Our Commitment to Tutors
Tutors are at the heart of what Cambly does. Every day, you show up to help students build confidence, improve their English, and make real progress.
This policy exists so every student gets a safe, high-quality experience and every tutor knows exactly where they stand. That means being clear about what we look for, consistent in how we respond, and fair in how we make decisions.
Most tutors never have to think about this page. We’re sharing it so that if something ever does come up, there are no surprises.
How it Works: At a Glance
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☰ Violations are tiered Minor, major, and critical - with responses proportional to severity. |
👤 Humans review every case Every decision is made by a member of the Tutor Quality & Guidance Team. |
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⚠ Most issues come with a warning Violations typically result in a warning or Probation before any further action is taken. |
⇄ You can appeal If your account is deactivated, you have the right to request a review. See the Appeals page for details. |
This page covers how violations are categorized, what your account status means, and what happens if your standing changes.
Account Health & Conduct
Cambly tracks account health across a few key areas: Reliability, Trust & Safety, and how your lessons go for students. Minor or first-time issues are handled differently than repeated or serious ones; the response is proportional to the violation.
Your account works as a whole. Policy violations on any Cambly platform can affect your access to all platforms, including Cambly Kids, Cambly Groups, and Cambly Pro.
Understanding Policy Violations
Cambly uses a three-tier system to categorize policy violations based on their severity and impact on students and the platform. The consequences below reflect the maximum for a first-time violation. Repeated violations may result in stronger action.
| Tier | Severity | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Critical | Up to and including immediate deactivation |
| Tier 2 | Major | Up to and including account being placed on Probation, loss of access to Priority Hours and additional platforms (such as Cambly Kids, Cambly Groups and Cambly Pro) |
| Tier 3 | Minor | Up to and including a warning |
Policy Violation List
The violations below are organized by tier, along with the maximum consequence for a first-time violation. Repeated violations may result in stronger action. For more information on how each violation is defined, see the Policy Definitions page.
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⚠ Tier 1 violations Critical severity |
Maximum Penalty Up to and including immediate deactivation on first offense (no warning) |
| Category | Violations |
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⚠ Trust & safety violations |
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🚩 Platform integrity / Terms of Service violations |
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▭ Tier 2 violations Major severity |
Maximum Penalty Up to and including account Probation, loss of access to Priority Hours and additional platforms |
| Category | Violations |
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▭ Service delivery requirements |
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💬 Customer interaction requirements |
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▱ Tier 3 violations Minor severity |
Maximum Penalty Up to and including a warning on the first offense |
| Category | Violations |
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▱ Basic capability requirements |
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⏳ Reliability requirements |
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Understanding Account Status
Your Account Status reflects your current standing on the platform. There are three levels:
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Good Standing
Your account is in Good Standing and you have no restrictions on Cambly.
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Account Probation
Your account has reached a critical threshold, either through a pattern of minor issues or a single, serious violation. You will receive a Final Warning notifying you of this status. While on Probation:- Zero Tolerance: Any further violation, regardless of severity, will result in immediate deactivation.
- Access Restrictions: Your access to Priority Hours and any additional platforms (Cambly Kids, Cambly Groups, and Cambly Pro) will be restricted.
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Deactivated
You no longer have a Tutor Account on Cambly. This can happen when violations reach the maximum threshold, when a violation occurs during Probation, or when a Critical Tier 1 violation occurs.
All Deactivation decisions are reviewed by the Tutor Quality & Guidance Team before being issued. If you'd like to contest a deactivation, you have the right to request a review - See Appealing a Deactivation Decision for details.
The Path to Deactivation
Not every path to deactivation looks the same - it depends on what happened and how often. Consequences are proportional to the severity of the violation. Minor issues typically result in a warning before any account action is taken. More serious violations can result in immediate Probation or deactivation, regardless of prior history. Visit the Policy Violation List above to learn more.
Account Status Recovery
A violation on your record is not permanent. After one full year of active tutoring with no new violations – measured from your last violation date – your account status will improve, moving you back toward Good Standing.
How it works: The recovery period is based on a rolling 12 months from your most recent violation. Once a full year passes with a clean record, the adjustment automatically applies. Please note, however, that more serious offenses take longer to 'fall off' your record completely.
Eligibility: To qualify, you'll need to have been actively tutoring – completing at least 50 hours of tutoring within that 12-month period.
A couple of things to keep in mind:
- If a new violation occurs, the 12-month window resets.
- If your account is already in Good Standing, there's nothing to recover – your record is clean and that's the baseline.
Best Practices
Outside of the policies above, there are also some best practices worth knowing. While account status changes and deactivations only apply to policy violations, these best practices are drawn directly from student feedback, so following them can make a real difference in student satisfaction and rebooking.
You can view the full list, broken down by platform, here.
FAQ
Will I always receive a Final Warning before deactivation?
In most cases, yes. A Final Warning is issued when a pattern of minor issues (Tier 3) or a singular major violation is identified, giving you a clear heads-up before any more serious account action is taken.
There are two situations where deactivation can happen without a prior warning:
- Tier 1 Violations: Critical violations - such as safety breaches, fraud, or serious misconduct - result in immediate deactivation.
- Aggravated Incidents: If a single incident involves multiple violations or shows a serious disregard for platform policies, the account may be deactivated immediately, regardless of prior history.
In some cases, we'll reach out and ask you for more context about a situation before a decision is made. If we don't hear back, we'll move forward based on the information we have.
Will I be deactivated for Best Practice issues?
Deactivation only applies to Policy Violations. That said, best practices are drawn from real student feedback - following them can help keep your students satisfied and booking lessons with you.
What if I commit a violation when I didn't realize the student was in the classroom?
Cambly's platform participation requirements apply any time you are on the platform or in the Cambly classroom - regardless of whether you believe the student is present. Sessions are recorded from the moment a student enters the classroom until the End Lesson button is pressed by the tutor, and students have access to those full recordings.
This means anything that happens during an active session - including during connection drops, disconnections, or after a student appears to have left - is visible to them.
Always press the End Lesson button to confirm the session is closed, and treat any active session as if the student is watching.