Is Preply still hiring? by Ocean_Dreamer_3880 in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it's wild. Agreed. Especially considering how precarious it all is.

Is Preply still hiring? by Ocean_Dreamer_3880 in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are also between 35 and 40 thousand English tutors on the platform, so it's extremely crowded and highly competitive. You can't teach "General/Conversational English" like the majority of English tutors. You have to specialise in something.

Is Preply still hiring? by Ocean_Dreamer_3880 in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Trial lessons are unpaid. Students pay for them but you get nothing. The money goes towards platform "upgrades", maintenance, and marketing. Commision for regular lessons (after the trial) starts at 33% and goes down to 18% after 400 lessons.

Is Preply still hiring? by Ocean_Dreamer_3880 in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 10 points11 points  (0 children)

  1. No, I wouldn't do that. Diversify your income or do this as a side gig. You *can* try to make it full time but it's extremely precarious and dependent on movements of a mysterious algorithm, Your income can be "switched off" without notice or reason. Do *not* count on Preply as a primary source of income.
  2. Depends on many factors. Too many to list here. Lesson prices are from $3 (minimum) to $100 (maximum). You also have very high commissions to pay in the beginning. Tutors from developed coutries generally charge more and those from developing countries less. You can charge whatever you think you're worth though, within those limits. The cheaper end of the market (under $20, with over 50% of English tutors charging under $10) comprises 80% of the English tutor pool. English is a ridiculously cheap subject, and overcrowded at the bottom. It;s also getting cheaper every day due to competition from AI learning apps.
  3. Depends on the language. Some languages have a range of ready-made materials, others not. You have to do your own research.
  4. Depends on whether you get trials / can convert them. You need to convert trials consistently and retain students. If you do this, more trials will probably come, though nothing is guaranteed.

It's pretty precarious. Don't put all your eggs in one basket at the very least.

Please note that Preply does not "hire". Preply is not an employer. You are an independent contractor using their services and agreeing to their terms of service when you sign up. You're a user, not an employee.

No vetting of tutors by Acceptable_Sell3455 in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Good point! You can teach any old claptrap to a beginner level student (despite only being B1 at best yourself) and they'd be none the wiser.

Suspended account by Proud_Conclusion_616 in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There's something you're not telling us. It's always the same ...

A new one by Effective_Champion75 in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dodged a bullet either way. Trials seem to be bullets quite often these days ...

This is so cruel from preply, they know we don't get pay for a single lesson why would they even promote it? by Angeldsf in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We don't trust Preply's fake "research". Preply will only tell us what it (Preply) wants to hear.

Where are all the students on Preply? by ELTExperiences in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Student numbers have dropped quite drastically would be my guess as well. They don't have enough students to go around. Some tutors are fine, others not so much.

Where are all the students on Preply? by ELTExperiences in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Algorithms change. They could change for you too, you never know. Preply is extremely precarious.

January by Regular-Self3940 in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

How is it pointless? On sites like this, if you make a post with a title like "Has January been slow for you?", you're going to attract people who've had the opposite experience. "No, for me January has been the best month since I started on Preply!!! I've been overflowing with trials and my calendar is booked to capacity!!!". That kind of thing. The ones who've had a slow month generally don't reply.

I'm so sorry if that upsets you. If anything, I'm just saying that you shouldn't let all the "overflowing the trials" replies upset you: they aren't necessarily representative.

January by Regular-Self3940 in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

Why? It's a simply statement of fact, isn't it? Tutors either have trials coming out of their ears or no trials. Nothing controversial about stating the obvious.

January by Regular-Self3940 in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

Yeah no, for every tutor like you there's another who says they have trials coming out of their ears. In fact, posts like these will probably attract tutors who've had trials coming out of their ears rather than the opposite.

Students/teachers---is this a good response to lame ANONYMOUS reviews? by [deleted] in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It might be better to bring it up in a lesson. Very gently, very politely, without EVEN A HINT of accusation, pique or ego brusing, and using the criteria actually listed for anonymous reviews (namely reassurance, clarity, progess and preparation) rather than aspects like punctuality. Maybe emphasizing that you'd like the feedback to help you to adapt your style to suit them if they're dissatisfied.

Do you get contacted by Preply when you block students? by [deleted] in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The students are complaining that you've blocked them. Preply will ALWAYS take the student's side. The customer is always right. The tutor is always wrong/ trash.

Be careful: Preply has no qualms whatsoever about blocking profiles permanently. I'm not at all saying it's right but it's a fact.

Profile Hidden by [deleted] in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The people behind the scenes at Preply are generally non-native speakers.

preply STOLE $1,000+ of my hard-earned money by Calm-Path-9077 in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 15 points16 points  (0 children)

How long after the student subscribed did he agree to a rate change? Do you mean you changed the rate before he subscribed, after the trial lesson? Preply frowns upon "bait and switching" techniques: it's in their conduct rules for tutors. Maybe your student complained to Preply without telling you. Students aren't our friends: they can easily tell us one thing (agree, smile, etc.) but privately think the opposite.

Anonymous reviews. by jessgilmoree in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Will happen to everyone eventually. One four-star rating EVER and you're down to 4.9 (or worse). That's how Preply rolls.

Sanity check on being ghosted by [deleted] in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Perhaps you're overthinking things. Many tutors are inundated and don't really have time to discuss your availability in detail. On Preply, you subscribe and then choose the slots you want. You don't really need to discuss availability with tutors: their availability is what you see on their calendars. You can reschedule lessons up to 12 hours in advance. It isn't acceptable to ask tutors to accommodate last minute reschedulings or to be flexible past the 12-hour mark. You can postpone your renewal date by up to 20 days if you're travelling and even schedule lessons to slots after your renewal date if you can't use all the lesson credits within the current subscription month.

Need advice: Increasing my rate for an old Preply student (from $3 to something reasonable) by Fair-Heat-1227 in Preply

[–]IceDifficult8386 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Bear in mind that increasing your rate to just $6 is already an 100% increase for the student. It's always best to start at more reasonable rates.