Ever wondered how you might be able to earn some easy money while traveling? Maybe you’re trying to generate an extra source of income? Maybe you’re looking to get started teaching English as a second language but don’t know where to begin. The bros were all of the above not too long ago. Then we discovered Cambly.
So, what exactly is Cambly? Camby is an online classroom and learning platform that connects ESL students to native English speakers all over the world. In this blog, you’ll find a brief rundown of what the website is all about, some helpful tips for starting out, and my thoughts after teaching on Cambly for 60+ days. Hopefully, it will give you an idea of how much money you can make on Cambly.
How does Cambly work?
Before we find out how much money you can make on Cambly, let’s break down the basics. Cambly runs 24/7, 365, via a web browser using one on one video chats. English speakers can help Cambly users progress their ESL learning while utilizing real-time video chat and offering their tutoring services. The idea is to help people who are learning English practice and gain confidence while focusing on the four main components of language. Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.
Learning English can be difficult for a new student when you cannot find a place to practice speaking with other humans. This is especially the case when English is not the official language of your country. Cambly provides a safe, low-pressure environment that allows students to engage in conversation and learn from their mistakes. Most of all, students don’t have to worry about exams or homework.
There’s a nifty translator for 20+ languages and a convenient chat to make corrections during your sessions. Sessions can be very informal and don’t necessarily have to follow a lesson plan. Most students just want to have unstructured conversations. Cambly will even provide basic lessons for tutors or students to choose from. Students pre-pay for their hours by weekly, and monthly sessions.
The platform is even available in an app form, allowing students to learn from anywhere. Cambly is a US company headquartered in San Francisco, California, and was started by two ex-Google employees. They started the site after noticing their own language skills had dramatically improved as a result of talking with native speakers while traveling.
Nice! Can I teach on Cambly?
Once approved, pretty much anyone can tutor on Cambly as long as English is your (first) native language. No prior teaching experience is required! All you need is a webcam, a quiet room, and a solid internet connection. Native English speakers from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand are encouraged to apply. Cambly will also recruit teachers who are not native English speakers but have a neutral accent.
Unlike most teaching websites, neither a Bachelor’s nor an Associate’s degree is necessary. You don’t even need a TEFL (Teaching English Foreign Language) or TESOL (Teaching English As A Second Language) certificate. Although, possessing any type of teaching certificate will certainly help you stand out from other tutors. You should be well versed in the English language or take some time to brush up, just so you know what you’re talking about. After all, you will be an ESL tutor. Cambly has a diverse group of students, as well as teachers. People from all different professional backgrounds work on Cambly to earn a second source of income.
Sweet! What’s the pay?
Cambly pays by the minute for each chat. Specifically, $0.17/minute. But, how much money can you make on Cambly if your payment is by the minute? The total amounts to $10.20 per hour of talk time. Cambly pays weekly, every Monday through PayPal as long as you have over earned over $20. No fees, no taxes, just straight cash.
Now, I know what you’re thinking…Ouch! $10 per hour is pretty weak. While yes, it’s certainly less pay than many other structured online ESL schools, it’s easy work and your tutoring sessions won’t require too much effort.
A majority of my lessons consist of a student reading an article on the web. Here, they have the opportunity to learn new vocabulary words. I will help them annunciate and clarify any questions they may have. Most clients will be adults who are eager to learn and talk. You’ve got to compare apples to apples. Many times on Cambly you’re just chatting it up and not teaching structured lessons, so you’re not working excessively hard.
The conversations you will have are very reminiscent of when you meet people whilst traveling or in a hostel…But with an English twist. Basic “get to know you questions” like…Where are you from? How long have you been learning English? How do you practice your English? Tell me about your favorite foods.
Often times you will dive deep into a topic, have a great conversation, and before you know it, the session is over. There are no lengthy contracts or a minimum number of hours required. You set your own schedule and work when it is convenient for you. How much money can you make on Cambly? It’s really up to you, Cambly gives you the freedom to work as much or as little as you want.
Alright, I’m sold! How do I apply?
If you found this blog post helpful you can hook me up and apply through a bro’s affiliate link HERE! Active teachers will receive $20 for every referral who completes at least 10 Priority Hours. Part of the application process is to complete your tutor profile and upload a 1-2 minute video of yourself that prospective students will see. Keep it short and sweet. Be welcoming, speak slow, share your experience, and sell yourself as a tutor. Let students know why they should choose a session with you.
