Who are the students on Helppo now? What languages do they speak?
We want to make Helppo globally available to students of all backgrounds. The majority of our users are from Hong Kong. They attend schools such as Chinese International School, American International School, Hong Kong International School, St. Paul's College, Lasalle College, London Excel College and Stanford School Hong Kong.
How long are the tutoring sessions?
For students aged 4 to 8 years old, we recommend 30-minute lessons. For students over 12, the minimum lesson period is an hour.
The maximum lesson period depends on the tutor and their schedule, but if you need intensive sessions lasting more than 2 hours we can work with you to find a Helppo tutor who can meet your tutoring needs.
What are the minimum technical requirements for students?
What happens during the first lesson?
During the first lesson with Helppo, regardless of if the student is using zoom, Whereby or the actual Helppo platform, our technical team will sit in and help out if there are any technical issues. When necessary, we can offer alternative software solutions to connect with the tutor.
The more information students can share with us in advance, the better, so we can get straight to the point during the free trial lesson. On the other hand, if the student has no particular topics or questions to go over, we have IELTS, debate course and elementary school level material prepared already. For example, English students under the age of 8 can benefit from using Oxford story tree English books during lessons. We encourage students to read the English passages outloud and repeat after their tutor so they can pronounce English words correctly.
For more advanced students preparing for the IELTS exam, before the lesson begins, we highly recommend students fill out a short intake form and work on practice exams. By sharing the answers to practice exams with us, our tutors can prepare for their students’ lessons in advance. If a student writes an essay, students and teachers can work on the essay together using the Helppo online editing system.
During the editing process, our experienced tutors can look for common mistakes and customize the lesson plan for the next session if you wish to continue with us.
If you are using the Helppo session page, we have a quick tutorial video for you to watch. Feel free to reach out to us, we are more than happy to schedule a time and give you a demo session.
For the first couple of online lessons, Helppo’s technical team will log on with you 10 minute before the lesson to help you get started.
What happens if the Helppo platform is experiencing technical difficulties?
What customer support does Helppo offer?
What happens if I (The Student) am having technical difficulties?
What subjects are tutored by Helppo?
Helppo’s tutors come from all over the world. They have different educational backgrounds and qualifications. For example, some of our teachers are college professors, who can teach both high school and college-level math. Most of our teachers can teach ESL, IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, PTE, as well as a variety of other English related proficiency examinations.
Young learners aged five to nine studying English will follow the Oxford Story Tree English curriculum. For more information about the Oxford Story Tree English curriculum, please visit the following link:
For IELTS exam prep, please click on the link down below to read more about our course offering.
-IELTS, both Academic and General
-TOFEL
-ACT and SAT
-AP, A-Level, IB, GCSE and HKDSE: biology, chemistry, history, economics, mathematics, statistics, and Spanish
-Most College-level: biology, chemistry, computer science, history, economics, mathematics, and statistics
-Elementary, middle and high school school English, mathematics and science
Can I get help with a subject that is not listed on Helppo?
Yes! If you send us a message via Whatsapp or Live Message with details about what you’d like to study, we can work with you to find a tutor who meets your needs.
Can I change my tutor?
Of course! If you’re not completely happy with your tutor, send the Student Support Team a message via Whatsapp or Live Message and we’ll help you connect with another Helppo tutor. We always have tutors in reserve who we can ask to fit you in if you need urgent help.
What do you offer in your English, math and science classes?
We offer American common core curriculum for elementary school, middle school, and high school students. However, since many students in Hong Kong have family in Canada, we also offer Canadian curriculum . Additionally,a few tutors are from the UK, meaning we can offer GCSE and the A-level.
While specific terminology differs between the US and the UK, math is a universal language. Our tutors are capable of teaching any K-12 math from any curriculum, though we recommend providing your tutor with the specific rubric used in your school.
As a student, what should I do to prepare for a lesson?
For the best possible experience, we recommend that students restart their computer and go to the restroom before a lesson, as students may be charged for time spent troubleshooting technical difficulties or excessively long breaks.
How can I schedule a lesson?
Or once you have created a student account, you can go to your student dashboard, select a subject and subfield to ask for help from our tutors. Ie: if you need a high school calculus tutor, when you send out a group session request, all tutors will receive your lesson request and will try to help you as soon as possible.
