Totally agree with Rachel. Teachers should charge as much as possible so they will have the least amount of students for the highest return on their time. This means the students get a higher-quality of tuition, better lessons, and personal care.
Hi, I am a student of a high school in Vietnam. The average salary here is quite low so I can't afford to pay too much to learn English. Thanks to Preply, I have the opportunity to develop myself
@@hongvinguyenthi6534 I have rich students from China who book. Thanks to preply, I can make a suitable living. We shouldn't have to be paid low just because people can't afford it.
I have been with Preply off and on for 3 years. I just let it be what it is. I teach in m own way and have never gone into their system or watched one of the many video's they send to improve my teaching. I have a high return level and they stay for quite a while. I do not get offered alot of new students. I just go with the flow. I am a voice coach and the only reason I continue teaching English is because of how much I enjoy meeting the people from around the world. Preply has not questioned my method of teaching and for me this has been why I have stayed. I am a super tutor but honestly I am not getting more students because of it. I don't have high expectations from this company and have been fine with how it all works up to this point. I should be making alot more money and am now looking into how to make that happen. Thus I watched your video! Thank you.
Could you help me with something? some weeks ago i created my profile on Preply for becoming a spanish tutor. Everything done, they accepted me, but the problem is i cannot make my account visible to other ppl. When im in my account and go the right part where it says "students cannot see your profile in the search results", preview profile, i dont see anywhere the purple option for making it visible. Why is this?
👏👏Oh my goodness yes! I did one trial lesson on Preply or similar a few years back. It was interesting to teach someone in Turkey for a change but I wasn't paid and they didn't continue with me so I got nothing. After that experience, I decided it wasn't worth it. I thought at the time it was free for the student. What a rip-off for teachers!
@@davy_blackbirdd Hi, thanks for watching and commenting. I actually teach people how to find clients themselves, so this isn't something I can really advise on (I just hear the horror stories mainly). But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
Rachael, this is a great insight into this platform. Here is my experience of teaching with through them. When I first started out on Preply, the first month was dismal in relation to pay. I taught hours of trial lessons, in that first month and felt used with this. The first rate that I started out with $20 per hour. After 700 hours of teaching, I raised my rate to $40. The next point about native speaker tick box is rather disheartening. However, some words of advice regarding this platform. I would recommend those that are considering Preply to niche or specialise. If you are offering a general language course, then you are competing with the vast majority of teachers whose rate may be rather low. When specialising, you will be sought and can dedicate more time to seeking more reputable students who are willing to pay a little more. I did make a video about Preply - the pros and cons - but I use them to supplement my income, especially at this time where it is getting more and more precarious with employment.
Thanks for commenting, Martin. I couldn't agree more about specialising, definitely the key to earning more on Preply, but, if you're going to do that (and you should), I'd argue that you'll do better still by finding your own clients. Just talking about you personally, rather than the general 'you' - $40 an hour is still not great for someone with your experience and expertise, based in the expensive UK, and presumably you are still paying a proportion of that in commission as well? You have a big audience too. Lots of potential I'd say.
@@earnlearnthrive true about Preply taking a chunk out of my hourly rate. I would love to offer online group lessons but have no idea where to start. However, with much happening at the moment, I may have to put this on hold and see what could be organised in the future.
@@ELTExperiences hi there! Your comment is commendable! I am a professional English teacher but have no clear idea about online teaching yet. Can you please suggest some other websites or should I go for preply? Respect from Pakistan
I'm not sure that specializing is a good idea. I used to do that, I didn't want to teach beginners and was mainly doing exam preparations. Unfortunately I had to change this strategy because my conversion rate (the ratio between people watching my profile and booking a lesson) was too low. Now that I accept beginners I have a better conversion rate and a better ranking... It's sad but specializing doesn't seem to work on this kind of platforms.
in brief: **1. Introduction:** - Rachael Roberts introduces the topic by mentioning that there are 11,912 English language tutors on Preply, and she believes they might be making a mistake. - She aims to help English language teaching professionals earn more while working less. - Preply's business model is beneficial for the platform but not for the teachers. **2. Preply's Marketing and Commission:** - Preply markets itself as a platform that handles everything, allowing teachers to focus solely on teaching. - Rachael argues that paying commission to Preply is not a good idea. - A client of Rachael's shares her experience with Preply, mentioning that she chose it due to its widespread advertising. - The platform requires teachers to give a free trial lesson, but the student pays the full fee, which Preply takes entirely. - After the trial, Preply takes a 33% commission for the first 100 hours of lessons with a student. This commission decreases over time but remains high. **3. Pricing and Bias on Preply:** - Preply encourages teachers to charge low rates, with advice to start at 12 pounds an hour. - Success as an online teacher is not about having many clients at low rates but about attracting clients willing to pay for quality. - Preply's search system may bias towards native speaker teachers and those charging lower rates. **4. Business Model and Teacher Struggles:** - Preply's business model of attracting many students at low prices works well for the platform but not for teachers. - Teachers have limited time and energy, making it challenging to teach many students and maintain quality. - Teachers can end up working extensive hours without earning enough, leaving no time for marketing themselves elsewhere. **5. Conclusion and Call to Action:** - Rachael warns against the trap of relying solely on platforms like Preply. - She emphasizes the importance of finding students who value a teacher's expertise and are willing to pay for it. - Rachael invites viewers to subscribe to her channel and join her membership for ELT freelancers. Overall, the video highlights the potential pitfalls of teaching on Preply and encourages teachers to seek alternative methods to market themselves and find students who value their expertise.
Personally I went on Preply and considered it a free internship to gain experience since it was my first time teaching online 😅😂 after one month on the platform and 40+ lesson taught and less than 100$ made I’m moving on to a better paying company
@@sarahkas Those are not better companies. On Cambly you will never be able to make the kind of money one can make on Preply because they pay rate has been the same for over 10 years. 0.17c per minute. That's disgraceful
I want to talk about preply from a refund perspective. I’ve used them and I think the ‘buy flow’ is pretty happy experience (meaning from finding tutor, to booking, to set up schedule to pay) but when you want your money back from unused hours, they seriously make it difficult. A bit sad that they try to squeeze as much they can from both tutors and buyers.
Very interesting. I am a kindergarten teacher from st lucia 🇱🇨 and I applied to work on preply just to make a little extra income. Listening to your video has been an eye opener. I would really like someone to help me find a better company that I could apply to, so that I could accomplish my dreams
I worked on Preply and taught French for 3 years and at the rate of 50 hours per week for 8 or 9 dollars per hour with the first course at 100% commission and the others at 18% (+ 21% for Urssaf and 3% for Paypal...) I had a "Super Tutor" and "Super popular" profile then one day when I was trying to send documents to learn phonetics to a new student a "Bryan", incompetent Arabic from their support falsely accused me of wanting to teach a course outside of their platform. First of all I could no longer send messages to anyone then 24 hours later they maintained their false accusations against me without even answering me and closed my profile even though I had given them the screenshots of my answers negative to the last students who asked me for a WhatsApp as well as those showing that I had tried to simply send documents for phonetics before a first lesson was booked. I am 39 years old, I have been fluent in Chinese, Spanish and English for 20 years, but I have never had any training or work in France. For me this slave job was a chance.
@@earnlearnthrive it's ok I just wanted to give another vision of what could go wrong there even when we think everyday is perfect. lol I am planning to move to iTalki and I also have an old Amazing Talker account I'm gonna reactivate. The most funny is now I am teaching some of the students I had on WhatsApp and Zoom (but before their accusation I never even tried) lol ! They are employing such pathetic clowns in their supports. I'm happy to be gone. We have good social welfare in France anyway and I will cherish my free time now...
@@gilles8104 You reminded me of a Korean company I was teaching with for just over a year. I never had a single day off in all that time, then one day my body was just so tired, I could not physically get out of bed. I was exhausted, I couldn't even open my eyes. When I eventually woke up and tried to log into the platform, my details were not being recognised. I contacted my manager and asked what was going on and she said that I missed my classes without getting in contact with them so the company had to take a decision and they fired me. These companies have no value for us, we're just a number in their machines.
I feel it is important to give a different perspective on this as someone who has both freelanced and is currently teaching on Preply (for 1.5 years now). Yes, it's hard to get established, as is ANY business. I started advertising my classes at $8 per hour as a NES and gradually increased my rates by $1-$2 per month and I am currently charging $25-$30 per hour. I am a very pro-active and professional teacher and treat this as a business, which is where "most" tutors on Preply fail. I have also been a traditional, full timer teacher for 20+ years. Preply do all the marketing and take care of all the financial side, which trust me, as an ex-business owner is no small matter. You don't have to worry about any credit card fraud, unpaid classes or chargebacks etc. I feel to many tutors blame Preply for THEIR own mis-management and shortcomings. I currently teach 40-50 hours a week on there, earning $100-$200 per day. Is it perfect? No, but it is, in my opinion the best option out there.
Also regarding the commission, is it initially high? Yes, but I feel its worth putting in the effort. As for the base rate of 18%, is that really so high? Considering everything you get in return? If you a have an affiliate business you only get 10-20% of any product you sell, if your an ebay seller you pay 10-15% in fees, plus your cost of sales, VAT etc, so lets put this into perspective. I feel 18% is a good deal. IF your a PROFESSIONAL teacher, and an experienced teacher this is a great platform. But if you're a casual, unexperienced teacher, just looking to make some extra "pocket money", then may be this isn't for you.
Everyone has to decide what works for them, and if you’re happy with working 40-50 contact hours a week, that’s your choice. Personally, I think that’s crazily high, and I can’t imagine how exhausting it would be if you’re also doing preparation on top.
