Terms and Conditions

Updated on: 15 July 2008, 9:37pm

  1. Terms

    1. StarTutor Agency (hence referred to as StarTutor) provides referral services to parents or students (hence referred to as Customer) requesting for a tutor.
    2. StarTutor provides services to you, which are subjected to the following conditions stated in the remainder of this document.
    3. If you visit or use StarTutor's services, you accept these terms and conditions.

  2. Copyright

    1. All content and graphics on this site belong to StarTutor and re-use of the materials without prior permission from StarTutor is prohibited.
    2. The materials from this site are available for informational and non-commercial uses provided the content and/or graphics are not modified in any way.
    3. If you wish to use the materials for commercial purposes, please request for permission here, otherwise, no part of the site may be reproduced, transmitted or downloaded and saved.

  3. Links

    1. StarTutor may provide links to other World Wide Web sites or resources. As StarTutor has no control over such sites and resources, you acknowledge and agree that StarTutor is not responsible for the availability of such external sites or resources, and does not endorse and is not responsible or liable for any content, advertising, products, or other materials on or available from such sites or resources.
    2. You further acknowledge and agree that StarTutor shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such content, goods or services available on or through any such sites or resources.

  4. Coordinator

    1. A coordinator is a representative from StarTutor who serves as a point of contact between customers and tutors.
    2. The coordinator will, to the best of his / her abilities, provide a list of tutor(s) and their rates according to the customer's requirements or preferences in the shortest time possible.

  5. For Tutors Giving Tuition

    1. Registration

      1. Registering as a tutor with StarTutor is free. However, StarTutor reserves all rights to refuse your application.
      2. Registration requirements:
        1. You must be a Singaporean, Permanent Resident or hold a student pass.
        2. You must be at least 18 years old.

    2. Tutor Account

      1. You will receive an account designation upon completing StarTutor's tutor registration process.
      2. Your account is identified by a unique Tutor Id.
      3. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account and password and for restricting access to your computer, and you agree to accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account or password.
      4. You agree to
        1. Immediately notify StarTutor of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security, and
        2. Ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session.
      5. StarTutor cannot and will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with the terms.
      6. StarTutor reserves the right to refuse service, remove or edit content, or terminate accounts.
      7. Tutor whose account has been closed are not allowed to register again.

    3. Tutor Profile
      1. You understand that you are to fill in all personal information as accurately as possible and will not attempt to mislead customers using StarTutor's services.
      2. You understand that all information, data, text, photographs, graphics, messages or other materials ("Content"), whether publicly posted or privately transmitted, are the sole responsibility of the person from which such Content originated.
      3. This means that you, and not StarTutor, are entirely responsible for all Content that you upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available via StarTutor.com.sg.
      4. You are not allowed to post contact details (telephone numbers or website address) in your tutor profile. Failure to comply will lead to the termination of your tutor account.

    4. Qualifications and Certificates

      1. You are to:
        1. Fill in your qualifications and results as accurate and complete as possible.
        2. Present your certificates of qualification on the first lesson to the parent or the use the online certificate storage facility.
      2. StarTutor reserves the right to request copies of your original certificates for verification.
      3. You can should the online certificate storage facility available in your StarTutor account to store scanned copies of your certificates.
      4. Only verified certificates will be given qualification rating.
      5. StarTutor reserves the right to change the rating scheme to better meet the needs of customer.
      6. The certificate images are not available publicly. StarTutor will present the certificate images compiled in PDF format to the customer after you have been assigned for the first lesson.

    5. New Request

      1. StarTutor makes a list of current requests available to you online.
      2. You can indicate your interest in the tuition request but being shortlisted for assignment is subjected to the customer's requirement and preference.

    6. Receiving SMS

      1. A StarTutor account entitles you to receive free SMS broadcasts of tuition requests and first lesson reminders.
      2. You can turn off SMS broadcast by updating your account status to 'Busy'.
      3. If you do not respond to more than 10 SMS consecutively, your account status will be set to 'Busy' automatically.
      4. StarTutor does not guarantee that you will receive SMS broadcasts, as it is dependent on your profile write-up, tutor rating and customer's preference.
      5. StarTutor does not guarantee that you will receive the tuition assignment after you receive and respond to the SMS broadcast.

