Want to switch from Preply? If so, we have reviewed the best Preply alternatives to give you insight on where you can find your next online teaching job.
Online tutoring is a big thing now, but finding good sites like Preply is often easier said than done.
Many won’t accept you if you don’t have tutoring experience. Others want a Master’s degree and certification. Most are crowded and simply don’t have room for you.
You could be certified and experienced and in possession of everything you need to join and freelance on any site, but you are not just taking what’s being given, are you?
You have your preferences, and at the very least, you want a site that promises a decent income.
In this article, we shall discuss 15 Preply alternatives that I feel would measure up to any expectations. Hopefully, you will be able to pick out one.
Legit Websites Like Preply
1. Cambly
Online tutoring was still in its infancy when Cambly launched in 2012. Now, in a thriving industry, the site is one of the most recognizable names.
Cambly hires teachers even without a degree or accreditation.
So if you are still a college student or an expert with decent tutoring know-how, you can join the site and start helping students.
The problem, at least for some people, is that you must be a native English speaker.
People who don’t have a work permit in the US, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, or Canada cannot be hired.
That has its advantage, though. The competition for work is lower, and sessions abound for that reason.
The site pays pretty well, too. You will be earning an average of $10 per hour for regular classes and around $12 per hour to teach kids.
Payment is made weekly via PayPal.
More teaching Sites & Apps Like Cambly
2. iTalki
iTalki is often referred to as a language-learning social network. It’s an open platform with over 10,000 teachers and 5 million students where anything goes.
With no salary guarantees, minimum working hours, or predetermined hourly rates in place, iTalki is arguably the most flexible and competitive marketplace for teachers.
Anyone can sign up. If you have tutoring credentials in your possession, you will be accepted as a professional teacher. If you don’t, you can join as a community teacher.
Pay rates range from $4.95 per hour to $77 per hour. As a beginner, you want to start low and hike your fees as you gain experience and trust.
No matter what you charge, the site will take a 15% service fee from your earnings and send the remainder to you on the 15th or 30th/31st via PayPal, Skrill, Alipay, or Payoneer.
3. VIPKid
VIPKid pays tutors to teach English to kids in China. Teaching credentials are not requisite, but you must be a college graduate to join.
All applicants are taken through a brief interview and a demo lesson as an aptitude test. If you cut it, you will be offered a six-month contract, which you can extend later.
A VIPKid tutor earns up to $22 per hour. The site bases your starting rates on your performance during the initial interview and test.
You can only negotiate a raise when renewing your contract. So make sure you are well prepared for the entrance exam.
It’s also important that you are sure about your commitment before signing your contract.
Although you will decide your schedule, VIPKid requires that submit your availability a month in advance.
4. Skooli
Skooli hires both native and non-native English-speaking graduates for 1vs1 online tutoring.
It owes its popularity partly to the fact that tutors can join from anywhere in the world and partly to the decent pay rates ($19-$20) per hour.
To join, you ought to have a degree or diploma from a recognized institution. You also have to be at least 18 years old.
You could be forgiven for thinking there is no competition for students with relatively high educational background requirements.
But no, the lack of a steady stream of work is the biggest complaint about Skooli that you will find on review sites.
Still, its model favors fighters; with consistency and tenacity, you can easily work your way to the very top.
Skooli pays its tutors every Friday via PayPal. A $100 payout threshold applies.
5. Whales English
Formerly, Sprout, Whales English started as a non-profit organization by Chinese parents seeking to have their kids undergo a US curriculum.
Now it’s a full-fledged learning platform with millions of students and thousands of tutors from native English-speaking countries.
Every new tutor on Whales is required to commit to a 12-month tutoring contract. So this is the type of platform you want to research and understand before applying to join.
Besides being a native, you must have a degree and be a certified tutor. You must also be willing to teach classes of 2-6 students. 1vs1 lessons are not an option.
Also, you must commit to at least 8 hours of tutoring per week.
The pay rates are fairly competitive. Most tutors make between $18 and $27 per hour and get enough lessons to earn them at least $500 per month.
Best Preply Alternatives
6. SkimaTalk
SkimaTalk connects ESL tutors with English learners in one-on-one video lessons.
It’s a Japanese platform that you have probably never heard of but one that offers as many perks as any Preply alternative you can think of.
It offers 25-minute lesson blocks and encourages students to schedule lessons with the same teacher. So, work will almost always follow you if you get it right the first time.
Joining is not easy, though. SkimaTalk has room for only the best, and tutors without a TEFL or Bachelor’s degree will struggle to make the cut, even if these are not strict requirements.
The best part? You get to set your pay rates and schedule. There are no availability quotas and pre-determined rates for you.
That said, whatever your rates, the company will take 20% of your earnings. The rest of the money is sent to you via PayPal.
7. Education First (EF)
Education First, sometimes known as English First, offers a few payment perks that none of the other Preply alternatives have.
Tutors receive a basic pay coupled with performance bonuses, holiday pay, and pension.
Although you must be a native English speaker to be accepted, you don’t need any prior teaching experience.
You just need to fill out an online form and be available for a 30-minute interview, which is scheduled if you meet the company’s education and technical requirements.
