Terrible pay and unprofessional management - Tutor Cambly Employee Review

2.0
22 Aug 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Flexible working times, usually on time payment. These are really the only 2 postives I can think of for this company.

Cons

The pay is extremely low, currently 17 cents a minute at 2019. Only expect to tutor and earn money if you sign up for priority hours but even then you are not guaranteed any calls. If you receive no calls they pay for 5 minutes "waiting time" in an hour but even if you do receive a call it could be from a 5 minute free trial student for which you will only be paid 85 cents for the 5 minute call in an hour. It's difficult to think of another job which pays only 85 cents for an hour of your time. Another problem with the free trial system is that a student might only stay on the line for less than a minute which means you do not even receive the 17 cents for trying to tutor them ! It's really quite pathetic. If not on priority hours don't expect to earn any money at all because they will not put any calls your way no matter how long you wait. Some students who use Cambly are genuine but there's many who are not interested in actually learning English and use the app as a dating site with some who make inappropriate comments and actions. Because the fees for using the site are cheap it seems to attract many cheap minded students lacking in motivation, unprepared regarding books and who seem to think a tutor can teach them fluent English after a few conversations ! Their expectations are totally unrealistic. If you report more than two persistent time wasters or cases of inappropriate behaviour in one priority hour session you are put on an enforced break of 10-15 minutes which further reduces your potential earnings, this despite the reporting system supposedly being there specifically to report inappropriate behaviour ! Techincal problems are ALWAYS the tutor's fault and never the Cambly system itself despite sending screen shots of the problem. If student's can't hear or see the tutor properly because they are using low end equipment that too is always the tutor's fault ! Often the system freezes and you are blamed for that as well and have a priority hour taken from you due to that. This has a knock on effect because 3 or more times this happens and you will be suspended for 3 days despite the problem being with the Cambly system itself or the student's equipment. There is no way you can win with this company and only the very desperate would work for them.

Explore other reviews about Cambly

5.0
22 Jul 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Cool students, fun conversations. Global connections.

Cons

None at this point in time.

4.0
13 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Very flexible schedule (you create your own), can easily cancel classes without too much of a penalty (make every student that you like a "regular" student so that if you get penalized...only regulars can book you...you have a huge pool of regulars), Cambly provides lessons, you can use almost any website as long as you don't need to share login information, it's fun and easy, many students become like friends, you can learn about different countries, cultures, and languages

Cons

The pay. It has never increased in the 14 years that Cambly has been in business. They are starting to offer a new program called "Cambly Pro" where you can make $15 an hour, but you have to apply to be a tutor for it and you could be denied. You have to have a 99% rating for 3 months to even be considered. If, like me, you are open to all students (and not just your regular students that you have become friends with), your rating can vary widely. No matter how good of a tutor you are, you will not be everyone's cup of tea. Also, Cambly does not allow tutors to teach in some states in the U.S. due to labor laws.

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