Your Public Profile: Building Your Yo! Presence
[PLATFORM GUIDE]
Yo! Tutor Support
Last Update 2 months ago
Hey there, future rockstar! Your profile is your personal storefront on Yo! – it's how you introduce yourself to yosers and make a fantastic first impression. To stand out and attract yosers’ attention, we encourage you to be yourself and express your unique personality. Here’s your guide on how to create an awesome profile that follows our platform's standards and truly represents you!
1. Your Tutor Name
Your tutor name can be your real name or a cool nickname, or even something fun and interesting (like a favorite movie character or a fabulous drag queen name – why not?!).
❗IMPORTANT: Your Name on Profile Videos! Your chosen Tutor Name will be registered AS IS in our standard video naming template for tutors on our website and platform: Yo! Tutor - [TUTOR NAME]. This is why it's super important to think carefully when defining your Tutor Name! For example, if you choose the name 'Marky,' yosers will see 'Yo! Tutor - Marky' on your profile videos. Also, please note that there's currently no option available to change your Tutor Name once it's set.
Heads-up about Real Names: Please do not use your full name (first name + last name) as yosers might try to look you up on social media or search for you online. We want to keep all interactions safe and within the Yo! Zone! For more on keeping your personal info safe and staying connected in the Yo! Zone, check out our Sharing Personal Information: Keeping Things Safe on Yo! policy. If you want to use your real name, we might add the first letter of your last name if we already have a tutor with the same name (e.g., Ana P.).
Keep it Short & Sweet: Your name will be remembered more easily if it is short and sweet.
➡️Pronunciation Matters: Make sure your name is easy for yosers (who are usually non-native English speakers from Brazil) to pronounce. If you choose a nickname that has an origin in your native language, try to "optimize" its spelling and pronunciation to adapt it for speakers of other languages.
Words We Can't Use: Please note that the following words are not allowed in your Tutor Name. If you use one of them, we'll either omit that word, or we will ask you to choose another name: Tutor, Teacher, Mister/Missus, Mr/Ms/Miss/Mrs, Best, Sensei, English, Inglês, Professor/a, The, Doctor/Dr, Baby, Brother/Bro, Sister/Sis. Even if a word isn't on this list, we still reserve the right to omit it if we see fit and/or ask you to choose another Tutor Name.
2. Your Contact Information
Complete Address: You'll need to provide your full street address, apartment/suite/floor number, city, and postal code. This address should be the one that is in your official documents, as US law requires it for payment purposes. Rest assured, this information is strictly for internal verification and payment processing, and will NOT be publicly displayed on your profile.
3. Portuguese Language Proficiency
If Portuguese is your native language or you speak it fluently, you can mark this on your profile. When you do, a "Portuguese Speaker" tag will be visible on your profile for yosers to see! Just be mindful that this will be displayed, so be sure you're comfortable with yosers knowing this for your sessions!
4. Your Self-Introduction
This is your amazing chance to sell yourself to yosers! Be concise and clear, but feel free to be funny and quirky if that is your style. Show off who you really are – don't just write what you think yosers want to read. Your main role is to engage yosers in exciting and educational conversations, so think about what best conveys you're the perfect choice for that!
💡Cool Stuff to Mention (optional - get creative!):
Your nationality
Your country of residence (if you live abroad)
Your university major
All the languages you speak
Something cool and unusual about your life (e.g., a unique hobby or experience)
What else you do for a living besides tutoring (yosers might relate more easily!) or interesting previous jobs.
❗Things to Keep Private (do not mention):
Your personal contact information (e.g., full name and address, social media handles). (For more on this, check our Sharing Personal Information: Keeping Things Safe on Yo! policy).
Your marital status
Your age (it will change every year, so it's better not to include it, just like any other temporary info).
Our Moderation Note: We reserve the right to change or edit your introduction in case we think there's something inappropriate or just to make it a tad bit more appealing. No hard feelings! 😀
5. Your English Story
This is where you sell your awesome English background to yosers! Tell us how you started learning English, with all the highs and lows. What do you love about it? How do you practice it now? We want to know all about your journey! Share how you became fluent and what (or who) helped you. What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it? These facts can be super useful to yosers, as they're on their own English-learning journey, which is not always easy. It's also super important to contextualize your teaching experience (if you have any) and/or style.
Our Moderation Note: Again, we reserve the right to change or edit your story in case we think there's something inappropriate or just to make it a tad bit more appealing.
Hobbies: Naming a few hobbies is great. If you have an unusual hobby (e.g., soap carving, homebrewing beer), feel free to mention it – the weirder, the better! (Just a heads-up: watching Netflix and listening to music, while common pastimes, aren't typically considered "hobbies" for this section. You'll write about music and movies/TV in separate sections anyway!).
Taste in Music: List your favorite genre(s) or just your favorite artists and songs you can't get out of your head – yosers want to know your vibe!
Taste in Cinema/TV: Tell us what we should definitely watch, from genres to cherry-picked titles – this is also a great conversation starter for your sessions. Movies, series, TV shows, reality shows, documentaries... all the things you’re obsessed with!
Taste in Reading: Whatever you love – or loved – reading – be it a genre, a book, a magazine, a blog, a newsletter, or a comic book, we’re sure yosers would like to know about it.
Your English Superpowers: Choose the English tutoring-related skills that are your forte – are you great at tutoring advanced learners? Are you a pronunciation expert? Make sure to list all your skills, as this might attract yosers who want to learn these things – but remember that adding these skills doesn't mean that other yosers won’t book your sessions.