If you want to schedule a last-minute lesson, please send a whatsapp message to +1 720 496 8336 or +852 6416 8669.
Can I take a group lesson?
Yes, you can! We offer group lessons for English classes if the students’ levels are similar. Currently, we offer three English classes at different levels for middle school aged students.
Additionally, if you are interested in group IELTS lessons, we are hoping to start a group session in the near future.
Students who are interested in taking group sessions with us will need to take a quiz to determine their English level. This will be used to assign them to the right class. Alternatively, they may need one-on-one lessons if their English level does not match that of a current group.
Please reach out to us if you would like to join a class!
What if I need to cancel or reschedule a lesson?
Please give us at least 48 hours notice if you would like to cancel or reschedule a lesson. However, if the teacher is not available for whatever reason, we will ask a different Helppo teacher with similar qualifications to substitute as soon as possible, or we will reschedule the lesson for free at a later date.
In the event that a student cancels or reschedules three consecutive lessons with less than 24 hours notice, or no notice at all, Helppo reserves the right to charge a penalty, equivalent to the hourly rate of the assigned teacher.
Can Helppo improve my IELTS exam score?
Yes, our tutors on Helppo can help you with your IELTS exam. Most of our tutors are university-educated native English speakers with at least 3 years of teaching experience. One tutor is a former IELTS examiner. To learn more about our tutors’ credentials, please click on this button down below (orlink down below).
At Helppo, we have several team members who have been through the IELTS process themselves, so we can give insights based on their experiences.
Several team members and tutors are also Asian American, so we understand common mistakes Hong Kong students might make.
This will be added on the Helppo page for tutors to create an account.
When setting up an account with Helppo, please be aware that your profile will appear in Google searches. This is beyond our control as we cannot change how Google stores search information. Even if we delete your Helppo account, it may take months for Google to update their databases. If you do not want your name to appear in Google searches, please use your middle name, initials, or a pseudonym when creating an account. Please note that this also applies to your profile image. Thank you for understanding.
- Helppo Team
Are Helppo tutors native speakers of English?
Yes, most of our tutors are native English speakers. There are a few highly educated tutors from Hong Kong, but several went to top ranked universities in the US and Canada. Although they are not native English speakers, they can communicate at a professional proficiency level. We also have a part time French tutor and Japanese tutor who is a native French speaker.
What are the tutoring hours in Helppo?
Most tutors are based in North America or the UK. From Monday to Friday, tutors in the UK are usually available from 5 pm to midnight Hong Kong time Monday to Friday, while tutors based in North America are generally available from 7 pm to 2 am Hong Kong time. On Saturdays, North American tutors are usually available from 8 am to 2 pm on Saturdays Hong Kong time.
How can I schedule a free trial lesson?
If you wish to schedule a free trial lesson, please reach out to our student success team to assign you a tutor. We typically schedule free trial lessons between 8 pm to midnight Hong Kong time Monday to Friday and from 9 am to noon Hong Kong time on Saturday.
Can I send homework questions in advance?
Yes, you can send homework questions in advance so your tutor can better prepare for the session. Be realistic in terms of how many questions your teacher will be able to review in 10 to 15 minutes before your class. You can share the PDF or images with the Helppo management team. Or if you wish to send questions to your teacher directly, please create an account on Helppo, then send images or questions via the Helppo messenger.
Will I be charged for the time a teacher takes to review the questions I shared in advance?
For elementary school, middle school, and high school level subjects, our tutors will not charge students for the preparation time unless otherwise instructed. However, for very specific topics or advanced college material, our tutors may need to set aside some preparation time so they will feel ready to offer a lesson. If the tutor needs extra time to prepare, the Helppo team will confirm with the student the rate by hour to cover any additional cost.
Can I use Helppo if I use a Macbook?
Helppo currently does not support Macbooks. If you are a Macbook user, regardless if you are a student or a teacher, feel free to keep using the Helppo to review messages, make appointments, and send homework questions. However, we can not accept payment if you are using a Macbook, and will therefore create an invoice and send it to you following the lesson.
We recommend using whereby.com or zoom to have lessons with our talented tutors if you use a Macbook .
