You may remember the controversy around Facebook ("FB") and its business model. Since then, there has been intense scrutiny over the type of content the platform promotes, how FB promotes it and its effects on its audience and members.
And in the wider world. Facebook fallout is not limited to its billion-or-so subscribers.
One of the most striking observations to come out of the whole debacle is "If you get to use a service at no cost, you're not a customer. You are the product." That assertion gained prominence in 2018 after the Cambridge Analytica scandal revealed how the social media platform was harvesting and reselling users' data.
Those explosive revelations led to several data privacy reforms, most notably in the European Union.
Today, we have more goods and services available to us than we could possibly consume. A situation which forces companies to be ultra-competitive. They have to find an edge, a hook to make their product/service appear more desirable than that of their competitors so that consumers will choose them over everyone else.
At Superprof, we've tried to find a way of doing business that benefits everyone involved.
So, let's explain what Superprof charges —how and why payments are structured the way they are and how you can get the most for your money with Superprof.
The Superprof Story
In 2013, the year Superprof launched, barely 18 years had passed since society's broad embrace of the home computer and the most popular websites were social media pages, such as MySpace, WeChat, Whatsapp and, even Facebook. Music sites also enjoyed regular, high-volume traffic.
2013 was the year of the Internet of Things. Exponential advances in technology made new and improved methods of communication possible. Connecting disparate devices to the internet, from refrigerators to robotic vacuum cleaners was the next big wave.
Anything was possible and the internet had nowhere to go but up.
With all of the entertainment and information available on the internet in 2013, there was nevertheless a gap in the market.
At the time, education was still mostly thought of as something to be delivered face to face, despite a long history of correspondence courses and distance learning; educational formats that had been going on for centuries.
In 2013, thanks to advances in Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and better webcams, online education, especially one-to-one learning surged, and Superprof was ideally positioned to ride that wave.
In just one year, Superprof welcomed their 100 000th tutor to the platform. Two years after that, Superprof went worldwide. We'd already built a strong presence in France, having become the number 1 tutoring service just a year after launching the platform, and other European countries keenly awaited their chance to debut the Superprof model for their students.
The Superprof model isn't just a beneficial learning community; it's an example of an innovative business model. When you realise what Superprof does for students and tutors, you'll see that we're much more than just a tutoring platform ...
The Business Model: Why Does Superprof Cost Money?
Superprof's mission is to help people share knowledge and continue learning. This principle drives our service aims. To achieve our goals and keep our business running, we have to generate income.
When Superprof started its operations in France in 2013, the following options were available to us:
- Partnering with outside companies who would pay us to post their adverts on our site
- Taking a commission from tutors' lesson fees
- Charging students a percentage of each lesson's fee
- Setting up a subscription service, ensuring that students had access to the maximum number of available tutors.
We dismissed the first option straight away. Superprof wants to assist students in finding the help they need and to assist tutors in exercising their passion for teaching, and we therefore did not wish to detract from these goals by promoting other companies' products on our platform.
Collecting a commission from tutors' fees was also unfeasible. To give our tutors maximum flexibility, we insist on their right to set their own rates. Superprof tutors set their rates according to the subjects they teach, their qualifications and experience, where they live, and whether they teach online or give in-person lessons.
Why should we take anything away from tutors who sign up to our platform to pass on their knowledge and skills to eager students?
The same logic applies to structuring fees for students except, for them, they have a need to learn, not to earn.
The fourth option therefore became our solution: creating a subscription service.
Just as some retailers invite you to become a member, and others promote the use of rewards cards (lower prices in exchange for your permission to track your shopping habits and profit from that data), we concluded that charging an access fee yielded the best possible value for your money.
So, the student buys a Student Pass giving them access to our platform and which allows them to enter into direct contact with any of our thousands of tutors around the world. Most of our tutors offer one free lesson upfront, and students can benefit from this and try lessons with different tutors before deciding on the best match for their needs.
When platforms do not charge direct access fess, you could be paying in other ways: such as data harvesting, higher tutor prices and/or the tutors having to pay a fee to use the platform. You may also be subjected to advertisements of other brands and businesses, or be required to sign a contract that could extend far beyond the time you need your tutor, obliging you to pay more in fees.
Superprof for tutors is an efficient way for passionate mentors to launch themselves into a tutoring business, while at the same time protecting students' interests and parents' wallets.
Superprof Reviews
Does the Superprof business model work? Besides the explosive growth the company has enjoyed over the past few years, reviews and testimonials on sites such as Glassdoor, Indeed and Trustpilot prove that, overwhelmingly, both tutors and learners are satisfied with the way things work at Superprof.
Of course, there are negative reviews; it would be suspicious if there were none.
For the most part, students' negative reviews address the Student Pass or access fee. These critiques all point in the same direction: students were unaware that the access fee was separate to the tutor's fee for giving them a lesson.
