What are Class Buyouts?
A class buyout is a class in which an employer partner, PTA, after school group, etc. buys out an entire class for their learners. These sections are private and only available to learners associated with the group/user who has bought the seats. To opt into class buyouts, please fill out this form.
What types of groups buyout classes?
Schools
Public, private, and charter schools began coming to Outschool and requesting class buyouts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These buyouts are typically longer-term classes and allow students from one school to take class together with an Outschool teacher acting as the facilitator. School officials do not have access to the course materials and class recordings -- only enrolled learners are able to see the Outschool classroom due to learner privacy and intellectual property concerns.
Employer Partners
Some employers offer Outschool classes to their employees as part of their benefits package! While learners using employer funds typically enroll in classes on their own, employers sometimes facilitate class buyouts for their employees. These are usually one-time classes and may sometimes be grouped to create a camp-like experience (ie: holiday camp).
Groups
Groups, such as scout troops or afterschool programs, use Outschool classes to offer online programming for their learners. These groups approach class buyouts in a number of ways. Some groups take a single class together (usually to access an “expert in the field” or provide a social activity). Other groups take multi-week classes or facilitate a camp-like experience of many classes meeting at a variety of times.
Outschool Parents
Parents already on the platform often use class buyouts for events like birthday parties! While most parents facilitate class buyouts on their own, Outschool Planner does help navigate the buyout process if requested.
How will I be contacted regarding a class buyout?
There are 2 main ways you will be contacted regarding a class buyout: by an Outschool user or by an Outschool team member.
Contacted by an Outschool User
If an Outschool User wants to buy out a class, they may contact you directly through your teaching page. This message will come to your Outschool inbox (and the email address associated with your account). You are welcome to correspond with the user directly regarding their request, but please make sure to abide by our Terms of Service. In particular, all communications and payment should remain on the Outschool platform. For more information, please look at our communications guide for teachers.
Contacted by an Outschool Team Member
If the class buyout is being aided by Outschool, you will be contacted by a member of the Outschool Team. This request will come to the email address associated with your teaching account from the domain “@outschool.com.” The team member will act as a liaison between you and the point of contact for the class buyout. You can direct any questions to them.
FAQs
How does payment work? Many teachers offer a discounted rate for a class buyout but this is not required. Most class buyouts are facilitated via gift enrollments. Gift enrollments allow one contact to purchase all of the seats in a class and share the enrollment with other families, who can create an Outschool account and agree to our Terms of Service. Parents should not add all of the learners to their account; all learners must have an account to take classes on Outschool. Some organizations may ask each parent to enroll their child on their own and pay for the seat. Remember, all learners should be registered to attend a class for the safety of all learners on the platform.
What if some students don’t show up for class? You will be paid for the total number of enrollments purchased, even if students do not redeem them or attend class. If a user has concerns about unclaimed gift enrollments, please direct them to Support.
How do I create a private section? Please watch this video for information on creating a private section, changing the class size, and adjusting the price per learner.
Who do I contact with questions? If you have already been in contact with an Outschool team member, you can email them directly with questions. If you have been speaking with an Outschool user directly and need support, please email Support and ask for your ticket to be escalated to the planner team.