How will tutors be paid?
When will tutors be paid?
Who are the tutors on Helppo?
Are there taxes on my any of the earnings?
As tutor contracts on Helppo are independent contractor agreements, no tax is required if the total annual income is below $600 USD. However, if the annual income from Helppo is above $600 USD, then Helppo and the consultant must file a 1099 form (link). For further information, please check the link below or contact a US certificated public accountant. https://www.efile.com/what-is-form-1099-misc-income-tax-return-requirements/
What is the cost of a Helppo lesson?
Hourly rates range from 480 to 1200 HKD per hour for most high school and lower-level college classes. For the GRE, GMAT, and LSAT, college admission consultation, and upper division college courses, the hourly rate is $60.00 to $250.00 per hour. These rates differ based on the difficulty of the subject and the teacher's qualifications.
Depending on the difficulty of the subject and a teacher's qualifications, availability, and experience, the hourly rates range from $25.00 to $100.00 per hour for most high school and lower-level college classes.
For the GRE, GMAT, and LSAT, college admission consultation, and upper division college courses, the hourly rate is $60.00 to $250.00 per hour.
When comparing Helppo to other college-educated, native English-speaking tutors with similar qualifications, institutions in Hong Kong often charge $60 to $200 per hour. Since Helppo is an online tutoring platform, we do not have as many overhead costs as a physical location. This allows us to spend more on recruiting highly qualified tutors to help students succeed.
For more information regarding an individual teacher’s rates, please click on the button below to be taken to theFind a Tutor page.
Helppo also accepts payment from most major credit card companies. Helppo also accepts payment from the following:
- Credit Card, via Stripe: Mastercard, Visa, or American Express
- PayPal
- Direct Bank Deposit
- Cash
- PayMe
- Alipay
For students living in Hong Kong, Helppo accepts payment from the following options:
- Direct Cash Payment/ATM Deposit: Hang Seng Bank, Bank of China, HSBC
- Pay-As-You-Go-Students can make weekly payments
For students living in the United States or Canada, Helppo accepts payment from the following options:
- USA Interac E-Transfer: Wells Fargo
- Canada Interac E-Transfer: Bank of Montreal
Instead of pulling out a credit card to book lessons, students can also pay with HelppoCoin, Helppo's convenient, exclusive online currency. Soon, students who use HelppoCoin will be able to enjoy exclusive online content like tutorial videos, grammar exercises and specialized blogs by Helppo's top writers. Students who book lessons and subscription packages using HelppoCoin can enjoy an additional 5% off!
How can I pay?
Before class, we’ll ask you to input your credit card information with Stripe and Paypal’s secure payment gateway, however, you will not be charged until the end of the lesson. You will be charged according to the number of minutes you worked with your tutor.
When you input your credit card information on the pop-up window, you will receive a text notification on your phone.
Or you can pay via ATM direct deposit. We have bank accounts with the Bank of China, HSBC, and Hang Seng Bank. We also have accounts with Payme and Alipay. Reach out to us by pressing the live message button, send us an email or send a whatsapp message to us to learn more.
Another option is to buy Helppo coins. It is similar to having an octopus card for online tutoring. Students who have Helppo coins doesn’t need to pull up their credit card to input information.
Students can purchase Helppo coins to pay for lessons, exclusive learning material, and much more. By adding Helppo coins to your wallet, you’ll get exclusive offers and discounts. The minimum top up amount is $10 USD, and the maximum is $5,000 USD.
Keep in mind, Helppo coins are non-refundable and therefore, you should only add to your wallet what you think you’ll spend.
What is Helppo?
Helppo is an online tutoring platform based in the United States and Hong Kong, composed of experienced educators and professionals from all walks of life. Helppo provides top-notch tutoring services at affordable prices, allowing students to connect with top teachers around the world and enjoy a foreign-style learning experience. In addition to tutoring knowledge, you can also train your English ability, broaden your horizons and understand overseas cultures.
Who should take lessons at Helppo?
