How To Become A Tutor On Preply In 2026: Requirements And Commission

Short answer: Here is how to become a tutor on Preply: be at least 18, sign up on a desktop computer, and submit a profile with a photo, description, intro video, availability and rate. No certificate or degree is required, and Preply says it reviews applications within 3 to 5 business days. Preply keeps 100% of each new student’s trial lesson, then a commission of 33% that falls to 18% as your total teaching hours grow. Earnings reach your Preply balance when each lesson is confirmed, and you withdraw them via bank transfer (powered by Wise), Wise, PayPal, Payoneer or Skrill.

Preply is a tutoring marketplace: you set your own price, choose your hours and teach 1-on-1 lessons over video, while Preply supplies the students, the classroom and the payments in exchange for a commission. This guide covers the requirements, each sign-up step, how the commission works, what you can earn, withdrawals, taxes, and the rules that can hide your profile. Every requirement, rate, fee and policy comes from Preply’s tutor help center, its Become a tutor page and its Terms of Service, checked on 10 October 2026. Our advice and illustrations are labelled as such.

In This Guide

• Who Can Teach On Preply
• How To Become A Tutor On Preply, Step By Step
• Writing A Profile That Gets Approved And Booked
• Preply Commission Explained
• How Much Do Preply Tutors Make
• Getting Paid: Withdrawals, Methods And Fees
• Taxes And Contractor Status
• Policies Tutors Must Know
• Preply vs italki vs Cambly For Tutors
• Pros And Cons Of Tutoring On Preply
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Conclusion

Who Can Teach On Preply

These are the Preply tutor requirements as Preply itself states them.

• No certificate or experience required. Preply’s tutor FAQ says “No specific certification or teaching experience is required.” It looks for people who enjoy sharing knowledge, communicate well and will personalize lessons for international students.
• A degree is optional. You can upload accredited undergraduate or postgraduate diplomas to earn a verified badge, but Preply does not require one.
• Age. Applicants must be at least 18.
• Subjects. Preply lists over 100 subjects, including languages, school and university subjects, hobbies and art. An application can be rejected if the subject is “currently in low demand among learners.”
• Spoken languages. You can list up to seven, and only ones you genuinely speak.
• Location. Due to US regulations, Preply cannot accept residents of Iran, Sudan, Cuba, Syria, North Korea and Crimea, and it does not accept tutors located in Russia and Belarus.
• Profile items. Preply’s Terms make a profile photo and video introduction mandatory.
• Identity documents. You must verify your identity before withdrawing earnings, using a live photo of a passport or other government-issued ID.
• Equipment and internet. You need a laptop or desktop, a stable connection, a webcam and a microphone. Preply recommends at least 2 Mbps up and down, Google Chrome for its Classroom, and no mobile data.
• Local rules. Under the Terms, you are responsible for any licenses or certifications your own jurisdiction requires.

How To Become A Tutor On Preply, Step By Step

Preply’s registration guide describes three stages: register, complete the application, wait for review. The full sequence to become a Preply tutor:

1. Use a computer. Tutor registration currently works only on the desktop site.
2. Click Become a tutor on preply.com and create an account with email and password, or with Facebook or Google.
3. Add a profile photo that meets Preply’s rules (next section).
4. Upload certifications, if you have any: a high-resolution JPG or PNG showing your name, the certificate name and the issue year. Review takes up to 3 working days.
5. Add education, if you want your degree shown with a verified badge.
6. Write your description and headline.
7. Add your intro video by recording with your webcam in the Video section or pasting a YouTube or Vimeo link.
8. Set your availability and time zone in the Calendar section.
9. Choose your rate. You can change it anytime.
10. Submit and wait. Preply’s help center says applications are reviewed within 5 business days; its Become a tutor page says 3. Plan for up to five.
11. Verify your identity before your first withdrawal.

Preply says delays usually come from a photo, video or description that misses its requirements, or from including contact details, lesson prices or misleading information.

Writing A Profile That Gets Approved And Booked

The rules below are Preply’s; the emphasis is our advice.

Photo

Use a high-resolution color photo, face and eyes visible, head and shoulders centered, plain background, no filters. Preply rejects logos, watermarks, group shots, frames, blurry or black and white images, sunglasses, hats, pets, cropped selfies and full-body shots. A gentle smile is fine: “This isn’t a passport photo.”

Headline And Description

In search, students see only your headline and the first words of your description, so lead with your specialty and proof. Preply says headlines of 50 to 75 characters get the most profile views, and it flags “English teacher” and “Native speaker” as weak. Write in the first person and one language, use short paragraphs, and end with a call to book. Leave out your surname, contact details, links, reviews and any promise of a free lesson (trials are paid).