@@earnlearnthrive I do it because I'm passionate about my job. I also have a full time teaching job on top of Preply. That's my choice. I don't understand your "negativity" I feel you have an axe to grind. As I said. I 'm earning $100-$200 a day on there doing 6-8 hours, Do you know many full time jobs that you can earn the equivalent? You could earn more freelance, yes BUT then you have to do all the marketing, advertising, deal with platform issues, build lesson plans and the there's the chasing payments, dealing with CC fraud and chargebacks etc. I had a private student who, after 6 months of teacher his teenage daughter, filed a fraudulent CC complaint and got refunded ALL his money, no questions asked and you have no way to fight it. With preply all those concerns and worries are theirs, not your. That alone is worth the 18%.
@@ActionFigureResource Yes, I guess I do kind of have an axe to grind, because I see so many people really struggling to make it pay anything like what they should be earning as a qualifed and experienced teacher, and I don't like the way Preply encourages people to lower their rates etc (no need to go through this again). In answer to your question, in the UK the average salary is £34,963, which works out as a day rate of £203.00 (taking into account benefits etc), so $100-200 dollars for 6-8 contact hours doesn't sound that amazing, given that teaching is much more intensive than most jobs on an hourly basis (the average contact time in any good school is around 20-24 hours over 5 days), and that you may well be doing preparation on top. However, I also recognise that people's circumstances are different, and what is a poor hourly rate in some countries is pretty good in others, and that it can be a trade-off in terms of spending time marketing etc. Personally, I would choose to invest that time, and be able to charge higher rates and do less marketing over time as the business builds, but it's absolutely a choice.
Thanks for the heads up. I’m new on Preply to understand the business model. I’m a newly retired professor and not sure I want to teach English yet. Thought of it as an easier way to see if I should invest in creating online teaching materials. Glad to find your channel. New subscriber🎉🤓
Very interesting point of view. Also very interesting to mention that the student pays full price for a 'trial' lesson, hadn't thought of it that way round. I am currently working on Preply but trying to build my own profile of private students. I think it takes the marketing out of it for you, but it is a huge amount of commission you are paying... for not a lot in return.
Building up visibility through marketing is definitely more effort but then it pays off whereas you will never earn more than a certain amount on a platform.
I started Preply because I need the money since I have no job right now, so when the person asked for a trial I make sure is a child because that’s where my expertise are and I filter all the other ones. Yes I agree, I understand they should get a commission but for the 1st trial 100% is a lot the only benefit I see with this is that they find you the students so I don’t have to do it, yet I have to find more students on Outschool😕
It is understandable that students who are learning English are going to want to be taught by a Native English Speaker. If I wanted to learn Mandarin, Russian, or Khmer I would expect my teacher to be from China, Russia, or Cambodia as I would anticipate they will also know the culture and other aspects that are crucial to know when it comes to learning a language. As for setting one's pay rate. On Preply I anticipate that I am competing with other teachers for students. I also know that as a customer they want to get the best value for their dollar. I would figure my rate based on my expenses. I am a Native English Speaker from the USA who is living in Cambodia and has a BA in Political Science and a 120 hr TEFL certificate. I also have over 5 years of experience teaching English in Brazil, China, and Cambodia. In the USA I would also teach Cooking classes. Seeing that I am living in Cambodia whose cost of living is low this means I can charge less than what I would if i had lived in the USA. Basically, I would take my living expenses and multiply it by 2 and then add 3 dollars which will likely be preply's cut then i would figure out what my rate would be per hour if I were to work 40 hours a week. This would result in my charging students 9.00 an hour Unless my expenses go up which they aren't likely to as rents in Phnom Penh Cambodia or actually go down due to an oversupply of available rental units I am not likely going to raise my rates as I live comfortably on what I am charging. I also do not rely completely on preply. I think of preply as more of a side gig that i use to earn extra money while working in a local school while between jobs, or if I were to start an unrelated business. While I was in China I learned how Chinese people conduct business. They are happy to operate on 1% price margins which means that many of their competitors will be unable to compete with them based on price alone. I set my rates as low as necessary so that I make at least a 1% profit and I strive to be provide as much value to my students. This ultimately will result in me being lower than 60% of other Native English Teachers
Wow. A lot to respond to here. In order.. I think we need to consider why someone is learning a language. If I’m going to live in Rio I might want to try and acquire a Carioca accent, but most people who learn English are going to use it as a lingua Franca. We (English, American etc) don’t own English any more. As for pay rate and 40 contact hours a week - if it that works for you, that’s obviously totally your call. But that’s not what I would want or advise for my clients.
nobody who wants to learn english should learn the language from someone in 1) sw london 2) northern england people who cant speak it have a fantasy about harry potter sounding teachers, but wont understand ANYONE in REAL ENGLAND
@@camillesolange182 french in not like english buddy ,my language is very hard that even the natives don't know how to speak it in the best way so yeah french is harder than english, like my language being harder than both
Absolutely true. It’s just hilarious. They advised me to charge 6 dollars per hour! S. I. X. I have more than 20 years of experience, and this - it is lower than minimum hour rate for non-qualified jobs in my country.
Yes, I read all the terms and conditions. Preply is oversaturated I guess, and that makes it really hard for tutors to find students. Preply is still a great choice for those just staring off . Indeed, the native language tutors are favourited by the platform.
It’s oversaturated with commoditised teachers who are being chosen mainly on the basis of being cheap. Someone starting out might not have a choice, doesn’t make it a good choice though.
Hi i am working on preply since this week. And i am working the whole week, i did a lot of experiment lesson but never earned nothing. I Don t have any time for my daughter, because there a such a Mountain of e mails to respond. If you dont respond the app blocks you. I didn t slept more than 3 hours a night. Really, i am very sad about all this situation
Generally I think you’re better off finding your own clients. But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
Hi Rachael. Thank you for the heads up. I was just about to start working with Preply and thanks to you now I have changed my mind. However I still want to try and teach online in my free time. Can you please suggest one or more platforms to try or worthy to work with?
Generally I think you’re better off finding your own clients. But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
Preply suspended my tutor account for "breaking policies" but they don't really tell me what policy I broke. They suspended my account with my earnings for the month and they told me that they have the right not to communicate further.
Hi, thanks for watching and commenting. I actually teach people how to find clients themselves, so this isn't something I can really advise on (I just hear the horror stories mainly). But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
You're quite right- not sure if this has changed since I researched the platform, but here's a link to the current commission model. help.preply.com/en/articles/4171383-preply-commission-model I still think it's high though, and I also notice the suggestion that $10 an hour is an acceptable rate.
Well, that’s true. But , depending on where you’re based I guess, it’s a very hard slog to get to a decent hourly rate. Have you tried marketing yourself in other ways?
I am using Preply as a student (Russian, I am a German). As a student I would prefer being taught by a native speaker, because the learning curve in the pronunciation of the language will be better. The learning of the grammar, I can do in self-study, passive understanding by reading books and watching movies or listening to music. Would I really expect from the teacher is teaching of active conversation skills and good pronunciation.
Really interesting to get a comment from a Preply student, thank you. :) Obviously, you're the customer and it's your choice, but in fact I think it's a misconception that a native speaker is necessarily best for learning pronunciation. In our global connected world (unlike in the past), you can listen to hours of Russian for free to pick up pronunciation naturally, but only a qualified and experienced teacher, native or non native, will understand the nuances of how to actually produce the sounds, how words run together in the stream of speech and so on. Similarly, teaching good conversational skills requires an understanding of turn taking conventions, appropriacy, and the ability to explain and correct as appropriate. Just being a native speaker isn't enough, and a poorly paid one is that much more likely to be a poorly qualified one.
@@GutterFlower-t2u I am interested in the rise and failure of societies and culture. It is quite interesting for me to compare the Soviet socialistic empire with the German national socialistic empire of the 1930s. A great number of opponents of the Soviet leadership wrote excellent pieces of literature in exile, which is all published in Russian. Also, a great number of liberals and opponents of the Hitler regime published political books in German language. If you want to know what goes wrong in a society, you have to read the literature of opponents and intellectuals of that time, otherwise history is difficult to understand.
Just an example: Boris Akunin is a contemporary Russian writer in exile in London. He has published great books, not only books on detective and historical fiction, but also books about the Russian society in general. It is very enjoyable and enriching to read these books.
@@earnlearnthrive Just being a native speaker isn't enough but not being one doesn't guarantee that you are teaching better! I teach my native language although I could teach another one. I feel more comfortable teaching my language. I had to learn how to do it of course, but I am 100% sure of what I say in my language. Non-native teachers always make mistakes when they teach!
As a student I have an unique opportunity to find out some native tutors for affordable money. Those might live in a country with low-cost living expenses so that would be quite win-win deal.
It's never a win-win deal. I lived in Peru, believe me, we need money everywhere. A computer costs the same everywhere, a good place (quiet!) to work is expensive, even in "poor" countries, Internet connection is also very expensive!
I have been on Preply for two months now. I have watched so many videos on how to get students. I have lowered my rate and available myself most of the time during the day but I still have no luck in getting students. I am so demotivated 😢
The problem is if you differentiate yourself on price alone there will always be someone cheaper. You need to develop an offer which will make students specifically want to choose you.
Could u help me? some weeks ago i created my profile on Preply for becoming a spanish tutor. Everything done, they accepted me, but the problem is i cannot make my account visible to other ppl. When im in my account and go the right where it says "students cannot see your profile in the search results", preview profile, i dont see anywhere the purple option for making it visible. Why is this?
I have question... does preply platform have possibility to scrutiny conversation between a native and a student? Because from my point of view fees are too high.
