Teachers policy

ILM Centre is the trading name of Yaseen Academy Online Ltd and operates as an online marketplace connecting students and teachers for Islamic education and related learning services.

The teachers who use ILM Centre are an important part of the service. Students and parents place trust in teachers to provide lessons in a professional, respectful and safe manner. Teachers therefore have responsibilities not only to their students, but also to ILM Centre and to the integrity of the marketplace.

This policy sets out the standards expected of teachers who offer their services through ILM Centre. It is intended to provide a clear framework for professional conduct while recognising the international nature of the platform.

Teachers may be based in the UK or in other countries around the world. They may also have different qualifications, teaching backgrounds, languages and cultural experiences. ILM Centre welcomes this diversity, but all teachers are expected to meet the standards set out in this policy regardless of where they are located.

This policy should be read alongside the teacher's agreement or terms with ILM Centre, the safeguarding requirements applicable to their role, the platform's privacy arrangements and any other relevant policies or procedures.

Teachers joining ILM Centre are expected to conduct themselves as professionals and to understand the responsibility that comes with teaching students through an online platform.

The quality of a student's experience depends not only on the teacher's knowledge but also on their reliability, communication, professionalism and ability to maintain appropriate boundaries.

Teachers are expected to:

• Provide lessons honestly and professionally.
• Deliver the subjects and level of teaching described on their ILM Centre profile.
• Treat students with dignity and respect.
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
• Take safeguarding responsibilities seriously.
• Protect student information.
• Communicate appropriately.
• Attend lessons at the agreed time.
• Maintain appropriate records where required.
• Notify ILM Centre of relevant concerns.
• Follow ILM Centre's policies and platform requirements.
• Comply with applicable laws and professional obligations in the country where they are operating.

A teacher's responsibility does not end when a lesson finishes. The way a teacher communicates with a student before and after a lesson is also part of the professional relationship.

Teachers are responsible for providing accurate and truthful information when applying to join ILM Centre.

Information may include details about:

• Identity and contact information.
• Qualifications and educational background.
• Teaching experience.
• Subjects offered.
• Languages spoken.
• Availability.
• Relevant professional experience.
• Experience working with children, where applicable.
• Other information reasonably required by ILM Centre.

Teachers must not exaggerate qualifications, experience or expertise.

A teacher should not describe themselves as holding a qualification, certification or position that they do not hold.

If information provided to ILM Centre changes materially, the teacher should notify the organisation where the change could affect their suitability to provide services through the platform.

ILM Centre may request supporting information or evidence where reasonably necessary to verify information provided by a teacher.

Because teachers may work with children and vulnerable students, ILM Centre may undertake checks as part of its teacher onboarding and ongoing quality assurance arrangements.

The nature of any checks may depend on:

• The teacher's role.
• The age of students they intend to teach.
• The country in which the teacher is based.
• The information available in that country.
• Applicable legal requirements.
• ILM Centre's own safeguarding procedures.

Where ILM Centre requests information or documentation for verification, teachers are expected to cooperate honestly and promptly.

A teacher must inform ILM Centre if a significant circumstance arises that may affect their suitability to teach through the platform, particularly where it relates to safeguarding, criminal conduct, professional restrictions or another matter relevant to the safety of students.

The organisation may restrict a teacher's access while a concern is being considered where this is necessary to protect students or the integrity of the platform.

Teachers should only offer subjects and levels of education for which they have appropriate knowledge, competence and experience.

A teacher should consider carefully whether they are suitably equipped to teach a particular student before accepting a lesson.

Where a teacher's profile states that they provide a particular subject, level or specialist service, the teacher should ensure that their actual teaching reflects that description.

Teachers should not present themselves as qualified specialists in an area where they do not have appropriate knowledge or experience.

Where a student asks a question that falls outside the teacher's knowledge or competence, the teacher should be honest about this rather than providing information they know to be unreliable.

ILM Centre exists to facilitate access to Islamic education. Teachers are therefore expected to approach their teaching with appropriate knowledge, care and responsibility.

Teachers should teach within the areas of Islamic knowledge in which they are suitably competent.

Where legitimate differences of scholarly opinion exist, teachers should avoid presenting a personal view as though it is the only possible position where this would be misleading.

Teachers should be mindful that students may come from different Islamic backgrounds, cultures and educational traditions.

Differences should be handled respectfully and without unnecessary hostility or disparagement.

Teachers should not use their position on ILM Centre to promote hatred, hostility or abuse towards individuals or groups.

Where a question is outside a teacher's expertise, it is acceptable to explain that further scholarly guidance may be required.

Teachers are expected to provide lessons that are appropriate to the student's age, level and learning objectives.

