Terms & Conditions

THE IMPORTANT STUFF

Free Demo LessonCancellation PolicyTeacher CancellationsLesson TimesInternet ProblemsWriting CorrectionsAudio and Writing SamplesIELTS Exam ResultsThe Teachers on The IELTS Teacher
Free Demo Lesson
Free demo lessons are limited to one free demo lesson per student.

The free demo lesson lasts for 20 minutes. As per the Late Policy, teachers will wait no longer than 5 minutes for you to arrive. If you do not arrive within 5 minutes, the lesson will be cancelled and you will have to book again.

The demo lesson is an opportunity for you to see how our lessons work, tell us about your IELTS goals, and ask us any questions, and for us to explain the important terms and procedures of The IELTS Teacher and test your internet connection. You may not receive any actual tuition. Students must allow 24 hours to pass before beginning their first class to enable teachers to prepare a high-quality lesson.

Teachers reserve the right to refuse to give free demonstration lessons to certain individuals. They also reserve the right to refuse to offer lessons to certain individuals who have received their free demonstration.

Refusals to offer lessons after a demo lesson are almost always due to an inadequate ability level (you should be at least at Pre-Intermediate (A2) level) or a slow internet connection.

Cancellation Policy
Lessons which have not been used may be refunded upon request up to 60 days after the original date of purchase. If a lesson is cancelled after this cut-off period, it will not be refunded.

All lessons must be taken within 12 months of purchase. Teachers reserve the right to cancel without refund any lessons which have not been taken by this 12-month cut-off date.

Writing Corrections which have not been used may be refunded upon request up to 30 days after the original date of purchase. If a correction is cancelled after this cut-off period, it will not be refunded.

If you do not pay the full lesson package fee at least 24 hours before the first lesson is due to begin, your lesson/s will be cancelled automatically.

To save money, instead of cancelling your lesson, you should reschedule your lesson.

If you reschedule your lesson for a different time or date, you will not lose that lesson from your package – this lesson will be transferred to the new time or date for no added fee. However, you must meet these conditions:

  • You must email your teacher with the new time or date that you would like the lesson.
  • You must send this email a minimum of 6 hours before the lesson is due to start.
  • You may only reschedule a lesson twice. If you cannot make your second rescheduled lesson (third overall lesson), your lesson will be cancelled and you will lose that lesson from your package.
    If you do not reschedule your lesson a minimum of 6 hours before your lesson is due to start, your lesson will be cancelled and you will not receive a refund.
Teacher Cancellations
On very rare occurrences, such as an emergency or an illness, your teacher may be unable to teach your lesson. If this ever happens, the teacher will try to give you at least 24 hours notice but you must accept that this can occasionally happen on the day of the lesson itself. In cases where your teacher cannot teach the scheduled lesson, the lesson will be rescheduled.
Lesson Times
You must be on time for your lessons. Teachers will wait a maximum of 5 minutes for you to come to your class. If you have not arrived within 5 minutes, your lesson will be cancelled and you will not receive a refund. The lesson will run for one hour from the time it was due to start. So if you arrive 5 minutes late, you will lose 5 minutes from your lesson and only have 55 minutes. Sometimes teachers will have another lesson to teach immediately after yours. Teachers try to schedule their lessons at least 15 minutes apart, but sometimes this isn’t possible. In these rare cases, you must accept that your lesson might finish up to 5 minutes early.
Internet Problems
One of the reasons a free demonstration is offered is so that we can see if your internet connection is fast enough and reliable enough for lessons. If your teacher feels that your internet is not fast or reliable enough, we will not be able to offer you any lessons.Sometimes during a lesson, your internet may stop working. If you can get your internet working again within 5 minutes, and if your teacher does not have another lesson immediately after yours, you will not lose any lesson time. Your teacher will add those 5 minutes to the end of the lesson. However, your teacher will not add any more than 5 minutes.

If your internet stops working more than once during a lesson, your teacher may be forced to cancel the lesson, and they may advise you to speak to your internet provider before you can have another lesson.

Although our teachers try to make their internet as reliable as possible, occasionally a connection may stop working in the middle of a lesson. If this happens, you will not lose any lesson time. For every minute a teacher’s internet isn’t working, a minute will be added to the end of your lesson, or to the next lesson if you would prefer. If a lesson is scheduled immediately after yours, these lost minutes will have to be added to the end of the following lesson.

Writing Corrections
Although every effort is made to correct each Writing submission within 48 hours, occasionally this is not possible. When you purchasing Writing Corrections, you accept that these corrections can take up to an extra 48 hours (96 hours all together), especially in times of heavy workload, sickness, and/or power outages.

REFUNDS: Writing Corrections which have not been used may be refunded upon request up to 30 days after the original date of purchase. If a correction is cancelled after this cut-off period, it will not be refunded.

