class they
had in their web cabinet. This option is aimed to control the quality of
lessons and help teachers grow professionally.  
 
6 Lessons
6.1 There is an error/ typo Make a note and send it to Monique Darquea at her e-mail, quoting the
on the lesson ppt. lesson & slide number e.g. Lv3U2 Ls1 slide 15 typo “gret” should be great.

6.2 For a trial/ demo lesson, During a trial, we want to cover the entire lesson. The assessment part is
how much material are just a quick hello, song, name introduction, star reward explanation,
the teachers supposed to assessment of the student's skills and understanding and placement. This
cover? should not take longer than 5 or 6 min. Once you have selected the Level
they will begin at, you are actually teaching a full regular lesson within
that same 25 min time slot. It can feel rushed and that is why we don't
want to spend too much time on the assessment/level placement portion
of the trial lesson.

6.3 Review/ Assessment There are review / assessments after every two units to help gage the
Lessons. student’s comprehension of the material. If the student does not
comprehend the material guide and assist them through the assessment.
Please remember assessments should be taught as regular lessons!
Please use error correction where needed.
Please mark the student right after the assessment. You can still write
feedback later.

 
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 Annex No. 1

6.4 Trial Lessons & Teacher Trial lessons are booked mostly by parents. A good, professional picture,
Profiles. thorough bio and a catchy video will enhance your chances of being
chosen by a parent. To update your bio,picture or video, please contact
Teacher Operations Department at ​teacherops@novakidschool.com

6.5 Where to find the songs Go to “Library” at the top right on your dashboard.
etc.

 
7 Teacher Support & Mentoring
7.1 Teacher mentor Monique Darquea is a teacher mentor. Please use her as a resource for
available. any academic related issues as well. Her email is
monique@novakidschool.com or Skype: live:cocomo70_1

7.2 I am struggling to teach See the Teacher Support Folder on Google Drive. If you do not have
e.g. phonics. access, request from Monique via Skype.

7.3 Times zones when There is a function at the top of the teacher's portal that allows you to
travelling & my check and change your timezone. This is useful if you are travelling and
dashboard. still want to teach.

7.4 Observation lessons for From seasoned teacher Anna McIver:

self improvement. “Hi everyone! I just wanted to say my feedback from Monique's
observation of my class video was really helpful- great ideas and
suggestions. If you feel a bit nervous about it don't be. There is no need.
So if you want advice, contact Monique via Skype or email
monique@novakidschool.com​”
(Facebook 11 July 2018)

 
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 Annex No. 1
7.5 Trial conversion Statistics are available on trial conversions. If there are any issues your
statistics. teacher mentor will reach out to you and give you the support you need
to be a successful trial teacher.

7.6 Low Trial/ Demo Lesson Should there be a low conversion rate or a lot of parent complaints, you
conversion rates. may be asked to participate in additional training. If you do not participate
in the training, Novakid may stop giving you trial lessons. We will let you
know if your conversion rate is low or complaints are high.

7.7 Excessive complaints Six valid complaints within a 6 month period could lead to dismissal. A
from parents. mentor will decide whether or not the complaints are valid. If a teacher
follows the Novakid teaching standards there should be no valid
complaints.
 
8 Resources
8.1 Familiarise yourself with Google Drive Teachers Library. If you cannot access through this link,
what is available on please ask Monique for access:
Google Drive. It is https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/19iqUgRFEuxhOT1Z1yZtO1
constantly being MkQH1pOtUg O
updated

8.2 Phonics / Teachers Aids / Are all available on the Google Drive.
Example Lessons etc.

8.3 How to get more Trial Trials are booked mostly by parents with little Support participation. This
Lessons is why it is important to have a thorough profile( bio and video) and a
good professional picture. If you would like to update your profile, please
e-mail teacherops@novakidschool.com.
 
9 Admin
9.1 How do I apply for a All leaves and days-off are subject to Novakid Lesson Cancellation Policy
leave? which requires you to provide a 2 weeks’ notice to Support. ​All
cancellations sent to Novakid Support, ​after 2 weeks​ mark are regarded
as last minute cancellations and will result in a penalty applied to each
cancelled class.
Please mind that you can schedule your leave on your own on the
Schedule page in your web cabinet by simple deleting the required slots.
First you need to choose the slot you want to delete by clicking on it and
then choose the “Delete” option.

 
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 Annex No. 1
Make sure to do it 14 days ahead of the planned leave!

9.2 What if I need to cancel Teachers can manage their own schedule in their web cabinet by adding
a class or several and deleting the required one-time slots. If you want to delete a slot, you
classes? first need to click on it and then choose the “Delete” option (see the
screenshot in 9.1.1)
The same applies if you want to add a slot, either one-time or regular:
first, click on the slot required, then choose the “Create single slot” or
“Create weekly slot”.
Please note that ​all cancellations sent to Novakid Support Group, after ​2
weeks​ mark are regarded as last minute cancellations and will result in
hearts deducted from Teacher’s Account’s Health accordingly.

