Please tell me about the commission & payment fees.
One reason we started LanguaTalk is to help tutors earn a decent living and not have to rely on websites that charge extremely high commission rates. Our commission is capped at 16% of the total price of each lesson. Our aim is to be able to reduce this to 15% or lower once we become less dependent on advertising. Advertising online is costly, for example when someone clicks on our website from Google, we pay up to $4 per click. The commission also goes towards running and improving our technology, marketing, and providing support to students and tutors.
Please note that when you set your rate, you do not have to take commission off this to work out what you'll receive. This is because, unlike other sites, we add commission afterwards to reach the price the student pays. If you wish to estimate what you'll receive per lesson in your bank account based on a specific rate, check this help article.
Payment Fees: We send your earnings directly to your local bank account. This may be cheaper than methods other sites use like PayPal and Payoneer, which both have a lot of hidden fees.
When you receive a payment, 1.5% of the total amount sent will be deducted for fees associated with sending international payments. These fees come from Stripe and the banks involved. If your bank account is not in the US, the banks will also charge a 1% currency conversion fee.
Here is an example for tutors who are not based in the US: if your balance is $200, you should receive the equivalent of $195 in your currency ($5 is paid in fees). The exchange rate will be calculated on the day the payment is initiated.