What is a Priority Hour?
A Priority Hour is a one-hour block where:
- You commit to being available on Cambly for the full hour and answer all incoming calls.
- We feature you to new students and pay you for at least 15 minutes of chat time just for completing the Hour, even if you don’t get any calls!
They are a great way to meet new students and build your base of regulars.
How do I get started?
Sign up for Priority Hours
Go to your Priority Hours tab and select any of the available hours you would like added to your schedule (up to 10 within any 24-hour period). Priority Hours that are successfully added will turn black. Depending on your Tutor Rating, you’ll be able to schedule PHs up to 3 weeks in advance.
Sign in a few minutes early
It’s best to sign in a few minutes early to test your connection. We’ll send you an email one hour before your PH starts as a friendly reminder.
Chat with students
Incoming calls will appear on your Dashboard. Simply click on one to answer and start chatting! During your PH, we’ll send you calls marked “Notify Only You” introducing you to new students. These calls are especially important when you're a new tutor and looking to build your base of regulars.
*NEW* Answering and Declining Student Calls
When you receive a call, you will see the lesson length and have the option to “answer” or “decline” the call. With this change, you can choose not to answer a call that would take you over your scheduled time on Cambly.
Please Note: Any time you answer a call, please be sure you can commit to the entire duration of the requested call.
If an incoming call will extend beyond the duration of your Priority Hour, you will have the option to decline. If you are able and willing to complete the entire call length, please accept the call. If you are unable to stay for the entire call, please decline.
Please keep in mind that you are still required to answer all incoming calls that fit within the timing of your Priority Hour. Therefore, if a call comes in that does not exceed beyond the end of your Priority Hour, the decline option will not be available to you.
Please be aware that signing in late, ignoring calls, and signing out early may cause your Priority Hours to be automatically dropped, which may hurt your ability to sign up for more Priority Hours in the future (see “Cancellations and No-shows" for more details).
When are “peak times" on Cambly?
We have some awesome news for you. You aren’t restricted to specific peak times when tutoring on Cambly! Tutors are able to chat from practically any time zone because of our large international student base.
If you’re looking for particularly busy times, look no further than Priority Hours! Our system tracks student demand and releases Priority Hours based on that data. This helps keep the number of online students and tutors in balance.
Pro Tip: If you really click with a student, try to coordinate your next session with them. Ask when they typically log in and invite them to reserve time with you (see Part 4: Reservations). It can be helpful to suggest a topic for next time. Example: "Why don't you reserve a session with me tomorrow? We'll spend the time prepping for your interview."
What if I need to cancel?
Priority Hours should be canceled at least 12 hours in advance so other tutors have enough time to pick them up. To remove a PH from your schedule:
- Go to your Priority Hours tab.
- Click the Hour you need to cancel, then click okay.
If you have to leave a Priority Hour urgently, that’s no problem! Our system is designed to overlook one-off misses. If your Priority Hour is within 12 hours but you no longer can make it, it is better to drop your Hour late than to miss it. However, canceling too many Priority Hours short notice may lead to your Priority Hour access being temporarily blocked.
Please note that even though you can’t tutor from your phone or tablet, you can do pretty much everything else, including using your mobile browser to cancel PHs if you don’t have access to your computer.
For further information about Priority Hours, check out the Priority Hours & Reservations section.
Priority Hour Bonus Opportunities
Cambly will occasionally have bonus periods during which we guarantee 30 minutes of paid chat time during your Priority Hour, even if you don't get any calls. That means you'll be paid $5.10 or your actual paid chat time during that Hour, whichever is higher. Time slots with this guarantee are marked with a yellow triangle:
During our highest peak times, Cambly will also sometimes have additional bonus opportunities for certain priority hour slots. These time slots are marked with a blue triangle and have a + sign. If there is both a + sign and a number, that means there is both a minute guarantee and a bonus opportunity.
To view the bonus details, hover your mouse over a priority hour with an indicated bonus. Details of the bonus will appear as pictured below:
Remember: Access to priority hours fluctuates based on supply and demand. Sign-up for these priority hours now before they fill up!
Note: This bonus is labeled "Cambly Priority Hour Bonus Payout" and is added to your pay as a misc credit about an hour before the payments get processed on Tuesdays.