“The Money Is Good”: SA English Online Teacher Opens Up About Earnings Working 12-Hour Days
- A woman named Gugu shared how much she earns teaching English on Preply, revealing her highest monthly earnings
- The teacher works 12-hour days, every single day, charging between $22 and $28 per hour for her lessons
- South Africans who also work on the platform related to her experience, saying the money is good, but the burnout is real
Source: Facebook
A popular content creator, @liferesetwithboni, shared a video on 6 November 2025 showing a woman named Gugu who opened up about her earnings teaching English online through Preply. The caption explained that Preply is an online teaching platform where anyone can teach English as a second language without any work experience or a degree.
In the video, Gugu shared:
"The highest I've gotten was a little over $2,000 (R34,327.69 on 19 November 2025 by Wise currency converter). And that's because I work every day, every single day, maybe 12 hours a day, sometimes less. But now I've slowed down, and so because of my slowing down, I'm no longer working on Saturdays. As you can see, I only have one class on Saturdays. I only have short classes on Sunday because I also want to give myself a break. You get extremely exhausted, you will burn out."
Gugu explained that she charges between $22 and $28 per hour at the moment and has turned what is a side hustle for some into a full-time job for herself.
Source: TikTok
Mzansi reacts to online teaching earnings
Netizens reacted to the earnings reveal shared on TikTok user @liferesetwithboni's video:
@Melomhle wrote:
"I am on Preply part-time too. Used to do it full-time. It's exhausting. The money is good, though."
@malebolekalakala0 said:
"To us who are on Preply with no students 😭."
@blaq_brownie shared:
"I work for 2 schools. One is busy in the morning, the other is busy in the afternoons and late evenings."
@BusiswaNgema gushed:
"She was my English teacher back in high school. She is an amazing woman ❤️❤️."
@shadedsanch added:
"I started at 9 am and finished at 10 pm last night 😭. Busy looking at cutting back my hours cause, yoh, it's exhausting. I'm so burnt out."
@MpumeZuma commented:
"I also don't work weekends anymore. I used to work 12-hour shifts Monday to Saturday. I've slowed down too because you burn out so much that you literally feel lifeless. The money is great, but you must take time off!"
How Preply works for teachers
According to the Preply website, the platform connects learners with over 100,000 tutors across 120 subjects and over 180 tutor nationalities. Teachers can earn money sharing their expert knowledge with students by signing up to start tutoring online. Tutors work as independent contractors and set their own rates and schedules.
From information on Wikipedia, Preply was founded in 2012 by Ukrainian entrepreneurs and has grown to over 675 employees, made up of over 50 nationalities. The platform uses a machine-learning algorithm that matches students and tutors based on certain factors like budget and schedule.
Disclaimer: Individual earnings may vary. The amounts shared in this article are based on one person's experience and are not guaranteed for all users.
Watch the TikTok clip below:
More about salaries and jobs
- Briefly News recently reported on a Forever Living business owner who went viral after sharing her shocked reaction to her November pay slip, which showed a salary of over R600k.
- A South African teacher working in Korea shared how she was fired three months after moving there and had to find another position within days.
- A legal expert offered a structured breakdown to help employees understand the criteria for receiving year-end bonuses and 13th cheques.
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Source: Briefly News