Good online teaching requires preparation as well as subject knowledge. Teachers should therefore make reasonable efforts to:

• Prepare for lessons.
• Understand the student's learning level.
• Use appropriate teaching methods.
• Explain material clearly.
• Give students opportunities to ask questions.
• Provide constructive feedback.
• Adapt teaching where reasonably possible to the student's needs.
• Maintain an appropriate pace.
• Keep lessons focused on the agreed subject.

Teachers should not deliberately shorten lessons, provide substantially less service than agreed or otherwise misrepresent the service being provided.

Where a student's needs are not compatible with the teacher's teaching approach or expertise, the teacher should raise this appropriately rather than allowing the arrangement to continue without addressing the issue.

Teachers represent themselves through their conduct on ILM Centre and, in doing so, contribute to the reputation and trustworthiness of the marketplace.

Teachers are expected to communicate calmly and professionally, including where a student is difficult, frustrated or dissatisfied.

Teachers must not:

• Bully or intimidate students.
• Humiliate students.
• Threaten students.
• Use abusive language.
• Harass students.
• Make discriminatory comments.
• Engage in sexualised communication.
• Make inappropriate personal comments about a student's appearance or private life.
• Use their position to manipulate or exploit a student.

A teacher should never use a student's dependence on their teaching to obtain personal, financial or other inappropriate benefits.

Maintaining appropriate boundaries is particularly important in online education because teachers and students may communicate without being physically present in the same environment.

The relationship should remain primarily educational and professional.

Teachers should avoid unnecessary discussions about their private lives and should not encourage students to become dependent upon them personally.

Teachers should not:

• Ask students for inappropriate personal information.
• Request inappropriate photographs or videos.
• Initiate inappropriate personal relationships.
• Make sexual or suggestive comments.
• Encourage students to hide communications from parents or guardians.
• Encourage students to leave ILM Centre solely so that the teacher can deal with them privately.
• Pressure students into providing personal contact details.
• Use lessons to pursue personal, political or commercial interests unrelated to the agreed educational purpose.

Where a student attempts to cross a professional boundary, the teacher should deal with the matter professionally and, where necessary, notify ILM Centre.

Teachers who provide lessons to children have an additional responsibility to maintain appropriate safeguarding standards.

Teachers must recognise that children may not always understand inappropriate behaviour or know how to report it.

Teachers should therefore maintain clear professional boundaries at all times.

Communication with children should remain appropriate to their age and the educational purpose of the lesson. Teachers should not encourage secrecy or suggest that a child should conceal communications from their parent or guardian.

Where ILM Centre requires particular arrangements for lessons involving children, teachers must follow those arrangements.

Teachers should report safeguarding concerns promptly rather than attempting to resolve serious concerns privately.

Teachers are expected to take reasonable steps to protect the welfare of students.

A teacher should remain alert to concerns that may indicate abuse, neglect, exploitation, grooming, coercion or another serious welfare issue.

A concern does not need to be proven before it is reported.

If a teacher becomes concerned about a student's safety or wellbeing, they should follow ILM Centre's safeguarding procedure and report the matter to the appropriate contact.

Teachers should not investigate allegations themselves or attempt to act as a substitute for the relevant safeguarding authority.

Where an immediate emergency is taking place, the teacher should contact the appropriate emergency service in the country where the student is located, where this is possible and appropriate, and notify ILM Centre as soon as reasonably practicable.

Because ILM Centre operates internationally, safeguarding concerns may involve different legal systems and authorities. Teachers are expected to cooperate with reasonable safeguarding enquiries and provide relevant information when requested.

Teachers are responsible for ensuring that their online teaching environment is reasonably suitable for professional lessons.

Teachers should make reasonable efforts to ensure:

• Their internet connection is sufficiently reliable.
• Their device and software are functioning.
• Their audio is clear.
• Their teaching environment is appropriate.
• Background noise and interruptions are minimised.
• Students can participate effectively.

Teachers should arrive prepared and ready to teach at the agreed time.

Where a technical problem occurs, the teacher should communicate with the student and, where necessary, ILM Centre promptly.

ILM Centre's international marketplace means that teachers may teach students in countries many hours away from their own.

Teachers are responsible for understanding the lesson times they have agreed to provide.

Particular care should be taken around:

• Daylight-saving changes.
• Local public holidays.
• Changes to the teacher's availability.
• Changes to the student's time zone.
• International travel.

Teachers should communicate clearly when arranging or changing lesson times.

A teacher should not repeatedly cancel or change lessons at short notice because they have failed to account for the time difference.

Students rely on teachers to attend lessons at the agreed time.