@@earnlearnthrive I am from San Francisco California, one of the most expensive places for rent in the USA, if not world. I live comfortable and travel a lot 😃I charge over 40 an hour and my schedule stays full. I admit, it is not the normal. I also do not teach English on preply, that field is extremely saturated. I would advise people to think about what else they can teach that has little competition AND high demand
@@DonTravelsTheWorld Ah, well that would be another exception because, as you say, there is a lot less commoditisation when it’s harder to find tutors.
They didn't accept my request to be tutor there, saying that I didn't fill up requirements and my subjects are not in demand, but is a lie. After my TH-cam video presentation, for 3 times, put on public 3 times and nothing, they said I can't be tutor there... I was thinking to hire a teacher there to learn a language, but knowing that they get your 100% work... after try to become a tutor... I will definitely not be hiring anyone from there, rather search and chose without platform. It is better pay to get TOEFL or similar certificates and be hired anywhere in the world, everything payed besides the salary, beside the huge experience with new culture everyday.
It's fine if you live in a cheap country. I started at $16/h which wasn't even good back then considering the 33% commission. But I was living in Guatemala so it was... okay. Now I've been on the platform for a year and a half and most of my lessons are at $25/h. Their commission is still quite high if you ask me: 18% (that's the lowest they can do sadly). I think it's a good income if you live in a cheap country (as a digital nomad). I wouldn't have started at such a low rate in Australia - where I was living before. That's the only thing you have to consider before signing up: can I afford to earn so low? But over time you increase your rate and it can actually become quite comfortable income
Yes, I agree it's fine if you have a low cost of living, and if it works for you, great. But it doesn't for the vast majority of my clients, who are based in Europe. 25$ an hour is still very low in that context if you're an experienced professional teacher.
Greetings! I am an English tutor from Russia. There is a huge struggle among English teachers, we have several platforms like Preply. They take huge commissions ( up to 70%)so basically you work enormous hours in order to survive. The salary is really low. I didn't think that native teachers are treated like us.
Hi, would you be kind enough to share with me the various platforms currently in Russia especially in Moscow because I am base in Moscow. I'm looking forward to join an online platform to begin my English teaching journey as an immigrant. Thank you in advance 😊😊
Tried Preply a couple of years ago for not even three weeks. I was averaging 15 hours a week of free trials. Of course the students wanted my most popular times of day, espcially the times I had my PAYING students. I was paying to teach. At that point I stopped and deleted my profile. Now I teach on 2 other platforms, the pay is less, but at least I get paid for every minute I work. Even free trials.
I teach mainly Spanish . I haven´t tried Preply .Thank you for the warning. I´ve tried Amazing Talker. It looks like a "legal scam" the worst trap ever !
Oh my goodness... I just looked at that site and even what they say you can earn on average is pretty terrible because it's based on 40 hours a week, which is a CRAZY amount of work for teaching, and takes no account of preparation or marking. If you did 20 hours contact time a week, that would be 7 euros an hour on average- so some earning less. There aren't many countries in the world where that's a good rate.
Thank you for the video. I was ready to apply to Preply without reading their Terms and Conditions. Having watched your video I understood how worthless they make a teacher's work for teachers themselves.
I think it’s obviously harder if you don’t have much teaching experience. There are better places to gain this though, and, depending on your other skills and experience you might still be able to attract your own clients by focusing on the experience and skills you DO have. Maybe you’ve worked in a particular industry and would be able to help with English for that industry for example. Check out my video on how to get students without using a platform.
Generally I think you’re better off finding your own clients. But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
Not to mention, they have an awful customer service from a student's perspective. They have about 6 people reply to each message, asking about the same thing. And they end up telling you they can't solve the issue. Also, they don't refund you after 30 or 60 days. It is completely unrealistic if you buys like 40 hours to take 1 hour lesson per week for 40 weeks, then your tutor suddenly disappears. I've had this happen. This is an awful and predatory site that has gotten worse over the years.
Thank u for ur important information but now i wonder if i can find platform to teach Arabic online or not i have 2 languages and i would like to beneif from my knowledge ❤
Is there a limit on the amount of trial lessons a learner can take, or that a teacher can give? Otherwise you're going to spend your whole day working for free for someone else to get paid - there's a word for that....
I'm not 100% sure but I imagine it's one per student. However, since I released this video I've been hearing more stories... apparently there are a lot of students who use the free trials for interview practice etc.
Hi, thanks for watching and commenting. I actually teach people how to find clients themselves, so this isn't something I can really advise on (I just hear the horror stories mainly). But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
I wish I had watched this earlier. I have 6 years of experience teaching English as a Second Language. My profile was just approved. If they encourage students to prefer native-speaker teachers, it only means I'm wasting my time.
I'm from Brazil, and I'm thinking in improove my English through Preply App. For each American Dolar($) is like BRL(R$) 5, 42 without exchange tax. The minimum salary in Brazil is $262,00 and the average salary is $562,00. The prices to learn English is too high, that's the reason lot of people prefer to save some money and make a exchange travel, but for the marjory of people it's too far! The most friendly country for our pocket is Ireland.
I think that this fails to mention that wether it is worth it or not depends really on where you're based at. It's considerably harder to maintain youself if you're in an expensive, first world country. Prices are driven down by the number of foreign tutors willing to work for cheaper since the USD is worth way more where they're at. Not everywhere is the US or the UK.
Yes, that's a fair point, and I have talked about this elsewhere in the comments. Because I'm based in the UK and price accordingly, most of my clients come from countries where the cost of living is roughly similar, and for them, the average hourly rate on Preply is very low indeed, and even a relatively high rate, such as £30 an hour, isn't great when you consider that McDonalds UK is paying nearly half that, with no preparation or marking or expensive teacher training courses to take into account.
@@earnlearnthrive Also, the 100% trial commission they take may seem harsh, but it's what enables them to replace or refund trials, and it's single handedly the feature that attracts the most students out of all the ones they have. Students feel safe knowing that trials can be refunded no matter what, so the perceived risk is much lower.
@@tchumango9131 Sure, but while I can see that this is attractive to students, it's also going to disproportionately attract time-wasters, and puts all the risk onto the teacher.
What I don't like about the platform: - you can't choose your students - you can't specialize (otherwise that affects too much your conversion rate, the ratio between people seeing your profile and booking a lesson) - commissions are incredibly high - trial lessons are not paid - students can cancel their lessons and their subscriptions very easily and you are not paid - too many no-shows (and I think that I am not paid in those cases....) - the subscription model - Preply Classroom, I want to teach in Zoom ETC ETC BUT at least I have a few students there and can make a bit of money... Good luck to all of you!
Ive been tutoring last 17 years. I can tell you things are not so simple. It depends on your circumstances and goals on each moment in your life. Some years I rely more on Preply and some others I promote more the lessons with my own direct clients. Depending how hungry for money I am.
I m teaching Turkish online since 2015 I tried to use different ways and platforms but the best is preply about everything withdrawal policy and payment price everything just one minus is free trial which is really annoying but when you try other platforms like italki or monthly paying one u understand the value of preply lol😂
My english is at lvl of B1, and i want to practice more my english. So i find preply but idk if it free or not because im still young and i have no bank acc
To join Preply? Honestly, I can't tell you that because it depends on your specific situation. As you can tell from the video, I don't think it's a great option, but it depends how much you need to earn (which varies depending on cost of living in your country), what experience you have, whether you're willing to learn to market yourself...
It obviously depends where you’re based and what’s popular with the kind of students you want to work with, plus I generally advise people on how to not use platforms at all. As a rule though, I’d suggest platforms where they take a one off fee rather than a commission, such as SuperProf. And where they don’t favour NS of course.
As I focus on helping people find their own clients, I don't really have a list of recommendations, but if you look through the comments on this post, there are some good recommendations in there.
Hello. If the person you commented on is not responding. I am a native German speaker and a tutor on Preply. I stumbled on that video because fully agree with the statement that the platform is treating their "employees " not very well, and I started to reach out for students on my own. If you still need a German teacher please let me know
Generally I think you’re better off finding your own clients. But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
You are right. The system of Preply is so dangerous. Even if you are a good student, you can be abused with microphone or camera situations. Therefore, you can see a lot of abused teachers for delaying lessons. My account was deleted 5 hours ago. I was a 🅰️ good student for Russian, English, German, Spanish, French and also Arabic and Hindu. One of them are abused me. The system deleted my account. They did not respond me. I am not guilty. I am well. I pay my bills.
@@earnlearnthrive Thank you for your kind reply. Unfortunately, it is was done. My enthusiasm is decreased now for this platform. No more preply anymore.
@@earnlearnthrive Latest News. 5 hours ago. I wrote a review to TrustPilot official website for preply. I told what everything happened. Therefore, I gave 2 points and them I emailed it to support preply com. After that 2 hours and 26 minutes. They replied my email address as a real staff member reply. They opened my account again. It is activated again. They ask to re organize my review. I have today give 5 points them. TrustPilot is working. If not, it will not be occured.
If the model works for you, great. It will do for some people who actually don't want to take on any risk in terms of investing in marketing etc, and who are OK with low rates because they live in countries with a much lower cost of living. Personally, I'd rather put in the hard work on my own business, but it's a choice for sure.
Hi, thanks for watching and commenting. I actually teach people how to find clients themselves, so this isn't something I can really advise on (I just hear the horror stories mainly). But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
Oh goodness! The major problem is that a lot of people go to Preply looking for a cheap tutor, not necessarily a qualified one. Which means it's that much more unlikely to work well for you if you are looking for clients who do understand the value you offer and are willing to pay for it.
