ContactGround

Users / Instructors

Instructor Availability and Rates

users/instructors/INSTRUCTOR_AVAILABILITY_AND_RATES.md

This manual is for instructors (CFI, CFII, DPE) who use Contact Ground to:

  • Publish calendar availability
  • Respond to member availability requests
  • Manage instructor service rates

It focuses on the instructor workflow from opening availability to booking instruction and keeping rates current.

1. Before You Start

1.1 Access and prerequisites

You need an instructor role in your organization (cfi, cfii, or dpe).

Owner/admin configuration dependencies:

  1. Availability Event Type must be enabled in Organization.
  2. Your member profile should carry your instructor role(s).

1.2 Where key pages are

  • Calendar availability and responses: left sidebar Calendar
  • Instructor rate management: People -> open your member profile -> Instructor Rates
  • Notifications: Notifications page and email links

2. Publishing Availability

2.1 Create an availability block

From Calendar:

  1. Click an open timeslot.
  2. Set event type to Availability.
  3. Set start/end time.
  4. Optional: select a resource (aircraft/equipment) for that block.
  5. Save.

Important:

  • Resource is optional for Availability events.
  • Non-availability events require a resource.

2.2 Manage existing availability

You can edit or delete your own availability events at any time.

Role behavior:

  • Event owners can edit/delete their own availability.
  • Owner/admin can edit/delete any availability event.

3. Member Request Flow (Availability Process)

3.1 How members request your time

Members view availability on the calendar and submit a request with:

  1. Purpose
  2. Requested time window (within your availability block)

3.2 Notification and response

When a request is submitted, you receive notification (email and/or in-app based on preferences).

You can respond by:

  1. Accept
  2. Decline (with reason)

3.3 Accepting a request

On acceptance:

  1. Confirm event details.
  2. Choose required data (including resource when needed).
  3. Submit acceptance.

System behavior:

  • Accepted request creates the booked training/checkride event.
  • Original availability block is split so remaining open time stays available.
  • Request status is updated and the requester is notified.

Resource note:

  • If the original availability block did not include a resource, acceptance may require selecting one.

3.4 Declining a request

On decline:

  1. Provide a useful reason.
  2. Submit.

System behavior:

  • Request status changes to declined.
  • Member receives response notification.

4. Instructor Rates

Instructor rates are maintained on your member profile and can be used for invoicing line items.

Open:

  1. People
  2. Select your member record
  3. Scroll to Instructor Rates

4.1 Add a rate

In Instructor Rates, click Add Rate and set:

  1. Service Name (required)
  2. Service Type (required): Hourly or Flat
  3. Rate (USD) (required)
  4. Optional description
  5. Active toggle

Examples:

  • Flight Instruction (Hourly)
  • Ground Instruction (Hourly)
  • Check Ride Prep (Flat)

4.2 Edit or delete a rate

For any existing rate:

  1. Edit to update name/type/rate/status/description.
  2. Delete only when the rate should no longer be used.

Best practice:

  • Mark old rates inactive instead of deleting when you need historical clarity.

4.3 Who can edit rates

Rate editing is allowed for:

  1. The instructor themself
  2. Owner/admin/leadership roles

5. Operational Best Practices

  1. Publish availability in consistent blocks (for example, 2-4 hour windows).
  2. Include clear purpose expectations in acceptance notes.
  3. Keep rates current before month-end billing runs.
  4. Inactivate obsolete rates when pricing changes.
  5. Review pending requests daily so members are not blocked.

6. Troubleshooting

6.1 Members cannot request your availability

Check:

  1. Availability Event Type enabled in Organization.
  2. Your event is actually Availability type.
  3. Requested time is inside your block.

6.2 Accept action fails

Common causes:

  1. Requested time outside original availability block
  2. Required resource not selected during acceptance
  3. Time overlap conflict created by newer events

Action:

  1. Refresh the request page.
  2. Verify requested window and resource.
  3. Re-submit response.

6.3 Rates not visible or editable

Check:

  1. You are on the correct member profile.
  2. Profile has instructor role (cfi, cfii, dpe).
  3. You are the profile owner or have owner/admin/leadership role.