Independent contractor status
You're not our employee. You're your own boss — we just bring the students.
You are an independent contractor — not an employee, partner, joint venturer, agent, or franchisee of TGC. You retain full control over how, when, and where you teach, subject only to the obligations in this Agreement. TGC will not withhold any tax from your payouts; you are solely responsible for your own income tax, VAT/GST, social-security contributions, and any other applicable levies.
Services you provide
Show up on time, teach well, keep your calendar current, send notes after, reply to messages within 48h.
You agree to deliver some combination of the four offering types defined in Section 2A below to Students who book through the Platform. You decide which types you offer, how you structure them, and what you charge.
Your operational responsibilities
- Show up on time and prepared for each booked lesson, group, studio session, or masterclass.
- Host on Zoom using your own personal meeting room (or another video platform we approve in writing).
- Maintain working tech — microphone, camera, reliable internet — adequate for teaching music, dance, drama, or whichever discipline you teach.
- Keep your availability current in the portal at
portal.theglobalconservatory.com/teacher/availability. - Record a lesson note after each session (covered topics, homework, next focus) so the Student can refer back and we can audit lesson quality.
- Reply to Student messages within 48 hours via the in-portal messaging system at
/teacher/messages. - Update your profile (bio, photo, sample video, social links) in
/teacher/profileat least once a year so it reflects your current practice. - Notify TGC at info@theglobalconservatory.com of any extended absence (illness, tour, family leave) of more than 7 days so we can manage Student expectations.
The four offering types you can list
Private 1-on-1, Group drop-in, Studio (full-term cohort), Masterclass (perform/observe event). You choose which to offer, plus all the parameters for each.
You may list any combination of the following four offering types in your portal. For each type, you alone set the price, length, scheduling, capacity, and curriculum. TGC does not set caps. The full public-facing explainer is at /offerings (with deep examples + a side-by-side comparison) and the canonical legal definitions are at /legal/offerings.
🎯 Private Lesson
One-to-one live session, you and one Student. You decide length (typically 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 min), per-lesson rate, and whether you accept ongoing weekly cadence, ad-hoc bookings, or both. Pay-per-lesson — no Student commitment. This is the most common format and typically the highest per-hour rate.
👥 Group Lesson
Open-enrollment session — multiple Students can book the same time slot, first-come, first-served. You decide length, per-session rate, and capacity (could be 4 students or 40+, your call). No Student commitment — they can drop in any week. Best for theory, ear-training, audition warm-ups, masterclass-prep, intro topics, or supplementary material to your private students.
🏛️ Studio Class
A full-term commitment to a fixed cohort, like a real conservatory class. You decide the term dates (e.g. Fri+Sat, 2 hours each, September–December), the cohort size (any), the curriculum, and the full-term tuition. Students pay once and commit to the full term. First-come, first-served. Best for instrument-specific cohorts (Suzuki Year 1, Trumpet Studio), teacher-training (Kodály, Orff), or any structured curriculum that benefits from cohort progression. You may run multiple terms back-to-back (e.g. Fall + Spring) and offer term-by-term or full-year tuition.
🎤 Masterclass
One-time public live event with two ticket tiers: Performers (typically 3–6) prepare a piece and play for you on the call;Observers (typically 20+) watch and learn. You set both ticket prices, the event date, the maximum performer slots, the maximum observer seats, the topic, and any prerequisite material. Often run as a recurring monthly series, or as a special themed event. Faculty earnings on a masterclass are typically higher per-hour than private because of the audience size.
You are not required to offer all four. Most faculty start with Private only and add Group / Masterclass as their student base grows. You can add or remove offering types at any time from your portal.
Fees and payouts
Your rate = your take-home, no deduction. We add 25% on top for the student. Paid 7 days after each lesson.
- You set your own teaching rate in the portal — that is exactly what you take home, with no deduction.
- TGC adds a 25% platform markup on top of your rate to set the price the Student pays at checkout.
- Example: your rate $100 → Student pays $125 at checkout → you receive $100.
- Your full rate is paid out 7 days after each completed lesson via your chosen payout rail.
- Payouts are made via Airwallex (recommended), our Hong Kong-licensed payments partner. Airwallex deposits to local bank accounts in 130+ countries in the local currency, typically with lower fees than PayPal. PayPal remains available as an alternative, subject to higher fees that are deducted from your payout.
- You can change your payout method any time in
/teacher/profile. - Refunded or charged-back transactions reverse the corresponding payout.
No-shows and cancellations
You no-show: you don't get paid. Student no-shows: you get half. 24h+ cancellation: full refund to student.