Recent investigations revealed that there are 50 tutors for 1 student in subjects such as mathematics, chemistry and physics.The ratio for EFL cannot be much better and in all probability is worse. There are experienced professional teachers charging less than 5 US Dollars per hour - they live in Africa, Bangladesh, etc where the cost of living is very low. Tutors in a country such as Germany can charge higher rates, because German is not spoken in cheap countries (except a little in Namibia). But if your native language is English, French, Spanish or Portuguese, you will face fierce competition from Africa, Central America, etc. where salaries may be ten times lower than in Europe or North America.
Yes, that's quite right. And why, unless you happen to live in tose countries where you can afford to do this, you shouldn't be looking to compete on price.
I don’t really recommend any platforms because I teach people how to find their own clients. I just had a Google though and found this information, which may help. www.tefl.org/teach-english-online/palfish/
I recently came across this really interesting blog where a teacher describes exactly how much she earned in a year on Preply. Check it out here: joannaesl.com/2023/02/24/one-year-on-preply
Very informative and genuine video. I agree 100% that what they are doing is truly a scam and taking advantage of teachers. I will most definitely avoid using such an unjust platform. Thanks you, cheers!
Honestly i bought a lot of books to give better classes. So i went spending a lot of money. I worked and i also spend money. Too bad, i cant recommend this Platform, i dont want to have a burn out
I don’t recommend either. Here’s a post I found on Google about Cambly teflhero.com/blog/cambly-review/#:~:text=Cambly%20Teaching%20Experience%20Cons%3A,student%2Dto%2Dteacher%20ratio)
I am currently using Preply as a Polish language student. I really like my tutor and the platform is easy to use. I feel bad that the teachers do not get paid well, but I would hope it’s just supplemental income. I may become an English tutor. I was planning on using this app in the beginning until I gain some experience. I do have to say that the terms are very clear. Don’t quit your day job!
I wanted to apply to Preply some years ago, but as soon as I saw that they take 100% of the earnings and then charge a very high commission, I said no way. I could never do that to myself.
I don’t because basically I don’t recommend platforms but finding your own clients. There is a video about that.. How can I find online students for my ELT/ESL Freelance business without using Preply? th-cam.com/video/N0ExDSsiaws/w-d-xo.html But if you want some recommendations for better platforms there was some useful discussion under a recent post I made on LinkedIn. www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
Hi Rachael, i am in the process of transitioning from in class teaching to online teaching. I am based in China, so would like to stay in this timezone and focus on Chinese students. I have just been made redundant from the first and only job i have had in China, so after 8 years at this school, i do have some loyal students and parents who have already approached me for private teaching, so over the short term my position may well be a hybrid of in person and online. I have considered using Moodle as the LMS for my new adventure, having 8 years worth of teaching resources and lessons, I have enough to create a learning environment suited to the K-12 education in China. SO if you have any tips on Chinese friendly platforms I am all ears!
Hi Clive, Sorry not to respond sooner but I have been asking around as China is not a market I'm very familiar with. You might want to follow James Liu, as I believe he knows more about this market.
If you are 18 years old, living at home with parents having just completed your A levels, Preply might be a starting platform for you. If you are a professional teacher or tutor, Preply is absolutely not for you.
@@earnlearnthrive Not at all. I find it 100% logical but people don't even tell the truth. On Preply and other platforms there is a woman called Patricia stating that she is a native speaker of English, French and Polish. In fact, she makes mistakes when she speaks French but she doesn't have enough students to teach only her real native language, Polish! Many people from North Africa also pretend they are French native speakers although they are not!
Intriguing from a future prospective student's perspective. However, unless there are none(?), you failed to provide an alternative for both tutors and students who want to support tutors rather than the middle man...
As a business coach, I generally recommend freelancers to go about finding their own clients, and I have a lot of videos about this. A good place to start is How can I find online students for my freelance teaching business. th-cam.com/video/N0ExDSsiaws/w-d-xo.htmlsi=fbtAbRFMEXX0MDOQ. However, some platforms are clearly better than others, and there have been quite a few recommendations in the comments. So, as a student you could look there, or you could look on social media platforms for independent teachers. What language are you hoping to learn?
Hear me out I think their system actually incentivizes setting prices at a high rate. According to what you said the student has to pay 100% of whatever rate you set. So if you set a very high rate let's say $20, that will discourage students just looking for a freebie. The freebie seekers will just go with people pricing their classes much lower, right? People who are genuinely interested in your profile and background might be willing to pay the premium. I think I'll follow through with it but I'm setting my rate high and if I don't get any work that's fine. I don't want an endless stream of free trial lessons.
$20 an hour isn't a high rate where I'm based in the Uk, it's not much more than minimum wage (and that doesn't take into account preparation time). But, yes, while you are encouraged by Preply to set your rates low, you can actually set them at whatever point you like, and that can help to distinguish you from the mass. However, price alone isn't enough to signal quality and results- you'll need to show them why you're worth paying more for, and bear in mind that most students on Preply are not looking to pay more for high quality in the first place.
@@earnlearnthriveThanks for your reply. You make a good point. I have a doctorate in an unrelated field, a CELTA, and 7 years of teaching experience. What rate would you suggest I set to avoid wasting time? Here in Southeast Asia, $20 per hour is decent, but I want to discourage frivolous trial lessons? Do you think $20 would do the trick?
@@Roadkicks-mp8cb I honestly can't advise on rates, as it depends on so many factors, plus I'm not recommending using the platforms in the first place.
I didn't get to set a price when I started with Preply. It was by defult $5. I only realized it too late. Immediately I got swamped with messages (about 32 per day) from new students. When I raise my price with $2 to $7. I get no messages 😂 this is ridiculous... i cannot plan lessons and teach quality lessons at this rate. I dont think I will stay with this company any longer. I am utterly exhausted by the amount of trial lessons and low paying students, I cant even search for other alternatives. So you are 100% correct about this video 💯
SCARY AND HARMFUL TO THE DEVELOPMENT FOR KIDS!!!!!!!. Tutor in Preply told my 9 yr old kid to read something flesh and blood, reading novel that include violence ,the word "kill" appears around 60 times in the book. And the customer service just say " I can help you cancel the lesson and transfer your credit to another teacher"! and they said after review carefully, We can refund any leftover balance if you wish without the processing fee." What a irresponsible company! I will never send my kids to Preply again!
Totally agree with Rachel. Teachers should charge as much as possible so they will have the least amount of students for the highest return on their time. This means the students get a higher-quality of tuition, better lessons, and personal care.
Hi, I am a student of a high school in Vietnam. The average salary here is quite low so I can't afford to pay too much to learn English. Thanks to Preply, I have the opportunity to develop myself
@@hongvinguyenthi6534 If you don't have money to pay for your lessons a decent rate, then don't! There are other ways of learning English.
@@hongvinguyenthi6534 I have rich students from China who book. Thanks to preply, I can make a suitable living. We shouldn't have to be paid low just because people can't afford it.
@@hongvinguyenthi6534There's plenty of good Filipino teachers out there
This is depriving students in underdeveloped areas of educational opportunities
I have been with Preply off and on for 3 years. I just let it be what it is. I teach in m own way and have never gone into their system or watched one of the many video's they send to improve my teaching. I have a high return level and they stay for quite a while. I do not get offered alot of new students. I just go with the flow. I am a voice coach and the only reason I continue teaching English is because of how much I enjoy meeting the people from around the world. Preply has not questioned my method of teaching and for me this has been why I have stayed. I am a super tutor but honestly I am not getting more students because of it. I don't have high expectations from this company and have been fine with how it all works up to this point. I should be making alot more money and am now looking into how to make that happen. Thus I watched your video! Thank you.
Could you help me with something? some weeks ago i created my profile on Preply for becoming a spanish tutor. Everything done, they accepted me, but the problem is i cannot make my account visible to other ppl. When im in my account and go the right part where it says "students cannot see your profile in the search results", preview profile, i dont see anywhere the purple option for making it visible. Why is this?
👏👏Oh my goodness yes! I did one trial lesson on Preply or similar a few years back. It was interesting to teach someone in Turkey for a change but I wasn't paid and they didn't continue with me so I got nothing. After that experience, I decided it wasn't worth it. I thought at the time it was free for the student. What a rip-off for teachers!
It seems like a no brainer to get everything done for you, but there's definitely a price to pay... and bigger than you might think.
@@earnlearnthrivecan you then suggest teaching platforms that are better in 2024 and it's worldwide please?
@@davy_blackbirdd Hi, thanks for watching and commenting. I actually teach people how to find clients themselves, so this isn't something I can really advise on (I just hear the horror stories mainly). But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
question can you upload videos on preply to market yourself
Rachael, this is a great insight into this platform.
Here is my experience of teaching with through them. When I first started out on Preply, the first month was dismal in relation to pay. I taught hours of trial lessons, in that first month and felt used with this. The first rate that I started out with $20 per hour. After 700 hours of teaching, I raised my rate to $40. The next point about native speaker tick box is rather disheartening.
However, some words of advice regarding this platform. I would recommend those that are considering Preply to niche or specialise. If you are offering a general language course, then you are competing with the vast majority of teachers whose rate may be rather low. When specialising, you will be sought and can dedicate more time to seeking more reputable students who are willing to pay a little more.
I did make a video about Preply - the pros and cons - but I use them to supplement my income, especially at this time where it is getting more and more precarious with employment.
Thanks for commenting, Martin. I couldn't agree more about specialising, definitely the key to earning more on Preply, but, if you're going to do that (and you should), I'd argue that you'll do better still by finding your own clients.
Just talking about you personally, rather than the general 'you' - $40 an hour is still not great for someone with your experience and expertise, based in the expensive UK, and presumably you are still paying a proportion of that in commission as well? You have a big audience too. Lots of potential I'd say.
