Policies, Terms & Conditions
GENERAL TERMS
This agreement, not any verbal or implied statement, constitutes the entire understanding between parties regarding services. Periodically, these policies may be amended or added to. Such modifications will supersede the terms of this agreement. To obtain Inkwell’s most current information, visit https://inkwelledu.com/
Registration
To receive any of Inkwell’s services, you must first register. Registration automatically subscribes you to our newsletter. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Inkwell neither knowingly accepts registrations from children nor solicits business directly from them after their enrollment. If your student is at least 13 years old, however, s/he may request additional services, such as document help. We will either assume your awareness or attempt to verify your consent.
Communication
It is imperative that you keep your contact information updated. In any communication, please identify yourself, your student’s first and last name, and pertinent information so that we can respond effectively. Call or email your teacher. You may reach the office in several ways:
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(248) 270-5222
Privacy
Inkwell has a separate Privacy Policy.
Inkwell Team
One of Inkwell’s unique advantages is its community of highly skilled, collaborative team members. Teachers meet regularly to enhance the quality of our premiere services. They may also observe each other’s lessons, co-teach sessions, and substitute for one other to provide continuity of services – with or without advance notification of such participation or substitution.
Services
All services are provided online. You must have tools that support functions needed for the service you enrolled in, such as reliable access to high-speed Internet, an updated electronic device to connect, applicable software, apps, a working camera, and microphone. Proper operation of your device and the reliability of your Internet service is your responsibility. Inkwell does not credit any class time missed because of technical problems you may experience, Internet crash, or power outage. You and your teacher should establish an efficient way to contact each other in the event of technical difficulties and agree on a backup plan to continue service.
While we aim to provide the best educational services possible, we make no promises or guarantees regarding a student’s academic performance as a result of services provided. In no event shall our obligations, expressed or implied, to any client or site user, exceed those responsibilities specifically noted on the website or in this document. Please skip to the one that applies to you—private tutoring, group tutoring courses, independent learning, or document help.
PRIVATE TUTORING
Account
Inkwell’s registration form links to a payment portal and to our scheduling and business management software, creating an account for you. Your account facilitates two-way communication between the administration, teachers, students, and you. You and your students have separate accounts, but your student account is tied to your account.
Please activate your account promptly. Open the “Welcome to Inkwell English Education” email sent to the address you registered, click on the link provided, and enter your credentials. Your user ID will be the email address you registered with, and you will choose your own password. Your student cannot begin tutoring services until your account is activated and a payment method is put on file.
Enrollment
Inkwell’s private tutoring services are for one student only with a teacher or master teacher at a regularly scheduled day and time. To enroll a new student, you must complete assigned diagnostic assessments, submit any requested documents, and then attend an intake interview, typically about an hour long.
Intake Interview
An important consultation for you, your student, and your teacher, the interview enables everyone to get acquainted. It identifies a student’s skill level and needs, clarifies expectations, and provides information to customize a plan for learning. After the intake, the interviewer will carefully review meeting notes, submitted documents, and all completed diagnostic assessments. Inkwell’s website identifies current fees for the interview and testing.
Individualized Learning Plan
Within approximately a week of the intake interview, the office will email a report of that interview and any diagnostic testing as well as your student’s Individualized Learning Plan (ILP). It will propose a teacher, course of study, instructional materials to be used, and a payment plan for you to approve. Once you and a teacher sign an ILP, it will not be altered without the written consent of you and your teacher and /or an administrator. By signing this document, you agree legally to the specified terms and charges.
Service Agreement
Each quarter, established students will be issued a Service Agreement (SA) for your approval, with a required minimum of six sessions during the three-month period. The SA will detail the subjects of instruction, teaching materials to be used, session schedule, number and cost of lessons, and other pertinent details. Your signature on this document serves as your legal consent to charges for agreed-upon services. If you schedule fewer than six sessions, you will be charged automatically without a signed SA.
Sessions
A one-hour tutoring session lasts 50 minutes with a ten-minute break between lessons for teachers to complete session notes and prepare for their next students, which are often scheduled back-to-back. To be respectful of everyone’s time, sessions begin and end promptly as scheduled. You may want to monitor a tutoring session to ensure that technology is working well, especially for younger children. You may not, however, participate in sessions.
All sessions are recorded for reference of administrators, teachers, and students. If you want to view a session recording, please request a link within 24 hours of the session. Otherwise, the recording may be deleted.
