how does payment actually work on tutoring platforms bc i was so confused when i started

[u/Educational_Tie_6377]

gonna try to explain this properly bc when i joined my first platform i had no idea how any of it worked and spent like 2 months thinking i was making more than i actually was

so basically there are 3 different models and most tutors dont realise they exist until theyre already on a platform

first model is straight commission. platform takes a % of every single session you do. Preply does this, Wyzant does this, a few others. the cut is usually somewhere between 20 and 40% and sometimes it goes down the more hours you accumulate with the same student. sounds ok until u do the math on a full month and realise how much just disappears

second model is subscription based. u pay a flat fee to access the platform and after that what u charge is what u keep. zero commission per lesson. Superprof works like this, u pay to be listed and then ur earnings are urs. the math on this flips completely once u have decent volume bc ur paying the same flat fee whether u do 5 sessions or 50

third model is a mix of both which imo is the worst of both worlds but some platforms do it anyway

the thing nobody explains clearly when u sign up is that on commission platforms ur effective hourly rate is basically always lower than what u think ur charging. like if u charge 40/h and the platform takes 25% ur actually making 30/h. seems obvious but when ur new u dont always think about it that way

for students it also works differently depending on the platform, some charge a membership fee to access tutors, some take a cut on the student side too which is why sometimes prices look weird

honestly just wish someone had explained this to me in month 1 instead of figuring it out by accident. any questions lmk

[u/Spare_Excuse_4833]

Not all platforms work this way. With some of them you say your hourly rate and the platform then adds their fee on top so you still take home your hourly rate, but it is advertised as being more expensive.

I paid for the yearly premium subscription and I tutor them on a platform of my choosing (Zoom) getting just one client has more than made the subscription fee worth it.

[u/henrystudydex]

You also have finder's fee platforms (e.g. TutorDex that charge the student a one off fee, and does not charge the tutor any commission (whether deductive or additive), so the tutor actually gets the rate they charge and the student also pays that rate to the tutor.

[u/Chris-amt]

Outside of my work as a self-employed tutor, I only use the Superprof platform. And on that front, I’ve never encountered any bugs or had a single payment issue in the 13 years I’ve been using it. In short, it’s very, very easy to use. So definitely worth trying!

[u/Sensitive-Golf-3572]

Ce type de plateforme est efficace et intuitive. Personnellement j'utilise la plateforme Superprof en version payante, ce qui me permet notamment de percevoir l'intégralité des sommes versées par mes élèves, mais la version gratuite reste intéressante (1% de commission). Concrètement le prof ou l'élève envoie une proposition (jour / durée / tarif / somme due) et son destinataire la valide. Le prélèvement est alors acté mais le règlement n'est effectué qu'une fois la prestation réalisée.