@@earnlearnthrive true about Preply taking a chunk out of my hourly rate. I would love to offer online group lessons but have no idea where to start. However, with much happening at the moment, I may have to put this on hold and see what could be organised in the future.
@@ELTExperiences hi there! Your comment is commendable! I am a professional English teacher but have no clear idea about online teaching yet.
Can you please suggest some other websites or should I go for preply? Respect from Pakistan
I'm not sure that specializing is a good idea. I used to do that, I didn't want to teach beginners and was mainly doing exam preparations. Unfortunately I had to change this strategy because my conversion rate (the ratio between people watching my profile and booking a lesson) was too low. Now that I accept beginners I have a better conversion rate and a better ranking... It's sad but specializing doesn't seem to work on this kind of platforms.
question can you upload videos on preply to market yourself
Thanks for the warning. Appreciated. By the sound of them I wouldn't touch them with a barge pole.
in brief:
**1. Introduction:**
- Rachael Roberts introduces the topic by mentioning that there are 11,912 English language tutors on Preply, and she believes they might be making a mistake.
- She aims to help English language teaching professionals earn more while working less.
- Preply's business model is beneficial for the platform but not for the teachers.
**2. Preply's Marketing and Commission:**
- Preply markets itself as a platform that handles everything, allowing teachers to focus solely on teaching.
- Rachael argues that paying commission to Preply is not a good idea.
- A client of Rachael's shares her experience with Preply, mentioning that she chose it due to its widespread advertising.
- The platform requires teachers to give a free trial lesson, but the student pays the full fee, which Preply takes entirely.
- After the trial, Preply takes a 33% commission for the first 100 hours of lessons with a student. This commission decreases over time but remains high.
**3. Pricing and Bias on Preply:**
- Preply encourages teachers to charge low rates, with advice to start at 12 pounds an hour.
- Success as an online teacher is not about having many clients at low rates but about attracting clients willing to pay for quality.
- Preply's search system may bias towards native speaker teachers and those charging lower rates.
**4. Business Model and Teacher Struggles:**
- Preply's business model of attracting many students at low prices works well for the platform but not for teachers.
- Teachers have limited time and energy, making it challenging to teach many students and maintain quality.
- Teachers can end up working extensive hours without earning enough, leaving no time for marketing themselves elsewhere.
**5. Conclusion and Call to Action:**
- Rachael warns against the trap of relying solely on platforms like Preply.
- She emphasizes the importance of finding students who value a teacher's expertise and are willing to pay for it.
- Rachael invites viewers to subscribe to her channel and join her membership for ELT freelancers.
Overall, the video highlights the potential pitfalls of teaching on Preply and encourages teachers to seek alternative methods to market themselves and find students who value their expertise.
😂😂😂
Wow, dude, you're a LEGEND!
did u ai app to summarize?
@@yes_man_lol .
😂😂😂
Personally I went on Preply and considered it a free internship to gain experience since it was my first time teaching online 😅😂 after one month on the platform and 40+ lesson taught and less than 100$ made I’m moving on to a better paying company
I guess experience is useful but that’s a shocking rate! Glad you’re moving on.
Which company ?
@@gilles8104 Cambly and amazing talker
Are those companies reliable? I’ve tried to register on Amazing Talker and the system hasn’t been working properly during my registration process.
@@sarahkas Those are not better companies. On Cambly you will never be able to make the kind of money one can make on Preply because they pay rate has been the same for over 10 years. 0.17c per minute. That's disgraceful
I want to talk about preply from a refund perspective. I’ve used them and I think the ‘buy flow’ is pretty happy experience (meaning from finding tutor, to booking, to set up schedule to pay) but when you want your money back from unused hours, they seriously make it difficult. A bit sad that they try to squeeze as much they can from both tutors and buyers.
Thanks for making this point - something I hadn't thought about.
Brilliant video, Rachael. Lots of misleading videos about Preply around but this is one of the best l have seen.
Thank you!
Very interesting. I am a kindergarten teacher from st lucia 🇱🇨 and I applied to work on preply just to make a little extra income. Listening to your video has been an eye opener. I would really like someone to help me find a better company that I could apply to, so that I could accomplish my dreams
Hi Rachel, glad I found your video, I'm just in the process of applying to Preply, having my doubts though. You have a new subscriber!
At least your eyes are open then :) Thanks for the subscribe.
Thanks for your insight. I'll be checking out more of your videos!
I worked on Preply and taught French for 3 years and at the rate of 50 hours per week for 8 or 9 dollars per hour with the first course at 100% commission and the others at 18% (+ 21% for Urssaf and 3% for Paypal...) I had a "Super Tutor" and "Super popular" profile then one day when I was trying to send documents to learn phonetics to a new student a "Bryan", incompetent Arabic from their support falsely accused me of wanting to teach a course outside of their platform. First of all I could no longer send messages to anyone then 24 hours later they maintained their false accusations against me without even answering me and closed my profile even though I had given them the screenshots of my answers negative to the last students who asked me for a WhatsApp as well as those showing that I had tried to simply send documents for phonetics before a first lesson was booked. I am 39 years old, I have been fluent in Chinese, Spanish and English for 20 years, but I have never had any training or work in France. For me this slave job was a chance.
I’m very sorry to hear this story, Gilles.
@@earnlearnthrive it's ok I just wanted to give another vision of what could go wrong there even when we think everyday is perfect. lol I am planning to move to iTalki and I also have an old Amazing Talker account I'm gonna reactivate. The most funny is now I am teaching some of the students I had on WhatsApp and Zoom (but before their accusation I never even tried) lol ! They are employing such pathetic clowns in their supports. I'm happy to be gone. We have good social welfare in France anyway and I will cherish my free time now...
@@earnlearnthrive it's OK, I'll learn how to work on my own without this kind of "mafia" lol
"Incompetent arabic from their support". I bet there's more to the story, you're probably rude and crazy.
@@gilles8104 You reminded me of a Korean company I was teaching with for just over a year. I never had a single day off in all that time, then one day my body was just so tired, I could not physically get out of bed. I was exhausted, I couldn't even open my eyes. When I eventually woke up and tried to log into the platform, my details were not being recognised. I contacted my manager and asked what was going on and she said that I missed my classes without getting in contact with them so the company had to take a decision and they fired me. These companies have no value for us, we're just a number in their machines.
I feel it is important to give a different perspective on this as someone who has both freelanced and is currently teaching on Preply (for 1.5 years now). Yes, it's hard to get established, as is ANY business. I started advertising my classes at $8 per hour as a NES and gradually increased my rates by $1-$2 per month and I am currently charging $25-$30 per hour. I am a very pro-active and professional teacher and treat this as a business, which is where "most" tutors on Preply fail. I have also been a traditional, full timer teacher for 20+ years. Preply do all the marketing and take care of all the financial side, which trust me, as an ex-business owner is no small matter. You don't have to worry about any credit card fraud, unpaid classes or chargebacks etc. I feel to many tutors blame Preply for THEIR own mis-management and shortcomings. I currently teach 40-50 hours a week on there, earning $100-$200 per day. Is it perfect? No, but it is, in my opinion the best option out there.
Also regarding the commission, is it initially high? Yes, but I feel its worth putting in the effort. As for the base rate of 18%, is that really so high? Considering everything you get in return? If you a have an affiliate business you only get 10-20% of any product you sell, if your an ebay seller you pay 10-15% in fees, plus your cost of sales, VAT etc, so lets put this into perspective. I feel 18% is a good deal. IF your a PROFESSIONAL teacher, and an experienced teacher this is a great platform. But if you're a casual, unexperienced teacher, just looking to make some extra "pocket money", then may be this isn't for you.
Everyone has to decide what works for them, and if you’re happy with working 40-50 contact hours a week, that’s your choice.
Personally, I think that’s crazily high, and I can’t imagine how exhausting it would be if you’re also doing preparation on top.
@@earnlearnthrive I do it because I'm passionate about my job. I also have a full time teaching job on top of Preply. That's my choice. I don't understand your "negativity" I feel you have an axe to grind. As I said. I 'm earning $100-$200 a day on there doing 6-8 hours, Do you know many full time jobs that you can earn the equivalent? You could earn more freelance, yes BUT then you have to do all the marketing, advertising, deal with platform issues, build lesson plans and the there's the chasing payments, dealing with CC fraud and chargebacks etc. I had a private student who, after 6 months of teacher his teenage daughter, filed a fraudulent CC complaint and got refunded ALL his money, no questions asked and you have no way to fight it. With preply all those concerns and worries are theirs, not your. That alone is worth the 18%.
@@ActionFigureResource Yes, I guess I do kind of have an axe to grind, because I see so many people really struggling to make it pay anything like what they should be earning as a qualifed and experienced teacher, and I don't like the way Preply encourages people to lower their rates etc (no need to go through this again). In answer to your question, in the UK the average salary is £34,963, which works out as a day rate of £203.00 (taking into account benefits etc), so $100-200 dollars for 6-8 contact hours doesn't sound that amazing, given that teaching is much more intensive than most jobs on an hourly basis (the average contact time in any good school is around 20-24 hours over 5 days), and that you may well be doing preparation on top. However, I also recognise that people's circumstances are different, and what is a poor hourly rate in some countries is pretty good in others, and that it can be a trade-off in terms of spending time marketing etc. Personally, I would choose to invest that time, and be able to charge higher rates and do less marketing over time as the business builds, but it's absolutely a choice.
What is a NES?
Thanks for the heads up. I’m new on Preply to understand the business model. I’m a newly retired professor and not sure I want to teach English yet. Thought of it as an easier way to see if I should invest in creating online teaching materials. Glad to find your channel. New subscriber🎉🤓
Welcome, Crystal!
