How do I politely turn down a request from a potential student?
Be direct and polite with your response
When it comes to turning down a potential student's request, you'll want to be as polite as possible while getting your point across and following TakeLessons policies. Here are some helpful examples you can use to turn down a potential student's request.
Student question: Can you send me your phone number / other contact information, so we can talk before I book lessons?
Best reply: Actually, I handle all requests through this direct messaging tool until students are officially on my roster. You'll receive all my contact info once you book lessons and we can chat then. Is there something else I can answer for you?
Student question: How soon will I receive your phone number after paying for lessons?
Best reply: After you have paid, I will have a 48-hour window to accept you as a student on my roster. Once this is done, my contact information will be emailed directly to you.
Student question: Can we start lessons tomorrow? I'm trying to schedule it but the site says you're not available.
Best reply: The site says I'm not available tomorrow because TakeLessons has a buffer to give teachers time to prepare for lessons. Once you book lessons, I can actually schedule your lessons to start right away even though it says I'm not free until next week.
Student question: Can you teach my piano lessons in German? I'm not a native English speaker.
Best reply: I would love to teach your piano lessons but I don't speak German. If you're ok with lessons taught solely in English, I'm the teacher for you. If not, I recommend searching for another teacher through TakeLessons.
Student question: Can I pay you with cash/PayPal/Venmo/etc at any point?
Best reply: TakeLessons handles all billing and scheduling for me. This includes the initial lesson package as well as the billing for all subsequent lessons you buy. Per my contract, I am unable to accept any form of payment outside of the TakeLessons platform.
Student question: Can I buy just one lesson as a trial run?
Best reply: I understand your desire to make sure the teacher is the right fit for you. While TakeLessons does not currently offer a package smaller than 5 lessons they do have a Satisfaction Guarantee. This means that after you sign up for lessons and speak to me and/or after you attend your first lesson, if for some reason you don't feel like it is a good match, TakeLessons will help you find a new teacher and/or give you a full refund for any unused lessons. Please refer to this article: Link
When to close the thread
If a potential student is inistent after you have explained our policies, or politely declined, you can close the communication thread to end the conversation.
- Log in to your teacher account on the web or from your TakeLessons App for Teachers, and click on the Inbox tab
- Select the conversation you would like to close. Then, click the Three Dots in the top right-hand corner of the thread.
- Click Mark as Not Interested
- To finalize the action, click Yes, close it. TakeLessons will close the inquiry from the student.
Note: We are not able reopen a thread after it has been reported.
- A message will be displayed in your Inbox confirming the status.