    7. First lesson and Assignment

      1. A representative from StarTutor (hence referred to as Coordinator) will inform you to call the customer before the first lesson begins. You are expected to contact the customer before the first lesson for re-confirmation of the tuition information.
      2. Upon confirmation of the tuition assignment, failure to turn for the first lesson or any other reasons caused by you resulting in the cancellation of the assignment will lead to the termination of your tutor account. This will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
      3. You will receive an SMS reminder with the address and time of the lesson one day before the lesson begins.
      4. If you have not uploaded your scanned certificates to our online certificate storage facility, you need to bring your original certificates on the first lesson.
      5. The customer or the coordinator will inform you if the tuition lesson will be continued.

    8. Cancellation of assignment

      1. There is no contract between you and the customer and there is no commitment to complete a fixed amount of lesson.
      2. The customer can stop the tuition at any time.
      3. There is no trial lesson and you can expect to receive payment for any amount of lessons rendered unless the customer is dissatisfied with the lesson.
      4. If the assignment is cancelled immediately after the first lesson, StarTutor will not levy a commission on you. You are to arrange and collect the first lesson payment on your own.

    9. Commission

      1. StarTutor will collect 50% from the first month as commission upon the completion of 4, 8 or 12 lessons (depending on the frequency of the tuition assignment).
      2. The first month's fee is based on 4-weeks of lessons and is not based on the calendar month.
      3. If lessons are postponed during the 4-weeks, the postponed lessons are not counted in the commission. Example: During the 4 weeks of 8 lessons, 1 lesson was cancelled due to holiday. StarTutor will still collect based on 8 lessons and not 7 lessons.
      4. If the frequency of lessons for the first month is different from the second month, the commission collected depends on whether the frequency was increased or decreased.
      5. The change in frequency has to be stated clearly by the customer and tutor before the completion of 4 weeks.
      6. StarTutor is not liable for the changes that are unforeseen and uninformed.
      7. If the change has been stated, the commission will be negotiated based on case by case basis. Coordinators will generally lower the commission if the frequency is to be reduced after the first month, or collect 50% of the first month frequency even if the frequency is increased thereafter.
      8. If the lesson is cancelled before the first month is completed, the commission collected will follow this table:
        If lesson is terminated by customer:
        If cancelled on 1st We collect 0
        2nd 1
        3rd 1
        4th 2
        5th 2
        6th 3
        7th 3
        8th 4
        		If lesson is terminated by tutor:
        If cancelled on 1st We collect 1
        2nd 1
        3rd 1.5
        4th 2
        5th 2.5
        6th 3
        7th 3.5
        8th 4
        For more than 8 lessons, we collect 50% of the first month or follows previously agreed commission charges before first lesson.
      9. StarTutor do not allow the collection of upfront payment from the customer on the first lesson.
      10. StarTutor do not allow the commission to be collected in instalments.
      11. StarTutor tries to be fair to the tutor and will look into exceptions.
      12. Any attempt to skip payment of the commission; failure to pay for the commission or unreasonable demands will result in the termination of your tutor account and you will be barred from future registration.

    10. Conduct of Tutor

      1. Although StarTutor has no jurisdiction over the conduct of the tutors, penalties will imposed on tutors who display poor conduct.
      2. Areas where conducts are monitored:
        1. Punctuality. Tutors who are late for the first lesson will have their account closed. If complaints on being late frequently and leaving before the lesson is completed are received, there will be penalties on the tutor's rating.
        2. Responsibility. Tutors who stopped tuition without informing the customer through the phone or in person will have their account closed. SMS or emails are not considered as a means for informing the customer.
        3. Professionalism. Tutors have to concentrate on the lesson at hand. Ratings will be deducted based on the severity of the complaints from the customer.
        4. Dressing. Tutors should dress appropriately for the lesson. Although StarTutor do not impose penalty on inappropriate dressing, customer has the right to reject a tutor based on their dressing.
      3. All complaints lodged against the tutors will evaluated on a case by case basis and tutors will be given a chance to dispute the complaints.

    11. For Tutors under the StarTutor Pro Scheme

      1. In addition to the above Terms and Conditions applicable to all tutors, you agree to:
        1. Keep your online personal schedule as updated as possible.
        2. Update the tutee's progress regularly.
        3. Provide scanned images of a reasonable resolution for all your relevant certificates.
        4. Collect testimonials from current or past customers.
        5. Provide accurate and genuine information on your qualifications and teaching experience.
        6. Have your photo displayed.
        7. Allow representatives from StarTutor validate your testimonials with your current or past customers.
        8. Allow a write-up of yourself written by representatives from StarTutor based on details of a face-to-face interview to be posted on StarTutor Pro
        9. Allow 50% of the fees for the first month to be levied as commission. The first month's fee is based on a 4-week calculation and is not based on the calendar month. The percentage of commission is non-negotiable.
        10. Decline taking up future assignments from other tuition agencies.
        11. Pay a registration fee of $60.00 for the provision and maintenance of your StarTutor Pro account.

