Preply is one of the web’s biggest tuition platforms. It provides tutors with a way to generate some part-time or full-time income and gives students a portal through which they can learn everything from languages to art, history, and musical instruments.
I was first introduced to the site in around 2018 when I joined as a student. From then until now, it has been my main source of language learning. In my Preply student review, I spoke at length about my experiences with the site and why it’s one of my top picks. Now it’s time to take a look at the site from the perspective of a tutor, answering questions such as:
- Is Preply good for tutors?
- Is it worth it?
- What commission does it charge?
- Do I need a degree?
- How can I make more money through the site?
- And more…
The Platform, Algorithm, and Classroom = Good (some areas need work)
The algorithm on Preply is one of the best around. Just like Amazon, Google, and other major search engines, it delivers varying results based on a user’s location, search patterns, and anticipated budget.
It probably doesn’t sound like a big deal for tutors, but it makes a massive difference.
The average conversion rate from free trials is around 60% and increases to 80% for less common languages. Based on my research, the average for Italki is less than half of this. It seems that Preply has found a sweet spot when it comes to matchmaking students and tutors, and that keeps the conversions high.
For instance, it’s less likely to encourage a low-budget student to get a free trial from a tutor who typically charges $50+ an hour.
Disconnects are relatively uncommon on Preply. I have personally logged over 400 hours as a student and can only recall three occasions in which we’ve had to switch to Zoom/Skype. However, the actual classroom environment is not as clean and intuitive as it is on Italki.
It needs work, although to be fair to Preply, it has undergone some changes in recent months and is improving.
Getting Students on Preply = Excellent
Preply is by far the best platform when it comes to acquiring students. Most tutors are sent between 5 and 10 students a week when they first join, and as the algorithm is fairly solid, a respectable number of them stick around for the long haul.
Of course, that number depends on the language you teach, as well as your experience and price. Someone charging $100 an hour for Latin is likely going to get far fewer bookings than a student charging $10 for Spanish.
It’s important to manage your expectations. As you’ll see throughout this review, it is possible to turnPreply into a full-time job, but only in specific circumstances. For most tutors, it’ll just be a way to fill extra hours and get a few bills paid.
Do you need a degree to teach on Preply?
No, you don’t need a degree to teach on Preply. However, you will be competing against a lot of tutors and all prospective students can see your credentials, so it helps to have some qualifications behind you.
Don’t worry if you don’t have any qualifications though, as many students will judge you purely based on your language skills in your sample video.
Can I teach multiple subjects on Preply?
As things stand, it’s very difficult to teach multiple subjects. There are tutors who offer multiple different languages, including a polyglot I seem to encounter on every search. But these members joined in the early days when the rules were different.
Now, if you want to add another language, you need to request it, and they’re not always willing. Technically, you can still offer to teach the language in your video and on your profile, and I’ve noticed that many tutors do this. However, it means these additional options won’t appear in the search for that language.
Also, I don’t know if this is within Preply’s terms and conditions, so I wouldn’t recommend it.
Getting Paid on Preply = Poor
Let’s get the financials out of the way first. Not only is it the most important aspect of this platform, but it’s also the most problematic.
Firstly, there’s the free trial. Preply encourages all new students to take a free trial with their chosen tutor. Needless to say, the tutor gets nothing from this.
The conversion rates are high, so a good 60-80% of trialists will become paying students, but there’s no escaping the fact you’ll be working for free.
The second issue is the commission.
It varies from 18% to 33%. The more hours they buy, the less commission you will pay:
- 0 to 20 hours = 33%
- 21 to 50 hours = 28%
- 51 to 200 hours = 25%
- 201 to 400 hours = 22%
- 400 + hours = 18%
As you might expect, only a small percentage of students will ever make it to 201 hours and few tutors have multiple students over 400 hours.
So, let’s say that you charge $10 an hour to get things off the ground. A student takes a free trial, likes your style, and then proceeds to book 200 hours over the next few months. From those 200 hours, you’ll get:
- 1st hour = nothing
- Hours 2 to 20 = $127.30
- Hours 21 to 50 = $208.80
- Hours 51 to 200 = $1,117.50
- Total = $1,453.60
That’s the equivalent of $7.26 an hour. Sure, the amount quoted was very small, but as any freelancer knows, you have to start small to build your reputation and cement yourself in the algorithm.
How do you get paid with Preply?
Preply offers a few different ways to get paid, including PayPal, Payoneer, Wise, and Skrill. The site uses dollars, so non-US tutors will need to convert. In such cases, Wise is one of the best options as currency conversion rates are marginal.
Do you have to pay taxes to work on Preply?
All tutors who use Preply are responsible for their own taxes. You must file for income tax in your country of residence and declare your Preply income. Don’t forget that you can also declare your expenses. Speak with a financial/tax advisor to learn more.
Is Working on Preply Worth it?
It depends. If you’re looking for part-time income and live in countries with a high cost of living (the UK, US, Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, etc.,) it’s a good way to earn some part-time cash. If you live somewhere with a lower cost of living, it could become a full-time job.
But there are other considerations, namely your chosen language.
For instance, a native Spanish speaker living in London would have a hard time making a full-time or even part-time wage on Preply. They’ll be competing against native speakers in Central and South America, where tutors can afford to charge less than $10 an hour. To survive in London, they’d need to charge over $30 an hour and conduct at least 20 hours of lessons a week, and that’s not happening.
Who’s going to pay $30 an hour when someone else is offering the same/similar service for $8?
However, a London residentwith a degree in Latin could charge over $50 an hour, get 10+ hours a week, and make a respectable part-time income.
It’s all about language and location, but of course, you don’t need to rely 100% on Preply and many tutors also ply their trade on sites like Italki.
Verdict: Preply Review for Tutors
For this review, I joined as a tutor, spent a few hours on the platform, and then interviewed my tutor, Giannis, a Greek polyglot who has personally taught me for over 400 hours and has also given lessons to 75+ other students.*
During our discussion, I was shocked to learn that Preply charges 33%. I had heard a few grumbles on YouTube videos and social media, but I never thought it was that bad.
As a freelancer myself, I understand that commission is a necessity. It’s how these platforms keep the lights on. But 33%? Come on. It’s a bit much.
Sure, the rate drops for long-term students, but the lowest is 18%. Even that is a bit excessive.
Ultimately, it’s hard to rate this one. For students, it’s near perfect. For tutors of relatively niche languages, it’s also good. But if you’re living in the US/UK and trying to make a few bucks from your high-school Spanish, you have no chance.
*By the way, if you need to brush up on your Greek, be sure to check out the books that Giannis writes with his brother over on Amazon.
What are the pros of working on Preply?
- Lots of students
- High student conversion rates
- Very good support
- Easy-to-use
- Many languages and subjects covered
What are the cons of working on Preply?
- High commission
- No money earned from the first lesson
- Not the best classroom setup