The starting hourly pay rate is £9.50. You can make up to £10.90 per hour with the performance bonuses.
You get to set your own schedule, but you must communicate it a week ahead of time. There are no hourly quotas to meet.
Payments are sent to tutors’ bank accounts monthly.
8. Lingoda
Lingoda is a Berlin-based with over 80,000 online students and 1,500 tutors.
It offers around half a million language classes each year and pays teachers $8-$13 per hour on average.
As a tutor, you will get 5-20 hours per week. There are no availability requirements and no penalties for doing the bare minimum.
You can become a Lingoda teacher no matter the country you apply from.
You only need to display the proficiency of a native English speaker and have at least 2 years of valuable tutoring experience. A teaching certificate is also a must.
Applicants need to fill out a profile form and take a zoom interview afterward.
For all your work, you will be paid on the 11th of every month via PayPal or Bank Transfer.
9. StarKid
A base pay of $10 per 30-minute lesson is not something you expect from many sites like Preply.
StarKid promises you that, as well as bonuses for showing up on time and converting trial students.
It’s perhaps the highest-paying platform on this list but, unsurprisingly, also one of the strictest.
To sign up, you must be a native English speaker with an American, Canadian, or British work permit. You must also have both a Bachelor’s degree and teaching certification.
An entrance interview and a teaching demo will determine if you are good enough to work for StarKid.
You determine your working hours, but you must stick to a consistent schedule.
This is because you will be teaching the same group of students over and over, and many will prefer attending classes at around the same time.
10. Verbling
Verbling is an ESL platform that connects students from around the world with teachers mostly from North America and other native English-speaking countries.
Teachers have a lot of freedom on this site. As one, you will create your own schedule and use your own teaching method
You will also be allowed to set your hourly rates and be required to commit a minimum of only five teaching hours a week.
Applicants don’t need a degree or certification to join Verbling—just two years of experience teaching their language of choice.
Most Verbling teachers earn $15-$25 per hour. If you are good enough, you can make even more and enjoy a fairly full schedule.
Sites Like Preply
11. Tutor.com
Tutor.com is a more generic site. It facilitates online tutoring in a range of subjects, not just the English language.
But don’t let that deceive you. The site has as much to offer ESL teachers as any Preply alternative and is a good opportunity for you to earn and gain experience as a tutor.
To join the site you need:
- To be based in Canada or the US
- To be a student in or a graduate of an accredited Canadian or United States college or university
- To be available for at least 5 hours each week
You can earn as much as $15 per hour, including bonuses and incentives.
It can be less than that if you are a newbie, but it can also be more if you are experienced and well-rated.
Also, check out Sites Like Studypool to find more tutoring jobs.
12. TutorVista
TutorVista (acquired by Byju’s in 2017) is an online tutoring company based in India but with a client base comprising mainly students from native English-speaking countries.
Since its inception in 2005, the site has offered over a million tutoring lessons.
Its tutor standards have gone up by the year, as now you need to have a teaching degree plus a Bachelor’s degree, or a Master’s to be accepted.
The minimum anyone can work on the site is four hours per day. If you can only afford less, this is not the site for you.
TutorVista pays between $8 and $39 per hour, depending on tutor experience and expertise.
13. AllRight
AllRight is a Europe-based online English school with a very lax hiring system.
You can join even if you are not a native or do not have a strong educational background. All you need is significant teaching experience.
Depending on where you apply from, you will be classified as a native or a near-native.
Natives generally get more tutoring sessions and enjoy better rates of at least $12 per hour, while non-natives make around $8 per hour.
Lessons are 25 and 55 minutes long and will be delivered based on a set curriculum.
As a new teacher, you will start with a trial lesson, which the platform will use to gauge your expertise. If you’re good enough, you will start receiving paid sessions.
AllRight pays twice every month through PayPal and Payoneer.
14. LearnLight
LearnLight uses a Flipped Classroom model, where students learn before class, and tutors are mostly charged with exploring subjects in greater depth.
So as a LearnLight ESL tutor, your work will be to give feedback and dissect difficult topics. The site also requires you to provide post-lesson feedback.
LearnLight accepts applications from anywhere globally but is often inclined to hire native speakers.
Experience is not necessary. You will be taken through a training session that many tutors report is enough to prepare one for a typical LearnLight teaching session.
The site’s pay rates range from $8 to $14 per hour. Payment is through PayPal.
15. Tutlo
Tutlo is a Polish English language learning platform that hires native English speakers only.
It’s different from other websites like Preply in that it has strict guidelines for lesson delivery.
This means tutors don’t get to make many decisions along the way, and lesson planning isn’t difficult at all.
Additionally, lessons are not pre-assigned. Students choose a tutor from a list of options and send a session request.
This takes away the possibility of hourly quotas and basically makes Tutlo a “work whenever you want” platform.
Tutlo pays $5-$11 per hour and sends payments via PayPal.
Final Thoughts On Preply Alternatives
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced online tutor, there is always a site ready to give you a shot.
Let me know in the comments which of the above Preply alternatives you are ready to try and why.