(throw away account)
Recently, I joined an online English teaching site where, whenever you log in or are on standby, a student will join your lesson. So, that means you get random students. Students can reserve an online class in advance as well.
However, my recent problem has been that I get some students who kind of make me feel uncomfortable. One student in particular, who has been reserving my class almost every day, makes me most worried. He would see that I am logged in for the day, and he would then reserve a lesson right after the one I'm teaching at THAT moment.
Here's some context first off. The random lessons pay about 6$ per 30 minutes, whereas a reserved lesson pays 12$ per 30 minutes. Students are also able to gift their teachers "appreciation tokens," which are basically tips. Also, the site that I teach on is really strict if you get a bad review. You would get a "penalty," which I believe is a short suspension from your teaching account. I am also pretty broke at the moment, so I need the money.🥲
Now, this student who has been regularly reserving my lessons tips me around 2$ per lesson. Why does he make me uncomfortable? He'll choose a lesson course, but will completely go off topic and ask personal questions, and tell me things like " You're pretty," or " I like your voice," or ask " Where do you live?" He is aware of my age (20yo) and will constantly say it's a "good thing / いいね..” (I think he's 35-40 yo) I always make sure to answer extremely vaguely, or I avoid answering at all. I also avoid giving off a mean or an upset tone, because I have many good reviews on the site, and I don't want to ruin it with one bad review just because of a student who clearly wouldn't be reviewing my English teaching.
I'm planning on blocking said student as soon as I get to my money savings goal. I'm visiting my grandparents for the holidays, so I do need the money.
HERE'S MY QUESTION.
What do you do with students who make you feel uncomfortable when they're actively in your class/lesson? I'm not only asking this because of that one student, but because it's an online site where students get to choose their teacher. And, I have unfortunately had to come across some students who are very obviously not there to learn English. I'm also scared to just log off mid-lesson because that could also lead to a penalty.
I've heard many stories where students will hire a personal teacher for the wrong reasons, so I was wondering what the best actions would be to put the lesson on the right track during the lesson.
by Common-Ad6711