9.3 What if the times I’m Novakid requires 14 days’ notice for any changes in your availability.
available change? Please inform us by emailing ​teacherops@novakidschool.com​ .

9.4 When do I get paid? Novakid has self-service Payout function in your teacher's portal
(​https://school.novakid.ru/account​). Payout can be used at any
convenient time, not just at the end of the month. All funds are
transferred to USD, PayPal should be used to convert to other currencies
if required.
If you need to change your linked Paypal address, please sent a note to
support@novakid.ru.

9.5 I have problems with If you encounter any issues with Payout function, please send a message
Payout function. to ​teacherops@novakidschool.com

9.6 My PayPal address has If you need to change your linked Paypal address, please send a note to
changed. support@novakid.ru
 
10 Teacher Account Health
10.1 What is Teacher’s
Account Health? Teacher’s Account Health​ is a system allowing Teachers earn more for
their excellent performance and reducing financial penalties for some
issues they may face.
Each Teacher is given 10 hearts 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚 when
starting, 5 of them being the ​reserve​ a teacher can use in case of
emergency cancellations without being financially penalized.

 
11 
 Annex No. 1
10.2 How does Teacher This is how the Teacher Account’s Health feature is displayed in your
Account’s Health look personal web cabinet:
like in my web cabinet?

10.3 Where can I see the You can view your Account Health history here:
hearts and all heart
transactions in my
personal web cabinet?

10.4 How can I earn hearts? Hearts are ​added (+)​ in following cases (whichever comes first)
● No deductions during last 7 days with completed classes: 💚
(if already at full health, then no heart is added)
● OR​ 10 positive feedbacks in a row (no negatives in-between): 💚
(if already at full health, then ​a bonus​ in the amount of +1 class is
added)

10.5 When are the hearts Account’s Health can be changed the following ways:
deducted?
● No-show: 3 hearts 💔💔💔
Hearts are ​deducted (-)​ in cases of:

💔💔
💔
● Same-day (0-24 hours) cancelation: 2 hearts

💔 💔
● Teacher IT issue: 1 heart
● Late cancellation (0-13 days): 1 heart
● Valid parent complaint: 1 heart
“One deduction per day” rule is applied - if multiple deductions are
triggered applicable to the same day, then ​only one highest deduction​ is
assessed (except for parent complaints).

10.6 In which cases financial

penalties are applied?
Once health drops to 5 hearts or below
are assessed:
💛💛💛💛💛, financial penalties
● No-show: -3 credits/ each class
● Same-day: -1 credit/ each class
● Late cancelation: -1 credit/ each class

 
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 Annex No. 1
10.7 What if I have an If a teacher loses hearts due to an emergency which required multi-day
emergency?
capped to 3 hearts 💔💔💔
late cancellations, teacher can submit an appeal to have hearts deduction
.
Teachers will be able to quickly restore their Account Health as the School
expects emergencies to happen not more than once a month.

10.8 What cases are Emergency cases include:

considered to be - unexpected hospitalization of a teacher or teacher’s child
emergencies? - prolonged infrastructure failure
- teacher’s family member’s death

10.9 What documents should The school requires valid documentation for each case:
I provide in case of 1. Legible ​doctor’s note on a hospital headed paper, signed by
emergency? the doctor and preferably with a stamp.
2. A link to the world news stating there was really massive
typhoon or other extreme weather conditions and as a
result, Internet malfunction. Local Internet provider letter
is also required.
3. Please refer to point 1.

10.10 Who do I contact in case
of emergency?
In cases mentioned above, a teacher has to send all the necessary
documentation to ​teacherops@novakidschool.com​ and they will be
considered by the Director of Teacher Operations Department. In case the
documents are considered to be valid, hearts deduction will be capped to
3 hearts.

10.11 What if the system Shall such situation occur, please make sure you inform Teacher
mistakenly registers my Operations Department at ​teacherops@novakidschool.com​ as soon as
no-show though I was possible and we will investigate the matter promptly.
present at the lesson?
Can I dispute the
deduction?

10.12 What if my Account - 3 hearts level. Teacher gets an automated notification informing
Health is at: him or her about the critically low amount of hearts.
- 1 heart level. Teacher may automatically stops getting trial lessons
until the Account Health is restored to 2 hearts and over
- 0 hearts level. If a Teacher’s Account Health reach 0 hearts, then
this case is considered individually by the Director of Teacher
Operations Department.

 
11 Contact information
Types Hiring process Teaching questions Changes in availability
of Admin issues Teaching process Payment system
query Student/ Parent Issues Academic inquiries Level adjustments
Teacher support and development Failed assessments

Name Anna Oliinyk Monique Darquea Marina Molkowa, Anastasiya

Lukyanova

Title Director of Teacher Operations Director of Teacher Development Teacher Support Specialists

 
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 Annex No. 1
E-mail teacherops@novakidschool.com monique@novakidschool.com teacherops@novakidschool.com

 
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