Answer: Helppo is suitable for students of all ages, from kindergarten all the way through university, as well as for adults who are no longer in school but who want additional training.We primarily help students who wish to improve their English ((and who are interested in North American teaching methods)), but we also help with other subjects such as math and science. Our students come from (many different) international and local schools, including St. Paul’s College, La Salle Primary School, Yew Chung International Primary School, American International School, St. Paul’s College, Kowloon Wah Yan College, Lingnan Primary School, Hennessy Road Government Primary School, St. Paul’s Stifan Primary School, and Suzhe Primary School.
Who are Helppo's tutors?
Helppo's tutors come from all over the world. Most of them are native English speakers and have at least 3 years of teaching experience. Among them are top university graduates, university lecturers, senior teachers, laboratory researchers, and international test examiners. They come from world-class universities such as Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge University, Stanford University, and Columbia University. We even have a Mathematics lecturer with a Phd in Mathematics from the University of Maryland College Park. They have both subject knowledge and teaching experience to help students reach their goals.
What tutoring services does Helppo offer?
Helppo mainly provides tutoring services in English, mathematics, economics, science, and calculus, but can offer support for most high-school level course material, and some university level course material. Students can also receive comprehensive training for various public exams (such as KET, PAT, SSAT, TOEFL, IELTS, DSE, and IB exams), or can choose to take tutoring services on a particular subject to enhance their knowledge outside of the local curriculum. In addition to traditional subjects, Helppo also offers music and foreign language courses, including guitar, saxophone, piano, classical vocal performance training, French, and Spanish.
How do Helppo's sessions work?
On Helppo, we often use Zoom or a web platform called Whereby.com. Whereby.com is developed using the same technology as Google Hangout/Google Meet. For regular paying students, we recommend they utilize our web application, which we developed ourselves in-house.
We also have developed our own video conference system with an online document editing system attached. This editing system allows students to work on essays, college applications, and English homework collaboratively in real-time with highly qualified experts on Helppo!
Students can send the questions in Microsoft Word in the format of .pdf or .jpg in advance or during the conference call in order to ensure a comfortable learning experience at the leisure of one’s home.
At Helppo, we try to be as accommodating as possible. We are happy to experiment with different free video conferencing software. Students only need to make an appointment for class time and log into the platform on time to connect with tutors overseas and conduct online classes in a one-to-one manner. Before their first class, Helppo will ask students about their current level, their learning goals, and preferences. Students (or parents) are more than welcome to share in advance what they have been learning at school so our tutors can gauge their needs or work on specific tasks. During their first session, tutors will also assess student abilities and discuss their personalized tutoring goals.
How much do Helppo’s lessons cost?
Answer: We first offer a free and no-commitment 30 minute trial lesson. Then if you want to continue with us (and we think that you will!) you can sign up for pay-as-you-go lessons or for discounted multiple lesson packages. The actual cost per lesson depends on the qualifications and experience of your tutor, but the general range is between $380 and $800 HK dollars per hour. Also, if you refer your friends to us and they become paying students then we are more than happy to offer additional discounts.
you can receive even more discounts by referring your friends to us!
What are the computer requirements for Helppo classes?
Answer: We often use Zoom and whereby for the lessons. Windows 10 operating systems for PC. Alternatively, Helppo uses its own research and development teaching platform, it does not need to be installed, it can be used as long as it is logged in through a browser. Students can easily take Helppo lessons using computers, laptops, tablets or mobile phones, Windows, iOS or Android systems. Before the first class, Helppo’s technicians will test the internet speed for students and teach them how to use the teaching platform. If students encounter technical problems, they can immediately contact the online specialist for assistance. We highly recommend students to conduct an internet speed test before having your first lesson. In order to have lessons with us, students need to have at least 38 mbps download and 28 mbps upload speed.
What will happen if Helppo class is interrupted due to unstable network?
Helppo's network platform is equipped with a timing system, and charges will be calculated based on the time required for a smooth connection. In the event of a disconnection, the system will reconnect within five minutes and arrange to make up for the delay due to the disconnection. If the technical problem cannot be resolved immediately, Helppo will arrange a make-up time slot.
How to register for Helppo courses?