- You no-show: full refund to the Student. No payout to you. Repeat no-shows may result in removal.
- Student no-shows: 50% payout to you, 50% credit to the Student for a future lesson with you.
- Cancellation 24h+ in advance: full Student refund, no payout.
- Cancellation within 24h: handled per the Refund Policy.
Off-platform poaching
Don't take our students elsewhere — for 90 days after you leave, that's the rule. After 90 days you're free.
For the duration of this Agreement and for 90 days after it ends, you agree not to solicit any Student you met through the Platform to take lessons from you outside the Platform. After 90 days, you and the Student are free to continue lessons elsewhere, with no restriction from us.
Intellectual property
Your bio, photos, and lesson plans stay yours. We just have permission to display them while you're on the platform.
Your bio, photo, lesson plans, sheet-music arrangements, and any content you upload remain your property. You grant TGC a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to host, display, and distribute that content for the purpose of operating and marketing the Platform. You may revoke the license by leaving the Platform, with reasonable notice for already-published material.
Recordings
Always ask the student first. Recordings are jointly owned. We don't watch them.
You may record a lesson only with the Student's explicit consent for that session. Recordings are jointly owned by you and the Student and may not be redistributed without mutual written consent. TGC will not access, watch, or distribute recordings except as required by valid legal process.
Confidentiality
Student data is theirs, not yours. Don't export it, share it, or use it for anything other than teaching them.
Student personal information you receive through the Platform (names, emails, contact details, payment data, practice notes) is confidential. You may use it only to deliver the lessons and follow-ups for that Student. You may not export Student lists, share them with third parties, or use them for unrelated marketing.
Term and termination
We ask for 6 months. Then month-to-month with 30 days' notice. No early-exit fee — life happens, just email us and finish your booked lessons.
- This Agreement starts on the day TGC accepts your application (the "Start Date"). We ask you to commit to an initial term of six (6) months. This is the period we typically need to onboard you, build your profile in the directory, and start matching you with students — and it's the period students need to feel confident a teacher will be there for the typical first cycle of lessons.
- After the initial 6-month period, the Agreement continues month-to-month until either party gives written notice.
- Exit notice (after 6 months): Either party may end this Agreement by giving thirty (30) days' written notice by email. During the notice period you must continue to honour all already-booked lessons.
- Leaving before 6 months: Life happens — illness, family, opportunity, changed circumstances. If you need to exit early, simply email info@theglobalconservatory.comwith at least 14 days' notice and finish any lessons your students have already booked through the end of that window. There is no early-exit fee. We'd rather have faculty who want to be here than faculty who feel trapped.
- Off-platform poaching remains the meaningful protection. For 90 days after you leave, you agree not to solicit any Student you met through the Platform — see Section 5. After 90 days you're free.
- TGC may terminate immediately for a material breach — repeated no-shows, off-platform poaching, harassment, safeguarding violations, or any breach of the Acceptable Use Policy or the Faculty Code of Conduct. In such cases accrued payouts for completed lessons remain payable; future bookings are refunded.
- On any termination, payouts for already-completed lessons remain payable. Bookings beyond the termination date are refunded to Students unless another faculty member agrees to take them.
- Survival: Sections 5 (Off-platform poaching, 90 days), 6 (Intellectual property), 8 (Confidentiality), 11 (Indemnification), and 12 (Governing law) survive termination by their stated periods.
Tax forms (United States)
If you're US-based and earn $600+/year on TGC, we send you a 1099 by January 31.
If you are a US person and earn more than USD 600 in a calendar year through the Platform, TGC will issue a Form 1099-NEC (or 1099-K via Shopify Payments) by January 31 of the following year. You are responsible for providing a current W-9 on request.
Indemnification
If something you do triggers a legal claim against us (your teaching, your IP, your taxes), you cover the cost.
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless TGC, its directors, officers, and employees from claims arising out of (a) your delivery of lessons, (b) your tax obligations, (c) your breach of this Agreement, or (d) any IP-infringement claim related to content you upload.
Governing law and dispute resolution
Hong Kong law. Disputes go to arbitration there.
This Agreement is governed by the laws of Hong Kong SAR. Disputes will be resolved by binding arbitration in Hong Kong under the rules of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, except that either party may seek injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction.
Entire agreement
This document, plus our Terms and Privacy Policy, is the whole agreement. No verbal side-deals.
This Agreement, together with the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, constitutes the entire agreement between you and TGC concerning your services as Faculty. It supersedes any prior understanding. No oral modification is binding.