Home App Reviews Superprof Review: What It’s Like to Work As a Tutor for Superprof
August 21, 2024
Editorial GuidelinesSuzanne is a freelance writer and web designer with 10 years of experience. She previously helped to rebuild a failed digital...
Tutoring can become a lucrative side hustle, especially if you find the right mix of platforms to teach on. One platform you may want to consider is Superprof.
In this Superprof review, we’ll look at how Superprof works, what kinds of tutoring you can do, and how much you can earn as a Superprof tutor.
Superprof is a private tutoring platform. Initially launched in 2013 in France, Superprof is now a global company, operating in over 40 countries and offering tutoring services in more than a dozen languages.
In terms of how Superprof works, the platform operates a little differently from your typical tutoring platform. It’s more of an advertising platform for private tutors. You post an ad for your tutoring services, and interested students contact you if they think you’re a good fit.
Tutoring on Superprof comes with a lot of flexibility. For starters, you can use Superprof regardless of whether you plan to tutor online or in person. The platform also offers plenty of room to decide how you run your tutoring business, and there are more than 1,000 subjects you can teach.
Superprof gives tutors all the tools they need to achieve the following goals:
What’s more, you don’t need a degree in teaching or other special certifications to become a Superprof tutor.
There are more than 1,000 subjects you can teach on Superprof. Here are some examples of subjects to choose from:
There are no costs to sign up for and use Superprof as a tutor. That said, there are other fees that may come into play down the line.
Here are the main Superprof costs to be aware of:
Technically, you can use Superprof completely free of charge as a tutor. All of these costs are optional. You can even get out of sacrificing a cut of your pay to Superprof by opting to handle payments directly with your students.
This is a huge deal for a tutoring platform. It’s incredibly rare to find a tutoring site that offers so much flexibility and freedom with absolutely no mandatory fees. The only real “cost” you need to pay is your time on your first free lesson with a student.
Superprof has only one requirement: You need to be at least 16 years old and a legal adult (so 18 years or older in the US, unless you’re an emancipated teen).
You don’t need a degree, formal teaching credentials, or experience. The platform accepts tutors in all 50 states (and Puerto Rico) as well as over 40 countries around the world.
That said, tutors have the ability to upload proof of education or certification to their accounts. If you have advanced credentials that demonstrate why you’re more qualified than other tutors to teach your given subjects, you can share them on your profile.
Superprof is a legitimate company. It’s been helping students connect with tutors (and vice versa) since 2013.
Although your Superprof tutoring business is your own to manage, the company can help in the case of some disputes or issues. For instance, if you experience a serious problem with a student, you can report their inappropriate behavior or actions to Superprof through the app.
The company also offers some protections in the case of a late cancellation. For instance, if a student cancels their lesson with less than 24 hours to go, they’ll receive a refund of 0%, 50%, or 100% based on the cancellation policy that you create.
There’s some discussion online amongst both students and tutors about whether or not Superprof is a scam. A lot of it revolves around the Superprof Student Pass.
Here’s how Superprof markets itself to students:
Sign up with Superprof and get the first lesson with your tutor for free!
There are two problems with this. The first is that not every tutor offers free lessons. Once a tutor accumulates reviews and reaches STAR status, they’re under no obligation to do so.
The other issue is that when students visit the Superprof website, they’re encouraged to browse tutor profiles, compare pricing, and find the tutor they like. However, when a student tries to contact a tutor for the first time, they’re told they have to sign up for the $49 Superprof Student Pass first. This required monthly subscription fee isn’t promoted anywhere on the website.
Because of this, some tutors have noted that students will jump from tutor to tutor, booking as many free lessons as they can to avoid actual tutoring costs on top of the monthly fee. With tutors being forced to give that first lesson away for free, they can end up doing a whole lot of work with no money to show for it.
When you sign up to tutor on Superprof, you have the freedom to set your rates anywhere in the range of $20–$80 per hour.
How much students will be willing to pay depends on factors like the demand for your expertise, your qualifications, your reviews on the Superprof websites, and whether you’re tutoring online or in person.
If you’re curious to see what Superprof tutors in your subject areas are charging, use the search bar at the top of the Superprof.com homepage. If you look at the Superprof blog, there are numerous posts with information on how much Superprof tutors typically earn.
For example, this post about homework helpers says they make an average of $26.77 per hour. However, some subjects tend to be more lucrative. For example, students pay between $30 and $40 on average for math and Mandarin lessons.