Skill With Beginners: You're a pro at making new English learners feel super comfortable, breaking down complex ideas into simple, digestible pieces, and building their confidence from scratch.
Skill With Advanced Speakers: You can challenge fluent speakers, dive deep into nuanced topics, fine-tune their expressions, and help them achieve even higher degrees of proficiency.
Skill In Free Conversation: You're amazing at keeping conversations flowing naturally, adapting to any topic, and creating a relaxed atmosphere where yosers can just talk!
Skill In Business English: You excel at guiding yosers through professional vocabulary, formal communication, presentation skills, and everything they need to rock their careers in English.
Skill In Writing: You're a wizard at helping yosers improve their English writing, from basic sentences to complex essays, emails, or creative texts, focusing on structure, grammar, and clarity.
Skill In Reading: You can help yosers tackle different types of English texts, boost their comprehension, vocabulary, and reading speed, and make reading fun and insightful.
Skill In Grammar: You're a grammar guru who can explain tricky rules clearly, help yosers understand sentence structures, and correct common mistakes with patience and precision.
Skill In Vocabulary And Idiomatic Expressions: You have a knack for expanding yosers' word power, introducing them to new vocabulary, common phrases, and idiomatic expressions to sound more natural.
Skill In Pronunciation: You're an ace at helping yosers articulate sounds correctly, improve their intonation, rhythm, and overall clarity when speaking English.
Skill In Accents: You're skilled at helping yosers work on specific English accents (e.g., American, British, etc.), focusing on intonation, rhythm, and distinct phonetic features.
Your Unique Interests: These tags can be literally anything related to a certain lifestyle or stuff you are interested in (well, except profanity or insulting words – we will moderate this section, but you get the gist!). Words like these are allowed: feminism, digital nomads, music festivals, reiki, DJ-ing, foodie, fashion, etc. Tags might attract yosers who have similar lifestyles and beliefs. If you’re, say, a semi-professional cook and a food blogger, we highly recommend mentioning this in your introduction as well as in the tags with, say, "foodie".
7. Photos: Your First Impression!
This is your moment to shine! Get creative when taking your photos. Remember, yosers need a faithful teaser of what it will look like to talk to you in the session!
Selfie Style: The photo should be a selfie (a vertical/upright photo), but make sure your whole face and shoulders are visible. You can also take the photo with the back camera of your phone and use a timer.
Good Lighting: Take a photo in a well-lit room or go outside – natural light is the best flash!
Keep It Current: Do not send an old photo of yourself where you look 10 years younger. We want to show the real, present version of you.
High Quality Is A MUST: Your photo needs to be high-quality. No need for a professional camera if you have a decent smartphone, but if your phone can't take good-quality photos, we suggest you go to a photo studio or borrow a camera/phone from a friend.
Light Edits Only: It's okay if your photo is slightly edited (saturation, exposure), but please do not use any TikTok/Instagram filters that completely change your face. Let's just not catfish up in here, please.
Dress Code: Make sure you’re wearing decent clothing – no bikinis, no tank tops, or other beach gear, please!
Smile Power: The bigger the smile, the higher the booking rate! (We’re joking, but ultimately, your photo will attract yosers, and if you seem like a fun, approachable person, they will book your session and keep coming back.)
Important Note: Please note that if your photo does not meet these requirements, we will ask you for a retake.
8. Videos: Your Reel is About to Go Viral!
Your video should be a selfie video. Think of a vlog, a YouTube Short, TikTok video, or Instagram Reel – and that includes the editing part too. English is the most important topic, but feel free to get creative! For example, maybe you can show yosers a famous sightseeing spot in your city and tell them something about it, or just show them an interesting souvenir you’ve bought somewhere! Try your best to avoid clichés (e.g., "I am here to help you learn English in a fun way" – yosers know that already). If you’re not feeling creative, feel free to say a few things about yourself, your teaching style, and how you can help yosers in their English-practicing journey. In that case, just keep in mind that they need to communicate better in English for various reasons.
Important Note on Aspect Ratio: Remember that the video player will show your video in landscape mode. So, if you want to appear in portrait mode, it may not look as good since there will be empty padding spaces on the sides.
High Quality is Key: The video should be high-resolution (the highest possible for your phone/camera). Your face should be visible at all times, and your voice should be loud and clear.
Energy & Attitude: Be full of energy and show a positive attitude when talking in the video – have we mentioned that you should smile?
Camera Angle: Position your phone slightly up instead of down when you’re recording.
Avoid Time-Sensitive Info: Do not mention any time-sensitive information, such as your age.
Dress Code: Just like for the photo, wear presentable clothes when taking the video as well, and try to be as tidy as your style permits 👨🎤.
Background Check: If you take your video outside, please bear in mind that there shouldn’t be other people in the background. If you are moving, the video shouldn’t be too shaky. Also, beware of the noise if you're out and about.
Duration: The video should be at least 1 minute long, but not longer than 2 minutes!
Important Note: Please note that if your video does not meet these requirements, we will ask you for a retake.
9. Payoneer Account (for Account Purposes)
To help us process your payments and for you to receive your earnings, you should open a Payoneer account at your earliest convenience. If you already have it, make sure you provide the email address associated with your Payoneer account within your profile settings.
10. Tutor Referral (Informational)
This feature is currently under development! No need to fill it out just yet. But, if one of our awesome tutors referred you to us, please mention it when you can. Don't forget to ask them about their tutor ID and tutor name!