Attendance
Sessions will be recorded as attended, missed, or canceled. Missed sessions will not be rescheduled or made up. Canceled sessions should be rescheduled promptly within the then-current quarter. Because IPLs and SAs are contracts for a specific number of sessions per quarter, no refunds will be issued for missed sessions or for canceled sessions that are not rescheduled.
Consistent attendance is paramount for academic success. Please make sure your student allows ample time to complete a system check and arrive in the virtual classroom at the scheduled time. If your student arrives late, your account will not be credited for any time missed, and the session will still end on time. If your student fails to arrive, your teacher will attempt to contact you but is free to close the classroom after fifteen (15) minutes and record the session as missed. In the unlikely event that a teacher arrives late, the delinquent time will be made up. Interruption of sessions because of technical difficulty will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis at the teacher’s and/or administrator’s discretion.
Schedule Changes, Cancelations, and Credits
If you need to adjust the tutoring lesson dates or times identified on your Individualized Learning Plan (ILP) or Service Agreement (SA), do so at least 36 hours in advance. You may submit a change request from your calendar or from the link in a session reminder. Session reminders arrive in your email inbox 48 hours before a scheduled lesson so that you can adjust your schedule in a timely manner. Your request will be electronically time stamped. If you fail to make a request within the required time or your student fails to attend a session, it will be marked as missed.
If your student is sick the day of a scheduled lesson, contact your teacher directly by 8:00 AM Eastern Standard Time the day of the illness to make arrangements to reschedule; otherwise, the teacher may record the session as missed.
It is your responsibility to ensure that sessions you are unable to attend are rescheduled promptly. Teachers do their best to accommodate schedule change requests, but we cannot guarantee their availability to meet at the time you want instead. If you are unable to reschedule a lesson, it will be canceled.
Payment
Tuition for private tutoring services is based on the teacher type chosen and is collected in advance. Charges are automatically drawn from your credit card on file, according to the terms agreed to in an Inkwell ILP or SA. Because of the contractual nature of these agreements, there are no refunds.
Session Notes
After each session, your teacher will send notes to the emails on file for you and your student. These notes provide important feedback on student performance, explain what was covered in the lesson, and list any homework due for the next session. You may reply directly to these notes to communicate with your teacher.
GROUP TUTORING COURSES
Enrollment
To participate in group tutoring, a parent or legal guardian must register and pay any course fee for each student to enroll.
Payments & Refunds
Your seat in a course is guaranteed only after your payment is processed. All payments are drawn from the card you have placed on file, and they are charged to that card automatically.
Class fees are enrollment-based; therefore, tuition is non-refundable except under the following condition. If you drop a course for a legitimate reason on or before the first meeting day, or collab, you may be approved for a refund of up to half the tuition paid. No other refunds will be considered.
Session Changes & Cancellations
In the unlikely event that Inkwell must cancel a session, regardless of the reason for cancellation, that session will be rescheduled. No changes to existing class schedules can be made to accommodate individual students.
Tardiness and Absences
If students arrive late or miss a class session, they must make up any work missed on their own time. If students must miss a session, they should notify their teacher in advance. It is students’ responsibility to make up missed work and submit it to their teacher, who will answer questions about it and exert reasonable effort to support their success. No refunds or pro-rated credits will be given for missed sessions. If students need or want extensive help making up work, you should schedule a private tutoring session. Any special make-up session(s) that you choose to schedule will be billed additionally at the current tutoring rates posted on Inkwell’s website.
Homework
Practice assignments are work necessary for mastery learning. They should be completed and submitted 24 hours before the date that they are due. Prompt submission allows the teacher time to review them.
Technology
We teach all courses online. To participate, you must have reliable access to the Internet with an appropriate bandwidth to maintain connectivity to videoconferencing software, preferably, a high-speed service. The device you use to connect must have a working camera and microphone and other features that support the functions needed for the course you are enrolled in. Proper operation of your device and the reliability of your Internet service is your responsibility. Inkwell cannot credit any class time missed because of technical problems you may experience. Since all classwork and homework is distributed electronically, you must be able to meet your teacher’s requirements for transmission and completion of electronic assignments.
Contact Information and Communication
If you have questions about the day-to-day operations of sessions, contact your teacher directly. For questions about payments or the class schedule, contact the office at office@inkwelledu.com. For questions about the class curriculum, contact Inkwell’s curriculum director at inkwell@inkwelledu.com.
DOC HELP
Registration
New students requesting document services must first register with Inkwell. If you are a current student, you do not need to re-register.
