It's not for nothing that Superprof ranks among the top educational and tutoring platforms. In the few years since our debut, we've established a presence in more than 40 countries and have helped thousands of tutors launch themselves into business.
But, how and why did we do it?
The answer to both the how and the why is the same: there was a gap in the market that we were able to fill, thanks to technological advances that made online lesson delivery more effective.
When we got started, in 2013, tutoring (and Superprof) was mainly an academic pursuit. School students were struggling under their heavy academic loads and tutors were available to help them. Since then, Superprof has embraced all manner of subjects and disciplines and now welcomes tutors of all types to teach them.
So, how does Superprof work?
What accounts for its success and how is it different from other tutoring platforms?
That's what we'll be unpacking today.
The Subjects Available on Superprof
Private tutoring is by no means a novel concept; indeed, for millennia, that's how people were educated. Aside from schools catering to specific groups – the religious and the wealthy, anyone else seeking to know how to read, write and do arithmetic either learned from their parents or masters they were apprenticed to, or they hired a private tutor.
Education as we know it today, with schools, teachers loyal to the facility they work in and a set curriculum, is less than 200 years old, and the concept hasn't changed much. Tutoring, on the other hand, has evolved dramatically.
Today's tutors, including Superprof tutors, still work with students to master academic subjects, from the common core ones like maths and science to elective subjects such as foreign languages and art. But then, Superprof tutors take things a few steps further.
With a Superprof tutor, you can learn:
- Cooking, including specific aspects such as baking, cake decorating, stewing, preserving, and gourmet cooking
- Sports and fitness: your Superprof personal trainer can lead yoga sessions, Pilates routines and teach you all about nutrition and fitness
- Ecology, water conservation and soil rehabilitation Superprofs can teach you all about organic gardening, composting and even recycling
- Sewing and pattern-making, as well as other needle arts and fashion design
- Music: learn how to play a musical instrument or train your voice
- Professional development: Superprofs specialise in mindfulness, time management and other skills that bring about professional advancement
From this abbreviated list, you can guess that, if a skill can be taught, there's a good chance you'll find a Superprof to teach it.
Prof is the shortened form of the French word "professeur", which means teacher, educator or professor. So, a Superprof is a super teacher!
Why not discover all the subjects available on Superprof? Who knows; maybe you'll find a completely new subject that piques your interest ...
From abstract painting, jewellery design, and marimba to padel, tightrope walking, and Zumba ... we've got teachers around the world to help you master your chosen subject.
Superprof for Tutors
Unlike most tutoring outlets, Superprof tutors are not employed by Superprof. The tutors who build profiles on our platform are in business for themselves.
We provide a way for tutors to advertise their services and reach prospective students.
Our business model allows tutors maximum flexibility; they can set their rates and determine for themselves how many hours they are comfortable working. They may also select their students; the Superprof platform does not meddle in how any Superprof tutor conducts their business.
You might wonder what, exactly, the Superprof company does for its tutors?
We provide an Internet platform where tutors can advertise their tutoring businesses for free and reach students around the world.
Superprof provides a safe space for tutors to arrange lessons with qualified students. By "qualified" we mean students who register on the site and are intent on learning, not those who simply want to take advantage of your 'first lesson free' offer and then never contact you again.
Furthermore, Superprof has a member support team ready to help you with anything from setting up your profile and improving your adverts to attract more students, to giving advice on how to set up your business and teaching schedule.
Superprof also publishes a blog with articles covering a multitude of themes, including current interest topics that may tie in with tutors' area of speciality.
Some tutoring institutions direct their tutors' every effort; instructing them on what to do, how many hours to work and even collecting a portion of each tutor's earnings as a commission fee for referring students to them.
With Superprof, your money is your own, as is your time.
We do not take commission from your tutoring fees, and you get to pick the students you feel you could best serve. So, not only are you in control of your earnings, but you also get the reward of providing needed support to great students.
In short, what Superprof does for tutors is vastly different from the standard tutoring outfit.
Superprof for Students
It's difficult for any business to offer equal benefits to all parties they serve, but Superprof tries its utmost to strike that balance. Besides all that we offer to Superprof tutors, students enjoy substantial advantages, too.
Historically speaking, tutoring was a home-grown affair. Tutors would wander across the land, offering their services - often for room and board and maybe a few coins, to any homestead they came across. As civilisations coalesced into population centres, tutors had a slightly easier time of things; they could set up shop in their rooms and let students come to them.
Eventually, that concept morphed into the commercial tutoring centres we're all familiar with today. Still, regardless of the tutoring concept, for the student, it was all the same: their choice of tutors was limited to what was available in their immediate area.
But then, technological advancements brought about an expansion of tutor availability.
As webcams delivered sharper images, microphones and headphones transmitted and received crisper, clearer messages and video chat platforms became ubiquitous – and, most importantly, free of charge – learning with a tutor from another part of the world was not only possible, it became mainstream.
That's one of the main benefits Superprof offers students. They can learn Spanish from a Superprof living in Madrid, study capoeira with a teacher in Rio de Janeiro, or take haute cuisine lessons from a Superprof chef in Paris ... all without leaving their own homes.
Superprof provides students with access to thousands of Superprof tutors from around the world. And these aren't just random people who say they can teach you something, either. Superprof tutors must upload verifiable credentials before the platform lets them make any claims about their qualifications, so you can rest assured that the tutor you choose is equipped to teach their subject matter.
Perhaps one of the greatest features of the platform is that you choose your tutor.
Superprof does not assign you the tutor they think is best for you.
You may choose a local Superprof who can deliver in-person lessons or opt for online lessons. You can select a Superprof with high-level credentials and years of experience in their field or someone who's just a year or two ahead of you – a great option for students preparing to sit exams.