Then there’s the difference between online lessons and in-person tutoring. According to Superprof, tutors tend to charge about 20% less for online tutoring.
There are two ways to get paid for tutoring: off-platform or online via the Superprof payment platform.
| Off Platform | Superprof Payment Processor | |
|---|---|---|
| Payment method | Any method | PayPal |
| When you get paid | According to a schedule decided by you and your student | Up to 3 business days after the lesson |
| Minimum payment threshold | None | $30 |
Lesson packs work a little differently. When students buy lessons in bulk, you receive 50% of the balance within 3 days of the student buying the pack. You’ll receive the rest after they’ve used all the hours.
Tutors have the freedom to choose their own cancellation policy on Superprof, within limits. If a student is a no-show or cancels a lesson within 24 hours of the scheduled start time, you have the option to either charge them in full, charge 50%, or charge them nothing. However, if they cancel with more than 24 hours notice, they’ll be refunded in full.
The signup process for Superprof is simple and straightforward. Just follow the steps below.
Go to the become a tutor page and create your Superprof account. You have the option to sign up by email, Apple, or Google.
From the dashboard, fill in the rest of your account details, including your phone number, Skype or Google Hangout ID, phone number, and postal address. You can also upload a headshot, diploma, and ID for verification.
To start teaching on Superprof, you need to create an ad for each subject you want to teach. Click on “My Tutor Ads.” Next, fill in the following information:
You can create ads for as many subjects as you’d like to teach. Just make sure that each ad is unique and tailored to the chosen subject.
Superprof suggests that you ask your friends for recommendations if you’re just starting out. Unfortunately, these “student” reviews won’t count towards removing the forced free lesson.
However, having published reviews may help you get more requests. Potential students often read Superprof tutor reviews when choosing a tutor, and positive reviews will give them confidence in your expertise and teaching abilities.
After your ad is created, you’re able to go in and customize the details even more. Set different rates for online vs. in-person sessions, add travel fees, create lesson packs, and more.
Once your tutor ad is live on Superprof, you’re all set. You can then expect to receive requests from students. Superprof will notify you by email and SMS. You can then either accept or decline the request.
Be sure to respond quickly. According to the Superprof website, students often send requests to multiple tutors, and you may lose your chance if another tutor beats you to the punch.
Tutors reviews of Superprof are generally positive. Most tutors rave about the platform’s unparalleled flexibility and low cost.
The most notable complaint from tutors is that the initial free lessons can limit your earnings. Some tutors also complain about not getting enough students, but competition and fluctuations in demand are drawbacks you’ll find with virtually any tutoring site.
However, it’s not necessarily just the Superprof tutor reviews that you should be concerned about. Student reviews are overwhelmingly negative, and this could have implications for your tutoring side hustle.
A deeper look at the high levels of student dissatisfaction suggests a worrying possibility—that Superprof’s business models is geared toward making money from students through sneaky subscription fees, and the only reason Superprof is such a good deal for tutors is that the platform needs lots of tutors on board to successfully bait students.
To help you decide whether working for Superprof is worth it, we’ll break down the highlights from Superprof reviews. Here’s everything you need to know about tutoring on Superprof, according to tutor reviews.
Perhaps the biggest drawback to Superprof for tutors is the fact that the platform requires tutors to offer a free lesson or consultation when they’re just starting out. This is only something you’re only required to do in the beginning, but it can be a deal breaker for some tutors.
User reviews:
“I’ve done several sessions without payment so I’m not sure if this is a scam or what?” (Reddit, April 2024)
“I joined Superprof, but when I found out that the first lesson with each student is unpaid, I ditched it.” (Reddit, June 2023)
“They leave as soon as it is not free anymore. Students would not even take the time to leave me a review.” (Glassdoor, October 2022)
Tutors generally love Superprof, and it’s easy to see why—be it the incredibly competitive commission fees, transparent pricing, virtually no signup requirements, or the option to take students off the platform. Superprof ultimately offers tutors incredible flexibility that’s rare to find on other platforms.