Intro Video

Preply’s video guidelines ask for a horizontal video of 30 seconds to 2 minutes, camera at eye level, good light, quiet room, steady device, first name only, and no filters, frames, slideshows, logos, links or other people. Speak in the language you teach. On YouTube, choose Unlisted and allow embedding; Private videos are rejected.

Availability And Price

Preply says 30+ open hours in the next 5 days, or at least 2 hours on 3 of the next 5 days, improves your ranking, and students are 45% less likely to book if you offer fewer than 30 slots. Only open hours you can keep. On price, Preply’s algorithm favors profiles that convert well at their price, not cheap ones; starting lower and raising rates as reviews come in is common. Preply recommends waiting at least 90 days before raising prices for existing students.

Preply Commission Explained

Signing up and hosting a profile are free. Per Preply’s commission model article, the Preply commission has two parts:

• Trial lessons: 100%. Preply keeps the full price of every trial with a new student, which it says funds free replacement trials for students.
• All later lessons: 18% to 33% of your rate, based on the total lesson hours you have taught on Preply.

The hours are your lifetime total across all students, not per student, and trial lessons count. The tiers, exactly as Preply publishes them:

Preply’s own example: at 10 USD an hour, a new tutor receives 6.70 USD per non-trial lesson, and a tutor with 400+ hours receives 8.20 USD. Tutors in Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, West Virginia and Alaska also have sales tax deducted on Preply’s commission (not their full earnings) for non-trial lessons; Preply’s example is $0.07 on a $10 lesson at 18% commission and 4.2% tax.

How Much Do Preply Tutors Make

Preply does not publish average tutor earnings. Its Become a tutor page says “On average, English tutors charge $15-25 per hour” and “Most popular tutors on Preply earn up to $550 a week,” a ceiling for top tutors, not a typical result. Preply says earnings depend on your rate, how many lessons you teach and how many students continue after the trial.

Setting Your Rate

You choose your hourly rate and can change it anytime. Preply tells tutors to make sure the rate “still works for you after this is deducted,” and remember your first 20 hours, trials included, carry 33%.

A Worked Example (Illustrative)

These are our hypothetical numbers, not Preply earnings data: a $20 rate, applying Preply’s published tiers.

So a new tutor’s week of 4 trials and 10 regular lessons at $20 earns $134; the same 10 lessons at the 400+ tier earn $164. Then subtract withdrawal fees and your own taxes. Early trials are an investment: converting trial students into regulars is what makes Preply pay.

Getting Paid: Withdrawals, Methods And Fees

Preply’s payment article describes three stages:

1. The lesson is confirmed. Classroom lessons auto-confirm about 15 minutes after the scheduled end; lessons outside the Classroom after 72 hours, unless the student confirms sooner.
2. Earnings reach your balance, your rate minus commission, held in US dollars.
3. You withdraw via the wallet icon and Withdraw money. Payouts are not automatic.

Options and limits from Preply’s withdrawal guide:

• Bank transfer must go to an account in your own name; business and third-party accounts are refused, and withdrawals cannot be reversed.
• A new recipient account triggers an SMS code or a Veriff ID check, on top of email verification for every withdrawal.
• Arrival time depends on the method; the bank transfer screen shows an estimate before you confirm.
• Preply’s Terms say that after more than 180 days without logging in, your account is suspended and your remaining balance expires.

Taxes And Contractor Status

Preply tutors are independent contractors, not employees. The Terms call Preply “an on-demand intermediary connecting Students and Tutors” and say users act “as independent contractors and not as Preply’s or any other party’s employee.” You control your hours, methods and materials, get no employee benefits, and Preply does not withhold payroll taxes.

Preply’s tutor tax article says you alone determine your reporting obligations, pay income tax where you are tax resident and forward any taxes due. Preply “cannot offer tax-related advice or provide any legal documentation,” but you can generate an earnings report from your Statistics page. The exception is the US state sales tax on commission, which Preply deducts and remits, with monthly invoices under Taxes in your settings.

A general US note: independent tutoring income is usually self-employment income that you report on your return, and it can carry self-employment tax on top of income tax. Rules differ by country and state. This is not tax advice; a tax professional can tell you what applies to you.

Policies Tutors Must Know

Cancellations

Per Preply’s tutor cancellation policy, you need at least 12 hours’ notice to cancel; inside 12 hours you can only reschedule, and the student can deny the new time. A student who cancels less than 12 hours ahead, or after the start, is charged in full and you are paid. If a change is the student’s idea, pick “Student asked to cancel/reschedule” so it does not count against you.

