Cambly, what to know before you join.

So, you’ve looked at my other post “What is Cambly?” , now you’re thinking of joining Cambly and you may have a few questions before clicking that join button.  On this page we’ve put together a few points that will hopefully clear up any questions you may have.

 

How old do I have to be to join?

Cambly tutors have to be at least 18.

 

What’s the pay and how do I get paid?

You get paid $10.20 an hour (€8.65 , £7.41). Your weekly wage gets paid into your Paypal account every Monday.

 

Do I need to be a native speaker?

YES!!!  Cambly states in several places on its website that tutors should be native speakers. But let’s be honest here, there are loads of tutors on Cambly who are obviously not native. They’re easy to spot and before long most students realise they are not native speakers as well.  I’m not sure if Cambly removes these tutors, but if you’re a non native speaker, be aware that you’ve joined under false pretenses.

 

Do I need to be a qualified teacher or have teaching experience?

No. Cambly requires no experience, nor do they ask for any qualifications. As stated above, the only ‘qualification’ is to be a native speaker.  If you DO have qualifications, Cambly will allow you to upload your certificate as proof, and will inform students  on your bio that you have a teaching qualification.

 

Should I get a qualification, and where can I get one?

That’s up to you. Students like to see that a tutor has a qualification and it will help you stand out from other tutors. But, don’t spend time and money on a qualification just yet!  Wait until you’ve been on Cambly for a while, if you like it and want to stay, then look at getting qualified. There are many websites that provide TEFL classes and certificates once you have completed the course. These range in price from maybe $100 to $500 or more!…. Here’s a tip, look on Groupon for TEFL courses, they usually have discounts and you can often get a 150 hour course for less than fifty bucks….. At the time of writing, there is a 160 hour TEFL course available  for $39

 

Do I need any special equipment?

A laptop/PC  and good internet connection is essential (3mbps download and 2mbps upload MINIMUM) and you HAVE to use Google Chrome.  You can’t tutor from a phone or tablet. You can tutor using just your laptop’s mic and sound, but all the tutors here at camblytutorblog.com use a headset to tutor. This helps us hear the students more clearly and allows them to hear us better. Personally I use a Plantronics headset and a lot of students have commented on how clear it sounds.

I’m not sure if my system is up to tutoring online.

Cambly has an online test to see if your system is compatible with their software. You can find it here.

 

I hope this was helpful. If you have any questions of your own, please contact us and one of our experienced tutors will answer them for you.