Over 800,000 students are on Preply right now looking for a tutor. They want help with English, Spanish, French, math, coding, business skills, music, and over 100 more subjects. Preply is where they find you. You set your own rate, choose your own hours, and teach from wherever you are via video call. No commute. No classroom. Top tutors earn $550 or more per week. But the commission structure has a sharp edge that new tutors hit hard: your first trial lesson with every new student earns you exactly zero. Know that going in and this platform still earns a top rating.
Quick Facts
| Platform Name | Preply |
| Earning Potential | You set your rate; sweet spot $15 to $25/hr; top earners $550+/week |
| Typical Duration | Lessons run 50 to 60 minutes each |
| Payment Frequency | Every two weeks via Stripe or PayPal |
| Required Equipment | Computer, webcam, microphone, and a stable internet connection |
What’s Inside
- Is Preply real and safe?
- How hard is it to sign up?
- Can I do this whenever I want?
- How much money can you really make?
- When and how do you get paid?
- What stuff do you need to start?
- Is the work easy or hard?
- The Pros and Cons of Preply
- Final Verdict: Is Preply worth your time?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Is Preply real and safe?
Yes. Preply is a well-established online tutoring platform with over a million students worldwide and a 4.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot from over 14,000 reviews. It launched in 2012 and has grown into one of the most used language and academic tutoring marketplaces in the world. Payment is handled securely and tutor earnings are processed on a consistent two-week schedule. Preply’s reviews from tutors are mostly positive, with the most consistent complaints centering on the unpaid trial lesson policy and the high initial commission rate. Those are legitimate criticisms. But the platform itself is legitimate, the students are real, and the money does get paid.
How hard is it to sign up?
The application has eight steps but most take just a few minutes each. You sign up with email, fill in your background and qualifications, set your hourly rate, record a short intro video, and write a profile description. No degree is required to apply, though having credentials helps your profile rank higher in search results. Preply reviews applications and responds within five days. Most applications are accepted. The intro video is worth spending time on. It is the first thing students see when deciding whether to book a trial lesson. A clear, warm, natural video where you speak directly to the camera outperforms a scripted or stiff one every time. You do not need professional production quality. You need personality.
💡 Insider Tip:
Start with a rate lower than where you want to land. New tutors have no reviews and no student history, so students are taking a risk booking you. At $12 to $15 per hour you will fill your calendar faster, collect your first ten to twenty reviews, and build the track record that lets you raise your rate to $20, $25, or higher without losing students. Preply lets you change your rate at any time. Use the low rate as an investment in your reputation, not as your permanent wage.
Can I do this whenever I want?
Yes, with good planning. You set your own availability calendar and students book lessons within your open slots. Work as many or as few hours as you want. You can cancel lessons up to four hours before they start without penalty. The platform operates 24 hours a day with students from every time zone, so early morning, late evening, and weekend slots all have demand. The algorithm favors tutors with more open slots. Keeping at least 30 hours per week available in your calendar boosts your profile ranking and gets you more visibility in student searches. You do not have to work 30 hours. you just have to make that time available.
How much money can you really make?
New tutors working 0 to 10 hours per week average around $118 per month according to Preply’s own data. Tutors working 40 to 50 hours per week average $1,416 per month, with top earners in specialized languages like Japanese and Korean averaging over $3,600 per month at full-time hours. One real tutor publicly reported earning $22,340 in a single year working an average of 82 hours per month. The commission structure matters here. Preply takes 33% from new tutors, dropping to 28% after 20 teaching hours, and eventually to 18% after 400 hours. Every trial lesson with a new student is 100% commission, meaning you do that work for free. Factor both into your rate-setting so you are not working at a loss in your first months.
When and how do you get paid?
Every two weeks via Stripe or PayPal. Earnings accumulate in your account as lessons are completed and automatically process on the two-week cycle. No minimum balance is required to receive payment. Preply operates in over 180 countries so international tutors are paid in their local currency through the same system.
What stuff do you need to start?
A computer with a working webcam and microphone, plus a stable internet connection. Preply has its own built-in classroom tool so you do not need a third-party video app. A quiet space for lessons helps, though it does not need to be a professional studio. Good lighting makes a bigger difference than most new tutors expect. Sit facing a window and you already look more professional than half the tutors on the platform.
Is the work easy or hard?
Teaching well is harder than it looks. Explaining a concept clearly, keeping a student engaged for 50 minutes, adapting your approach when something is not working. These are real skills. Preply provides free professional development webinars and a Tutor Academy to help, and they are worth using especially in your first months. The trial lesson is the hardest part for new tutors. You are not paid for it and the student is evaluating whether to continue. Preply recommends spending no more than ten minutes actually teaching in the trial. Use the rest to understand the student’s goals, establish rapport, and agree on a study plan. A good trial lesson converts a one-time booking into a recurring student. That is where the real money comes from.
The Pros and Cons of Preply
| The Pros | The Cons |
|---|---|
| Set your own rate: No ceiling on what you can charge. | Unpaid trial lessons: Every new student costs you a free session. |
| 800K+ students: Huge demand for tutors across 100+ subjects. | 33% starting commission: High take rate for new tutors. |
| No degree required: Open to anyone with knowledge to share. | Price competition: Low-rate tutors can undercut your visibility. |
Final Verdict: Is Preply worth your time?
Yes — for the right person. If you speak a language other people want to learn, or you have solid knowledge in a high-demand academic subject, Preply gives you a real income platform with a massive built-in student base. The unpaid trial lesson and high early commission are real downsides, but they are manageable once you understand the model. Tutors who stick with it past the first 50 hours consistently report strong recurring income from repeat students. The Bottom Line: Apply with a great intro video, start your rate low to fill your calendar fast, treat every trial lesson as a student acquisition investment, and raise your rate once the reviews come in. The commission drops as your hours climb. So does the frustration.
Frequently Asked Questions
No formal teaching experience or TEFL certification is required to apply. Preply is open to anyone with subject knowledge worth sharing. That said, having a TEFL or teaching credential adds credibility to your profile and helps you rank higher in student searches for English tutors. For non-language subjects, relevant academic or professional experience in your subject area carries more weight than a teaching qualification.
Preply offers the trial lesson to students as a free evaluation session to reduce their risk when booking an unknown tutor. The 100% commission on trial lessons funds this offer. Think of each trial as a cost to acquire a long-term student. A student who becomes a weekly regular for six months pays back that one unpaid hour many times over. Focus the trial on connection and planning, not on delivering a full lesson.
Three things drive your ranking: your profile score (kept above 90 by keeping information current and complete), your weekly availability (Preply rewards tutors who list 30 or more available hours), and your student ratings. A strong intro video matters too. Students click on profiles with clear, engaging videos far more than on profiles with static photos or no video at all.
Yes. While Preply is best known as a language learning platform, it covers over 100 subjects including math, science, business, music, test prep, and coding. The student base for non-language subjects is smaller than for English or Spanish, but demand exists and the competition for niche subjects is also lower, which makes it easier to stand out.
Yes. Preply pays you the lesson amount minus their commission and does not withhold taxes. You receive the net amount and report it yourself at tax time. If you are a US tutor earning over $600 in a calendar year, Preply may issue a 1099 form. Keep records of all payments received and any equipment or internet costs that may be deductible as business expenses.
