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Teaching English online with Cambly and Cambly Kids
Are you dreaming of working remotely as an online English tutor but don’t want to commit to strict working hours, perhaps you don’t have any teaching experience? No problem, Cambly is a popular online teaching company with flexible tutor requirements that could give you the freedom, fast money and stress-free teaching experience you’ve been looking for.
I currently work on the Cambly platform and I really enjoy it. I speak to friendly students from all over the world, I work whenever I have the time and I don’t have any pressure to prepare detailed lesson plans or clown around like a monkey, something that has been somewhat of a requirement on other platforms.
In this Cambly guide, I’ll be taking you through how the Cambly online teaching platform works, the requirements to apply and how, how much money you can make, and top tips to succeed as a Cambly tutor.
Cambly overview:
No experience necessary
No degree or teaching certificate necessary
Must be a native English speaker (nationality doesn’t matter).
Earn $10.17 USD/hour
No minimum hours, o commitment
Get paid weekly via PayPal
Easy application process
Requires computer with high-speed internet connection
Table of contents
About Cambly
About Cambly
Cambly is an online English language website that offers lessons to adult students around the world. Students can connect with tutors for things like conversation, structured English lessons, exam preparation (IELTS), business English, job interview preparation and survival English.
Cambly Kids is a subsection of Cambly which is a kids platform for 30 min lessons using pre-prepared Cambly Kids lesson plans. It is possible to teach on the main platform which is mainly adult students (with the occasional child), just on the Cambly kids platform or you can divide your time between both lesson types. Application for Cambly kids is simply an additional introduction video and demo class using their given lesson materials.
To become a Cambly tutor, you don’t have to be an English teacher, you just need to be a native or near-native English speaker. Cambly doesn’t ask for much more, making this one of the easiest platforms to start with if you don’t have teaching experience or a degree, and one of the most flexible options for those looking for the perfect side hustle.
Lessons are free-flowing and relaxed. Students usually want to practice their conversation skills so your main job is to keep the conversation going, and help correct any mistakes they make. In my experience, students have always been very appreciative of all the corrections and learning tips that I give them throughout our chats.
Fancy Teaching Kids? Watch this short video to find out why Cambly tutors love Cambly kids.
Why become a Cambly tutor?
Cambly is perfect for you if you’re new to the EFL world or if you don’t have any degrees or certifications.
Chat for England
Another favourite aspect of Cambly is that since students are usually online to improve their speaking skills, and at first you will speak to lots of new students, it is all about first introductions and meeting new people! Even better, Cambly provides easy to follow lesson slides covering a range of topics from conversation topics to vocabulary and grammar lessons that allow your students to follow a structured program meaning you don’t have to have pre-prepared lesson plans and materials!
Flexibility- It is also great if you’re planning to make English teaching a side hustle and you don’t want to commit to regular hours or have to wake up at silly o’clock to teach Chinese students like on many other successful platforms.
When can I teach on Cambly?
Whenever you like! Yes, you read that correctly! Cambly is one of the most schedule-flexible platforms to work on. With no mandatory minimum or maximum hours, Cambly teachers can work as much or as little as they want. Cambly students come from all over the world, mainly Saudi Arabia, UAE, Brazil and Turkey but I have found it possible to work any hour of the day or night.
Worried about not working regularly or having periods of time with no work? No worries! Cambly has got you covered.
Cambly has a priority hour function. for teachers which allows you to commit to an hour of incoming calls while giving you a priority on students, and they promise to pay you a minimum for your promised hour even if you don't receive any calls during this time. Be sure to take advantage of this when you first start out and soon enough you’ll have a full-booked schedule of reservations with your wonderful regular students! And if regular time slots aren’t really your thing then you can still pick up a priority hour when you have the chance to earn that quick buck. Click here for more info on Scheduling.
Where can I teach on Cambly?
Anywhere with a suitable learning environment. Cambly does not restrict you to any one country. You can travel the world and continue to earn money teaching on Cambly. This is one of the main reasons I continue to teach on their platform, especially since I live in New Zealand and have difficulty teaching on the Chinese platforms due to my time zone. Cambly also stipulates that your background should be plain, tidy and distraction free, so you don’t need to worry about creating a classroom in your background for Cambly, simply tidy your room/ make your bed and bob’s your uncle!
Cambly teacher requirements- need to be native?
