Please read, understand, and familiarize yourself with the following Terms of Service before submitting your registration with YongoPal. Submission of your registration implies your consent to these terms.

Code of Conduct

Certain behaviors are deemed to be completely inappropriate for Conversation Partner-to-student interactions. Some of these inappropriate behaviors will result in immediate termination and/or suspension.

Inappropriate and unprofessional behaviors which will result in immediate termination include:

• Flirting with customers
• Use of lewd or derogatory language
• Racist, sexist, or libelous comments and content
• Any form of sexual innuendo, sexual puns, the posting of any lewd images to profiles, etc...
• Use of the service as an evangelical tool
• Use of the service to distribute spam, viruses, or otherwise harmful or disruptive data
• Use of YongoPal to advertise any services unrelated to Conversational English
• Recurrent tardiness or absence from scheduled Conversations

Other inappropriate behaviors to be avoided generally, but which are not necessarily grounds for termination and/or suspension include:

• Profoundly unprofessional and unkempt appearance
• Use of overly coarse or vulgar language, unless specifically requested by student (in terms of curiosity about American popular culture)
• No lolspeak plz. kthxbye.

Always remember that a customer can cancel his or her service at any time and for any reason. Conversation Partners are advised to tailor their manner and conduct to the expectations and preferences of their individual students in order to maintain customer satisfaction and ensure continued service subscription.

Obligations

Conversation Partners with YongoPal agree to the following, and understand that failure to do so may result in Account Suspension or Deletion:

• Conversation Partners certify that they are native speakers of the English language, and that English is their first and primary language.
• Conversation Partners certify that they are at least 18 years of age at the time of registration, and no one under the age of 18 may act as a Conversation Partner.
• Conversation Partners are responsible for the accuracy of the information they provide; this includes information about age, criminal background, educational background, and any other information provided to YongoPal.
• Conversation Partners will abide by the above-stated Code of Conduct
• Conversation Partners are responsible for the accuracy of the Availabilities listed on the dashboard calendar tool. Availability must be kept current and up-to-date, and Conversation Partners who fail to do so (as indicated to Administration by frequent Declining of Conversation Requests) are subject to Account Suspension.
• Conversation Partners will respond in a timely manner [within forty-eight (48) hours] to Student requests for Conversations. Ignoring requests may result in Account Suspension and/or Deletion.
• Conversation Partners will read, understand, and abide by the Tardiness and Absence Policy
• Conversation Partners are responsible for delivering fifty (50) minutes of service for each Conversation requested and confirmed, except in certain situations outlined in the Tardiness and Absence Policy.
• Conversation Partners will not engage in any activities that seek to disrupt or interfere with any other Conversation Partner's use of the site.

Compensation

YongoPal Inc. compensates its Conversation Partners at a rate of $9.00 per credit, NOT per hour. Credits are received for completing Conversation blocks at a rate of 1 credit per completed Conversation. Conversation blocks last fifty (50) minutes each, but they may sometimes be interrupted by connection difficulties. If such difficulties occur, it is the Conversation Partner's responsibility to troubleshoot the problem and/or make up for lost Conversation time by extending the meeting length or by rescheduling to a later date or time. Time spent trouble-shooting technical difficulties does not constitute Conversation time.

Credits delivered to Conversation Partners for incomplete Conversation blocks will result in a Conflict with the paying Student. The sole exception to this policy occurs when a Conversation is missed due to absence or tardiness by a Student, ONLY when the Conversation Partner follows the proper procedures laid out in the Tardiness and Absence Policy. In this case, students will be billed and Conversation Partners will be compensated in full with no formal obligation to reschedule or complete the Conversation, though Conversation Partners may choose to, regardless of Student fault.

To receive compensation, Conversation Partners must redeem their credits using the "Redeem Credits" function in the Credit Center. The credit redemption requests are processed on the 1st and 15th day of each calendar month.

Compensation Method

Compensation is delivered to Conversation Partners via direct transfer through PayPal. The Conversation Partner will be responsible for establishing and maintaining a PayPal account and providing YongoPal with an email address directly linked to that account. This form of payment is instant, and funds can be transferred directly to your bank account through proper configuration with PayPal account. If a Conversation Partner uses a Premier or Business PayPal account, he or she will be charged a transfer fee by PayPal in the amount of 2.9% + $0.30 per transfer. For information about PayPal or to register for a PayPal account, visit www.paypal.com. Transfers to PayPal accounts are made by YongoPal on the 1st and 15th of each calendar month.

Refund Policy (students only)

YongoPal gladly accepts refund requests for unspent credits. For a refund on unspent credits, you will have to contact a customer service representative at service@yongopal.com.

Credits spent on Conversations will not be refunded by YongoPal. However, individual Conversation Partners may choose to provide refunds on credits, at their own discretion.

Relationship to YongoPal

Conversation Partners agree to provide their conversational services to YongoPal students as independent contractors. As an independent contractor, it is the Conversation Partner's individual responsibility to withhold, file, and report any taxes due as the result of compensation received from YongoPal. By registering with YongoPal, you acknowledge that you (the Conversation Partner) are not entering into an employment agreement and that you are not an employee of YongoPal.

Earnings above $500 through the YongoPal service will require the Conversation Partner to complete a form W-9, which we will supply when this threshold is being approached.

Account Suspension

If a Conversation Partner's account is placed into Suspension, he or she must contact the Administrator at support@yongopal.com with the subject line "Suspension". Account reactivation is handled at Administrator's discretion and the reason for Suspension will be considered. Account Suspension does not affect credit balances, and Conversation Partners will be compensated for all credits they have earned.

Software and Equipment

YongoPal supplies a webcam chat tool through each Conversation Partner's YongoPal account.  This service requires no download.  As a Conversation Partner, you are required to supply your own webcam, headset (or microphone and headphones), and a reliable broadband internet connection.

YongoPal recommends that Conversation Partners maintain a backup alternative to its webcam chat tool, in the event of technical difficulty. We currently recommend TokBox and Wetoku, as both are also free in-browser video VoIP services which require no download and do not require students to create their own accounts. YongoPal does not have a formal relationship with either TokBox or Wetoku.

Non-Compete

YongoPal is providing its Conversation Partners with the information, tools, and promotion necessary to locate, connect with, and maintain student customers overseas. YongoPal maintains the reasonable expectation that its Conversation Partners will not attempt to steal customers or in any way circumvent YongoPal's billing process. Conversation Partners agree that they will not make any such attempts, and that if YongoPal has any reason to believe that Conversation Partners are circumventing its billing process, YongoPal retains the right to terminate him or her from its roster.

YongoPal, Inc. retains, in its sole discretion, thet right to alter the terms of this agreement at any time. Information about changes directly relating to Compensation or Tardiness and Absence policies will be relayed to Conversation Partners through the email information they provide before changes take effect.