Have your questions answered in this comprehensive FAQ. If you can't find the answer you're looking for, feel free to contact us at admin@handouthub.com or contact us here >.
1. Handouthub basics
1.1 What is handouthub.com?
Handout Hub is a website that provides teachers of English as a foreign language (most frequently abbreviated to TEFL/ESL/TESOL) with downloadable supplementary teaching resources to be used as handouts and worksheets in their lessons. All handouts are provided in the PDF format to be used with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Worksheets are available through a membership subscription system. For the registration fee of ₤25 for an individual, you can access all handouthub resources for one year. Feel free to peruse and test out our free samples in your class, we are sure you'll be convinced.
1.2 What kind of teaching materials does Handout Hub provide?
All 1500+ Handout Hub resources are supplementary TEFL handouts and ESL worksheets designed to be used, not to replace, a teaching course book. Our handouts add tremendous value to course books. Resources are available across all levels from starter to advanced. If you're not teaching by established levels, you can refer to this helpful guide to establish what level your students are. The vast majority of our resources are for adult general English use with around 220 handouts dedicated to business English and 190 found in the IELTS centre.
All TEFL handouts and ESL worksheets are designed to be printed on A4 or legal sized paper. Some worksheets occupy an A4 size sheet themselves while others must be cut in half. A few work sheets involve cutting up a worksheet of cards, but in our experience the less scissor work the better for teachers! Every handout comes with a short description about its ideal use, and step-by-step teaching instructions on a separate piece of paper. If you're looking to save paper, why not read the instructions on the drop down menu? Just click on the link below the handout description.
1.3 What teaching information is provided with the resources?
All our ESL handouts come with a secondary information sheet detailing how to use them. This information can also be perused on the website if want to save on paper by not printing the instructions sheet. Just click on the link below the handout description. Please bear in mind that the information contained in the activity instructions is only a suggestion. We encourage teachers to adapt our resources to fit with their classroom dynamics.
1.4 Can I view Handout Hub handouts in Microsoft Word or Open Office?
No. Our handouts have been designed to be downloaded, viewed and printed with Adobe Acrobat Reader. Please ensure you have this software downloaded and functioning on your computer or network before attempting to access our materials.
1.5 How am I permitted to use Handout Hub resources?
Our resources are available for unlimited downloading and classroom use to subscribing members and institutions. These worksheets are photocopiable for use in your classroom, you don't need to seek permission for their use once you've subscribed. By downloading Handout Hub handouts and worksheets, please ensure you abide by the following rules:
1. These handouts remain the intellectual property of Handout Hub.
2. You must not claim authorship, attempt to sell the handouts, or distribute them anywhere on the Internet.
For more information regarding the use of Handout Hub materials, please peruse the terms and conditions >.
1.6 How do I become a member of Handout Hub?
Feel free to peruse our free samples available here >. Subscribing is easy and only takes a few moments of your time. Just click here >. For more information about membership, please look at section 2 of the FAQ on membership.
1.7 How often are new handouts added to Handout Hub?
We are continually seeking to increase the range and diversity of TEFL handouts provided in our subscription. Users can expect uploads of new handouts at the beginning of the month. Browse the latest worksheet additions section on the right for our regular uploads.
2. Membership
2.1 What types of membership are there?
Handout Hub offers two types of membership described here. Individual membership is open to individuals, and allows unlimited access to all our handouts on a single login. Ideal for independent teachers who specialise in group or one-to-one tuition, this account offers hundreds of worksheets in PDF form that won't weigh down the traveller teacher's baggage.
Handout Hub also offers institutional membership for language schools, universities and public and private educational establishments and any other organisation that can benefit from our resources. The main difference between both types of membership is that an Institutional account can be used by multiple members at any one time, while the individual account logically can only be used by one. Handout Hub offers multiple usernames and logins for an institution that can be used by any number of staff.
2.2 How long is membership?
Once you have subscribed, your membership is valid for one year from the date payment was accepted. We will send a reminder email at one month and at two weeks before your subscription ends. We offer a generous discount of -20% to users who re-subscribe before the end of their first year.
2.3 How much is membership?
Individual membership of Handout Hub costs £25 for one year (inclusive of VAT). This is great value when compared to the price of books and other paper supplementary resources in the world of TEFL/ESL. The cost of institutional membership is graded on a scale according to the quantity of teacher logins required. See the following table:
|
Number of teacher logins |
Price per annual subscription |
|
4-5 |
£90 |
|
6-10 |
£150 |
|
11-20 |
£250 |
|
21-30 |
£340 |
|
31-40 |
£430 |
|
41-50 |
£520 |
|
Unlimited |
£600 |
2.4 How do I renew membership?
Renewing your membership is easy. Ensure that you are logged in to your profile, and click on 'membership details'. Under 'membership details' click on 'renew my membership'. As soon as you have gone through the payment process and we have accepted your payment, another 12 months will be added to your subscription. Remember, Handout Hub offers a generous discount of 20% for re-subscribing teachers and institutions.