Superprof aims to provide tutors and students with maximum flexibility in their choices, in order to ensure that all parties are comfortable and satisfied with their outcomes.
Interested to learn more? Here, you can find out all that Superprof has to offer students.
Payments and Charges
We are passionate about the service we provide and the level of commitment we bring to serving both tutors and students.
However, we are aware that students sometimes do not understand the nature of Superprof's business model.
So, does Superprof charge a monthly fee?
We charge students a fee to gain access to tutors' contact information and arrange lessons.
While it costs nothing for tutors to publish their profiles and for students to review them, when a student wants to connect with a Superprof, they have to set up an account. When they set up their account, they are notified of Superprof's terms of service, which require the activation of a Student Pass subscription to gain direct access to our thousands of tutors around the world.
The Student Pass gives students full access to the Superprof website and all our tutors for 30 days. It is a subscription service, which automatically renews, which means that after 30 days the student will be charged again automatically if they do not instruct Superprof to cancel their subscription.
The subscription to the Student Pass is non-binding, so students can cancel it at any time after activation. They do not need to keep the subscription active after the first month if they do not want to search for and connect with any new tutors.
The Student Pass subscription can be cancelled in one of the following ways:
- By the student deactivating the subscription directly from the personal Superprof dashboard; or
- By the student sending an email to the Superprof customer support team at hellozar@superprof.com instructing them to cancel the subscription.
When the Student Pass subscription is cancelled, no more deductions will be made from the student's account, but they will still enjoy full access to the Superprof platform for the remainder of the subscription period that they have already paid for.
The most effective way to use your Superprof Student Pass is to take your time, carefully combing through Superprof tutor profiles until you have around three to five profiles that come close to what you're looking for.
Make sure that you read the tutors' adverts carefully to understand the terms of their lessons. For example, do they teach the subject at your learning level and if they teach face-to-face, will they travel to meet you or will they host you at their homes?
As most tutors offer a free upfront session, you'll have the opportunity to get to know them a bit and to establish whether they can offer they type of lessons you're really looking for. If the tutor is not right for you, you can continue to contact other tutors, for as long as your Student Pass is active.
Once you connect with the right Superprof tutor for your needs, you will need to pay their hourly lesson fee, but you won't be charged by Superprof for lessons.
How Do Lessons Work on Superprof?
To learn exactly how payments work, check out our full description of payments and charges on Superprof.
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Hi,
Can I teach more than one subject?
Hi Nadine
Yes, you can teach as many subjects as you have the right skills to teach.
If you need any further information or help setting up a profile, don’t hesitate to contact our customer support team at hellozar@superprof.com.
I have applied to become a tutor, but only got half way. I would like to continue and complete my application, but do not know how to. Kindly assist. Adey Stefani
Hello Adey
As you move through the process, the site will provide you with prompts to tell you what information needs to be included in each section of your advert. When you log back into your account on our site (www.superprof.co.za) and click on the draft of your advert, it will take you directly to the next section of your ad to be completed. If you have any difficulty completing a particular section of your ad, or if you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact our customer support team at hellozar@superprof.com.
Hi.My name is Neo Mpatane.I have recently acquired a TEFL certificate through Teacher Record to enable me to penetrate the market as an aspiring TEFL teacher. How do I register on this platform? How soon can I start teaching on your platform after registration to be an English TEFL teacher?
Hello Neo,
Congratulations on obtaining your TEFL certificate. You can sign up to become a tutor directly on our website, https://www.superprof.co.za.
As soon as your advert is complete, it will go live on our website and be visible to students. Students will contact you if they are interested in taking lessons.
If you have any difficulty completing a particular section of your ad, or if you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact our customer support team at hellozar@superprof.com
Hello ,I just want to find ,how do you conduct the lesson on this platform , is it via. Zoom or how does it work and are their materials available?
Hello Katie,
You can decide whether to offer in-person or online lessons. If you offer online lessons, you are free to use whichever videoconferencing program you prefer. We will integrate a videoconferencing system into our platform, but it is not currently available.
As each student is unique, lessons must be built around the individual student’s requirements and objectives.
Superprof is the platform which serves to advertise private tutors’ services and put students in contact with them.
The role of the tutor is to develop their lesson plans and decide on the tools needed to help individual students achieve their goals.
Our customer support team will be happy to answer any additional questions if you email them at hellozar@superprof.com.
Looking for a French tutor online
Hello Marianne,
You can search for an online tutor directly on our website http://www.superprof.co.za. The site allows you to filter the results according to your unique requirements, such as online lessons, level, price, etc. You’ll also be able to specify your preferred days and times for lessons and share other important information in the lesson request message you send to any of our tutors. If you need any help during the process or have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact our customer support team at hellozar@superprof.com.
Best of luck on your French-learning journey!
Hi there, what qualifications do you require for tutors to have to be able to sign up and teach on your platform? Many thanks!
Hello Nicole,
Since our platform covers diverse disciplines, our general requirement is that a tutor has an aptitude for the subject they wish to teach. For example, a Matric Maths student who is of legal working age and who has an A pass can tutor Maths to students in lower grades. If you need any additional information, feel free to contact our customer support team at hellozar@superprof.com.
I need to study acting and ecology
Good day
I came into contact with one of your tutors Mathew.He told me he will be available from 15/09 but now I cannot get hold of him.He don’t respond to my messages neither does he answer his phone.What am I to do now
Hello Andre
I’m very sorry to hear this. Please contact our customer support team at hellozar@superprof.com. They’ll have access to your profile as well as the tutor’s details, and will be able to assist.