What you can charge to teach English online from Canada depends first on the channel: fixed-pay platforms set your rate (Cambly lists $0.17 a minute, or $10.20 an hour, for adult conversation and $0.20 a minute on Cambly Kids), marketplaces like Preply let you set your own rate and take a commission, and direct students pay whatever you agree. Platform rates are usually stated in US dollars, so CAD math matters. A direct-client rate should cover prep, scheduling, and both halves of CPP. This guide suits teachers deciding where to teach and what to charge.
How to start is in the teach English online side hustle guide. Headset, certificate, and setup costs are in teach English online startup costs. The first students are in your first online English student. More remote work sits in the online freelancing hub.
How much do online English teaching platforms pay from Canada?
Online English teaching platforms either pay a fixed rate or let you set one and keep a commission. Both are published on the platforms’ own pages; check them before applying, because they change.
| Channel | Published terms | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cambly (adults) | $0.17 per minute ($10.20 per hour) | Cambly tutor page |
| Cambly Kids | $0.20 per minute ($12 per hour) | Cambly tutor page |
| Cambly payment threshold | Weekly payment when at least US$20.00 is owed | Cambly tutor agreement |
| Preply | You set the rate; 100% commission on each new student’s trial lesson, then 33% falling to as low as 18% with more hours taught | Preply commission model |
| Direct students | Your own rate | — |
Cambly’s agreement states its threshold in US dollars, so treat the per-minute rate as USD and confirm the currency in your account. Cambly pays for minutes in conversation, not time waiting for a student. This guide does not publish average online English teaching earnings because no platform publishes a Canadian average we could verify.
What does platform pay work out to in Canadian dollars?
Converted at the Bank of Canada’s daily exchange rate of 1.4246 CAD per USD on October 2, 2026, Cambly’s $10.20 USD hour is about $14.53 CAD and the $12 USD Kids hour is about $17.10 CAD, before any waiting time, transfer fees, tax, or CPP. Your payment processor’s exchange rate may be lower than the Bank of Canada rate.
For comparison, Job Bank lists employed tutors at a national median of $20.00 CAD an hour (Job Bank tutor wages, reference period 2023–2024). Fixed-rate platforms trade lower pay for zero marketing. Marketplaces and direct students are where you set the price.
Which pricing models work for teaching English online from Canada?
Teaching English online from Canada is priced per lesson (30 or 60 minutes), as prepaid lesson packages, or as specialised courses such as business English or test prep at a higher rate.
| Model | How it works | Works well for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed platform rate | Paid per minute in conversation | Starting with no students | Waiting time is unpaid |
| Marketplace rate | You set a USD rate; commission comes off | Building a student base | The trial lesson pays nothing on Preply |
| Direct per lesson | Your own rate, paid to you | Returning students | You handle scheduling and payment |
| Package | 10 lessons prepaid | Committed students | Expiry and rescheduling rules |
| Specialised course | Business English, test prep, interview practice | Higher-value goals | Overpromising test scores |
How do you calculate an online English teaching rate from Canada?
Calculate an online English teaching rate from Canada from a target CAD hourly pay, the prep and admin per lesson, any commission, and the exchange rate if students pay in USD.
Step 1: Set a target in CAD
Use the Job Bank tutor median as a floor check for direct students.
Step 2: Count prep and admin
Lesson plans, materials, and messages. Free conversation needs less prep than a test-prep course.
Step 3: Gross up for commission
List price = what you want to receive ÷ (1 − commission).
Step 4: Convert currency
Divide your CAD target by the current Bank of Canada rate to set a USD price, then leave room for processor spreads.
Step 5: Hold back tax and CPP
Self-employed people pay both CPP shares; see CPP contributions and the tax set-aside guide.
Illustrative example
This is a teaching sketch with assumed numbers, not a forecast, average, or survey. Suppose that on a fixed-rate platform you are in conversation for 45 minutes of each hour you are online. At $0.17 USD a minute, that is 45 × $0.17 = $7.65 USD, or about $10.90 CAD at 1.4246.
Suppose that for direct students you want $30 CAD per working hour and each 60-minute lesson needs 15 minutes of prep and messages, so 1 hour in 1.25 is billable. The lesson rate is $30 × 1.25 = $37.50 CAD. Priced in USD at 1.4246, that is about $26.32 USD, which you might round to $27 USD.