If a teacher cannot attend a lesson, they should give the student as much notice as reasonably possible and follow ILM Centre's cancellation and rescheduling arrangements.

Repeated cancellations, lateness or failure to attend may result in a review of the teacher's use of the platform.

Where a teacher is unable to provide a lesson due to circumstances outside their reasonable control, ILM Centre will consider the circumstances appropriately.

Teachers should not simply fail to attend and assume that the student will understand.

Teachers should communicate with students through ILM Centre's approved communication systems wherever reasonably possible.

Communication should be:

• Professional.
• Relevant.
• Respectful.
• Proportionate.
• Appropriate to the student's age.

Teachers should respect reasonable boundaries around communication outside lesson times.

Where a student is a child, teachers must take particular care with private communication and should follow any specific safeguarding requirements established by ILM Centre.

Teachers should not pressure students into communicating through personal social media accounts or private messaging services.

ILM Centre provides a marketplace through which students and teachers can be connected.

Teachers must not deliberately use the platform to build a private client relationship for the purpose of avoiding ILM Centre's applicable terms, fees or arrangements.

A teacher should not pressure or manipulate a student into leaving ILM Centre so that lessons can be arranged privately.

Where a teacher believes that an alternative arrangement is necessary for legitimate reasons, they should first consider the applicable ILM Centre terms and seek clarification where necessary.

Attempts to circumvent the platform may result in action being taken against the teacher's account.

Teachers must follow ILM Centre's arrangements concerning fees, payments and commissions.

Teachers must not mislead students about:

• Lesson prices.
• Refunds.
• Cancellation arrangements.
• Platform fees.
• Payment requirements.

Teachers should not ask students to provide payment through an unauthorised method where this would circumvent ILM Centre's payment arrangements.

A teacher must not use their position to pressure a student into purchasing additional lessons or services.

Any additional services offered to a student should be presented honestly and without inappropriate pressure.

Teachers may have access to personal information about students as part of providing their services.

Such information must be treated confidentially and used only for legitimate educational or platform-related purposes.

Teachers should not:

• Share student information with unrelated third parties.
• Publish student information online.
• Share private conversations publicly.
• Use student contact details for unrelated marketing.
• Retain unnecessary personal information.
• Sell or distribute student information.

Teachers should take reasonable steps to protect information stored on their devices and accounts.

Any suspected data breach or accidental disclosure should be reported to ILM Centre promptly.

Teachers must not record lessons, take screenshots or retain photographs of students without an appropriate reason and the necessary permission or lawful basis.

Particular care is required when lessons involve children.

Teachers must not upload recordings or images of students to social media or use them for promotional purposes without appropriate authorisation.

Where ILM Centre has an approved process for recording lessons for quality assurance, safeguarding or another legitimate purpose, teachers must follow that process.

Teachers are responsible for ensuring that materials they use in lessons are appropriate and that they have the necessary rights or permission to use them.

Teachers should not knowingly provide students with material that infringes another person's copyright or intellectual property rights.

Where teachers provide their own teaching materials through ILM Centre, those materials should be used for legitimate educational purposes.

Teachers should not use another person's work and present it as their own.

Teachers should understand that their conduct outside lessons may affect the trust placed in them by students and ILM Centre.

Teachers should maintain professional boundaries when interacting with students on social media.

Teachers should not use social media to harass, embarrass, threaten or otherwise target a student.

Teachers should also avoid making inappropriate use of photographs, recordings or information obtained through their role on ILM Centre.

Nothing in this section is intended to prevent teachers from having their own private lives or personal opinions. The concern is conduct that is directly connected to students, ILM Centre or the professional relationship.

ILM Centre connects teachers and students from different countries and backgrounds.

Teachers are expected to treat students fairly and respectfully regardless of their background.

A student's:

• Nationality.
• Culture.
• Language.
• Accent.
• Disability.
• Age.
• Gender.
• Family background.
• Educational experience.

should not be used as a basis for unfair treatment or humiliation.

Teachers should be mindful that students may have different levels of confidence and may require additional explanation or encouragement.

Students have the right to provide feedback and raise concerns about their experience.

Teachers should respond professionally if a student expresses dissatisfaction.

A teacher must not threaten, intimidate or retaliate against a student because the student has:

• Submitted a complaint.
• Given negative feedback.
• Requested a change of teacher.
• Reported a safeguarding concern.
• Raised a concern with ILM Centre.

If ILM Centre asks a teacher to provide information in relation to a complaint, the teacher is expected to cooperate honestly.

Teachers should disclose any situation that could create a significant conflict of interest between their role on ILM Centre and their personal interests.

