Best scheduling practices for remote tutors and teachers

Remote tutors and teachers play a crucial role in education today. Especially for students who need extra help, flexible pacing, or one-on-one support that regular schools can’t always provide. Whether you’re helping someone prep for exams, build confidence in a tricky subject, or just catch up after falling behind, your work matters.

But as valuable as your sessions are, managing your calendar can quickly become overwhelming. Time zones, video tools, no-shows, and last-minute changes can pile up fast without a simple system in place.

Here are some of the best scheduling practices to help remote tutors stay organized, stay sane, and save time.

1. Set working hours and break time

Tutoring online gives you flexibility, but that doesn’t mean you should be available all day. Define your preferred work hours clearly and don’t forget to schedule short breaks between sessions. Teaching back-to-back may seem efficient, but it often leads to fatigue.

Doodle tip: Add buffer time between sessions so you can reset your space, grab a drink, or get ready for the next student. You can set this directly in your Booking Page.

2. Keep your Booking Page easy to find

If people don’t know how to book you, they’ll message you instead—and that means more back-and-forth. Share your Booking Page link in the places your students already visit.

Smart places to post: Your website, email signature, school intranet, WhatsApp group, or social media bio.

3. Use consistent session types

Offering clear options makes your schedule more manageable. Stick to standard session lengths like 30 minutes or 60 minutes so students know what to expect. It also helps you plan your day without awkward gaps or overlapping sessions.

Doodle tip: Set up different Booking Pages for each session type. For example, you might offer a 30 minute check-in or a 60 minute deep focus session. Once you’ve created them, you can reuse them anytime without starting from scratch.

4. Inform students when a slot opens up

If someone cancels at the last minute, you don’t need to lose that time. Let your other students know a spot has opened.

Quick move: Post your Booking Page in your group chat or class channel with a simple “last-minute session available now!” message.

5. Plan around school calendars and peak times

Many students are unavailable during exam weeks, school holidays, or major events. Trying to schedule during those times often leads to no-shows or late cancellations.

Smart habit: Block those days off ahead of time and use them for admin, prep, or taking a break.

6. Collect info before the meeting

Jumping into a session without knowing what the student needs wastes time. Ask key questions when they book, like what topic they need help with or what tool they’re using.

Doodle tip: Add custom questions to your Booking Page so you always have what you need before the call starts.

7. Set the format

Some students prefer a phone call, others prefer a Zoom link, but don’t leave the choice until the last minute. You should decide and set it up ahead of time.

Doodle tip: Add your meeting format and location (like Zoom or Google Meet) when creating the session, so it’s clear from the start.

8. Collect payments automatically

You deserve to get paid for your time, and upfront payment helps students commit. With remote learning, it also avoids awkward follow-ups and makes the process smoother.

With Doodle + Stripe, you can collect payments at the time of booking. Want to offer free intro sessions? You can turn payments off for those sessions too.

9. Use reminders to reduce no-shows

Even students with the best intentions forget things. A quick reminder the day before or even an hour before can really help.

Built-in help: Doodle sends automatic reminders before each session, so you don’t have to remember to do it yourself.

10. Reuse your Group Polls

If you teach groups like language conversation sessions or small exam prep classes, Group Poll is a great way to find the best time for everyone. Once you’ve set one up, you don’t have to redo it every time.

Doodle tip: Duplicate previous Group Polls to save time and keep your scheduling consistent week to week.

11. Keep an eye on your patterns

If you’re always rescheduling a certain time slot, or if the same day gets cancelled repeatedly, that’s worth noting. You don’t have to keep offering what no longer works.

Real tip: Your calendar should reflect what’s working now, not what worked last semester.

You don’t need to manage everything by hand

Scheduling shouldn’t take more energy than the actual teaching. When your setup is simple and consistent, your students are more likely to show up, stay organized, and get the most from your sessions.

Try Doodle and make scheduling the easiest part of your tutoring.