Very interesting point of view. Also very interesting to mention that the student pays full price for a 'trial' lesson, hadn't thought of it that way round. I am currently working on Preply but trying to build my own profile of private students. I think it takes the marketing out of it for you, but it is a huge amount of commission you are paying... for not a lot in return.
Building up visibility through marketing is definitely more effort but then it pays off whereas you will never earn more than a certain amount on a platform.
I work for Preply also
I had no ideia, Rachael! Thank you for those information!!!
I started Preply because I need the money since I have no job right now, so when the person asked for a trial I make sure is a child because that’s where my expertise are and I filter all the other ones. Yes I agree, I understand they should get a commission but for the 1st trial 100% is a lot the only benefit I see with this is that they find you the students so I don’t have to do it, yet I have to find more students on Outschool😕
It is understandable that students who are learning English are going to want to be taught by a Native English Speaker. If I wanted to learn Mandarin, Russian, or Khmer I would expect my teacher to be from China, Russia, or Cambodia as I would anticipate they will also know the culture and other aspects that are crucial to know when it comes to learning a language.
As for setting one's pay rate. On Preply I anticipate that I am competing with other teachers for students. I also know that as a customer they want to get the best value for their dollar. I would figure my rate based on my expenses. I am a Native English Speaker from the USA who is living in Cambodia and has a BA in Political Science and a 120 hr TEFL certificate. I also have over 5 years of experience teaching English in Brazil, China, and Cambodia. In the USA I would also teach Cooking classes. Seeing that I am living in Cambodia whose cost of living is low this means I can charge less than what I would if i had lived in the USA. Basically, I would take my living expenses and multiply it by 2 and then add 3 dollars which will likely be preply's cut then i would figure out what my rate would be per hour if I were to work 40 hours a week. This would result in my charging students 9.00 an hour Unless my expenses go up which they aren't likely to as rents in Phnom Penh Cambodia or actually go down due to an oversupply of available rental units I am not likely going to raise my rates as I live comfortably on what I am charging. I also do not rely completely on preply. I think of preply as more of a side gig that i use to earn extra money while working in a local school while between jobs, or if I were to start an unrelated business. While I was in China I learned how Chinese people conduct business. They are happy to operate on 1% price margins which means that many of their competitors will be unable to compete with them based on price alone. I set my rates as low as necessary so that I make at least a 1% profit and I strive to be provide as much value to my students. This ultimately will result in me being lower than 60% of other Native English Teachers
Wow. A lot to respond to here.
In order..
I think we need to consider why someone is learning a language. If I’m going to live in Rio I might want to try and acquire a Carioca accent, but most people who learn English are going to use it as a lingua Franca. We (English, American etc) don’t own English any more.
As for pay rate and 40 contact hours a week - if it that works for you, that’s obviously totally your call. But that’s not what I would want or advise for my clients.
nobody who wants to learn english should learn the language from someone in 1) sw london 2) northern england
people who cant speak it have a fantasy about harry potter sounding teachers, but wont understand ANYONE in REAL ENGLAND
@@earnlearnthrive Non-native teachers teaching my language (French) always make mistakes, even if their very short introductory video!
That’s a bit of a sweeping statement.. but it probably says more about the calibre of many teachers on Preply than anything else ..
@@camillesolange182 french in not like english buddy ,my language is very hard that even the natives don't know how to speak it in the best way so yeah french is harder than english, like my language being harder than both
Absolutely true. It’s just hilarious. They advised me to charge 6 dollars per hour! S. I. X. I have more than 20 years of experience, and this - it is lower than minimum hour rate for non-qualified jobs in my country.
It might be funny, if it wasn't so tragic.... Honestly, six dollars?
@@earnlearnthrive I should have screenshoted it ;-) but I was too shocked ;-)))
Yes, I read all the terms and conditions. Preply is oversaturated I guess, and that makes it really hard for tutors to find students. Preply is still a great choice for those just staring off . Indeed, the native language tutors are favourited by the platform.
It’s oversaturated with commoditised teachers who are being chosen mainly on the basis of being cheap. Someone starting out might not have a choice, doesn’t make it a good choice though.
Hi i am working on preply since this week. And i am working the whole week, i did a lot of experiment lesson but never earned nothing. I Don t have any time for my daughter, because there a such a Mountain of e mails to respond. If you dont respond the app blocks you. I didn t slept more than 3 hours a night. Really, i am very sad about all this situation
Very useful information! Thanks
Then which platforms are good to give lessons? I wish you also gave a few examples and explained them.
Generally I think you’re better off finding your own clients. But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
@@earnlearnthrivewhere does one find students?
Thanks for an honest review. Very well done. I will look for another platform.
Thank you so much for the information I was just about to sign up with them but felt like I needed to check reviews
Hi Rachael. Thank you for the heads up. I was just about to start working with Preply and thanks to you now I have changed my mind. However I still want to try and teach online in my free time. Can you please suggest one or more platforms to try or worthy to work with?
Generally I think you’re better off finding your own clients. But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
Preply suspended my tutor account for "breaking policies" but they don't really tell me what policy I broke. They suspended my account with my earnings for the month and they told me that they have the right not to communicate further.
Sorry to hear that, that doesn't sound good at all.
Did you not get paid????
Thank you for your information. Do they provide lesson plans? If not, how the tutor prep time is considered within the deal?
Not as far as I’m aware. So, yes, the hourly rate also includes prep.
Can you please mention some of the good companies to work with as an English Teacher
Hi, thanks for watching and commenting. I actually teach people how to find clients themselves, so this isn't something I can really advise on (I just hear the horror stories mainly). But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
You’re definitely right 🤍
Correction:
You go to 25% after 50 hours, not 100 hours.
You're quite right- not sure if this has changed since I researched the platform, but here's a link to the current commission model. help.preply.com/en/articles/4171383-preply-commission-model
I still think it's high though, and I also notice the suggestion that $10 an hour is an acceptable rate.
Free trial lessons are THE WORST. I just tell myself that the more lessons means a lower commission rate 😭
Well, that’s true. But , depending on where you’re based I guess, it’s a very hard slog to get to a decent hourly rate. Have you tried marketing yourself in other ways?
I am using Preply as a student (Russian, I am a German). As a student I would prefer being taught by a native speaker, because the learning curve in the pronunciation of the language will be better. The learning of the grammar, I can do in self-study, passive understanding by reading books and watching movies or listening to music. Would I really expect from the teacher is teaching of active conversation skills and good pronunciation.
Really interesting to get a comment from a Preply student, thank you. :) Obviously, you're the customer and it's your choice, but in fact I think it's a misconception that a native speaker is necessarily best for learning pronunciation. In our global connected world (unlike in the past), you can listen to hours of Russian for free to pick up pronunciation naturally, but only a qualified and experienced teacher, native or non native, will understand the nuances of how to actually produce the sounds, how words run together in the stream of speech and so on. Similarly, teaching good conversational skills requires an understanding of turn taking conventions, appropriacy, and the ability to explain and correct as appropriate. Just being a native speaker isn't enough, and a poorly paid one is that much more likely to be a poorly qualified one.
why would you want to learn russian? Concering...everything?
@@GutterFlower-t2u I am interested in the rise and failure of societies and culture. It is quite interesting for me to compare the Soviet socialistic empire with the German national socialistic empire of the 1930s. A great number of opponents of the Soviet leadership wrote excellent pieces of literature in exile, which is all published in Russian. Also, a great number of liberals and opponents of the Hitler regime published political books in German language. If you want to know what goes wrong in a society, you have to read the literature of opponents and intellectuals of that time, otherwise history is difficult to understand.
Just an example: Boris Akunin is a contemporary Russian writer in exile in London. He has published great books, not only books on detective and historical fiction, but also books about the Russian society in general. It is very enjoyable and enriching to read these books.
@@earnlearnthrive Just being a native speaker isn't enough but not being one doesn't guarantee that you are teaching better! I teach my native language although I could teach another one. I feel more comfortable teaching my language. I had to learn how to do it of course, but I am 100% sure of what I say in my language. Non-native teachers always make mistakes when they teach!
As a student I have an unique opportunity to find out some native tutors for affordable money. Those might live in a country with low-cost living expenses so that would be quite win-win deal.
It's never a win-win deal. I lived in Peru, believe me, we need money everywhere. A computer costs the same everywhere, a good place (quiet!) to work is expensive, even in "poor" countries, Internet connection is also very expensive!
I have been on Preply for two months now. I have watched so many videos on how to get students. I have lowered my rate and available myself most of the time during the day but I still have no luck in getting students. I am so demotivated 😢
The problem is if you differentiate yourself on price alone there will always be someone cheaper. You need to develop an offer which will make students specifically want to choose you.
Could u help me? some weeks ago i created my profile on Preply for becoming a spanish tutor. Everything done, they accepted me, but the problem is i cannot make my account visible to other ppl. When im in my account and go the right where it says "students cannot see your profile in the search results", preview profile, i dont see anywhere the purple option for making it visible. Why is this?
I have question... does preply platform have possibility to scrutiny conversation between a native and a student? Because from my point of view fees are too high.
Thank you for giving saving me.
I work on preply and its going great! Full schedule and I do what I want when I want within their guidelines 😁
Happy to hear that. It can work for some people if their situation fits (i.e. you don't need to charge much because you live in a 'cheap' country).