Need to be Native? NO, while being a native English speaker is not a requirement for teaching on Cambly, it will mean that you aren’t waiting as long for a lesson. (Although recently the company has started a large scale recruitment drive and it has been suggested that they have become more choosy about their successful applicants).
The same goes with TEFL certificates, university degrees and teaching experience. Don’t have any of that? No problem, Cambly does not require any additional degrees, certifications or qualifications, but you should be good with people and have strong conversation skills.
My top tip for you is to create a killer profile! Since students may not choose you for your credentials, make sure to use your previous career and life experiences to show students what you can bring to a lesson should they choose you. You live in a van and travel the world? Cambly students would love to learn about your experiences. Share your passions. Teach Karate in your free time? Put it in your profile, it is something you can talk about!
Technical requirements
Cambly requires that tutors have a high-speed internet connection, a teaching device with a webcam, and a headset with a Microphone. Teachers should also have good lighting on their face and a quiet working environment free from distractions. Make sure you have all the required gear ready before you create a tutor account and signup.
What is the application process?
Cambly has a very straightforward and simple application process. It requires you to fill out an application form with your credentials and experience, upload any certifications and/or degrees, upload a profile picture and an introductory video to attract students and a description of what you can provide them in your lessons.
To get hired by Cambly, you’ll start by going to the Cambly: Become A Tutor web page and creating an account. You can create an account using your Facebook, Google or Apple account, or email and password.
The first step is to test your technology and teaching gear. Do you have a high-speed internet connection, a webcam (inbuilt or external are both fine), great lighting with no shadows, and a headset and microphone? Ready? Click the “Start Test” button. If everything works correctly. you’ll pass your technology evaluation and begin to create your teacher profile.
Next you’ll record a short intro video that your prospective students will see. This video should be about two minutes long and highlight your English Speaking abilities and personality! I Strongly advise all applicants to write and memorize script/ main points to help your confidence and clarity! Click here for more tips to create a great intro video.
You’re all done! Wait for Cambly to review and accept your application and you can start teaching!
Something to consider: Cambly is currently in the middle of a recruitment drive and therefore it may take a few weeks to get a response from Cambly about your application. Cambly doesn’t respond to unsuccessful applicants. If after a few weeks you still haven’t heard anything, I recommend revising your application and trying again with a different email address.
Apply to Cambly Kids Now and once you're accepted you'll receive $10USD sign up bonus!
What is the teaching format on Cambly?
Students have two options when looking for a tutor, they can either click a button for Cambly to randomly assign them to an available tutor (who best fits their selected criteria) at that moment, or they can browse through teacher profiles and videos to determine which Cambly tutor is the best fit. Once they find a tutor they like the sound of, they can reserve a class.
Cambly lessons are 1-1 and students come from all over the world with differing needs.
Cambly is a conversion platform. This means that you won’t have to do much prep work as a teacher. There is no lesson planning and you aren’t expected to use props or plan activities for the lesson.
Cambly does offer their own lesson plans which students can choose from. However the majority of Cambly students prefer to have a more free conversation, so you can chat about pretty much anything you like. You will most likely teach classes on a wide range of topics in a single day. You might like to talk about Movies, travel, food, hobbies, or anything else your student is interested in. I like to use this website to find interesting conversation topics. Some will come prepared with an article to discuss or a language question too.
Cambly has its own inbuilt video platform which is where the lessons take place and it has an in-built chat and translation box for you to type any corrections or website links for your students. You don't need to use a third-party tool like Skype or Zoom.
Cambly offers new students the chance to take a trial lesson which usually last 5 minutes and regular users usually load their subscription with 30 or 60 minutes at a time meaning classes usually last 30 or 60 minutes but this can vary depending on the student too.
Lessons are paid by the minute, which means that you might be teaching for any duration of that time that your student wants. The Cambly platform will automatically track your teaching minutes for you so you don’t have to worry about timing yourself.
All lessons are recorded and available to the student after class so that they can practice independently. If you would not like your class video to be shared with anyone else you can ask your student and include this request in your profile.
Cambly Schedule and Bookings
Cambly is fantastic for teachers like me, who need a flexible schedule. There are no minimum or maximum teaching hours and no set schedules.
Since students are located all over the world, Cambly lessons are available 24/7. Making it a great side hustle for teachers who want to have lessons outside of the high demand times in Asia.
There are four ways tutors can schedule classes: on demand, priority hours, lesson reservations and holding a spot for a regular student.