  6. For Customer Requesting for Tutor

    1. Tutor Database

      1. StarTutor attempts to be as accurate as possible. However, StarTutor does not guarantee that the description of the tutor is accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free.
      2. StarTutor provides the tutor database for online sorting and filtering as it is.

    2. Availability of Preferred Tutors

      1. The 'Add to My Tutors' function only serves to provide customers with a means of indicating their preferred tutors.
      2. The availability of preferred tutors is subject to the tutors' schedule. StarTutor does not guarantee that the customer will be assigned his / her preferred tutor(s).

      Availability of StarTutor Pro

      1. StarTutor does not guarantee that the customer will be assigned his / her preferred tutor(s) even if the tutor has indicated availability in his /her online schedule for the selected timeslots.

    3. Tuition Rates for Normal Tutors

      1. The rates stated on StarTutor.com.sg are obtained based on tutors' recent quotations and therefore should only serve as a guide. Tutors charge different rates depending on their qualifications and experience.
      2. The rate table is divided into three different categories of undergraduates, full-time tutors and teachers. The rate stated is fairly accurate as it is based on the current market rates and is reviewed frequently.

      Tuition Rates for StarTutor Pro

      1. The rates stated for StarTutor Pro varies amongst individual tutors and are obtained based on the tutors' qualifications and relevant experience.
      2. These rates are non-negotiable for the first month.
      3. StarTutor reserves the right to amend the rates stated on StarTutor Pro at any time.

    4. Place of Tuition

      1. The assigned tutor will teach at the residence of the customer by default unless otherwise indicated by you and you are to provide a reasonable environment for the conduct of lessons.

    5. First Lesson

      1. You are required to check the credentials and certificates of the tutor on the first lesson if the scanned copy is not available on our site.
      2. It is your responsibility to ensure that the tutor's credentials and qualifications are satisfactory.

    6. Termination of Service or Change of Tutor

      1. If you are not satisfied with the tutor, you can change the tutor with no additional charge.
      2. There is no obligation or contract to complete a fixed number of lessons.
      3. You need to pay the tutor for the number of lesson given prior to termination.

    7. Tuition Rate

      1. Tutors are not allowed to change the tuition rates for the first month.
      2. You should inform StarTutor immediately if the tutor tries to re-negotiate the tuition rates.
      3. The tutor may re-negotiate the tuition rates after the first month but you can request for a change of tutor.

    8. Service Provided

      1. StarTutor does not guarantee improvements in the tutee's grades.

    9. Payment

      1. StarTutor levies a commission from the tutor which is 50% of the fees for the first month or 50% of the amount of the lessons given if the service is terminated before completion of the first month.
      2. StarTutor will collect the commission charges from you and will issue a bill by mail or email after the second week of lessons.
      3. You have two weeks to make payment from the date the bill is sent.
      4. You can pay the tuition commission by: (1) Cheque, (2) ATM funds transfer or (3) Internet Banking. Details of the payment will be made available in the bill.

    10. Typographical Errors in Bill

      1. In the event you received a bill with incorrect figures due to typographical errors, StarTutor will cancel the bill and void the billing information.
      2. You will receive a new bill for the correct amount.
      3. If you have made payment before the bill was cancelled, StarTutor will refund you or collect the extra amount if any.

  7. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

    YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT:
    1. THIS SITE IS PROVIDED BY STARTUTOR ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. STARTUTOR MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AS TO THE OPERATION OF THIS SITE OR THE INFORMATION, CONTENT, MATERIALS, OR PRODUCTS INCLUDED ON THIS SITE.
    2. YOUR USE OF THIS SITE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE FULL EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY APPLICABLE LAW, STARTUTOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.
    3. STARTUTOR DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THIS SITE, ITS SERVERS, OR E-MAIL SENT FROM STARTUTOR.COM.SG ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.
    4. STARTUTOR WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING FROM THE USE OF THIS SITE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.