@@earnlearnthrive I am from San Francisco California, one of the most expensive places for rent in the USA, if not world. I live comfortable and travel a lot 😃I charge over 40 an hour and my schedule stays full. I admit, it is not the normal. I also do not teach English on preply, that field is extremely saturated. I would advise people to think about what else they can teach that has little competition AND high demand
@@DonTravelsTheWorld Ah, well that would be another exception because, as you say, there is a lot less commoditisation when it’s harder to find tutors.
Hi @don please how can one teach other things in preply,apart from English
Agreed. I've set my rate at 25 dollars an hour and I'm not lowering it. I'll just keep searching for opportunities.
They didn't accept my request to be tutor there, saying that I didn't fill up requirements and my subjects are not in demand, but is a lie. After my TH-cam video presentation, for 3 times, put on public 3 times and nothing, they said I can't be tutor there... I was thinking to hire a teacher there to learn a language, but knowing that they get your 100% work... after try to become a tutor... I will definitely not be hiring anyone from there, rather search and chose without platform.
It is better pay to get TOEFL or similar certificates and be hired anywhere in the world, everything payed besides the salary, beside the huge experience with new culture everyday.
I ask students interested in my profile to book a 30-minute trial lesson, some book a 50-minute one but most respect my choice, this helps!
Good idea!
It's fine if you live in a cheap country. I started at $16/h which wasn't even good back then considering the 33% commission. But I was living in Guatemala so it was... okay. Now I've been on the platform for a year and a half and most of my lessons are at $25/h. Their commission is still quite high if you ask me: 18% (that's the lowest they can do sadly). I think it's a good income if you live in a cheap country (as a digital nomad). I wouldn't have started at such a low rate in Australia - where I was living before. That's the only thing you have to consider before signing up: can I afford to earn so low? But over time you increase your rate and it can actually become quite comfortable income
Yes, I agree it's fine if you have a low cost of living, and if it works for you, great. But it doesn't for the vast majority of my clients, who are based in Europe. 25$ an hour is still very low in that context if you're an experienced professional teacher.
Greetings! I am an English tutor from Russia. There is a huge struggle among English teachers, we have several platforms like Preply. They take huge commissions ( up to 70%)so basically you work enormous hours in order to survive. The salary is really low. I didn't think that native teachers are treated like us.
Basically anyone who feels they don't have another option I guess :(
Hi, would you be kind enough to share with me the various platforms currently in Russia especially in Moscow because I am base in Moscow. I'm looking forward to join an online platform to begin my English teaching journey as an immigrant. Thank you in advance 😊😊
Tried Preply a couple of years ago for not even three weeks. I was averaging 15 hours a week of free trials. Of course the students wanted my most popular times of day, espcially the times I had my PAYING students. I was paying to teach. At that point I stopped and deleted my profile. Now I teach on 2 other platforms, the pay is less, but at least I get paid for every minute I work. Even free trials.
Yes, it’s not a good model for teachers at all.
Have you considering finding your own clients off the platforms?
What other platforms?
@@gerishonkamanu3957 Cambly and iTalki
I teach mainly Spanish . I haven´t tried Preply .Thank you for the warning. I´ve tried Amazing Talker. It looks like a "legal scam" the worst trap ever !
Oh my goodness... I just looked at that site and even what they say you can earn on average is pretty terrible because it's based on 40 hours a week, which is a CRAZY amount of work for teaching, and takes no account of preparation or marking. If you did 20 hours contact time a week, that would be 7 euros an hour on average- so some earning less. There aren't many countries in the world where that's a good rate.
Thank you for the video. I was ready to apply to Preply without reading their Terms and Conditions. Having watched your video I understood how worthless they make a teacher's work for teachers themselves.
Always read the Ts and Cs!
Great informative video. So please tell me where new teachers can go to get students.
I think it’s obviously harder if you don’t have much teaching experience. There are better places to gain this though, and, depending on your other skills and experience you might still be able to attract your own clients by focusing on the experience and skills you DO have. Maybe you’ve worked in a particular industry and would be able to help with English for that industry for example.
Check out my video on how to get students without using a platform.
The commission rate is highway robbery IMHO.
@Racheal which platform do you recommend please?
Generally I think you’re better off finding your own clients. But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
Not to mention, they have an awful customer service from a student's perspective. They have about 6 people reply to each message, asking about the same thing. And they end up telling you they can't solve the issue.
Also, they don't refund you after 30 or 60 days. It is completely unrealistic if you buys like 40 hours to take 1 hour lesson per week for 40 weeks, then your tutor suddenly disappears. I've had this happen. This is an awful and predatory site that has gotten worse over the years.
Yes I've started hearing more stories like this from students.
Thank u for ur important information but now i wonder if i can find platform to teach Arabic online or not i have 2 languages and i would like to beneif from my knowledge ❤
I work on Preply from Tajikista. May God bless Preply. It helps me a lot to receive additional income.
Is there a limit on the amount of trial lessons a learner can take, or that a teacher can give? Otherwise you're going to spend your whole day working for free for someone else to get paid - there's a word for that....
I'm not 100% sure but I imagine it's one per student. However, since I released this video I've been hearing more stories... apparently there are a lot of students who use the free trials for interview practice etc.
According to my research, the trials amount to about 7% loss on your net income.
I have applied to Preply what other platforms do you suggest
Hi, thanks for watching and commenting. I actually teach people how to find clients themselves, so this isn't something I can really advise on (I just hear the horror stories mainly). But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
thanks for informing us about this platform
She is advising to not use it
I wish I had watched this earlier. I have 6 years of experience teaching English as a Second Language. My profile was just approved. If they encourage students to prefer native-speaker teachers, it only means I'm wasting my time.
Thank you for thd information.
I'm from Brazil, and I'm thinking in improove my English through Preply App. For each American Dolar($) is like BRL(R$) 5, 42 without exchange tax. The minimum salary in Brazil is $262,00 and the average salary is $562,00. The prices to learn English is too high, that's the reason lot of people prefer to save some money and make a exchange travel, but for the marjory of people it's too far! The most friendly country for our pocket is Ireland.
I think that this fails to mention that wether it is worth it or not depends really on where you're based at. It's considerably harder to maintain youself if you're in an expensive, first world country. Prices are driven down by the number of foreign tutors willing to work for cheaper since the USD is worth way more where they're at. Not everywhere is the US or the UK.
Yes, that's a fair point, and I have talked about this elsewhere in the comments. Because I'm based in the UK and price accordingly, most of my clients come from countries where the cost of living is roughly similar, and for them, the average hourly rate on Preply is very low indeed, and even a relatively high rate, such as £30 an hour, isn't great when you consider that McDonalds UK is paying nearly half that, with no preparation or marking or expensive teacher training courses to take into account.
@@earnlearnthrive Also, the 100% trial commission they take may seem harsh, but it's what enables them to replace or refund trials, and it's single handedly the feature that attracts the most students out of all the ones they have. Students feel safe knowing that trials can be refunded no matter what, so the perceived risk is much lower.
@@tchumango9131 Sure, but while I can see that this is attractive to students, it's also going to disproportionately attract time-wasters, and puts all the risk onto the teacher.
What I don't like about the platform:
- you can't choose your students
- you can't specialize (otherwise that affects too much your conversion rate, the ratio between people seeing your profile and booking a lesson)
- commissions are incredibly high
- trial lessons are not paid
- students can cancel their lessons and their subscriptions very easily and you are not paid
- too many no-shows (and I think that I am not paid in those cases....)
- the subscription model
- Preply Classroom, I want to teach in Zoom ETC ETC
BUT
at least I have a few students there and can make a bit of money...
Good luck to all of you!
The cons seem a lot more compelling than the pros. Do you have other ways of finding clients?
Ive been tutoring last 17 years.
I can tell you things are not so simple. It depends on your circumstances and goals on each moment in your life.
Some years I rely more on Preply and some others I promote more the lessons with my own direct clients. Depending how hungry for money I am.
So what’s the solution? What are the alternatives?
th-cam.com/video/N0ExDSsiaws/w-d-xo.htmlsi=gIUu7qcbYbrpxwAB
I m teaching Turkish online since 2015 I tried to use different ways and platforms but the best is preply about everything withdrawal policy and payment price everything just one minus is free trial which is really annoying but when you try other platforms like italki or monthly paying one u understand the value of preply lol😂
My english is at lvl of B1, and i want to practice more my english. So i find preply but idk if it free or not because im still young and i have no bank acc
No, it's not free.
I just received a call to potentially join. I am a cover teacher looking for a new role. Should I go with it ? help please x
To join Preply? Honestly, I can't tell you that because it depends on your specific situation. As you can tell from the video, I don't think it's a great option, but it depends how much you need to earn (which varies depending on cost of living in your country), what experience you have, whether you're willing to learn to market yourself...
As a non-native speaker, what platforms are best for me to teach English online?
It obviously depends where you’re based and what’s popular with the kind of students you want to work with, plus I generally advise people on how to not use platforms at all.
As a rule though, I’d suggest platforms where they take a one off fee rather than a commission, such as SuperProf. And where they don’t favour NS of course.
You are right. So, what platform is good for a language teacher? I do get direct students as possible.
As I focus on helping people find their own clients, I don't really have a list of recommendations, but if you look through the comments on this post, there are some good recommendations in there.
what would a good alternative be? italki doesn't accept any more German community tutors anymore sadly :(
Hey, do you teach German from Deutschland? Ich möchte einen Lehrer
Hello. If the person you commented on is not responding. I am a native German speaker and a tutor on Preply. I stumbled on that video because fully agree with the statement that the platform is treating their "employees " not very well, and I started to reach out for students on my own. If you still need a German teacher please let me know
What’s the best platform then?
Generally I think you’re better off finding your own clients. But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
Can you suggest some alternatives?
Yes, decide on a niche, and work on marketing to find your own clients.
