Welcome to the Earn Learn Thrive RU-vid channel, with advice and strategies for ELT/ ESL (and MFL) freelancers around marketing and finding clients, mindset and confidence and managing your time and energy.
My name is Rachael Roberts, I help freelance language teaching professionals work out how to use their experience and talents to earn more and work less.
I have:
⭐ 30 years of experience in the industry ⭐ 13 years as a successful small ELT business owner ⭐ heaps of training and coaching in running a small business, organic marketing and social media, copywriting and more …..as well as being a trained psychotherapist, counsellor, and coach.
This makes me ideally placed to empower freelance language teaching professionals to earn more, work less, and live more fully.
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.
Hello , I came here from you video on preply and recently their customer support is pathetic , my account got blocked and they are not even responding to me to provide my proofs against their claims which is so unreasonable , the don't seem to care about tutors anymore as they are taking anyone and everyone as a tutor in the platform!
I was wondering if you could get in touch with me please and I'm not spamming you. I just saw your channel and I was wondering if I could help you to improve your thumbnails or video editing?
Your words are incredibly misleading & unprofessional! I’ve only heard of preply today, so I have zero affiliation. Bias you say? It’s simple optional choice for the learner! That’s no where near the correct definition of bias. 😮 Until you’ve ever done all the marketing and sales and platform making for your own business, then you can’t at all comment on the “fairness” of 18-37% commission. They would be perfectly justified to take 50%! That’s an actual educated opinion. Ok they lower it cos you still have to “stand out” and win people over when you get to their platform. Anyone who’s ever been SUCCESSFULLY self employed will know well that you end up using half the time in actually setting up your business and the other half fulfilling the service. They suggest start low prices cos it works! But if you don’t need a full timetable FAST, then yeah keep your prices up. Silly silly
I'm not sure why you feel the need to be so aggressive in your response... I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now, and assume you actually do want to have a conversation about this stuff. - Giving people a choice about something doesn't mean that there can't be bias in the way that choice is presented. - I actually do all this for my successful business, and, you are absolutely right that it takes a lot of time and effort. However, everything you do for your own business is an investment in earning more in the future. You are also much more easily able to stand out and find the right clients if that's where you're investing- rather than investing in someone else's company. - Yes, you can probably get more clients more quickly if you price low. However, depending on what you need/want to earn, that can be unsustainable as you will have to work a lot of hours to keep your head above water, and will probably also attract a higher proportion of unmotivated students and 'no shows' as your clients may not value what you offer. Ultimately, everyone has to make the choice that's right for them, and I think if you are very new to teaching or live somewhere where a low rate still makes economic sense, a platform like this might work out fine. It is also possible to work up over time to higher rates and gain a loyal following (though, as I said, personally I'd be putting that effort in elsewhere) Otherwise my 'actual educated opinion' is that it probably isn't the best way to go, which is what my video says.
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.
Ha! Good one :) I’m just changing my freebie hence no link here. But this is a useful older freebie and will get you on the list earnlearnthriveinelt.com/30-ideas-for-social-media-posts/
Thanks for this Rachael. It is true I do a lot of free 'teaching content' and not enough pains content. it's a bit of a wake up call for someone like me.
Why is that? Selling isn’t about persuading someone against their better judgement, it’s just listening and making a helpful suggestion that they can take up or not.. My helpful suggestion for you is the Non Sleazy Sales Kit 😉
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. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N0ExDSsiaws.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?
Hi Catherine, I don’t as such, but I do offer a free 40 minute chat to talk about your situation and how I might be able to help you, so we could start there? Here’s the link to book in to my calendar x portal.earnlearnthriveinelt.com/public/form/view/5f21aa807b16d25293f1d433
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.