No-Shows And Confirmation

If a student does not show, message them at the start time, then report the absence or reschedule within 72 hours of the lesson ending. A reported regular-lesson absence adds the earnings to your balance right away unless disputed. After 72 hours the lesson auto-confirms and cannot be changed, and confirmed earnings cannot be reversed. After three consecutive charged missed lessons, Preply cancels that student’s remaining lessons automatically.

Missed Trials

Your first missed trial hides your profile until you watch a calendar tutorial; the second for 7 days plus an attendance course; the third for 14 days; the fourth for 30 days; a fifth hides you from new students for two years.

Tutoring Standards Policy

With 5 or more bookings in the last 90 days, Preply’s Tutoring Standards Policy hides your profile from search if you reach 5 absences, a 40% short-notice (under 5 days) reschedule rate or a 20% cancellation rate over a rolling 90 days. Only tutor-initiated changes count, you keep teaching current students, and visibility returns automatically.

Responsiveness, Reviews And Suspension

Preply can hide your profile if new students’ messages go unanswered for over 24 hours. You can reply publicly to reviews, but replies with swear words, links or contact details may be deleted. The Terms forbid teaching Preply students outside the platform or taking payment directly. Preply may terminate a tutor immediately for breaching the Terms or Code of Conduct, harassment, fraud or falsified qualifications, or on 30 days’ notice for any reason, and may withhold remaining funds after a breach.

Preply vs italki vs Cambly For Tutors

Figures from each company’s own teacher pages, 10 October 2026.

Cambly is the simplest start for English speakers who want fixed per-minute pay. italki takes nothing on trials but many popular languages are closed to new teachers. Preply offers the widest subject range and a commission that rewards volume, at the cost of unpaid trials. Sources: italki commission, italki withdrawals, Cambly tutors page.

Pros And Cons Of Tutoring On Preply

Pros

• No certificate, degree, experience or joining fee required.
• You set your own rate and hours, with no minimum commitment.
• Over 100 subjects, so non-language tutors have a market.
• Commission falls to 18%, counted across all students.
• Students, classroom and payments are built in.
• Local-currency bank payouts in many countries.

Cons

• Trial lessons pay nothing, and new tutors pay 33%.
• No guaranteed students or published average earnings.
• Strict attendance and cancellation metrics can hide your profile.
• Low-demand subjects and some locations are rejected.
• No employee protections; taxes are your job.
• Balances expire after 180 days without logging in.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I become a Preply tutor?

On a computer, click Become a tutor on preply.com, create an account, and complete the application: photo, optional certificates and education, description, intro video, availability and rate. Preply reviews it within 3 to 5 business days.

What are the Preply tutor requirements?

Be 18 or older, live outside Preply’s restricted locations, and submit a compliant photo, video and description. You need a computer, webcam, microphone and stable internet, and must verify your ID before withdrawing.

Does Preply require a degree?

No. Preply says no specific certification or teaching experience is required. Degrees and certificates are optional but add badges, including Professional Tutor for qualifying certificates.

What is the Preply commission?

100% of each trial lesson with a new student, then 33% for your first 20 hours, 28%, 25%, 22% and finally 18% after 400 hours, counting all hours taught including trials.

How much do Preply tutors make?

Preply publishes no average. It says English tutors charge $15 to $25 an hour on average and its most popular tutors earn up to $550 a week.

How does Preply pay tutors?

Confirmed lesson earnings go to your Preply balance, and you withdraw via bank transfer (powered by Wise), Wise, PayPal, Payoneer or Skrill, with method-specific minimums and fees.

Can I teach on Preply and italki at the same time?

The Preply Terms we reviewed contain no exclusivity clause and grant tutors a non-exclusive right to use the platform. They do forbid teaching Preply students outside Preply or taking their payments directly.

Are Preply tutors employees?

No. Preply’s Terms say users act as independent contractors, and its tax article says tutors are not employed by Preply.

Preply tutor login help: what if I cannot sign in?

Use “Forgot your password” on the login screen for a reset email; once in, change it under Settings, then Password. Preply support runs 24/7 by live chat and email only, with no phone line.

Conclusion

Learning how to become a tutor on Preply takes an afternoon; building income there takes longer. Entry is simple: be 18 or older, avoid the restricted locations, and submit a clean photo, a horizontal intro video and a specific first-person description, with no degree required. The economics need thought. Every new student’s trial goes to Preply and your first 20 hours carry 33% commission, so price with that in mind and focus on turning trials into regular students. Keep your calendar honest, report no-shows within 72 hours, withdraw through the cheapest method for your country and set money aside for taxes. Rules change, so confirm them on Preply’s commission page and Become a tutor page before you apply.