Refunds will be permitted within and after the 30-day period if your correction cannot be completed for any reason. However, all submissions must be sent within six months of a package’s purchase. Any submissions sent after this six-month period will be ineligible for correction.

Corrections will be refunded at a rate which corresponds to the number of corrections used, not the number of corrections bought. For instance, if the 5-correction package is purchased and only 1-4 corrections are used, the refund will treat the correction/s used as 4 separate 1-correction packages, not 1 single 5-correction package.

One correction means one Task 1 submission OR one Task 2 submission, not both.

You must submit one essay at a time. Do not send two or more submissions at the same time, and please wait for your first submission to be returned before sending your next one.

Essays are corrected individually and each have their own turnaround time of 48 hours.

Task 2 essays must not exceed 400 words, and Task 1 essays must not exceed 300 words, in order to be eligible for correction.

The IELTS Teacher reserves the right to use sections of your writing submissions for commercial and promotional purposes. All identifying features and personal details will be removed prior to publication. If you would prefer not to have your writing used in this way, please let us know by email.

Writing Corrections may be completed by any of the teachers listed on The IELTS Teacher.

FAIR USE POLICY: We are happy to try to answer any questions you might have about your writing correction feedback via email. However, we do operate a ‘fair use policy’, which means that students should not use this follow-up service in an attempt to gain unlimited free tuition. 

For instance, if you have queries about parts of our correction feedback, we will be happy to try to answer these queries. However, we ask that you keep the number of your questions within reasonable limits. Furthermore, if you rewrite your work according to our feedback and then ask us to correct this work as part of the follow-up service, we will not be able to do this.

We understand there may be some ambiguity around these areas. Ultimately, the decision regarding whether to meet a student’s request will be left to the corrector’s discretion. That said, we want to assure you that we do encourage your questions, and in 99% of cases this fair use policy will not need to be raised.

Audio and Writing Samples
The audio of the lesson is recorded for your own convenience; you may play it back after class for extra revision.

The IELTS Teacher reserves the right to use sections of these audio recordings for commercial and promotional purposes. We will never share anything where you speak about your personal details.

The IELTS Teacher may also use your IELTS Writing practice in lessons and writing corrections for commercial and/or promotional purposes. Again, all identifying features and personal details will removed prior to publication.

If you would prefer not to have your speaking and/or writing used in this way, please let us know by email.

You may not publish or sell the recordings of your lessons for any reason without the consent of your teacher.

IELTS Exam Results
Our teachers pride themselves on their ability to help students get the IELTS scores they require in order to achieve their specific goals. A great amount of effort is put into crafting each and every lesson with the target of preparing students for everything the IELTS exam might throw at them, and giving them the tools and techniques to boost their chances of success.

However, despite best efforts, sometimes results do not meet expectations. When you commit to lessons with The IELTS Teacher, you accept that The IELTS Teacher does not take any responsibility for a disappointing score, and that there can be no refunds in such cases.

The Teachers on The IELTS Teacher
All teachers who are advertised on The IELTS Teacher website are working independently of The IELTS Teacher. The IELTS Teacher is being used as a platform to promote these teachers’ services, but the teachers themselves are working on a self-employed basis. However, all teachers advertised on The IELTS Teacher are fully qualified, highly experienced, and have a deep understanding of the IELTS exam. The IELTS Teacher is run by Matt Rainsbury.

The Fine Print: Terms of Service

The following terms and conditions govern all use of the theieltsteacher.com website (“The IELTS Teacher”. The Website is owned and operated by The IELTS Teacher (“The IELTS Teacher”). The Website is offered subject to your acceptance without modification of all of the terms and conditions contained herein and all other operating rules, policies (including, without limitation, our Privacy Policy) and procedures that may be published from time to time on this Site by The IELTS Teacher (collectively, the “Agreement”).

Please read this Agreement carefully before accessing or using the Website. By accessing or using any part of the web site, you agree to become bound by the terms and conditions of this agreement. If you do not agree to all the terms and conditions of this agreement, then you may not access the Website or use any services. If these terms and conditions are considered an offer by The IELTS Teacher, acceptance is expressly limited to these terms. The Website is available only to individuals who are at least 13 years old.

