Parents call a familiar +1 number about lessons and schedules. You answer in an app between classes, or call back later.
Online tutors and teachers outside the US use a US virtual number so parents can call a familiar +1 number about scheduling and progress. The TripoSIM number rings in an app, takes voicemail while you teach or sleep, and includes 300 minutes a month of calls to the US and Canada. Keep the lessons themselves on your teaching platform.
Parents of younger students like to talk to the tutor before they pay, and again when something changes: a missed lesson, a new exam date, a question about progress. Many US parents will not dial an international number. They are unsure of the cost, or they simply do not know the dialing code. A +1 number makes that first call easy.
The TripoSIM US Virtual Number runs in an app on your phone over Wi-Fi or mobile data. It keeps parent calls apart from your personal number, and you can mute it outside your working hours. When you are teaching or asleep, callers leave a voicemail.
The number is for talking about lessons. The lessons themselves belong on your video tool or teaching platform.
If you teach children, the parent is your contact, not the child. A few habits protect your students and you:
US students are free after school and on weekends. Here is what two common slots in New York time mean where you are, in the US winter (early November to mid-March), when New York is UTC-5:
| You are in | Weekdays 4 to 7 p.m. ET | Saturday 9 a.m. to noon ET |
|---|---|---|
| UK | 9 p.m. to midnight | 2 to 5 p.m. |
| Central Europe | 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. | 3 to 6 p.m. |
| UAE | 1 to 4 a.m. (next day) | 6 to 9 p.m. |
| India | 2:30 to 5:30 a.m. (next day) | 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. |
| Philippines | 5 to 8 a.m. (next day) | 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. |
In the US summer, the times are one hour earlier in the UAE, India and the Philippines. In the UK and Central Europe they stay the same, except for a few weeks in March and around the end of October, when clocks change on different dates. West Coast families are three hours behind New York, so their after-school hours land later in your day; from the Philippines in the US winter, 4 to 7 p.m. PT is 8 to 11 a.m. the next day. The US time-zone clock shows each zone right now.
Always write lesson times with the zone, such as "Tuesday 5 p.m. ET". If you list your own time next to it, families can check the conversion themselves.
Parents often call during your night. Tell them when you are available and when you call back:
"Hi, you have reached [your name], math tutor. I return calls Monday to Friday between 8 and 10 a.m. Eastern. Please leave your name, your child's first name and the best time to call. For lesson changes, email works best."
Messages can be up to 2 minutes, up to 30 a month, kept 30 days. The voicemail guide covers setup and alerts.
The number receives texts from US and Canadian senders, so a parent can text "running late, can we start at 5:15?" and you will see it. Sending texts is not included, so you cannot answer from the number. Agree on email or your platform's messages for written questions, and say so in your welcome note: "Call or email me", not "call or text me".
For most tutors, yes, because the calls are short. Calls parents make to you are included up to a fair use of 300 minutes a month. Only calls you place use the 300 outgoing minutes. Each outgoing call is rounded up to the next full minute; unanswered calls are free. Three typical rosters, worked out for a year:
| Example | Calls out to the US and Canada | Extra minutes | One year on the yearly plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduling calls | 4 calls a week, 5 minutes each: about 87 minutes a month | None: within the included minutes | $100 |
| Plus progress calls | the same, plus a 15-minute call with 12 parents each month: about 267 minutes a month | None: within the included minutes | $100 |
| A full roster | 8 short calls a week of 5 minutes, plus 20 progress calls a month of 15 minutes: about 474 minutes a month | 21 × $5 = $105 a year | $205 |
Incoming calls do not use your minutes (fair use 300 minutes a month). Each plan includes 300 minutes a month out; extra minutes are $5 per 100, and unused extra minutes carry over to the next month, so the year counts the packs for all 12 months together. Prices before tax.
The monthly plan is $12.99 with the same minutes, which suits a summer or exam season. Try your own numbers in the cost calculator.
Two plans with the same number, minutes and app.
$100per year
About $8.33 a month, paid once a year
Renews yearly until you cancel
$12.99per month
Cancel the renewal anytime. $155.88 over 12 months
Renews monthly until you cancel
Prices in US dollars as published by TripoSIM. Payments are not refunded, except a full refund if your ID check fails or your number is not delivered within 72 hours, or where local law requires. Checkout continues on TripoSIM. Right after payment you complete an ID check with a selfie, then choose from the numbers available.