How do I remind my students to book a lesson?

Habits are tough to build, but luckily for italki students they have teachers who can keep encouraging them along the way. Sometimes, a kind reminder is all a student needs to start learning again.

It’s important to remember that not all students will want a reminder message for a variety of reasons. We recommend sending these kinds of messages to students you’ve built a rapport with.

Writing a kind reminder message can be tricky, so we’ve created some templates below to help you get started. Remember: You know your student best, so don’t be afraid to customize them!

Templates

Template 1- General reminder

Hi Frank, 

I hope you’re well, how have you been? It’s been a while since we’ve had a lesson and you’ve made excellent progress so far. If you’re still interested in learning, I’m available next week if you need me. Have a good day!

General reminders can be used for students with whom you have been teaching lessons for a long time. However, it may sound a bit pushy for students who have not been in a long term relationship with you.

Template 2- Seasonal Greeting

Hi Jia Li, 

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! How have you been lately?

Seasonal greetings can be used for all students, so it’s worth looking up the major festivals in your students’ countries. A warm greeting is a nice way to catch up and remind students that you care about them.

You can find a list of national festivals and celebrations here.

Template 3 - New Students

Hi Wendy, 

It was very nice to meet you last week. Here is the summary for our lesson (Doc link). Based on what we discussed, I’ve created a learning plan for you which I will also send soon. Please let me know what you think about it. It can always be updated to suit new goals or accommodate your schedule.

This template is especially useful for new students who need extra motivation and encouragement to keep learning. A lesson summary and learning plan makes the learning journey feel tangible, and your promise of flexibility emphasizes that they are free to choose how they learn. 

Template 4 - Homework

Hi Peter, 

I hope you’re doing well. If you have any questions about last week’s homework please let me know. If you’re short on time or find it quite challenging, I’m happy to guide you through it.

This template is useful for the students who feel too embarrassed to book a lesson because they haven’t completed the homework. By reassuring your student that homework is meant to support their learning (and nothing bad will happen if they can’t do it), this can remove the worry your student may be feeling.

There are other scenarios where you can remind students to book lessons. For example: 

• If you come across a resource that might be interesting to them (a news story, a grammar reference for an area they've struggled with, etc), you may send them the resource. 
• If there was poor internet connection in the previous lesson, you can suggest adding 15 minutes to the next lesson. 
• If you’ve returned from holiday and have more availability than before.
• If you’re going to raise your price, you can remind students to book a Package before the price goes up (the Package price will be locked to the old price). 

Have you ever reminded students to book a lesson with you before? What messages did you use and how did it go? Tell us below in the comments and in the Teacher Forum!