  1. Your WordPress.com Account and Site. If you create a blog on the Website, you are responsible for maintaining the security of your account and blog, and you are fully responsible for all activities that occur under the account and any other actions taken in connection with the blog. You must not describe or assign keywords to your blog in a misleading or unlawful manner, including in a manner intended to trade on the name or reputation of others, and The IELTS Teacher may change or remove any description or keyword that it considers inappropriate or unlawful, or otherwise likely to cause The IELTS Teacher liability. You must immediately notify The IELTS Teacher of any unauthorized uses of your blog, your account or any other breaches of security. The IELTS Teacher will not be liable for any acts or omissions by You, including any damages of any kind incurred as a result of such acts or omissions.
  2. Responsibility of Contributors.If you operate a blog, comment on a blog, post material to the Website, post links on the Website, or otherwise make (or allow any third party to make) material available by means of the Website (any such material, “Content”), You are entirely responsible for the content of, and any harm resulting from, that Content. That is the case regardless of whether the Content in question constitutes text, graphics, an audio file, or computer software. By making Content available, you represent and warrant that:
    • the downloading, copying and use of the Content will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark or trade secret rights, of any third party;
    • if your employer has rights to intellectual property you create, you have either (i) received permission from your employer to post or make available the Content, including but not limited to any software, or (ii) secured from your employer a waiver as to all rights in or to the Content;
    • you have fully complied with any third-party licenses relating to the Content, and have done all things necessary to successfully pass through to end users any required terms;
    • the Content does not contain or install any viruses, worms, malware, Trojan horses or other harmful or destructive content;
    • the Content is not spam, is not machine- or randomly-generated, and does not contain unethical or unwanted commercial content designed to drive traffic to third party sites or boost the search engine rankings of third party sites, or to further unlawful acts (such as phishing) or mislead recipients as to the source of the material (such as spoofing);
    • the Content is not pornographic, does not contain threats or incite violence, and does not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party;
    • your blog is not getting advertised via unwanted electronic messages such as spam links on newsgroups, email lists, other blogs and web sites, and similar unsolicited promotional methods;
    • your blog is not named in a manner that misleads your readers into thinking that you are another person or company. For example, your blog’s URL or name is not the name of a person other than yourself or company other than your own; and
    • you have, in the case of Content that includes computer code, accurately categorized and/or described the type, nature, uses and effects of the materials, whether requested to do so by The IELTS Teacher or otherwise.

    By submitting Content to The IELTS Teacher for inclusion on your Website, you grant The IELTS Teacher a world-wide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, modify, adapt and publish the Content solely for the purpose of displaying, distributing and promoting your blog. If you delete Content, The IELTS Teacher will use reasonable efforts to remove it from the Website, but you acknowledge that caching or references to the Content may not be made immediately unavailable.

    Without limiting any of those representations or warranties, The IELTS Teacher has the right (though not the obligation) to, in The IELTS Teacher’s sole discretion (i) refuse or remove any content that, in The IELTS Teacher’s reasonable opinion, violates any The IELTS Teacher policy or is in any way harmful or objectionable, or (ii) terminate or deny access to and use of the Website to any individual or entity for any reason, in The IELTS Teacher’s sole discretion. The IELTS Teacher will have no obligation to provide a refund of any amounts previously paid.