User reviews:
“I love how easy it is to get a professional profile set up and a tutoring ad published on Superprof! I could easily view what prospective students would see and tune my ad accordingly. I’ve gotten inquiries from some great students – it has been straightforward to communicate with them, and I feel like it has been a good experience.” (Trustpilot, July 2024)
“As a teacher, that too a skilled one, once you get lucky enough to find a student (which is a rare event I admit, you’ll have to keep your fees as low as possible), and if you manage to get a review from them, or a recommendation (which doesn’t require money btw), you’re good to go! Atleast the students are legitimate, real people with real needs, although many aren’t serious, and you can’t entirely rely on the platform for all your expenses, but it’s a good side hustle.” (Reddit, June 2024)
“I’ve been a tutor on Superprof for four years now, and I can confidently say it’s one of the best platforms for connecting tutors with students. The entire experience has been smooth and rewarding. […] The ability to offer both in-person and online lessons has also expanded my reach and client base. […] I highly recommend superprof.com to everyone.” (Trustpilot, June 2024)
“I’ve had a positive experience with the platform so far. I’ve been contacted by more students, and I appreciate that they don’t require us to exclusively use their platform.” (Trustpilot, May 2024)
“From the tutoring standpoint, it’s easy to move up for more visibility, they give opportunities to make contact with students, and they’re more laid back than other tutoring sites (which makes it a lot easier for someone who needs to earn money on the side or as a main job even).” (Trustpilot, April 2024)
“I teach/tutor spanish on different pateforms and my highest priced lessons are on superproof. No you dont need a membership and I don’t suggest pay membership fees if you are new to the platform. […] It sucks the first lesson are required to be free- but they allow you to change that […] Obviously don’t drop your other platforms it’ll take time to get some students. I get about $372/month with my 3 regular students at $35/hour (I earn $31/hour) I personally don’t like the user interface of the platform or having to back and forth arrange a date time with students in different time zones… but once you have regulars it’s not so bad. I’ve been on superproof 4 months nows and its a decent sidehussle.” (Reddit, September 2023)
The most serious issue with Superprof is their billing system for students. If you check out Superprof tutoring reviews from students, you’ll find countless reports of people who signed up only to feel tricked into a monthly recurring membership fee with no refunds.
Even if Superprof is great for you as a tutor, a bad reputation among students can ultimately harm your earning potential. In particular, the competition could eventually get overwhelming if fewer and fewer students use the platform as an increasing number of tutors join.
User reviews:
“They’re pretty sketchy. They charge you $50 a month and you have to cancel for those payments to stop. They make it very difficult to cancel and it’s almost impossible to get in contact with them.” (Reddit, May 2024)
“I had used their services for about 2 years now and it had been fine, but there’s some shady thing going on about paying a membership fee of $49 monthly. I have a cello student who had been paying this membership fee, thinking that it’s my hourly fee per lesson. I got paid eventually for one lesson, but 1) doesn’t justify her being charged a monthly fee she didn’t sign up for and 2) because it’s through PayPal, it’s a pain and I have gotten blocked for security reasons.” (Reddit, April 2024)
“The ‘FREE’ lesson was $45 for the monthly student membership which I didn’t realize we signed up for Day 1 (its really not advertised when you sign up for a FREE lesson).” (Reddit, March 2024)
“First lesson is free, HOWEVER, they will charge you $50 immediately for their monthly subscription. I contacted them twice explaining that I know the tutor and her contact information and thought the platform is to assist with the booking. I never intended to use in the future and access their services. They REFUSED issuing a refund despite all my explanations. Yet another site that is making money on subscriptions by being misleading!” (Reddit, March 2024)
There’s a reason why there are over 7 million people tutoring with Superprof. It’s free to sign up and there’s a low barrier to entry. There’s also a lot of flexibility in terms of how you work, what you teach, and how much you make.
However, the Superprof platform appears to be profit-driven more than it is anything else. By charging students an access fee (and not telling them about it until they try to contact a tutor), it’s created a business model that doesn’t work in favor of its students and also has a negative impact on its tutors.
That said, if you’re a highly qualified tutor with education and certifications to back it up, you might have an easier time navigating these hurdles. Unlike new tutors who may have to settle for giving most of their work away for free, it should be easier for you to get rave reviews from students and work your way up to STAR status, removing the restrictions and hidden fees associated with being a Superprof tutor.
Before you sign up to work for Superprof, make sure you carefully consider the platform’s benefits and drawbacks for tutors.
Thankfully, Superprof is far from the only online teaching platform. Here are a few others you might like to consider as well:
Each platform has its own pros and cons. Some charge upfront fees, whereas others take a cut of your earnings. A few teaching platforms allow you to set your own rates, but some set your rates for you.
All of these factors can have a huge impact on how much you earn as a tutor. If you want more control over your earnings, you could also consider tutoring independently. You just need to be willing to put in the work to find your own students.
August 13, 2024
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.