Code of Conduct and Child Safety Policy

This policy applies to everyone who uses Testlyn Tutors and Testlyn Teach: tutors, students, parents and teachers. It is part of the Terms of Service, the Marketplace Terms for Students and the Tutor Agreement.

1. Everyone

1. Respect. No insults, threats, bullying, or comments about someone's appearance, accent, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age.
2. No harassment or sexual content. No sexual comments, images, jokes or requests, ever. No romantic or sexual advances towards a student or tutor.
3. No discrimination. Tutors do not refuse or treat students differently because of a protected characteristic. Students do not do so towards tutors.
4. Honesty. No false identities, fake reviews, fake qualifications or misleading claims.
5. Keep payments on Testlyn. No request for payment outside Testlyn for lessons booked on Testlyn. No gift cards, cryptocurrency or personal bank transfers.
6. Privacy. Do not share another user's personal information, screenshots of their camera, or their messages outside Testlyn.
7. No recording without consent, and never recording a student under 18.
8. Lawful content only. No material that infringes copyright, promotes violence, hate or self-harm, or is illegal where either person lives.
9. Safe environment. Appropriate clothing on camera, a neutral background, no alcohol or drugs during lessons.

2. Academic integrity

Tutors help students learn. Tutors must not, and students must not ask them to:

• take all or part of an exam, test, placement test or assessment for a student;
• write essays, assignments or applications the student will submit as their own;
• obtain, share or use live or leaked exam questions;
• help a student cheat in any way, including remote access during a test.

Using Testlyn practice sets, model answers and feedback to prepare is allowed and encouraged.

3. Tutors: professional standards

1. Be ready 2 minutes before the start, on a stable connection, in a quiet place.
2. Deliver the full scheduled time and the content agreed for a group course.
3. Give honest feedback. Do not promise a specific exam score.
4. Keep students' information confidential and use it only to teach them.
5. Do not ask for or share personal contact details. Communicate through Testlyn and the lesson's meeting link.
6. Do not sell products or other services to students during lessons.
7. Tell Testlyn immediately if a student appears to be at risk of harm.

4. Lessons with students under 18

These rules add to section 1 and apply whenever a student is, or appears to be, under 18.

1. The parent books. Only a parent or legal guardian may book and pay, using their own account, under the Parental Consent terms.
2. Parent informed. Tutors send lesson information only through Testlyn to the parent's account. No private messaging channel with the child.
3. Visible, open setting. The child takes lessons in a shared or open room of the home, not a closed bedroom, with camera on for both people. For children under 13 a parent or responsible adult must be at home and reachable during the lesson.
4. No one-to-one contact outside lessons. No social media connections, gaming, messaging apps, phone calls, meetings in person or gifts.
5. No recording, no screenshots of the child.
6. No personal questions beyond what is needed to teach (for example, no questions about the child's relationships or home situation), and no secrets.
7. End on concern. If the child seems distressed, unsafe or unsupervised in a way that worries you, end the lesson politely and report it to Testlyn the same day.
8. Kids badge. Tutors who teach children in the United States or Canada must hold the Kids approved badge (background check) under the Verification and Badge Policy and agree to show their full name to parents.

5. How to report a concern

• Immediate danger: call your local emergency number first.
• Anything else: email [email protected] with the subject "Safety", the lesson time, the names involved and what happened. You can also use the report link in My lessons.
• You may report anonymously; we may not be able to follow up with you.
• We acknowledge safety reports within 24 hours and act on them before any other kind of support request.
• We do not tell the reported person who made the report.
• Retaliation against anyone who reports in good faith is itself a serious breach.

Concerns about possible child sexual abuse material or the sexual exploitation of a child are reported by Testlyn to the relevant authority, including the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in the United States and the police in the country concerned, as the law requires.

6. What happens when rules are broken

We look at the facts, the person's account, and any evidence before deciding, and we tell the person the outcome and the reason unless the law or someone's safety prevents it. They may ask for a review within 14 days at [email protected]. Zero-tolerance removals are not reversed on review unless the facts were wrong.

7. Changes

We may update this policy to improve safety. Changes take effect when published; material changes are emailed to tutors.