Guidelines to coordinate a YTTC course

THIS DOCUMENT NEEDS TO BE REVIEWED

Version: 1.0
Author: Unknown
Audience: YTTC Coordinator

Abstract:

The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of preparations and communications required at different stages of the YTTC.

Task Description	Document / Folder	Person Responsible	Comments
Before the course
Arrange accommodation for students
Update and print communication plan	Click Here
Schedule and invite teachers to teachers meeting
Print certificates for students
Ensure we have enough neti pots, tongue scrapers and SK bags.
One week before course starts
Update the student info sheet and contact all students	Click Here
Update student info sheet with financial information	Click Here
Prepare teacher manuals	First Page Links to several documents
Review Teachers schedule	Click Here	Ishi
Update A&H program timetable
Make students public schedule (Calendar) from internal schedule
Update and print student manuals
Wednesday before the course
Ensure the restaurant  is ready for the course
Update and print initial student handouts	Click Here
Burn DVD for students
Generate and print student attendance forms for all students
Email schedule, communication plan and reminder to teachers about teachers meeting
Arrange student pickup from Pier			Inserted into google calendar
At Teachers Meeting
Collect signed teacher code of conduct
Distribute teacher manuals, teacher and student schedule
Distribute communications plan
On the first Sunday (Introductory meeting)
Ensure student pickup and check-in occurs smoothly
Settle student payments
Collect student forms and CHECK they are signed
Prepare goodie bags (manual, initial handout, neti pot, tongue scraper, notebook, pen) and give them to the students at the course orientation
Take ‘Before’ photos of each student
Attend the course orientation
During the Course
General course management
Print “Final Handout” for students
Print and co-ordinate final exam with teacher
Update the header and teachers list in the feedback form	Click Here
Print, distribute and collect feedback forms during final exam	Click Here
Create ceremony program for final ceremony
Book location for the final ceremony
Generate roster for students teaching
During last week, ask students to apply for the internship
Take ‘After’ photos of each student in the 4th week
After the course
Email students with TripAdvisor link and ceremony photos
Pay the teachers for their classes
Take a deep conscious breath and Relax!

Before the start of the course

• Print certificates for students- Make sure we have enough copies of the certificates and print more if necessary. Ensure the name of the current head teacher is on them.
• Update the student info sheet and contact all students – Review all emails between students and SK, and use the “students’ info sheet” spreadsheet (found in Yoga TTC, with accompanying month of the year) writing down their arrival date. Email them to confirm that. Introduce yourself as their coordinator and make them feel taken care of (email template follows). Arrange pick up service for them. Highly encourage them to get a free sim card at the airport for easy communication. Email example:

Hi Annie,

It’s Filippo, I am your TTC coordinator. I will assist you throughout your course to make your experience at Samma Karuna as comfortable, nourishing and seamless as possible.

I know from past TTCs that in order to complete your training you will need a lot of commitment and you will have to be focused on the course the whole time. I will do my best to take care of all the aspects that will make your life easier here.

Please refer to me for any doubt or question before, during and after your course. I have spent a long time at Samma Karuna and on Koh Phangan, I hope I will be helpful to you.

I encourage you to get a local sim card as soon as possible, if you don’t have one already. They are inexpensive and will help the communications. My number is 086 9465796. Feel free to call me for any information regarding your arrival here.

As you mentioned, you should already be on the island, in Had Rin. In this case I would recommend you to take a shared taxi to Sri Thanu, it’s about 200 baht. If instead you manage to be in Thong Sala, I can arrange the pick up for you. Let me know!

Have a safe journey!

Love

• Update A&H program timetable – Make sure the A&H programme has the correct times and ensure that teachers are not double booked.
  
• Update student info sheet with financial information – Review all emails from students and using the outstanding balance spreadsheet (found in yoga TTC) complete all possible information, in particular whether they are volunteering or not and if they paid the deposit or not, and what type of accommodation they have. The exchange rate used is the official one on the Sunday before the beginning of the course. That’s the rate used throughout the entire course and for all payments. This rate has to be put in the formulas to calculate the total price of the course. Students have to settle their payments on the Sunday before the beginning of the course the latest, either by cash or bank transfer (a canned response with all the transaction information required is found on gmail). Since some students might have already paid before that Sunday, we need to re-calculate the amount paid using the new and common exchange rate and if there’s a difference we need to either ask for extra money from the student or give them some money back. Make sure that all students that have already paid are informed about this upon arrival.
  