On the site, you will find the terms of service which specify that students are required to sign up for a Student Pass to be able to enter into contact with Superprof tutors. The validity of the Student Pass, along with the terms under which the student is entitled to a refund are also set out here.
We encourage all students to carefully read the terms and conditions of the Superprof platform – and any other service available online – in order to be fully informed before making a decision.
Once you feel comfortable that your privacy will be protected and you understand what you're signing up for, and what protections are afforded to you, only then should you hand over any payment details.
Superprof's Charges and Fees
What Students Pay on Superprof
As a student, your relationship with the Superprof platform is separate from the relationship you have with any tutor you work with.
Our business connects tutors with students, and it might help to think of three separate entities; you, your tutor and the platform that brought you together.
To gain access to Superprof's tutors around the world, the fee you pay will depend on the country you live in.
In South Africa, it currently costs R99 for one month's access. This fee activates a subscription to the Student Pass, which gives you full access to the platform and allows you to message as many tutors as you wish via Superprof. You can pay for the Student Pass using a credit card or debit card.
The Student Pass will automatically be renewed after 30 days, meaning that you will be charged again if you do not instruct Superprof to cancel your subscription.
You can cancel your subscription at any point.
How Do I Cancel my Superprof Monthly Subscription?
The subscription to the Student Pass is non-binding, which means that you can cancel it at any time after activation.
You have the following options for cancelling your Student Pass subscription:
- Deactivate your subscription directly from your personal Superprof dashboard; or
- Send an email to the Superprof customer support team at hellozar@superprof.com instructing them to cancel the subscription.
When you cancel your subscription, no more deductions will be made from your account, but you will still enjoy full access to the Superprof platform for the remainder of the subscription period that you have already paid for.
It is important to note that the Student Pass fee is separate from the per-hour lesson fee your tutor advertises on their profile page. It represents Superprof's service fee, and covers activities such as maintaining the functionalities of the website and providing customer support.
Most tutors will give you a free upfront session, so you'll have the opportunity to get to know them a bit and to establish whether they can offer the type of lessons you're really looking for before committing to a long-term arrangement with them.
If you continue to take lessons with a Superprof tutor, you will need to pay the hourly lesson fee that is stated on their advert, but you won't be charged by Superprof for these lessons. If the tutor is not right for you, you can continue to contact other tutors, for as long as your Student Pass is active.
Superprof is not involved in the payment process between tutors and students. This means that you and your tutor will decide on how payment for lessons will take place, whether this is in cash, by bank transfer (EFT), or using another payment mechanism.
Do Tutors Pay to Advertise on Superprof
Tutors are not charged a fee for setting up their profiles; nor do they pay Superprof to maintain their profile pages. So a tutor can advertise their private tutoring services on Superprof for free.
They do have the option to buy a Professional Pass ("Pro Pass") which gives them additional benefits like increased visibility in search results, personalised guidance for improving their profiles, and access to statistics about their adverts.
Like students, tutors can cancel their Pro Pass subscriptions at any time, and their adverts will remain online. Students will therefore still be able to contact them via the Superprof platform.
Tutors are free to set their per-hour rates based on criteria such as their level of education, teaching experience, the type of subject they teach, or even their location – due to cost of living differences, large cities like Cape Town and Johannesburg are usually more expensive than small towns.
Superprof offers you a wide variety of tutors specialising in a host of different subjects; some academic, others more esoteric ... and everything in between.
Our tutors are students, teachers, lecturers, industry experts, and mentors, and we're thrilled to be the bridge connecting students to these excellent individuals and the lessons they offer. That's what drives the Superprof model.
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I would like to unsubscribe and stop the debit from my account as my child has completed their studies. Please send me the steps to stop the debit and unsubscribe
Hello Lindsay
You can cancel your subscription directly from the “Student Pass’ tab on your Superprof profile. If you need any assistance, please contact our customer support team at hellozar@superprof.com.
I would like to cancel my monthly subscription.
I cant remember signing up for a monthly pass so i dont want to pay.
I am not using the service now so please cancel my paynents
Thanks
Hello Emile
Your instruction has been sent to our customer support team (hellozar@superprof.com), and they will arrange for it to be implemented.
Good day I’d like to cancel my subscription. Kindly unsubscribe me from the “ student pass” .
Hi Kgothatso
The Superprof South Africa customer support team will be able to assist you in cancelling your subscription if you send them a message at hellozar@superprof.com. Kindly ensure that you confirm the email address linked to your Superprof profile, so that they can retrieve your record.
I have a tutor profile and I am teaching a student from another country. He does not use PayPal. How can I set up my account for him to deposit hourly fees to me?
