Preply Advice - How to deal with rude and inappropriate students

[@WorldofColor-ng5yc]

I found your tips to be quite helpful. A number of them were common sense and things I would do anyway. But I really appreciated your sharing about creepy students and the trial loophole. Whilst not quite the same I had one student set up with one account and do a trial lesson, a week later he'd set up as different account and got another free trial with me.

[@teachercook-e2572]

Thank you for the kind words. You're right, a lot of advice is somewhat common sense, but it's good to reiterate certain points. It sounds like you've had experience with the free trial lesson problem. Some students get offered a free trial lesson upon signing up, so just end up making multiple accounts to make use of this offer.

[@ELTExperiences]

This is a great video and something that I haven't really considered about difficult or unusual students. Despite having taught for over 18 years, I have encountered many students but at times I come across a student who says or does things which are unexpected. With more experience, it does get easier.

[@teachercook-e2572]

Thanks for the kind words Martin. Your last sentence is spot on, experience really does help shape how we deal with uncertain situations in the future.

[@VanessaEnglish-i5q]

Really appreciate this video, informative. Im new to Preply and have had a few incidences with strange requests from potential new students without a name asking that I go over to Zoom or Classin and another ask that I provide my WhattsApp number without starting with a trial lesson.

[@teachercook-e2572]

Really pleased to hear that the video helped you. Thank you so much for your kind comment

[@teejude24]

I had a trial student 2 days ago, he didn't show up for the lesson, he won't reply my messages or even mark it as read and he hasn't confirmed the lesson 😢. What's going to happen?

[@teachercook-e2572]

If you show evidence to Preply that you were in the classroom waiting for him, wrote him messages during the class like 'I'm waiting for you in the class', then it's proof enough for Preply to confirm the lesson for him due to the fact that you turned up to the lesson and were ready to conduct it as planned

[@teejude24]

I just did that and Preply helped me cancel the lesson 😊✨

[@vuyelwamavuma2865]

One messaged me today and he asked a question and I responded and then when he responded back I read his text and I received a call as I was reading and then a few mins later he said I was rude AsF. Uhmmm? Why the vulgar language??

[@najeedahorsley7446]

Hi Vuyelwa. I actually got the same message from a guy on Preply too! We may have received that message from the same person. It was my first message ever received on the platform, I was so shocked. He asked me if I go straight into lessons or do I like to talk to the students and I responded in the most kindest way possible explaining that our chat would be me trying to discover his learning needs etc. and he said I didn't answer his question but okay. He followed up with another reply saying I am rude asf and that's why I have no students. I told him that his language is not appropriate and still wished him all the best and he told me to stop texting him and that I am a weirdo. Literally, this was less than 10 hours of activating my profile. It made me think if all students are like this, I was so confused???! I blocked and reported him. Maybe he creates different profiles and does this for what, I don't know.

[@vuyelwamavuma2865]

@najeedahorsley7446 it seems like the students get worse. The other day one showed me his private parts. I was in such disbelief, I wanted to close my account immediately. I thought being told I'm rude was a lot but after that, I just knew that it gets worse and worse and there's no way we can avoid all of it. It makes me wonder what precautions is the platform making for such incidents...