It’s important to explain to future students the value you can bring and how picking you will help them become more fluent in English. I was hired within 48 hours of applying but some approvals can take up to a month.
BROS TIP: How can you set up a sweet virtual classroom for really cheap? Hit the dollar store! As my backdrop, I used a $1 green party table cloth. I chose green because it looks like a chalkboard. Then I jazzed it up with $1 classroom border, a $1 package of alphabet cut-outs, and wrote my name with $1 letter cutouts. I have a $1 dry erase paddle/marker for writing phrases out for students. For lighting, I use a $7 desk lamp from Target. Lighting is key, so make sure you are in a room with natural light or provide a source. Many students are interested in American culture so I pinned up a scratch-off USA map I found, it’ super helpful when explaining regions.
I’m accepted & ready to teach!
Once accepted, you’ll be signing up for what Cambly calls “Priority hours.” Priority Hours is a system that Cambly uses to incentivize more teachers to be available when demand is high. You can sign up to be active during these hours in advance. Open slots will vary based on site traffic and tutor signups. You don’t want to cancel these once you sign up.
Cambly will ban you for three days from dropping multiple Priority Hours in a 24-hour notice. Try and do as many Priority Hours as possible in your first two weeks. The Cambly algorithm will appreciate this and you’ll get rewarded. In return, your profile will have higher visibility with students who are actively searching for a tutor.
The goal when you begin is to get your rating up and recruit “regular” students. The average rating for Cambly tutors is 4.85. Teachers receive a 5-minute break during each Priority Hour.
You’ll notice that depending on what time you log on, you may get calls from students in different countries based on your time zone. The concept is simple, try and recruit regular students or hop on Priority Hours. Perhaps you will enjoy a mix of both, it’s all up to you and how motivated you are.
If you have some hours during the week where you know you will be free, it may be a good idea to set your reservation availability. That way students can book you in advance, that way you’ll be guaranteed pay. Most tutors transition solely to reservations because of the guaranteed payment. We bailed on selecting random Priority Hours once we had regulars because it gives you the opportunity to find a steady schedule that works for you.
Now tell me some negatives…
Just like every job in life, it would be nice if they paid more. But it always could be worse! Cambly can be a little inconsistent when it comes to the number of lessons you will teach during Priority Hours. Somedays, you could be waiting online during a Priority Hour, and nobody calls. When this happens, you’ll still get paid $2 and change, as Cambly guarantees 15 minutes of pay every Priority Hour. Still, A little bit of a bummer when you set some time aside and you don’t end up teaching many lessons. Worst case you’re just browsing the internet waiting for a call. To offset the inconsistency, Cambly sometimes offers 30 minutes of guaranteed pay on select priority hours. However, I have seldomly seen this feature used.
With Cambly, you will need to build a reputation over time to keep the work steady. But if you put the time in this will happen naturally in the course of only a few weeks. Once settled, you can ensure your regular lessons and bookings are coming in.
How much money you can make on Cambly will be determined by the steady number of students you recruit who make reservations for weekly (sometimes multiple) lessons. On a Priority Hour, you may also get a trial student here and there who is just wasting time on Cambly to see how it works. These can be awkward, but you’re still getting paid.
Then, there are the learners who don’t want to participate and the session feels like a one-sided interview. Some calls will go great and some calls you won’t get past HELLO! HOW ARE YOU? WHAT IS YOUR NAME? Those calls can be a little discouraging. On priority hours, Cambly is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.
Also a heads up for the female teachers, we’ve heard some foreign students may act as if the platform is a dating app. Yes, there is the possibility you may encounter a creeper on Cambly, but you can end the call right away and report the user by blocking them.
Helpful hints for starters!
We’ve learned, with Cambly, that the best way to begin is just to jump right into the deep end. Don’t be nervous because the students won’t know it is your first time or you’re new. You’re the English speaker and students will be excited to talk to you! Just fake it til you make it! It may seem intimidating at first, but you’ll end up figuring out the platform by experiencing its ins and outs firsthand. Spending time on it will surely build your confidence. Be sure to read Cambly’s Tutor Guide!
BROS TIP: After every successful call, go the extra mile and follow up with the student. Send them a kind note and your current schedule. You can even send a recap of the lesson and vocab words you worked on during the session. Doing this consistently will surely build your roster of Regular Students. Students really appreciate this gesture and it will help boost your rating. You may even convert them to a “regular” and chat for multiple sessions!
