Why I love being a Preply tutor

The time we lived three years ago was one to remember. A lot of people learned many things about human beings and also how to work together to make a better world for everybody. But it was also a year of much frustration and crisis. For me, it was a year of discovery—a wake-up call I actually needed.

After almost 12 years of running a family business that I didn't want to be in, I realized I needed to do something that I really loved, or at least something in which I could become a better person or get inspired in some way. So I saved a year of reduced expenses to have time to look for what I wanted, and then I just quit. And two months before the year ended, when my money was about to run out, I started to look for something.

That's where I met Preply. There was no other option; I needed to do it. I prayed that I would earn just enough to pay my bills. I don't know if my brain worked out the solution, or if I did it based on need, but the fact is, there was no going back. I started out, did all they told me to do, didn't cut any corners, and by the end of that month, I was able to pay for all my expenses and have five extra dollars in my account. I was hooked.

Sometimes having too many options isn't a good idea, and this time I used it to my advantage. I said to myself, I will never deviate from this; I will do my best. This thing just gave me exactly what I wanted, so I will try to become the best that I can be on it.

It's safe to say that after I started, many of my assumptions about different people around the world changed. I realized that most of the things I see on TV are generalizations and that most people are good and just want to get by and try to do what they do. It was an awesome experience. I invested all the money I could in preparing myself to become a better Preply tutor. I got a TOEFL certification and many others for teaching my specific language, and I prepared myself with all the courses they would give me on the platform.

Week after week, I started making progress. The reviews were in, the people started trusting me, and with a lot of hours, I earned six times more money than I started with in less than two years.

Right now, I'm giving interviews and writing blogs about PREPLY, and I’m also a mentor. I feel like I still have a long road in front of me. I want to grow so much more and to learn so much more. This is how I want to live my life: learning, meeting new people from all over the world, teaching a language as a way of building bridges, and inspiring my students to become better human beings.

So here I decided to give you 10 reasons today—my 10 reasons to become part of the Preply platform. Stay until the end, and I will even give you a bonus reason.

Reason #1 Why I Love Preply Being a Preply Tutor:

Freedom of Location

Nowadays, working at home is easy to imagine. Lots of platforms promise that. But now imagine yourself in another part of your country, maybe in another country or even on another continent.

That is one of the most beautiful things in the world, and you can do that here! The Preply calendar knows where you are, making your life easier.

Reason #2 Why I Love Being a Preply Tutor:

Freedom of Time

Here, you set your own hours. In 2023 we should be able to determine our hours of production, but most of the population actually depends on someone else telling them what hours to work on any given day.

On this platform, you can set your own hours and plan your day as you see fit, take time off, and take vacations, and the only thing required is to properly communicate that to your students (like any business owner) beforehand. That's awesome!

Reason #3 Why I Love Being a Preply Tutor:

Freedom to set your own price

(And a set of statistical data to manage your business.)

It's easy to say that you can set your own price, but at the same time, having a statistical arrangement of data that actually gives you all the information that you need to plan ahead for your business is an absolute plus.

Think about it; yes, you can set your own price! But also, yes, you have an arrangement of data that actually explains itself, which will help you figure out most things on the platform. Plus, I have given myself a raise around five times in two years, earning six times more. I mean, that’s refreshing, right?

Reason #4 Why I Love Being a Preply Tutor:

An academy full of resources and materials

(Available 24/7, for free)

When I started on the platform, they probably had 10 to 20 courses. Nowadays, I have lost count, and they keep putting more and more materials in the academy.

It is full of everything you need to be successful and more. And I have followed it to get to this amazing place I now enjoy as a Preply tutor.

Reason #5 Why I Love Being a Preply Tutor:

Weekly Webinars

There are a lot of webinars given every week with an amazing team of people that make your life and growth super easy.

Imagine a dedicated group of professionals in language learning—people with amazing backgrounds and certifications—constantly making content to help you succeed and become a better tutor. That is what we have in the form of the Preply Tutor Development team. It is an amazing team of people committed 100% to making a better tutor out of each and every one of us. I'm so grateful for how they have made my life so much easier on this two-year journey.

Reason #6 Why I Love Being a Preply Tutor:

The Tutors’ café

(an amazing way of learning from each other).

When I was a kid, I always imagined what the teachers at my school would say to each other in the teacher’s lounge. Well, now I know. Thanks to the Preply Tutors’ Cafe, I have the ability to connect with other tutors from all over the world, learn from them and their experiences, give value back to them, all the while not being alone on this amazing journey.

I can see their faces; we can talk to each other, and together we can create an amazing experience. These events happen twice a month and are awesome, but do you want to know what's there for you 24/7?

Reason #7 Why I Love Being a Preply Tutor:

An on-site community of tutors

Imagine that you connect with other tutors from all over the world in your Tutors’ cafe, but now imagine that you can talk with them 24/7 through an on-site community. You can talk about all the education-related things and, at the same time, get all the information about what's going on on the site. You can inspire others, build a network of tutors, and help each other.

They also have challenges, and you win things. I just won a membership to Headspace for one full year, and I'm meditating for 10 minutes every day. It's just awesome!

Reason #8 Why I Love Being a Preply Tutor:

Preply’s Yearly Conference

“So far, so good, José,” you say. “I am interested.”

Well, now imagine this: for the second year in a row, Preply decided that they would do a conference of three full days filled with lots of Tutor cafes, lots of different courses, lots of different webinars, and also the presence of every single one of the representatives of the company, including the CEO (by popular demand).

This fantastic event also includes amazing and beautiful announcements about the future of the company, everything made just for you to become better and be part of something bigger.

Reason #9 Why I Love Being a Preply Tutor:

Fast-paced Experimental Work Culture

(based on data, of course)

As an independent tutor that uses the platform as a way to earn money, I can say that the way in which the company moves is experimental with a focus on improvement. They're truly committed to improving the platform constantly, so they carry out experiments with a certain percentage of the tutors, and then if they work, they roll it out to everybody else. All of this in the interest of improving classes, improving tutor performance, and increasing job satisfaction.

It's an unbelievable way of doing business, and I am copying it in my own tutoring practice. It shows me that the company is actually growing and evolving, and I want to be part of that.

Reason #10 Why I Love Being a Preply Tutor:

Preply listens to its teachers

All of the things I have said before mean nothing if we, as tutors, aren’t being listened to.

Preply has a dedicated channel through which tutors can put whatever ideas they have into the use and improvement of the platform.

This has actually led to tangible progress, and the things that have come from it actually make the lives of tutors easier and better as a result. The community gives you the option to post ideas for improvements, some of which are now a reality.

Bonus Reason Why I Love Being a Preply Tutor:

You can teach any language you want on Preply, not just English.

Up until this moment, you have always heard reasons for Preply being an awesome place, but this one is my favorite!

Think about it: anywhere in the world, there is a beautiful culture waiting to be discovered, and sometimes the only thing between us and that awesome culture is just language. Human language. Social language!

So at Preply, you can get a human being, native or not, with a cultural background or many cultural backgrounds, to teach you any of the fifty-plus languages available on the platform.

That’s the reason I love to go to work every day: to make a difference and to build bridges to unite cultures and people.

Give it a try for yourself

Being a tutor is a labor of love; it is to build bridges, inspire people, and grow as a human being. Tutoring as a business is rewarding and exciting, and I always feel like I'm getting better, growing, or learning something.

I love being a tutor! and I hope you can find on this platform a way to do something that you love, to build bridges, to inspire people, to become a better human being, or more. I know that we all need more of this in the world right now. See you soon!