On demand classes
One of the fab ways tutors can teach on Cambly is by signing in and waiting to receive a call. The duration of the call listing for however long both the teacher and student are available for. This method therefore doesn’t require any planning in advance, simply log in, turn on your visibility and teach!
The downside of this method is that you will only be paid for the minutes that you teach and some teachers report a lot of unpaid “waiting around” time between calls. This method is perfect for those of us who blog, write books, plan and teach private lessons etc. because we can get so much done while we wait for the call!
The upside is that this is truly one of the most flexible ways to make money online and great for those of us who have unpredictable schedules or sleeping patterns!
Priority hours
Tutors can sign up for priority hours. These are times when Cambly has a higher call volume. Tutors who sign up for priority hours will likely get more calls. Often Cambly also guarantees a minimum payment for 15 minutes per priority hour, regardless of how many calls a tutor receives. In my experience this is great, but I thankfully haven't needed to take advantage of this since I've always received more than 15 minutes of lesson per priority hour. Students can see when you have signed up to priority hours and can book you at this time.
The downside to priority hours is that once you start a priority hour you cannot leave it, you are committed to answering every call that comes your way in the hour (with the option to take one 5 min break per PH).
Lesson reservations
Students and tutors can also choose to reserve lessons in advance. This option allows teachers to have more structure to their schedule. Tutors c open time-slots in advance and students can make a reservation for a specific date and time.
Students can also use the filters bar when searching for a lesson by picking the day and time they want to have a lesson and Cambly will show them the tutors that are available at that time. If a student enjoys your lesson, they can go to your tutor page directly and book a lesson with you using your availability calendar.
Hold a spot for a regular.
You can hold a time-slot for an individual student. If you have a really enjoyable call with a student, you might want to connect with them again in the future. If they would like to schedule regular lessons at the same time each time, you can offer them an exclusive time slot so that other students can’t book it. Be careful with this because if the student doesn't book this slot, Cambly still requires that you be online available.
To do this, you have to add the student to your regulars list. Then you can hold a regular time slot for them on the scheduling page by selecting “hold a spot for a regular” and selecting the student.
No show and Cancellation Policies
As a tutor, if you only use Cambly as an on-demand platform , you won't have to worry about cancelling lessons. If something comes up, just don’t log in and you won't have to teach. The exception being if you sign up for priority hours and you can’t make it , you must cancel within 12 hours to avoid any penalty (further restrictions of priority hours and ability for students to reserve time-slots with you).
If you need to cancel a lesson, priority hour or reservation due to an emergency or extenuating circumstance, no problem. As a on-time occurrence, a simple ticket on the help function of the platform to Cambly explaining your situation will help to possibly avoid any penalty.
It is also good practice and important if you want to keep your regulars coming back, send them a message explaining your reason for cancelling the lesson. When you have the time, it might be an idea to send them a link to an article to read or worksheet to complete as a little extra (this is completely up to you). It is possible to log on to your tutor account on your mobile device and massage your students from there, although you cannot teach from a mobile device.
Does Cambly pay well?
May I urge you to first think about your priorities before you try to earn as much money as possible. How many hours would you like to work? What is your ideal timetable? Can you commit to a regular schedule? If Cambly suits your main priorities, the pay will absolutely work for you, Especially if the exchange rate is in your favour in your country.
But, let’s face it, we’re all in it to earn a few bucks right? If you’re anything like me, you’re eager to know the answer to this burning question in your head “How much money can I earn on Cambly”
Cambly pay their teachers $0.17 / min which equates to $10.17 per hour but it comes with no guarantee that you will be teaching for that full hour and therefore may earn less than this.
Cambly has a separate and slightly different platform Cambly Kids which is just for child learners. Teachers have to submit an additional intro video and demo class to teach on Cambly kids.
Cambly kids teachers get paid more. $0.20USD per minute, $12USD per hour and kids classes are 30 mins long. Cambly provides all lesson plan materials.
How will I get Paid by Cambly?
The majority of Online English companies use systems such as PayPal and Payoneer to pay their teachers, Cambly is no different.
Cambly pay your weekly earnings every Monday pm (GMT) including PayPal transfer fees. Like most non-Chinese companies, Cambly will pay their teachers in US$ and it is then up to you to convert it into your own currency.
Does Cambly offer bonuses?