  3. Payment and Renewal.
    • General Terms. 
      IELTS Preparation lessons through Skype can be purchased by users of this website. Payment for Lesson Packages and Writing Corrections must be made in full before the lessons/corrections can be completed.
  4. Responsibility of Website Visitors. The IELTS Teacher has not reviewed, and cannot review, all of the material, including computer software, posted to the Website, and cannot therefore be responsible for that material’s content, use or effects. By operating the Website, The IELTS Teacher does not represent or imply that it endorses the material there posted, or that it believes such material to be accurate, useful or non-harmful. You are responsible for taking precautions as necessary to protect yourself and your computer systems from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other harmful or destructive content. The Website may contain content that is offensive, indecent, or otherwise objectionable, as well as content containing technical inaccuracies, typographical mistakes, and other errors. The Website may also contain material that violates the privacy or publicity rights, or infringes the intellectual property and other proprietary rights, of third parties, or the downloading, copying or use of which is subject to additional terms and conditions, stated or unstated. The IELTS Teacher disclaims any responsibility for any harm resulting from the use by visitors of the Website, or from any downloading by those visitors of content there posted.
  5. Content Posted on Other Websites. We have not reviewed, and cannot review, all of the material, including computer software, made available through the websites and webpages to which WordPress.com links, and that link to WordPress.com. The IELTS Teacher does not have any control over those non-WordPress websites and webpages, and is not responsible for their contents or their use. By linking to a non-WordPress website or webpage, The IELTS Teacher does not represent or imply that it endorses such website or webpage. You are responsible for taking precautions as necessary to protect yourself and your computer systems from viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other harmful or destructive content. The IELTS Teacher disclaims any responsibility for any harm resulting from your use of non-WordPress websites and webpages.
  6. Copyright Infringement and DMCA Policy. As The IELTS Teacher asks others to respect its intellectual property rights, it respects the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe that material located on or linked to by WordPress.com violates your copyright, you are encouraged to notify The IELTS Teacher in accordance with The IELTS Teacher’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) Policy. The IELTS Teacher will respond to all such notices, including as required or appropriate by removing the infringing material or disabling all links to the infringing material.The IELTS Teacher will terminate a visitor’s access to and use of the Website if, under appropriate circumstances, the visitor is determined to be a repeat infringer of the copyrights or other intellectual property rights of The IELTS Teacher or others. In the case of such termination, The IELTS Teacher will have no obligation to provide a refund of any amounts previously paid to The IELTS Teacher.
  7. Intellectual Property. This Agreement does not transfer from The IELTS Teacher to you any The IELTS Teacher or third party intellectual property, and all right, title and interest in and to such property will remain (as between the parties) solely with The IELTS Teacher. The IELTS Teacher, WordPress, WordPress.com, the WordPress.com logo, and all other trademarks, service marks, graphics and logos used in connection with WordPress.com, or the Website are trademarks or registered trademarks of The IELTS Teacher orThe IELTS Teacher’s licensors. Other trademarks, service marks, graphics and logos used in connection with the Website may be the trademarks of other third parties. Your use of the Website grants you no right or license to reproduce or otherwise use any The IELTS Teacher or third-party trademarks.
  8. Domain Names. If you are registering a domain name, using or transferring a previously registered domain name, you acknowledge and agree that use of the domain name is also subject to the policies of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”), including their Registration Rights and Responsibilities.
  9. Changes. The IELTS Teacher reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify or replace any part of this Agreement. It is your responsibility to check this Agreement periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to the Website following the posting of any changes to this Agreement constitutes acceptance of those changes. The IELTS Teacher may also, in the future, offer new services and/or features through the Website (including, the release of new tools and resources). Such new features and/or services shall be subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. 
  10. Termination. The IELTS Teacher may terminate your access to all or any part of the Website at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice, effective immediately. If you wish to terminate this Agreement or your WordPress.com account (if you have one), you may simply discontinue using the Website. All provisions of this Agreement which by their nature should survive termination shall survive termination, including, without limitation, ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, indemnity and limitations of liability. 
  11. Disclaimer of Warranties. The Website is provided “as is”. The IELTS Teacher and its suppliers and licensors hereby disclaim all warranties of any kind, express or implied, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. Neither The IELTS Teacher nor its suppliers and licensors, makes any warranty that the Website will be error free or that access thereto will be continuous or uninterrupted. If you’re actually reading this, here’s a treat. You understand that you download from, or otherwise obtain content or services through, the Website at your own discretion and risk.
  12. Limitation of Liability. In no event will The IELTS Teacher, or its suppliers or licensors, be liable with respect to any subject matter of this agreement under any contract, negligence, strict liability or other legal or equitable theory for: (i) any special, incidental or consequential damages; (ii) the cost of procurement for substitute products or services; (iii) for interruption of use or loss or corruption of data; or (iv) for any amounts that exceed the fees paid by you to The IELTS Teacher under this agreement during the twelve (12) month period prior to the cause of action. The IELTS Teacher shall have no liability for any failure or delay due to matters beyond their reasonable control. The foregoing shall not apply to the extent prohibited by applicable law.
  13. General Representation and Warranty. You represent and warrant that (i) your use of the Website will be in strict accordance with the The IELTS Teacher Privacy Policy, with this Agreement and with all applicable laws and regulations (including without limitation any local laws or regulations in your country, state, city, or other governmental area, regarding online conduct and acceptable content, and including all applicable laws regarding the transmission of technical data exported from the United States or the country in which you reside) and (ii) your use of the Website will not infringe or misappropriate the intellectual property rights of any third party.
  14. Indemnification. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The IELTS Teacher, its contractors, and its licensors, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against any and all claims and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of your use of the Website, including but not limited to your violation of this Agreement.
  15. Miscellaneous. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between The IELTS Teacher and you concerning the subject matter hereof, and they may only be modified by a written amendment signed by an authorized executive of The IELTS Teacher, or by the posting by The IELTS Teacher of a revised version. The prevailing party in any action or proceeding to enforce this Agreement shall be entitled to costs and attorneys’ fees. If any part of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, that part will be construed to reflect the parties’ original intent, and the remaining portions will remain in full force and effect. A waiver by either party of any term or condition of this Agreement or any breach thereof, in any one instance, will not waive such term or condition or any subsequent breach thereof. You may assign your rights under this Agreement to any party that consents to, and agrees to be bound by, its terms and conditions; The IELTS Teacher may assign its rights under this Agreement without condition. This Agreement will be binding upon and will inure to the benefit of the parties, their successors and permitted assigns.

Terms and Conditions based on the Creative Commons Automattic Terms and Conditions