• Arrange accommodation for students – TTC students stay inside the school. They are allocated bungalows by the Bookings Manager, the WC Manager and/or the TTC Coordinator. In case the number of TTC students exceeds our hosting capacity, we need to find extra accommodation outside the school in the resorts nearby (normally we choose Niramon). The coordinator establishes a relationship with the resort manager, as they will be working hand in hand, exchange phone number with him, provides him the students’ list with all accommodation types and reviews all arrival dates. If the student arrives earlier than expected he will pay extra nights to us. Same if he departs later. Rooms are booked for 28 nights, not 30 from the beginning to the last day of the course.
  
• Review Teachers schedule – Review with Ishi the teachers’ schedule; see if there are missing teachers for some classes. In this case, ensure more teachers are contacted.
  
• Update and print communication plan – Ensure all phone numbers are accurate and each task has a primary and secondary person responsible. Make sure the communication plan is discussed and a copy provided to all teachers during the teachers meeting.
  
• Collect signed teachers code of conduct – At the teachers meeting, make sure all teachers have read, understood, signed and returned a copy of the “teachers code of conduct”.
  
• Arrange and attend teachers meeting – Keep all the teachers after the meeting and make an email and phone number list of all of them. Send an email to all of them with each other’s contacts. Fill the useful contacts spreadsheet found in Know How Shared. Remind all teachers to arrive on time and finish their class on time. This is fundamental to avoid subsequent delays in the schedule. Remind them to inform us promptly if the cannot show up for a class so we can find a substitute or swap a class. Remind them that any change to the schedule should be approved by and notified to you in time, no private swapping of classes allowed. Provide teachers with a printed version of the first week internal schedule and when emailing them, provide the link to the online version (which is the one they always have to check and rely onto). Make sure you set the proper sharing permissions on Google drive to allow each teacher to VIEW the schedule (not to modify it).
  
• Create a Facebook group dedicated to the specific TTC, name it ‘Samma Karuna TTC <month> <year>’, add yourself, the teachers and the management to it and include it in the initial hand-out. Remember to mention it at the students’ introductory meeting and put a poster about it on the YTTC Announcements board. Try to promote it. It has proven a very useful tool for communication among the students but also for creating a sense of community.

Starting day of the course (First Sunday, course orientation)

• Arrange student pickup from Pier – Pick students up at the pier upon arrival or set up a taxi service if many students are arriving at the same time. Welcome them and offer them a fruit shake either at the food market or at the school (cheaper for us!). Bring them to the Welcome Centre, make them fill out the student registration form, arrange their payment (see below), take them to their room and inform them about the course orientation on Sunday. Their presence is required. Ask them their phone number or tell them to get one as soon as possible and give them yours for any communication. Note down any food allergy and notify our cook about it
  
• Settle student payments – Receive payments in cash from students using the outstanding balance spreadsheet. Everyone has to pay before the beginning of the course. We can only allow exceptions under special circumstances – in this case make sure the student pays within the next couple of days.
  • Review the total amount in baht and issue a receipt with a note whether it is a full or partial payment. Always use the same receipt book for the whole course.
  • Put the money in a separate envelope, put the envelope in the safe and register the income on the payments form with the name of the student
  • If a student has made a bank transfer instead, the student needs to provide proof of payment and we also need to check that the payment has reached the school’s bank account.
  • Update the outstanding balance spreadsheet
  • Check with students whether their name is spelt correctly in the way they want to it to appear on the final certificate
  • Make no mistake during money handling; we must be very professional with that.
    
• Collect and CHECK student forms – Ensure all fields have been filled out and the document has been signed. Check what the student has written in the section relating to physical and mental health, and discuss any items identified in this section with the student to make sure they are fit to undertake this course. If in doubt, discuss with Ishi and other teachers PRIOR to the start of the course. Note any allergies and inform the restaurant personally, as well as raise the question on allergies again at the introductory meeting. Make sure you attach to the form a copy of their passport. In addition, go through all the passport copies and make a list of all the students who have their birthday during the course. On the day of the birthday, make sure that there’s a little cake and a candle, and offer it to the student during the lunch buffet.
  
• Attend the introductory meeting – Introduce yourself, try to learn their names and encourage them to go till the end of the course, overcoming laziness and finding support in you and SK family if they experience hard moments. Give them useful tips and common sense recommendations (sleep early, arrive on time at classes, keep hydrated, avoid intoxicants…). Provide them with the goodie bag which contains the student manual, the initial handout, a neti pot, a tongue scraper, a lined notebook and a pen. Give them their wristband (orange colour) making sure that they wear it straightaway and replace them every Monday. Find the students who want to volunteer during or after the course and address them to the volunteers’ manager to arrange a schedule.

