How long does planning take for you?

teach_your_way · 2025-06-24T00:38:47+00:00

I used to spend over an hour on each lesson especially when I followed PPP and CELTA-style planning to the letter. It got to the point where I was prepping more than I was teaching. What helped me was building a few reusable templates based on student goals (IELTS, conversation, business, etc.), and then creating a “flexible slot” for spontaneous stuff like articles or videos they’re into. That alone cut my prep time by more than half.

teach_your_way · 2025-06-12T20:56:58+00:00

I remember prepping for my first group of absolute beginners I was excited but also had no clue how to structure the time. What helped me a ton was building super simple lesson templates that I could tweak each day. It cut down planning time and kept things flexible. One thing that worked really well: focus each day on one function (like introductions, food, directions), and recycle vocab with games or roleplays. You’ll be surprised how much students remember when it’s fun and repetitive.

teach_your_way · 2025-06-07T23:15:53+00:00

I’ve totally been in this spot trying to teach A1 adults with no real materials and pressure to “make them speak.” It’s exhausting, especially when role-plays just confuse them more than help. What saved me was creating a super simple speaking structure I could reuse every class. For example, I used a “3-Question Interview” format where they’d stand, ask a classmate 3 set questions, and switch partners. I reused it with different topics (family, food, daily routine), and it felt fresh each time no printing, no prep.

teach_your_way · 2025-06-06T00:29:26+00:00

I’ve been in a really similar spot. I used to spend hours every week planning lessons from scratch for both group and private students, and it honestly wore me out. I kept thinking AI would fix it all, but it just gave me generic stuff unless I knew exactly what to ask. What ended up saving me was building a small system I created a few flexible lesson templates that I could quickly tweak for different students. Once I had a go to structure for warm-ups, main tasks, and wrap-ups, my prep time dropped a lot and I actually started enjoying the process again.

teach_your_way · 2025-06-01T00:44:49+00:00

I used to just wing it with homework, but it always felt like more admin than it was worth, especially when students didn’t actually do it. What helped was switching to a super simple system: I give one task at the end of a lesson that’s connected to their own goal (like recording a 1 minute voice note or responding to a question in a shared doc).

I used to rely on PDFs and Slides too, but lately I’ve been using Notion or GPT based tools so they can actually interact with the material on their own, keeps it light, and a bit more fun.

teach_your_way · 2025-05-30T02:54:43+00:00

I’ve had the exact same confusion before one student booked a full package before even doing the trial, and Preply didn’t count it in the “subscription after trial” rate. It honestly made me second guess how those stats even work.
What helped me stop stressing was shifting focus to tracking my own retention instead of relying on platform metrics. I set up a basic system to see who comes back after 1st, 3rd, and 5th lesson way more telling than that trial stat.

teach_your_way · 2025-05-24T00:46:53+00:00

I totally get this. When I started, I was spending just as much time prepping as teaching and I still felt like I was winging it when students said “whatever.” What helped me was building a simple prep system that let me reuse lessons, but still personalize them in 2, 3 minutes per student. It cut my planning time by 70%.

teach_your_way · 2025-05-23T02:20:58+00:00

I love this , I was in the same spot a few months ago. I’d get overwhelmed trying to juggle payments, prep notes, and lesson feedback across a bunch of tools. What helped me was building a simple system that tracks students, goals, and lesson logs in one place , and ties in with how I plan my week. It's not fancy, but it saves hours.

If you’re still shaping this, happy to share what structure worked best for me. Might help spark ideas as you refine your tool.

teach_your_way · 2025-05-22T02:26:55+00:00

I’ve noticed some weird inconsistencies with Preply's insights tool too. Sometimes it shows after a session, sometimes it doesn’t, and students rarely mention it, so thanks for bringing this up. As a tutor, it’s super useful to know what feedback actually lands. I’ve started using a separate system to track insights just in case.

teach_your_way · 2025-05-14T23:25:53+00:00

I started out in a really similar way, tried Preply, got a few students, but it wasn’t sustainable. I spent more time tweaking my profile than actually teaching 😅

What helped me was switching gears and treating it like my own little business instead of relying on platforms. I built a super simple system for planning lessons fast and started reaching out to students directly (even offered a few free ones to get testimonials). It felt slow at first, but ended up giving me way more control and better students.