No. Unlike a few other companies, Cambly doesn't offer performance or loyalty bonuses $0.17/min is your lot. Currently,
Cambly referal program
Cambly is running a recruitment drive referral program which is a great way to earn those extra bucks. This involves inviting your friends, family or general public (you can use social media platforms to do this) to tutor on Cambly.
Cambly are offering a special April referring bonus! From now until the end of April, you will earn $30 (instead of the usual $10) when your friend is approved for Cambly Kids. You will earn another $20 when your friend tutors for 10 hours, making your total bonus $50 per referral! You can earn up to $50 for every successful referral! For every friend you get to start tutoring, you get $30 (instead of the usual $20) during this special bonus month. If your referral is approved for Cambly Kids, you both earn $20.
Apply to Cambly
Tips for being a successful Cambly Teacher
I’ve spoken to a few different successful Cambly tutors and they all agree that when it comes down to it, being an awesome tutor on any platform is about being enthusiastic and listening well to your students' answers. If you can create a positive and encouraging classroom environment and provide you students with helpful feedback, you will go far on Cambly.
If you do these 5 things when starting on Cambly, you’ll have a fully booked schedule of reservations and students calling you whenever you’re online in no time!
The best way to help students to choose you, is to have a professional, high quality and friendly profile picture, after all it is the first thing that students will look at. For more detailed tips on creating an awesome profile click here!
Create a catchy Intro video. Be unique and smile!
Students will not bother to read your long description of how great you are if they can hear it from you in just a few seconds. Make sure your description is catchy, organised and gives the students a feel for what your teaching style is and what they can learn from you, what makes you different from the hundreds of other teachers they could choose from?
Make sure they learn lot’s with you! I always aim for 1 new learning point per 5 minutes roughly. Type corrections, vocabulary words, and sentences in the chatbox during the lesson. Cambly has a translate feature that can be helpful for students.
Don’t be a standard teacher! Get to know your students so you can offer lessons that meet their needs. Ask lots of questions and encourage plenty of student output.
Keep you students! Send them a message after class! Make sure to include encouragement and feedback along with your availability and state that you look forward to seeing them in your classroom soon, give them a reason to chat to you regularly and they will! Teaching different students all day everyday can get really tiring, creating a schedule of regular students can improve your teaching experience exponentially.
If you've got this far in the article you have nothing to loose by applying! Cambly is clearly a great option!
Good to know--
- By using any of my links in this article to sign up, you will receive a $10USD sign up bonus!
- If it doesn't work out and you decide after a few lessons that it isn't the right platform for you, no problem, you can simply not log in and still have the option to teach on the platform in the future if you wish!
My Cambly Experience
I started teaching on Cambly after travelling around NZ in a van. I needed a way to earn money while still enjoying the New Zealand sunshine, mountains and everything else this beautiful country has to offer in my free time, but of course I still have to pay rent and food.
I did quite a lot of research before I applied to a few different companies, searching for which ones would pay me the best per hour but that I could continue to work for part time once the ski season starts again. Then I cam across Cambly, I hit the jack pot. It was the perfect way to get back into the EFL world, build up my resources, confidence and polish my teaching techniques while still having time to climb mountains and enjoy a cold beer by the lake at lunch.
A personal aim of mine is to eventually break into the private online lesson world where I can set my own rates and not have to pay commission. Do you share this aim with me? Cambly has been the perfect way to pay rent and food, enjoy my job and still have time to work on my own lesson plans and personal marketing. After all, a full schedule of private lessons doesn't just happen over night.
So when and how much do I work?
Since my boyfriend works Thursday to Sunday, I like to work the same days as him so that we can enjoy our time off together. When I first started on Cambly I would fill my day (giving myself short breaks every few hours), with priority hours and put my absolute all into every less and post-lesson feedback to try to create a solid regular student base. Now I have a few students who book with me regularly and a good handful of students who have 'favorited' me as a teacher on the system and receive notification of when I am online so they can call me.
Cambly was a godsend in December when things took a nasty turn for me when I only went and broke my ankle long-boarding and I couldn't apply for a regular job. Since I'm here in New Zealand on a Working Holiday visa I'm not eligible for ACC unemployment benefits or anything similar so sitting at my desk teaching English online was perfect!
At the end of the day Cambly is so flexible, you can make the experience your own. Since Cambly pays a set rate per minute with no bonus I encourage you to make life as easy as possible and go for it!
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