I find it incredibly disappointing that Preply removed me from their platform after dedicating myself to teaching over 5900 English lessons. My removal was solely due to my request for payment from customer service for a lesson where a student was absent. On April 23rd, one of my students missed a scheduled lesson. Typically, I offer students the opportunity to reschedule, but in this case, the student was consistently absent. Therefore, I contacted customer service to request payment, a practice I don't usually engage in. Initially, they declined to release the payment, citing that I had rescheduled the lesson, which I accepted. However, on a subsequent occasion, the payment was denied again, this time referencing a policy regarding students being absent twice. Frankly, I was unaware of this policy and engaged in a discussion with customer service to understand it better. During this exchange, I expressed my dissatisfaction and indicated my intention to rate the conversation poorly. Instead of concluding the discussion, the customer service agent left it unresolved. Subsequently, my lessons were canceled as an act of retaliation, and I received a message stating that the conversation would be investigated, potentially affecting the agent's efficiency bonus if I rated them poorly. Three days later, I received notification from another customer support representative that my account would be closed due to a violation of Preply's policies. When I inquired about the specific policy I had violated, I was informed that it was regarding asking for payment for a student's absence. Shockingly, this was the first time I had encountered this policy. Despite providing evidence to the contrary, including screenshots of our conversations, my account was closed. In summary, it's absurd that a teacher can be removed from Preply for simply requesting payment for a lesson where a student was absent, especially without prior warning. This experience leads me to believe that my removal may have been motivated by the customer service agent's desire to avoid a negative rating, or perhaps the decision-maker was misinformed. Regardless, it's clear that despite my significant contribution to the platform, Preply prioritizes arbitrary policies over the well-being of its teachers. I have ample evidence to support my claims, but unfortunately, there's no option to present it. I want to caution other teachers not to request payment for absent students, as it may result in removal without warning. While I understand the need to enforce policies, the lack of transparency and consideration in this instance is disheartening. I've witnessed removals for teachers engaging in misconduct outside the platform, which is understandable, but being penalized for requesting payment owed to me is simply unjustifiable.
This is a good book about neurolinguistics, www.amazon.co.uk/Language-Brain-Slim-Guide-Neurolinguistics/dp/0198814763/ref=asc_df_0198814763?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=570407791907&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2306210896774543362&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007201&hvtargid=pla-1636159786556&psc=1&mcid=77c1c1e7f3eb3793a42f0d36a2e1f4e3&th=1&psc=1&dplnkId=dacb64c3-116e-470b-b81b-d99cae69ffed&nodl=1 but there’s not much about teaching because it’s quite hard to draw firm links between what we understand about how the brain p processes language and what that means for teaching a language.
I don’t know of one, no. It’s sometimes a module on MA courses. Not to be confused with Neurolinguistic programming (NLP) which is a totally different thing.
Thanks for the interesting session. When teaching 1-2-1, we need to have lots of tools and knowledge beyond teaching English. Although I plan every class carefully, I often find that my client and I need to go in an unexpected direction. It stretches me, but I love it.
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!
I used to work on Italki and liked the platform very much. Unfortunately I have almost no students anymore... I now have to work on Preply and I am making less money. The situation is really bad for me, my husband has lost his job recently ;-( So even if I wouldn't recommend Preply, I must say that they provide me with a few students and I've made about USD 1300 so far this month (for 3 weeks of work). My hourly rate is between USD20 and 32 (depending on the students). Some lesson last 50 minutes, others 1 hour. Trial lessons usually last only 30 minutes. It's not so bad but definitely not enough for me. I am trying to find another solution.
I’ve been a registered Preply tutor for five months and still haven’t got a single trial lesson request. The sight is too saturated with tutors. My calendar availability is set for all the peak times and a reasonable price.
Really sorry to hear that, it must be super frustrating. TBH I don't think it's about saturation, though. It's about the fact that most potential clients are simply looking for 'a tutor' (any tutor) at the right price, and you can't stand out that way. Have you watched my follow up video on how to find clients without using Preply? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N0ExDSsiaws.html
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!
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
Rachel thanks for your excellent videos. I find them loaded with useful ideas to use in my practice. I am an American expatriate living in Peru. For the past 18 years, I've developed a niche serving senior managers in business and government who need to perform better in English. By the way, I also admire how well you have developed your particular niche.
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.
Ha! Well there are always exceptions because there are a lot of factors to consider such as location, marketing spend, competition, history.. but the principle still stands IMO.
Your story is only relevant in so far as it speaks to the outcome they want, but of course they care who you are. .. they will be working closely with you.
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.
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.
What I am coming down to: We don't teach religion in our classes, we don't teach on politics. This is a very controversial topic and should be stayed clear of. Russia just added LGBTQ movement to the list of extremist and terrorist organizations. There is much controversy regarding this, and not a good idea to plan lesson plans accordingly to this as most people are not LGBTQ and don't want to hear about it.
