Chat your way to extra cash!

People all over the world want to learn English, and now, thanks to sites like Cambly and Palfish, you can connect with folks who want to practice their speaking skills. In return for chatting with them, you’ll earn about $10 an hour— and make friends fro

✔ CAMBLY

Visit Cambly.com and click on their “Become a Tutor” page. As part of your application, you’ll need to record a short sample video. Use it to let your personality shine: Talk about your interests and why you’d like to teach. You can record it as many times as you like, so feel free to do a few practice runs, and make sure your speech is clear and you sound fun and upbeat. You’ll make 17 cents per minute of talk time; earnings are deposited weekly into a Paypal account as long as you’ve made at least $20. To chat, log in to your account and open your dashboard. It will ring when a student wants to talk. (It’s up to you to take the call or not.)

Supercharge earnings: You can sign up for two-hour shifts and be on call— Cambly will pay you for 30 minutes of talk time whether or not you take any calls. Also smart? Encourage your students to write reviews. The more glowing praise you rack up, the more calls Cambly will push your way!

✔ PALFISH

Palfish is app-based, so all you need is a smartphone to do your video chats— download the version for teachers (not students) to get started. You’ll have to supply a photo and written and recorded bios to give people an idea of who you are and your experiences. You get to set your own rate—from $5 to $45 an hour— on your profile; the average is $13, and it’s smart to start out a little lower than that to attract students and rack up positive reviews. Palfish lets you change your rate twice a month, so you can inch it up as your demand grows. You’ll get paid once a month via Paypal. Just click “Start Tutoring” to accept calls—you can talk as long or as little as you like, and your pay will be prorated based on your hourly rate.

Supercharge earnings: Palfish lets you set up a schedule so students can book you in advance— it’s a great way to get regular students. What’s more, a lot of students are from China, so if you can be available from late night to early morning, you’re likely to snag plenty of calls!