During the course

• General course management – Once the course has begun just use your common sense to take care of the students and serve them the best you can. They have a big workload, we should take care of all side aspects.
  • Always make sure teachers arrive on time and they notify changes promptly
  • Keep checking the students’ attendance on a daily basis. As soon as a student starts missing classes, talk to them privately, remind them the importance of attendance and inform them that if they miss a certain number of classes they will not be able to graduate.
  • Every week print an internal schedule and stick it behind the welcome centre
  • Plan the students’ sun salutation and full class schedules for second and third week (they teach a small group of students). By the end of the course each students should have taught at least 5 hours (3 classes, average). Think about how to split the group and to fit all the classes. Print and stick in a visible place their teaching calendar. Forms can be found in yoga TTC folder.
  • Find assistant teachers, if needed, to supervise students while teaching and giving feedback to them
  • Coordinate teachers, ask them what props they need for their classes and buy them on time (tongue scrapers, neti pots, etc). Coordinate with the relevant teacher and the cook the Sunday kriya and food preparation
    
• During last week ask students to apply for the internship- The SK internship runs for four weeks straight after the finish of the course. It is not obligatory, however encourage the students who plan to remain on the island to do it, it’s a great opportunity for them to sharpen their teaching skills and build their confidence – all in a safe environment. Make sure the WC manager includes a slot in the A&H program for the duration of the internship. Classes are open to the public and free and they are advertised as ‘free yoga class – new teachers in training’. Try to give a fixed day and time to every participant, so that you don’t have to create a new schedule every week. Participants are expected not only to teach but also to attend the classes of their fellow graduates. Contact a senior teacher and offer them to become the mentor (first consult Ishi regarding the mentor’s payment). The mentor is expected to attend the classes at least 3 times a week. Include the mentor in the internship emails so that they know who is teaching when; this way they will make sure that they keep an eye on everyone’s development and that they offer feedback to everyone. The time of the internship slot is decided with the Bookings Manager to make sure that there is no problem with the halls’ availability. Try to arrange everything during the last week of the TTC (contact the mentor, find a slot on the Awakening & Healing programme, etc) so on Monday morning, right after the TTC has finished, you can email the participants and this way the person teaching the following day, will have enough time to prepare themselves.
  
• Print certificates for students – at the print shop and reprint them at SK with correct names and date. A PSD file with appropriate alignment and spacing is found in yoga TTC folder.
  
• Book location for the final ceremony – Start to look for a place suitable for the final ceremony at least 10 days before. Something on the beach and with swimming pool preferably – currently the school holds the graduation ceremonies at Phangan Cabana. Food is currently provided by the resort. Make it very clear that we will use music and we need the space until around 10pm. This should be very clear to avoid problems we had in the past. If you have the feeling the owner doesn’t like the idea of the music and finishing late we’d better change place to avoid interruptions in the middle of the ceremony. Arrange the price and the menu very clearly. Pay a deposit and the rest at the end, not before.
  
• Create ceremony program for final ceremony – Make a program with Ishi for the ceremony and take care of all aspects needed. Make sure the head teacher and Ishi both sign the certificates. Put the certificates in yellow envelopes along with the final handout (found in yoga TTC folder), which should have been printed before. Inform students about the ceremony.

After the end of the course

• Email the students as soon as possible after their graduation (ideally on Sunday/Monday) asking them to leave us an online review. Attach on the email some nice pictures from the graduation ceremony. Here’s an example of the email:

Hello yoga teachers!:)

Hope this email finds you all well, wherever you might be – some of you are still around and some others have already travelled far away. On behalf of our school I would like to thank you all for choosing Samma Karuna for your teacher training. I hope you all gained a meaningful and rewarding experience during this month. It would be great for Samma Karuna if you could help us spread the word for our work by leaving us an online review. So, if you feel like it, please spare 5 minutes and click on the link(s) below:

Trip Advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g303907-d10824774-Reviews-Samma_Karuna-Ko_Phangan_Surat_Thani_Province.html 

Google+ Reviews: https://plus.google.com/108609040375663638991/posts?hl=en&review=1

Facebook Reviews: https://www.facebook.com/sammakaruna/reviews

Thank you very much in advance!

Love,

• Pay the teachers for their classes –  ONLY at the end of the course in one go. We can decide to pay them twice, also in the middle of the course (let’s say at the end of the second and the fourth week). But this must be clear. We should not pay some teachers right after their class and some not. This creates a huge confusion about who already got paid and who didn’t and even if all payments are properly registered it requires a big work to sort out who and how much we have to pay. Please tell the teachers before the beginning of the course about it. No exceptions are allowed. This is also a way for us to guarantee that they stick to the calendar and teach all the classes they have to teach. If we pay them before, they might start to disappear and miss their classes in the middle of the course for personal reasons letting us down without a teacher. When you pay them, make them sign. Payment for the head teacher or assistant head teacher differs from normal teachers and should be arranged by the school manager or financial controller.