Answer: If you would like to enroll, you can make an appointment for a trial lesson through the registration system on Helppo’s website or through Whatsapp with our customer support team. Students are required to provide the subjects they wish to enroll in, their level and their availability for the lesson. Helppo provides potential tutors and appointment times for trial lessons. After the trial class is over, students can choose whether to continue enrolling or not. Once you have decided to enroll for more classes with us, please create a student account on Helppo. (this will be a button on the actual website https://www.helppotutoring.com/Register/Students) After you sign up for an account on Helppo, in your email inbox you will receive a confirmation email. Once you’ve clicked on the confirmation email, you will be redirected to the Helppo “find a tutor” page. You can schedule an appointment by selecting a tutor’s profile. Or if you need help with specialized subjects or your chosen tutor’s schedule is completely booked, feel free to send our management team a message by clicking the live message button so we can try to accommodate you.
Why should Adult learners take lessons with us?
Since most of our tutors are from Europe, UK, and from North America. Our tutors are available in the evening until late at night. We all know with current COVID regulations, there are fewer evening classes available in-person in Hong Kong. On the other hand, several of our talented and experienced tutors are available after 10 pm Hong Kong time. We can help busy working professionals to reach goals from the comfort of home.
What do you need to do before your first paid lesson after your free trial?
First, please ensure your microphone and internet connection are stable. If you are accessing the Helppo system for lessons, please either get your credit card ready before you join the session or alternatively, you can consider purchasing Helppo currency, so that you don’t have to input your credit card information every time.
Our team can also send an invoice to parents at the end of each month. Helppo supports wechat pay, students can just scan the QR code before joining the lesson.
We have business partnerships with Stripe and Paypal. The very first time using Stripe, you’ll need to input your email address, credit card information, and phone number. Once you have sent the first payment, you can choose to have your information saved with Stripe. It will remember your credit card information when you’re connected on Helppo. After using Stripe for the first time on Helppo, you’ll only need to have your phone on you the next time you login. When you choose to use Stripe again, you’ll be asked to input your phone number, and then you’ll receive a text notification on your phone with a one-time password. Type it into the pop-up window. You'll be redirected back to the Helppo session page, so you can start a lesson with your tutor!
We highly encourage parents to add money to their child’s Helppo account if your child doesn’t have access to a credit card or a cellphone. If you wish to add some money to the Helppo account, click on the top right hand corner, and select the profile option in the drop down menu. Once you’ve been directed to the profile page, you can add payment at the bottom of the page, below the option to change your profile’s personal information. Helppo currency is not refundable.
On the Helppo payment page before joining a session, once you’ve added Helppo currency, you can simply click the Helppo currency button to pay. Then you will be directed to the Helppo session page where you can start the lesson with your tutor. If there are any technical issues, please send a message to your tutor via the live-messaging system. Your tutor will share a zoom link or a whereby link instead.
How should I prepare for my first session?
Before your first class Helppo will ask you about your current level, learning goals, and preferences, and we encourage you to share what you have been learning at school. Then during your first session your tutor will continue to discuss your personalized learning goals and to assess your abilities.
On Helppo, we often use Zoom or a web platform called whereby.com. Whereby.com is developed using the same technology as google hangout/google meet. For regular paying students, we recommend they utilize our web application, which we developed ourselves in-house.
We also have developed our own video conference system with an online document editing system attached. This editing system allows students to work on essays, college applications, and English homework collaboratively in real-time with highly qualified experts on Helppo!
Students can send the questions in Microsoft Word in the format of .pdf or .jpg in advance or during the conference call in order to ensure a comfortable learning experience at the leisure of one’s home.
At Helppo, we try to be as accommodating as possible. We are happy to experiment with different free video conferencing software. Students only need to make an appointment for class time and log in to the platform on time to connect with tutors overseas and conduct online classes in a one-to-one manner. Before their first class, Helppo will ask students about their current level, their learning goals, and preferences. Students (or parents) are more than welcome to share in advance what they have been learning at school so our tutors can gauge their needs or work on specific tasks. During their first session, tutors will also assess student abilities and discuss their personalized tutoring goals.
If the technical problem cannot be resolved immediately, and it is on our end, Helppo will arrange a make-up lesson. On Helppo’s system, we use signal R technology built by Microsoft to facilitate live interactive lessons and keep track of technical issues. This allows us also to determine the cause of any technical problems.
However, if the technical problem is on the student’s end, lessons are non-refundable.