2.5 How much does it cost to renew my membership?
Renewing your individual first year membership costs ₤20, while institutional re-subscriptions are -20% off the graded prices. This offer is open to both individual and institutional subscriptions for the period up until two weeks before your subscription expires. After this period and after your subscription has expired, the cost of re-subscription for individuals is ₤25. For institutions re-subscription at this point will depend on the quanitity of logins required.
2.6 Which countries is Handout Hub membership open to?
Membership of Handout Hub is open to anyone from almost any country. All our users make payments through PayPal, an international payment gateway system available in 190 countries. Find out how/if PayPal operates in your country here >.
2.7 How can I pay for membership?
You can pay for membership with PayPal, an Internet payment gateway, which allows you to pay by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover), debit card (Maestro, Cirrus, Visa Electron) and bank transfer. Payments take place over PayPal's secure pages. All your personal details are encrypted, and your credit card numbers are not passed on to us.
2.8 Do I have to be a member of PayPal?
No. You can pay with your credit/debit card (MasterCard, Maestro, Visa, Visa Electron, American Express, and direct debit) — all without having a PayPal account.
2.9 What currency is payment accepted in?
Handout Hub accepts payment in British pounds sterling (GBP) only. But if your country has a different currency, don't worry. When you pay by credit or debit card through PayPal, your credit card company or bank will deal with the exchange from your currency to GBP.
2.10 How long after paying will I receive my login details?
If you pay by credit or debit card, which offer instantaneous payment, you will receive your login details by automated email immediately. If you opt for bank transfer through PayPal it can take a few days for the payment to clear. As soon as the payment has cleared, you will receive your login details from us.
2.11 Will Handout Hub pester me with spam email?
No. Handout Hub respects your privacy and right not to be contacted with messages that are irrelevant to your needs. Handout Hub will only contact you to notify you of monthly handout updates, when your subscription is about to expire, to return communication if you seek it, or in the event of account irregularities or misuse.
3. Account information and data protection
3.1 How do I find out my account username and password?
After your registration and payment have been accepted, your password will be emailed to you. Your username will be the registered email address used by you. Take care to keep your original registration email so you can refer to your password at any time.
3.2 I've forgotten my password/username. How do I get a reminder?
If you have forgotten your username or password, go to the login page. For a forgotten password, simply enter your email address and username and we will email you a new password. Your username is the email address you use to register for the service. Take care to remember the registered email address.
3.3 Can I change my password?
You can change your password by clicking 'forgot password' on the login or registration screen. Your new password will be emailed to you.
3.4 How will my data be kept secure?
When subscribing, we will collect basic data such as name, email address, physical address and more. We do not collect any financial information such as credit or debit card numbers. These are dealt with through our payment gateway provider, PayPal. Read PayPal's privacy policy here >.
All customer data acquired through your subscription will be held on secure servers owned and operated by our web service provider Spoton Corporation. Read their privacy policy here >.
All customer data transmitted between you and us is through Secure Sockets Layer. Look for the padlock logo in the URL bar.
The security of your data is very important to us. We will not sell or give away your personal details to any third party.
4. Troubleshooting
4.1 PayPal won't accept my credit card?
Ensure when making payments through PayPal that you do the following:
a) Make sure you enter your name exactly as written on the card.
b) You need to enter the billing address of the card. This might be different to your home or school address, especially if you're living abroad. When entering the billing address for your card, choose the correct country first. The address fields will then change, making it easier for you to enter the billing address.
c) You'll need to enter your 'Card Verification Number', as well as your credit card number. This verification number is three digits (for Visa and MasterCard). You'll find it on the back of the card, under the bar code on the signature strip
4.2 Why can't I login?
To log in, you need your username and password.
Ensure cookies are enabled on your computer. To check if your cookies are enabled, go to 'Internet Options' on the 'Tools' menu of your browser, and check that the security settings on the 'security tab' are at 'default'.
Both your username and password are case-sensitive. Be sure not to mix upper and lower case letters. Also, be careful not to add any additional spaces.
4.3 Why do I get a blank screen when I view worksheets?
Very rarely, there can be a problem with the version of Adobe Acrobat Reader which is installed on your computer. This can lead to an issue where a blank screen is displayed, rather than the PDF itself. The solution is ensure you have the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Sometimes when installing the latest version of Adobe you have have ton uninstall older versions.
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