Teachers should not use student relationships obtained through ILM Centre to promote unrelated businesses, products or services without appropriate permission.

Teachers should also avoid placing students under pressure to purchase unrelated services.

Teachers may use technology, including artificial intelligence, to support lesson preparation where appropriate.

However, teachers remain responsible for the accuracy and suitability of material provided to students.

AI-generated information should not automatically be assumed to be correct.

Teachers should exercise particular care when using AI in relation to:

• Qur'anic material.
• Hadith.
• Islamic rulings.
• Translations.
• Religious explanations.
• Student personal information.

Confidential or personal student information should not be entered into an AI system unless there is an appropriate lawful and organisational basis for doing so.

Teachers are encouraged to maintain and develop their knowledge and teaching skills.

This may include:

• Continuing Islamic studies.
• Developing teaching techniques.
• Learning about online education.
• Improving digital skills.
• Undertaking safeguarding training where relevant.
• Keeping knowledge appropriate to the subjects being taught up to date.

Where ILM Centre requires particular training or refresher learning, teachers should complete it within the timeframe provided.

Teachers may occasionally encounter behaviour or circumstances that require support from ILM Centre.

Teachers should report concerns rather than attempting to deal with serious matters alone.

This may include concerns relating to:

• Safeguarding.
• Threats or violence.
• Harassment.
• Fraud.
• Serious inappropriate behaviour.
• Repeated misuse of the platform.
• Requests that place the teacher in an inappropriate position.

Teachers should maintain appropriate records of significant incidents where required.

Teachers are expected to act honestly in all dealings with ILM Centre and students.

Teachers must not falsify:

• Qualifications.
• Experience.
• Attendance.
• Lesson records.
• Student progress.
• Reviews.
• Payment information.
• Other information submitted to ILM Centre.

Teachers should also not arrange or encourage students to submit misleading reviews or testimonials.

Trust is fundamental to an educational marketplace and deliberate dishonesty may result in removal from the platform.

Where ILM Centre becomes aware of a potential breach of this policy, the matter may be reviewed in accordance with the circumstances.

Depending on the seriousness of the concern, ILM Centre may:

• Ask the teacher for further information.
• Provide guidance or require additional training.
• Issue a formal warning.
• Restrict certain platform functions.
• Temporarily suspend the teacher's account.
• Prevent the teacher from accepting new students.
• Remove the teacher from the platform.
• Refer a matter to an appropriate authority where required.

Serious safeguarding or safety concerns may require immediate restrictions while the matter is being considered.

Teachers are responsible for complying with the laws and regulations that apply to them in the country from which they provide their services.

Teachers should also comply with any applicable requirements relating to:

• Self-employment or business activity.
• Tax.
• Immigration or work permission.
• Child protection.
• Data protection.
• Online education.
• Professional registration where applicable.

ILM Centre does not provide immigration, tax or legal advice to teachers.

Teachers should obtain independent professional advice where necessary.

Teachers are responsible for maintaining accurate availability information on ILM Centre.

If their availability changes significantly, they should update their information or notify ILM Centre where appropriate.

Teachers should avoid accepting bookings that they know they are unlikely to be able to fulfil.

Where a teacher becomes temporarily unable to teach, they should inform ILM Centre and affected students as soon as reasonably possible.

A teacher may choose to stop providing services through ILM Centre, subject to any applicable contractual or platform requirements.

Where a teacher leaves the platform, they should ensure that any existing students are treated fairly and that outstanding lessons or agreed arrangements are dealt with appropriately.

ILM Centre may also end or restrict a teacher's access in accordance with its terms where there is a serious concern, breach of policy, safeguarding issue or other legitimate reason.

By joining and continuing to use ILM Centre, teachers acknowledge that they are expected to:

• Provide truthful information.
• Teach within their area of competence.
• Maintain professional standards.
• Protect student confidentiality.
• Maintain appropriate boundaries.
• Follow safeguarding requirements.
• Treat students respectfully.
• Attend agreed lessons.
• Follow ILM Centre's platform and payment arrangements.
• Report serious concerns.
• Cooperate with reasonable investigations.
• Follow applicable laws and regulations.

Teachers should seek clarification from ILM Centre if they are uncertain about their responsibilities.

This policy will be reviewed periodically by Yaseen Academy Online Ltd trading as ILM Centre.

The policy may be updated to reflect changes in:

• ILM Centre's services.
• Safeguarding expectations.
• Technology.
• Applicable law.
• International operating requirements.
• Feedback from teachers and students.
• Lessons arising from complaints or incidents.

The latest version of this policy should be made available to teachers through the appropriate ILM Centre platform or communication channel.