# Onboarding a new teacher checklist

> Every step from offer to the end of a new teacher's first month: agreement, checks, accounts, training, a test class, first classes and the first payroll.

URL: https://halqora.com/resources/teacher-onboarding-checklist
Last updated: 2026-10-22

## Downloads

- [Printable PDF](https://halqora.com/resources/teacher-onboarding-checklist.pdf)

Run the same steps for every new teacher, in the same order. Nothing on this list is complicated, but skipping one is how a teacher ends up learning the cancellation rule from an angry parent, or a child ends up in a class with an unchecked adult.

## Before the agreement

- [ ] Interview by video, including a short sample lesson.
- [ ] Two references followed up, at least one from teaching.
- [ ] Teaching level confirmed (for example exam board, grade, instrument grade or language level).
- [ ] Availability collected in the teacher's own time zone.
- [ ] Rate and payment method agreed (Wise (wise.com), PayPal or bank transfer, and who pays transfer fees).

## Agreement and checks

- [ ] Teacher agreement sent, reviewed and signed. Start from the [teacher agreement template](https://halqora.com/resources/teacher-agreement-template).
- [ ] The pay-per-outcome table explained in a call: on time, late, student cancelled, no-show, teacher cancelled.
- [ ] Identity document checked.
- [ ] Background check suited to the teacher's country requested and received.
- [ ] Tax form collected where you need one (for example IRS Form W-8BEN for a teacher outside the US paid by a US academy).

## Accounts and setup

- [ ] Teacher account created on your scheduling and classroom system.
- [ ] Availability entered and checked against the teacher's time zone.
- [ ] Payment details recorded and a test transfer sent if the method is new.
- [ ] Teacher added to staff channels (not to family groups).
- [ ] Teaching materials and the books library shared.

## Training

- [ ] Safeguarding training completed and the date recorded. See the [safeguarding checklist](https://halqora.com/resources/safeguarding-checklist-online-classes).
- [ ] The family cancellation and makeup policy read and explained. See the [enrollment and cancellation policy template](https://halqora.com/resources/enrollment-cancellation-policy-template).
- [ ] How to record a class outcome on the same day, including minutes late.
- [ ] What to do when a student does not join: how long to wait, what to record.
- [ ] What to do when the teacher cannot make a class: who to tell and how much notice.
- [ ] Clock-change weeks explained, with the dates for the countries of their students.

## Test class

- [ ] Test class with a staff member playing the student.
- [ ] Camera, sound, background and dress checked.
- [ ] Screen share, whiteboard, PDF book library and Quran viewer tried, as relevant.
- [ ] Teacher joins from the academy link, not a personal account.

## First two weeks

- [ ] Light timetable: a few students, ideally one trial class.
- [ ] Families told who their new teacher is and when the first class is.
- [ ] At least one early class observed, with feedback the same week.
- [ ] Outcomes recorded on the day for every class; any gaps followed up.

## End of the first month

- [ ] First pay statement shared before payment, with every class, outcome and deduction. The [teacher payroll calculator](https://halqora.com/resources/teacher-payroll-calculator) produces this.
- [ ] Questions answered and the payment sent on the agreed date.
- [ ] A short review call: what is going well, what to change, more students or not.
- [ ] Reliability looked at: late joins, late cancellations, no-shows.

In Halqora a teacher sees their own schedule in their time zone, records each class outcome in one step, and follows their earnings as classes are completed. See [payroll](https://halqora.com/features/payroll).

## Questions

### How long should onboarding a new online teacher take?

Allow one to two weeks from a signed agreement to the first paid class, depending on how long background checks take in the teacher's country. Do not shorten the safeguarding steps to fill a timetable gap. Use the time for training and a test class instead.

### Should a new teacher start with a full timetable?

No. Start with a few students, ideally including a trial class, and add more after the first two weeks go well. A lighter start lets you observe early classes, fix habits before they set, and protect families from a poor first experience.

### What should a teacher see before their first payday?

The list of classes the pay is based on, with each outcome and any deduction, a few days before payment. A teacher who can check every line of their first statement trusts the next one, and early questions are cheaper to answer than late ones.