Hello Mariaan,
It is not possible to receive payment via the Superprof platform in South Africa. You could, however, consider using an international payment platform, such as Wise, which will allow the student to deposit funds directly into your local bank account. There are a number of payment platforms available, and we would encourage you to compare the fees of each before deciding on the platform that would best suit you. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact our customer support team at hellozar@superprof.com.
Hi,
I would like to stop my monthly payment as I do not need the service anymore.
Thank you
Hello Eddie. You can cancel your subscription directly from the ‘Student Pass’ section of your Superprof profile or email our customer support (hellozar@superprof.com) team using the email address linked to your account and ask them to cancel it on your behalf.
I don’t remember subscribing and yet this morning I see Superprof charging me 69.00 rand Can you please cancel the subscription if I did coz I certainly don’t remember signing up.
Hi Xolani
The Superprof South Africa customer support team will be able to assist you in cancelling your subscription if you send them a message at hellozar@superprof.com. Kindly ensure that you confirm all your active email addresses (if you have more than one), so that they can retrieve your record.
I am a registered tutor with SuperProf uk . Does this allow me to work in SA ? I am currently here for a three month period.
Hello Patricia,
Superprof South Africa is open to tutors of all nationalities, however, to work in South Africa you need to possess a valid work permit or another document that authorises you to work in the country.
Hey. I want to sign up as a tutor but I don’t know how the payment method works. Does superprof take a %. Please clarify
Hello,
Superprof does not take any commission from your earnings as a tutor. So, you will receive 100% of the lesson fee the student pays, and you can decided on your preferred method of payment. If you need any further information about registering as a tutor, feel free to contact our customer support team at hellozar@superprof.com. You may also find the information you need on the FAQ page on our website.
Hello I would like to request a refund. I wanted to be charged hourly and I have no idea how I subscribed to the membership. That was not my intention.
Hello Jessica,
You are required to take out a Student Pass subscription to connect with any of our tutors, however, you can cancel the subscription at any time. If you have not already done so from your personal dashboard, our customer support team will be able to assist you in cancelling your subscription. Please send them a message at hellozar@superprof.com. Kindly ensure that you confirm the email address linked to your Superprof profile, or —if you do not recall which email address you used to create your account— confirm all your active email addresses so that they can retrieve your record.
Good day, I would like to find out if I can pay the Superprof subscription via my pay pal account?
Hello Margaret
At the moment you can only pay for the subscription with a credit card or debit card. If you have any further questions about using our platform, our customer support team will be happy to assist you. You can reach them at hellozar@superprof.com.
Good day , thank you for your reply. I have sent 3 emails to your customer service address since yesterday morning and received no response. This is a concern as if I happen to have an urgent matter to sort out, I don’t receive any replies. So for example if it concerns a money issue like a refund, then I would not be able to resolve it quickly. I also note that there is no telephonic contact number. How do I know that a transaction is secure.
Hello Margaret,
Our customer support team aims to respond to queries within 24 hours of receipt; however, in periods where we experience high query volumes, it is not always possible to do this.
I can confirm that all the pages of the website are secured by the HTTPS protocol and that navigation between the pages is encrypted. You can check the security of the payment page directly in your Internet browser. Our full Privacy Notice is also available for consultation on our website, along with a selection of FAQs which you may find useful.
Whilst we encourage customers to contact our support team via email to avoid being held up in a phone queue, if you wish, you may call us on +27 10 500 2289.
Your article states: “The Student Pass will automatically be renewed after 30 days”. Elsewhere on the website (can’t remember where, too many pages to keep track of), it explicitly states that this is NOT the case in South Africa. Which is it? Not that it is of any relevance to myself, as I am looking at your website with the aim of becoming a tutor. I just noticed it, and am curious…
Hello Klaus
The Student Pass automatically renews every 30 days. This is disclosed in the T&Cs and the website’s Help Centre.
Initially, the Student Pass did not function as a subscription, but this changed some years ago. Our communication material, along with all relevant pages of the website, were updated accordingly at the time of the change.
I want to cancel my Student Pass subscription. I haven’t used any of its services and I do not wish to pay for them. Kindly cancel it and inform me on how I can refund the amount.
Hello Ayesha
You can cancel your subscription via your personal profile and will not be charged again once this is done. You can also reach out to our customer support team at hellozar@superprof.com to request that they cancel your subscription on your behalf. Kindly note that our office hours are 09:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday, and your request will be attended to within these hours.
Please ensure that you confirm the email address linked to your Superprof profile when dealing with our customer support team, or —if you do not recall which email address you used to create your account— confirm all your active email addresses so they can retrieve your record. They will need to review your profile activity to establish whether or not you are entitled to a refund.
I’ll like to know, how tutors set the student’s payment method, I have not seen an option for student payment
Hello Juliet,
On Superprof South Africa students pay their tutors directly, not via our platform. So, as a tutor, you are free to choose your preferred method of payment.