Preply is a website that you can use to learn English(or any language) with a teacher. You can have online English classes and study English at home.
What is Preply?
Preply is an online platform that pairs teachers and students. You choose a teacher and have one on one classes(private classes). Nowadays Preply is a place to learn languages but Preply started as a platform to find tutors to help with exams and you can still find teachers to help you with IELTS, FCE, or any other exam.
How much does Preply cost?
Preply teachers decide how much they charge for each class. The classes can cost between $2 and $100 an hour. Most teachers seem to charge around $20 dollars an hour but you can find teachers from as low as 2 or 3 dollars per hour. Teachers that specialize in exams tend to be a bit more expensive and can charge $30 an hour.
It is a good idea to make a budget for your English classes. For example, If you can afford 50 dollars worth of classes, then book 5 classes with a teacher at $10 an hour.
How does Preply work?
When you go to the website, they ask you a few questions about your life. This is so they can help you to find a teacher. They ask you a few questions about why you want to learn English and how often.
You can then set the amount you want to pay and then you can choose a teacher. You can pay with Mastercard, Visa, Paypal or Amex. If you are not happy with the lesson, then you can get a refund. The money is only transferred to your teacher when you confirm the lesson.
It is a good idea to watch some of the teacher introduction videos to find a teacher that seems suitable for you. When you choose a teacher you will have to sign up with your email address. After that, you will choose how many hours you want to buy with that teacher.
Does Preply use Skype?
No, Preply uses a similar tool called Space. Before your lesson click on “ My lessons”. On the top right-hand corner you can join the lesson. You can have the lesson in full-screen or make the video smaller so that you can see your lesson summary or share materials with your teacher.
Preply classes
Preply classes depend a lot on the teacher. Some teachers prefer more structured classes with lots of materials and others are more informal with conversation the most important thing.
Things to prepare before your first class
- where you save new vocabulary
- what type of class you wan
- your strengths and weaknesses
It is a good idea to think about this before the class so you can tell the teacher what you need help with. If you have problems with the prepositions or asking questions in English for example, then tell your teacher and you can practice.
When it is time for your class, don’t worry. When it is time for your class, you just need to go to the website and you will go directly to the classroom space. Most teachers are very friendly and helpful. The platform is similar to other video call services like Skype and the teacher can also share materials with you as you can see from the screenshots below. Preply doesn’t use Skype.
My Spanish lesson with Florencia and the Preply “Space”
Benefits of Preply
The benefits of Preply are the same for most online classes.
Low cost of some teachers
One of the benefits of having an online teacher is that you can find a teacher for your budget. The quality of the teaching is sometimes better if you pay more but not all the time. Some teachers charge a low price at the beginning so it is a good idea to try to book a class with a new teacher to see if they are a good fit for you.
You can find the best teachers
Some of the best teachers around the world are now teaching online. It can be difficult to find a native speaker to have an English class with if you are only able to have classes in your local area. Now, with the internet, you can have teachers from all around the world.
You don’t need to leave your house
It can be expensive and time-consuming to go to an English school. You need to pay for the bus and spend time on the bus which is time and money that you could spend on an online English class. You can also have your English class in your pajamas!
Private teachers
When you have a class with your own teacher, you improve so much faster. When you are in a big class in an English school, you don’t get much of the teacher’s time. You can also be distracted by other students in the class. When you study English online, you can practice your speaking and listening skills a lot more.
You can study when you want
Offline English classes usually only have classes in the evening or on Saturday mornings. You can book an online class with any of the websites above at any time you want. How good is that?
Find the difference between Preply and Italki here.
Disadvantages of Preply
The disadvantages of Preply are that the following
Lack of flexibility
When you book a block of hours with a teacher, you need to stay with that teacher. This is not great for a student if the teacher is no longer interested in working on Preply. Cambly is a better option if you are looking for flexibility because you can talk to many different teachers from all around the world with your package,
Teachers don’t get paid for the first lesson
Preply takes a 33% commission of the price that you pay your teacher(at the beginning). They also don’t pay the teacher for the first lesson so the teacher is working for free. This is unfair to the teacher in my opinion.
Alternatives to Preply
Italki is a very similar service to Preply. One of the main differences is that you put money onto your Italki account and then you can spend it on different teachers or just one teacher if you want. There are also a few more free features on Italki that can help you to learn English.
Cambly works a little bit differently. You can have 15,30 or 60-minute classes and you need to sign up for a monthly subscription. This is the best platform if you want to improve your speaking skills in my opinion.
Free 15 minute class with Cambly
Is Preply safe?
Yes, Preply is safe. All teachers are checked and you can watch their video to check that they are real teachers. Payments are safe and come with a guarantee so that you can get your money back if you are not happy.
Is Preply worth it?
Yes, Preply is definitely worth trying. Try booking a few different classes with different teachers and find a teacher that works well with you. If you book a teacher for 10 hours you will make a lot of progress with your English. Ask your teacher for homework and do the homework and that will help your English level a lot. Leave a comment below with your experience with Preply.
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