When you first start out, it’s good to have some questions handy to ask your student and topics to keep the conversation flowing during your sessions. You’ll find some valuable resources in the links below! Remember to speak slowly and ask the student if they would like you to make corrections during your call. When you access a student’s profile, you’ll be able to jot in some notes about them or your session. Doing this will also help you remember some personal details about the student.
Be consistent in releasing a weekly schedule, so students can book you ahead of time. Quality over quantity will help in the long run. Only work the times that work for you! I can definitely see burnout becoming an issue if you spend too much time on Cambly.
Here are some helpful links to get you started on your ESL tutoring journey:
Engoo – A platform similar to Cambly. This link brings you to a page with tons of current news articles and stories. All articles include challenging/interesting vocabulary words and their definitions. This page is very popular amongst Students and Tutors. A great way to get your lessons going. https://engoo.com/app/daily-news
Breaking News English – Similar to the two links above, you can find a quick read for you and your student to discuss. This site however has an abundance of activities to follow the reading, which includes, True/False questions, Synonym Match, Phrase Match, Fill in the Blanks, Comprehension Questions, Multiple Choice Quizzes, etc. Breaking News follows a format similar to a traditional classroom lesson plan. https://breakingnewsenglish.com/
Internet TESL Journal – Have a specific topic you want to discuss or need some ideas?! This site has an abundance of choices so you’ll never run out of things to say. Questions for days! http://iteslj.org/questions/
Learn English British Council – A great site that is dedicated to all things related to grammar. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/english-grammar-reference
Perfect English Grammar – Another grammar site packed with exercises and explanations. https://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/
ESL Clips – This site has a great list of English podcasts to recommend to your students. They can listen to in their free time or you can create a listening exercise during a session. esl.clips.com
This is the breakdown for my first 30 days by each week. You’ll see how many hours I’ve worked and the potential money you can make on Cambly.
Week 1
2 & 3
1000 Minutes of Talk Time
25 Days on Cambly
30 Days on Cambly
Current Schedule With Reservations
By now I’ve been teaching on Cambly for around 60 days. I have a weekly schedule that varies with 5 – 9 regular students at any given time. I have found the times of the week to teach that work best for me. Students are now working around a schedule that I have picked to my liking. I have also discovered a nice flow of having my lessons back to back with a Priority hour in between.
For me, this maximizes my time on Cambly in teacher mode. I typically make between $50 – $100 per week based on this schedule while committing from 6 – 10 hours each week. I only teach on Cambly as a part-time job and I aim to bring in an extra $200-400 each month from tutoring on the platform.
To stay engaged and provide a high-level service to my clients, I try to limit my time on the site to bring my A-game to every lesson. As of now, going through the same convo over and over again with random people on Priority Hour gets a little boring. For me, having regular students is a gamechanger.
Average Payout For Priority Hours
On average, with about 14 Hours of Priority Hours, I earned around $100 in-between calls.
Remember, you most likely will receive continuous back-to-back calls as you sit on a Priority Hour.
Final Thoughts
What I like most about Cambly are the students I meet from all over the world. I am continually impressed by their effort and dedication to becoming better English speakers. They inspire me to keep working hard at my own language goals. If you want to join Cambly, you should be invested and really want to make a difference in helping others with their English.
I have found it so rewarding to be a part of the process and enjoy watching the progression unfold. Joining someone on their language journey has been awesome and you get the opportunity to have a big impact on their life! If making some easy money, meeting new people, and learning about cultures from around the world sounds interesting to you, you may want to check out Cambly!
Click Here To Apply To Teach on Cambly!
Make your money work for you while you travel…
Interested in how you can organize your finances while on the road? Check out our blog post on How to Handle Your Money While You Travel! Looking to get free flights and stack some airline miles? Take a look at our picks for the Top 7 Travel Credit Cards!
READY TO TEACH ENGLISH ON CAMBLY?
**Please note, this post contains affiliate links to products and services. At no additional cost to you, we may receive a commission for purchases made through these links, which helps us keep the blog up and running.
What a great article! Really helpful, thanks!
Thanks so much Zoe! If you ever have any questions about Cambly or Teaching ESL Online, feel free to give us a shout! Gave you a follow on your social media channels and looking forward to following you adventures with your suitcase!