u/Maria-MakarON

Hi everyone! I’ve been teaching English on Preply for about a month, but my clientele isn’t quite what I was hoping for. I expected to attract more students from Europe or Asia.

Is it possible to switch the subject I teach? I’d like to teach Ukrainian instead of English, but I’m not sure whether I’d still be able to keep my current English students who are already subscribed, my reviews and lesson number.

Has anyone here switched subjects before? Is it possible, and if so, how does it work?

Thanks in advance! 😊

Hi everybody! 🙋🏻‍♀️ New Preply teacher here.

I’d like to ask my fellow teachers: what percentage of your trial students usually become regular students, and how long does it typically take them to subscribe?
So far, I’ve had six trial lessons, and three students subscribed. (One of them subscribed immediately but hasn’t scheduled any regular lessons yet.) The other three seemed to enjoy the trial and even said they were planning to subscribe. I sent each of them a follow-up message, but they haven’t replied or subscribed yet. It’s been about three days.

I have to admit, I feel a bit frustrated because I spent 50 minutes with each of them, didn’t get paid for those lessons, and now I’m wondering whether that time was simply lost.

I currently charge $10 per lesson on Preply, which I know is a low starting price. I’m actually an experienced teacher and charge $36/hour on italki. I teach English, create a separate Google Doc for every student, personalize every lesson based on the student’s goals, level, and interests, and I provide detailed corrections and explanations throughout the lesson.

So I’m wondering—is it common for students to wait several days (or even longer) before subscribing? Have any of you had trial students who disappeared for a while and then came back later?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences.

Hello everyone! New Preply teacher here, and I need to vent a little about trial lessons. 😅
I’m an experienced teacher on italki, where I teach three languages: Ukrainian, English, and Russian. On Preply, I currently teach only English.
I’ve recently had five trial lessons (three of those students subscribed), and today I have three more trial lessons—each of them is 50 minutes.
I honestly find it frustrating that tutors don’t get paid for trial lessons, especially when they last 50 minutes and there’s no guarantee the student will subscribe afterward. I don’t mind the 25-minute trials as much—they feel like a reasonable introduction. But 50 minutes for free feels excessive to me.
Is there any way to disable 50-minute trial lessons and only allow 25-minute ones?
Also, has anyone tried messaging students before they book a trial to explain that tutors aren’t paid for trial lessons and politely ask them to choose the 25-minute option instead? Or would that come across badly?
I’d love to hear how other tutors handle this. I enjoy teaching, but I’m worried that too many unpaid 50-minute trial lessons will eventually lead to burnout.

Preply tutors, how long did it take you to get your first student?

My profile was approved about 5 days ago. I have a TEFL certificate, the Professional Tutor badge, 5,500+ lessons taught, and 800+ students from previous teaching platforms, but so far I’ve only had 9 profile views and no bookings.

I’m curious about other tutors’ experiences.

How long did it take you to get your first trial lesson and first regular student?

What helped the most in getting those first bookings?