On a marketplace with a 33% commission, receiving $26.32 USD needs a list price of $26.32 ÷ 0.67 = $39.28 USD. At that list price, after you pass the point where commission falls to 28%, you would receive $39.28 × 0.72 = $28.28 USD.
What does a sample online English teaching rate sheet look like?
An online English teaching rate sheet lists lesson lengths, packages, and specialised courses. The table is an illustrative example built on the direct-student sketch above, not a market average.
| Service (illustrative) | Direct price (CAD) |
|---|---|
| 30-minute conversation lesson | $20 |
| 60-minute lesson | $37.50 |
| 10 × 60-minute package (10 × $37.50 = $375, less about 7% for prepaying) | $350 |
| 60-minute business English or interview prep | $45 |
| 60-minute test-prep lesson (with materials) | $50 |
| Cancellation under 24 hours | full lesson charge |
Specialised rows assume extra prep. Write your cancellation window and time-zone policy, and state whether prices are in CAD or USD.
When should you raise online English teaching rates?
Raise online English teaching rates when your schedule is full, when you add a certificate or a specialty, or when the exchange rate moves enough to change your CAD result. Give regular students notice before their next package.
On marketplaces, test a higher rate for new students first; keep existing students on their rate until a natural break.
What online English teaching pricing mistakes are common?
Common online English teaching pricing mistakes are counting time online as paid time on per-minute platforms, ignoring the commission and exchange rate, and having no cancellation policy. Each makes the hourly result look higher than it is.
Track minutes in conversation versus minutes online. Price direct lessons in one currency and say which. Do not promise test scores.
How do GST/HST and income tax affect online English teaching from Canada?
Online teaching income earned from Canada is self-employment income reported on Form T2125, converted to Canadian dollars. GST/HST registration becomes required after you pass the $30,000 small-supplier threshold in a calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters, across all your side hustles.
Place-of-supply rules decide which rate, if any, applies to a registered teacher, per the CRA’s charge and collect page; students outside Canada and platforms as intermediaries make this more complex, so get advice before you near the threshold. The GST/HST registration guide covers the basics.
Direct students paying in USD and CAD are easier to track in one invoicing tool. FreshBooks TODO-AFFILIATE is one option for sending lesson and package invoices; check its current currency options before relying on them.
This is not tax, legal, or accounting advice.
Which guides sit next to online English teaching pricing?
Online English teaching pricing sits beside online tutoring pricing, virtual assistant pricing, and freelance writing pricing.
What are the common questions?
How much does Cambly pay tutors in Canada?
Cambly's tutor page lists $0.17 per minute, or $10.20 per hour, for adult conversation and $0.20 per minute, or $12 per hour, on Cambly Kids. Its tutor agreement states the payment threshold in US dollars. Cambly pays for minutes in conversation, not waiting time.
What is that Cambly rate in Canadian dollars?
At the Bank of Canada rate of 1.4246 CAD per USD on October 2, 2026, $10.20 USD is about $14.53 CAD and $12 USD is about $17.10 CAD, before waiting time, transfer costs, tax, and CPP. Check the current rate.
How much should I charge direct English students?
Set a CAD target per working hour, add prep and admin time, and convert to USD if students pay in USD. Job Bank's national median for employed tutors, $20.00 an hour, is a floor check.
How much does Preply take from English teachers?
Preply's help centre says the trial lesson with each new student carries a 100% commission, and later lessons start at 33%, falling to as low as 18% as your total hours grow.
Do I charge GST/HST on online English lessons from Canada?
Registration is required once taxable supplies exceed $30,000 in a calendar quarter or over four consecutive quarters, across all side hustles. Students outside Canada and platforms as intermediaries complicate the rules, so get advice before you near the threshold. This is not tax advice.
Which sources support this guide?
The rules, rates, and platform requirements in this guide are checked against these primary sources. Retail price ranges are labelled as ranges to verify locally, and they are not quotes.
- Tutor with Cambly — Cambly
- Cambly Tutor Agreement — Cambly
- Preply commission model — Preply
- Daily exchange rates — Bank of Canada
- Tutor - Secondary School Subjects in Canada: Wages — Government of Canada, Job Bank
- When to register for and start charging the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency
- Charge and collect the GST/HST — Canada Revenue Agency
- Form T2125, Statement of Business or Professional Activities — Canada Revenue Agency
- Contributions to the Canada Pension Plan — Government of Canada