Doc Help Request
To submit a Doc Service Request, click Doc Help on the Inkwell website menu. The request form is linked on that page. Complete a new form for each separate document. In the request form, specify what type of service you want, identify your project requirements, and submit documents.
If you are at least thirteen (13) years of age, you may complete a Doc Help Request yourself, affirming that your parents or guardians approve. Inkwell will usually accept your word as a minor, but we may attempt to verify parental consent prior to providing a service.
A request does not guarantee service. You will receive an email notifying you whether we have a team member available to service you and whether your paper is accepted for service. If accepted, you and the assigned team member will work on your paper in Google Docs, which is accessed through your Gmail account. If you receive no reply to your request, promptly notify us at (248) 270-5222.
Submission of Documents
In the Doc Help Request form, upload any current draft of your paper as a Word file, along with the writing prompt, written directions, and any applicable grading rubric. Plan ahead. We cannot accommodate your last-minute emergency. To receive quality service and turnaround of your document by the deadline, you must allow us enough lead-time to give your paper careful attention.
Service Types and Cost
Inkwell offers document services for typical school assignments about non-technical topics and for college admissions essays. Mainly, these services are provided asynchronously through Google Docs. If you prefer totally synchronous service, you must register for private tutoring instead.
According to the service type you order, you will be charged in 250-word units that are based on the final maximum allowed length of your document. Charges will be collected automatically from your payment card on file in advance of any service, and service will begin only when payment in full is received.
We offer three service types—proofreading, editing, and coaching. Proofreading and editing provide totally asynchronous service, whereas coaching provides both synchronous and asynchronous service. Expedited service may be available on a per case basis.
Proofreading
Proofreading is an asynchronous service designed solely to catch mistakes. Proofreaders are final checkers who inspect your paper to be sure it is ready for submission and post comments on Google. They focus on mechanics of presentation, making sure that everything is correct. They do not evaluate your paper’s ideas or organization, although they may recommend an initial editing service if it seems warranted.
No email exchange, phone calls, or video conferencing is included with proofreading. Proofreaders will flag suggestions in Google for you to accept or reject. It is your responsibility to understand and implement these suggestions.
Editing
Editing service includes only a single holistic reading of your paper to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses. Editors analyze its ideas and delivery to ensure that it will meet the goal of an assignment effectively within the targeted word count. They then propose how improve it. They do not make edits to the paper themselves, nor do they check for or point out mechanical and formatting errors.
No email exchange, phone calls, or video conferencing support is included with editing. Editors will post comments in Google for you to consider. You then use their suggestions to revise your document.
Coaching
Coaches are project managers who also edit and proofread your paper. They support the entire writing process or any phase of it, from planning to the final presentation. A coaching package includes an initial reading and review of the preliminary documents you upload, a half-hour video consultation to strategize and set a work schedule for your project, two asynchronous edits of versions of your document, an asynchronous proofreading of the final copy, and email support.
You must follow the timeline planned during your initial consultation, especially the scheduled deadlines for the three electronic submissions included in your coaching package. Otherwise, we cannot guarantee on-time completion of the project.
If further service is required for a project, additional editing or proofreading fees will apply, and these services must be purchased separately. Expedited service is not available for coaching.
Limitation of Services
Inkwell’s instructional approach is to equip you with tools for success—we are not an essay writing service. Because it is important for you to learn how to apply rules and writing principles to correct your own mistakes and to develop the analytical skills needed for making effective rhetorical choices, team members offer feedback and guidance only. We do not write or revise papers for you. You are responsible to do the work, to consider suggestions carefully, and to implement them in a manner consistent with your stylistic preferences and your vision of the project.
Inkwell do not condone plagiarism. We respect that all projects submitted should reflect and remain your own work. We provide services with the understanding that the document you submit is your original work and that you take responsibility for it. We shall be held harmless for any plagiarism, whether deliberate or unintentional on your part.
Inkwell makes reasonable attempts to stay on schedule with projects; however, if you submit documents late, we cannot guarantee on-time completion. Neither can we refund any portion of a payment for a project that is late or uncompleted through no fault of our own. You must adhere to work schedule deadlines. We will honor our deadlines and do our utmost to overcome any power outages or disruption of Internet service or unexpected difficulties that might arise, but we shall be held blameless for things beyond our control.
Inkwell does not guarantee the quality of your final paper. Coaches, editors, and proofreaders exert their best efforts to guide you to produce your best work. Rather than perfection, Inkwell’s goal is your understanding, progress, and satisfaction with our services.
Last updated: 05/04/2023