Agreed, in my opinion, even this hourly pay should be removed. And a monthly pay should be encouraged
You are right. The system of Preply is so dangerous. Even if you are a good student, you can be abused with microphone or camera situations. Therefore, you can see a lot of abused teachers for delaying lessons. My account was deleted 5 hours ago. I was a 🅰️ good student for Russian, English, German, Spanish, French and also Arabic and Hindu. One of them are abused me. The system deleted my account. They did not respond me. I am not guilty. I am well. I pay my bills.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience.
@@earnlearnthrive Thank you for your kind reply. Unfortunately, it is was done. My enthusiasm is decreased now for this platform. No more preply anymore.
@@earnlearnthrive Latest News. 5 hours ago. I wrote a review to TrustPilot official website for preply. I told what everything happened. Therefore, I gave 2 points and them I emailed it to support preply com. After that 2 hours and 26 minutes. They replied my email address as a real staff member reply. They opened my account again. It is activated again. They ask to re organize my review. I have today give 5 points them. TrustPilot is working. If not, it will not be occured.
So basically a successful career with preply is the same as starting any business, you take on the risk, put in the work, and build your business.
If the model works for you, great. It will do for some people who actually don't want to take on any risk in terms of investing in marketing etc, and who are OK with low rates because they live in countries with a much lower cost of living. Personally, I'd rather put in the hard work on my own business, but it's a choice for sure.
Excellent video
can you suggest another platform where i can earn more than preplay?
Hi, thanks for watching and commenting. I actually teach people how to find clients themselves, so this isn't something I can really advise on (I just hear the horror stories mainly). But here’s a link to a recent post on LinkedIn where I explained when platforms can be a good idea and in the comments there are some recommendations for platforms that take a lower commission etc www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
Is it worth learning a language from a students perspective?
Depends on the teacher you choose!
You are soooo right!!
Hmm, today there are 27.729!!!!! It’s overloaded with many tutors who are not even qualified!
Oh goodness! The major problem is that a lot of people go to Preply looking for a cheap tutor, not necessarily a qualified one. Which means it's that much more unlikely to work well for you if you are looking for clients who do understand the value you offer and are willing to pay for it.
Recent investigations revealed that there are 50 tutors for 1 student in subjects such as mathematics, chemistry and physics.The ratio for EFL cannot be much better and in all probability is worse. There are experienced professional teachers charging less than 5 US Dollars per hour - they live in Africa, Bangladesh, etc where the cost of living is very low. Tutors in a country such as Germany can charge higher rates, because German is not spoken in cheap countries (except a little in Namibia). But if your native language is English, French, Spanish or Portuguese, you will face fierce competition from Africa, Central America, etc. where salaries may be ten times lower than in Europe or North America.
Yes, that's quite right. And why, unless you happen to live in tose countries where you can afford to do this, you shouldn't be looking to compete on price.
Hi Rachel 😊Would you recommend Pal Fish ❓
I don’t really recommend any platforms because I teach people how to find their own clients. I just had a Google though and found this information, which may help. www.tefl.org/teach-english-online/palfish/
I recently came across this really interesting blog where a teacher describes exactly how much she earned in a year on Preply. Check it out here: joannaesl.com/2023/02/24/one-year-on-preply
Very informative and genuine video. I agree 100% that what they are doing is truly a scam and taking advantage of teachers. I will most definitely avoid using such an unjust platform. Thanks you, cheers!
It is THE WORST platform. So bad in fact I also made a video about it yesterday. Now I'm finding this review and others. Great video btw.
Honestly i bought a lot of books to give better classes. So i went spending a lot of money. I worked and i also spend money. Too bad, i cant recommend this Platform, i dont want to have a burn out
cambly or preply which one is better?
I don’t recommend either. Here’s a post I found on Google about Cambly teflhero.com/blog/cambly-review/#:~:text=Cambly%20Teaching%20Experience%20Cons%3A,student%2Dto%2Dteacher%20ratio)
I am currently using Preply as a Polish language student. I really like my tutor and the platform is easy to use. I feel bad that the teachers do not get paid well, but I would hope it’s just supplemental income. I may become an English tutor. I was planning on using this app in the beginning until I gain some experience. I do have to say that the terms are very clear. Don’t quit your day job!
I wanted to apply to Preply some years ago, but as soon as I saw that they take 100% of the earnings and then charge a very high commission, I said no way. I could never do that to myself.
There are definitely better options.
Honestly i havent found anything better. Do you have another video discussing better alternatives? @earnlearnthrive
I don’t because basically I don’t recommend platforms but finding your own clients. There is a video about that.. How can I find online students for my ELT/ESL Freelance business without using Preply?
th-cam.com/video/N0ExDSsiaws/w-d-xo.html
But if you want some recommendations for better platforms there was some useful discussion under a recent post I made on LinkedIn. www.linkedin.com/posts/rachaelroberts-eltbusinesscoach_what-do-you-have-against-preply-activity-7137749975676915712-erCs?
@@earnlearnthrive Thank you. I will check it out
Hi Rachael, i am in the process of transitioning from in class teaching to online teaching. I am based in China, so would like to stay in this timezone and focus on Chinese students. I have just been made redundant from the first and only job i have had in China, so after 8 years at this school, i do have some loyal students and parents who have already approached me for private teaching, so over the short term my position may well be a hybrid of in person and online. I have considered using Moodle as the LMS for my new adventure, having 8 years worth of teaching resources and lessons, I have enough to create a learning environment suited to the K-12 education in China. SO if you have any tips on Chinese friendly platforms I am all ears!
Hi Clive, Sorry not to respond sooner but I have been asking around as China is not a market I'm very familiar with. You might want to follow James Liu, as I believe he knows more about this market.
You had me at hello😊
If you are 18 years old, living at home with parents having just completed your A levels, Preply might be a starting platform for you.
If you are a professional teacher or tutor, Preply is absolutely not for you.
The ‘native speaker’ tick box is shocking!
It is, isn't it?!
@@earnlearnthrive Yes. it is of course.
@@earnlearnthrive Not at all. I find it 100% logical but people don't even tell the truth. On Preply and other platforms there is a woman called Patricia stating that she is a native speaker of English, French and Polish. In fact, she makes mistakes when she speaks French but she doesn't have enough students to teach only her real native language, Polish! Many people from North Africa also pretend they are French native speakers although they are not!
Intriguing from a future prospective student's perspective. However, unless there are none(?), you failed to provide an alternative for both tutors and students who want to support tutors rather than the middle man...
As a business coach, I generally recommend freelancers to go about finding their own clients, and I have a lot of videos about this. A good place to start is How can I find online students for my freelance teaching business. th-cam.com/video/N0ExDSsiaws/w-d-xo.htmlsi=fbtAbRFMEXX0MDOQ.
However, some platforms are clearly better than others, and there have been quite a few recommendations in the comments. So, as a student you could look there, or you could look on social media platforms for independent teachers. What language are you hoping to learn?
Hear me out I think their system actually incentivizes setting prices at a high rate. According to what you said the student has to pay 100% of whatever rate you set. So if you set a very high rate let's say $20, that will discourage students just looking for a freebie. The freebie seekers will just go with people pricing their classes much lower, right? People who are genuinely interested in your profile and background might be willing to pay the premium. I think I'll follow through with it but I'm setting my rate high and if I don't get any work that's fine. I don't want an endless stream of free trial lessons.
$20 an hour isn't a high rate where I'm based in the Uk, it's not much more than minimum wage (and that doesn't take into account preparation time). But, yes, while you are encouraged by Preply to set your rates low, you can actually set them at whatever point you like, and that can help to distinguish you from the mass. However, price alone isn't enough to signal quality and results- you'll need to show them why you're worth paying more for, and bear in mind that most students on Preply are not looking to pay more for high quality in the first place.
@@earnlearnthriveThanks for your reply. You make a good point. I have a doctorate in an unrelated field, a CELTA, and 7 years of teaching experience. What rate would you suggest I set to avoid wasting time? Here in Southeast Asia, $20 per hour is decent, but I want to discourage frivolous trial lessons? Do you think $20 would do the trick?
@@Roadkicks-mp8cb I honestly can't advise on rates, as it depends on so many factors, plus I'm not recommending using the platforms in the first place.
I wouldn't work there, rather have my own gig, as hard as it might be, preply makes tons of $$.
Marketing yourself is time and effort but so is teaching long hours for a low rate. Choose your hard, as they say.
Thank u for the warning what a rip off
I didn't get to set a price when I started with Preply. It was by defult $5. I only realized it too late. Immediately I got swamped with messages (about 32 per day) from new students. When I raise my price with $2 to $7. I get no messages 😂 this is ridiculous... i cannot plan lessons and teach quality lessons at this rate. I dont think I will stay with this company any longer. I am utterly exhausted by the amount of trial lessons and low paying students, I cant even search for other alternatives. So you are 100% correct about this video 💯
So sorry to hear all this. That doesn’t sound sustainable at all.
They delete my account after I did lots of free trials and got clients, because the robot didnt recognize my ID.
That sounds infuriating.
SCARY AND HARMFUL TO THE DEVELOPMENT FOR KIDS!!!!!!!. Tutor in Preply told my 9 yr old kid to read something flesh and blood, reading novel that include violence ,the word "kill" appears around 60 times in the book. And the customer service just say " I can help you cancel the lesson and transfer your credit to another teacher"! and they said after review carefully, We can refund any leftover balance if you wish without the processing fee." What a irresponsible company! I will never send my kids to Preply again!
Sorry to hear about this experience. It sounds as if the teacher wasn't suitable. Probably better to find (and vet) the teacher yourself.
😊