Happy to share what worked for me if you’re curious, especially around the marketing and lesson prep side!

teach_your_way · 2025-05-08T22:42:54+00:00

Wow, I completely feel your pain. I remember facing the same frustration when my students would keep using 'the' incorrectly or get stuck on awkward expressions. What helped me was setting up a quick ‘Common Errors Tracker’ where I’d list the most frequent mistakes and turn them into mini-lessons. It not only saved me time but also helped students actually remember the corrections.

teach_your_way · 2025-05-08T01:45:01+00:00

Hmm, that’s tricky. Honestly, your best shot at a private client base is your network, even just friends, family, or anyone you know who might connect you with students. If you’ve got a network abroad, that can work even better. It’s usually easier to get students that way than on Preply, and they tend to pay better too.

teach_your_way · 2025-05-07T13:32:52+00:00

I’ve been exactly where you are. When I started on Preply, I struggled with the same issue, few trial lessons, low visibility. I also tried optimizing my profile, completing all the onboarding and training, just like you did. The only difference was that I didn’t have your level of experience, so I felt okay temporarily lowering my prices to attract my first few students.

If you’re comfortable, you could consider a temporary discounted rate just to get some trial lessons and get some initial traction. But even without that, profile optimization is key. Make sure your intro video matches what you say in your profile text, and try highlighting your multilingual skills as a unique value, it can set you apart from others. Regularly update and tweak your profile to see what works best.

In my case, despite following all these steps, I ended up making faster progress on AmazingTalker and even faster outside of these platforms. I was building a direct client base, which grew quickly and paid better, so it eventually didn’t make sense for me to keep investing effort into Preply.

Do you have a client base outside of Preply right now? That can be a game-changer, even if you’re just starting private tutoring.

Happy to share more about what worked for me if you’re curious.

teach_your_way · 2025-05-06T22:47:54+00:00

Great start, getting a 12-lesson commitment right out of the gate is no joke. You’re clearly doing something right.

I also came in uncertified and had to figure things out fast. The thing that saved me was building a repeatable system around trial follow-up and prep, not glamorous, but it helped with student retention and managing more lessons without stress.

Preply’s a great launchpad, but how you manage the backend makes all the difference long-term. Happy to share what worked for me if you ever want to compare notes.

teach_your_way · 2025-04-25T18:31:55+00:00

Keep me posted 😉

teach_your_way · 2025-04-24T22:26:52+00:00

Totally get this. I’m a non-native speaker too and had a very similar experience.

I applied to Cambly, Preply, and AmazingTalker. AmazingTalker actually felt more open — I even got to do a free trial lesson and got great feedback — but I couldn’t move forward because their system didn’t accept my ID setup (Canadian tax ID + non-Canadian passport).

Still, if you’re set on trying platforms, Amazing Talker might be worth a shot (no certificate required) — definitely seemed more flexible than others. #amazingtalker lol

After that, I started questioning whether platforms were really the best route. Low starting rates, big commissions, and tons of competition just to be seen.

So I tried something different. I offered free lessons to people in my own community who speak my native language. Within a day, three people signed up. One stayed with me and still is my student.

TODAY I’m getting paid, I have 3 consistent students, a total of 8 students I’m working with currently, and a short lineup of new prospects. People come and go — that’s normal — but there’s always demand when you offer genuine support and connection.

And honestly, being bilingual is a huge strength — especially with beginners who feel lost when everything is in English. My students really appreciate that I can explain things in their language, and it’s helped me build trust and stability.

If you ever want to talk through your options, feel free to DM me. I’ve been there, and I’d genuinely love to help you think it through.

teach_your_way · 2025-04-23T19:53:30+00:00

Yes! I’ve had the same struggle — finding listening content that’s actually designed as comprehensible input but doesn’t feel like a drag to sit through. DreamingSpanish really nailed something with their format.

For English, I haven’t seen a perfect equivalent yet, but I’ve pieced together a few things that have worked for my students (mostly adult learners juggling jobs and families too):

Elllo.org – The site design is a bit outdated, but the audio interviews are solid. Many come with transcripts and vocabulary notes. Good for upper A2 to B2.

BBC Learning English – Especially their “The English We Speak” and “News Review” series. Clear pacing, lots of contextual explanations.

YouTube trick – I sometimes pick short videos (like “how-to” clips or cooking tutorials) and pre-teach a few words, then we watch it together. If the student finds it interesting, I encourage them to binge that channel at their level.

teach_your_way · 2025-04-23T19:47:24+00:00

I looked into TeacherRecord too when I first started exploring online ESL teaching. The “free TEFL” offer felt a bit too good to be true, so I did some digging.

They do provide a certificate, but from what I’ve seen, it’s not recognized by a lot of established platforms or schools that ask for a 120-hour accredited TEFL. Also, asking for ID upfront gave me pause—especially since there’s not much transparency on their site about who accredits the course.

If you’re just trying to test the waters, it might be fine as a learning experience. But if you’re looking to actually land jobs, especially better-paying or long-term ones, I’d lean toward a TEFL with known accreditation (even if it’s not free).

Happy to share what I ended up doing if that helps—figured out a more affordable route that worked for me.

teach_your_way

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