You teach Spanish online and every month the same scene repeats: you send a WhatsApp reminder, wait for the transfer, and glance at your phone just before the lesson starts in case it has arrived. This isn't about which button you press to get paid. It's about when you get paid.
Why “I'll pay you later” costs you dear
The problem isn't Bizum, or PayPal, or the card. The problem is taking payment by hand, after the lesson is over. When payment depends on the student remembering, some of those payments get delayed, forgotten or simply never arrive.
There is a less obvious cost, too: how you come across. A teacher who chases transfers seems, without meaning to, less professional than one whose lesson confirms itself the moment it is paid for. It isn't a question of rates (those are yours to set, according to your experience and your market), but of process.
The rule that changes this is simple: take payment in advance or when the lesson is confirmed, not afterwards. An example, purely by way of illustration: a teacher of Spanish as a foreign language could ask for payment of a block of 4 lessons before it starts, instead of collecting lesson by lesson after the fact. This is nobody in particular; it is simply a pattern that works.
Bank transfer and Bizum: free, but with small print
A bank transfer carries no fee and is the most natural option for large blocks, especially with Spanish students who already use transfers for everything. Bizum adds immediacy: the money arrives at once and you confirm it with a glance at your phone.
The downside is the manual admin. You check whether it has arrived, you send the reminder, you say something if it is missing. There is no automatic receipt, and the payment reference usually includes personal details you would rather not have to ask for by message.
There is also a significant limitation for anyone teaching Spanish as a foreign language: Bizum is designed for payments between Spanish bank accounts. If your student lives outside Spain, the usual thing is that they cannot use it, so it is not a universal solution for your kind of students. One simple piece of advice: always ask for the student's name in the payment reference, and confirm the payment before you start the lesson, not during it.
PayPal: convenient for the student, awkward for you
PayPal has one clear advantage: it works in any country and almost everyone knows it, which makes it convenient if your students are international. Getting it up and running is quick, with hardly any setup.
The other side of the coin: every payment carries a fee, and if your student pays in another currency, the exchange rate usually works against you. On top of that comes a risk worth knowing about even if it is uncommon: PayPal can hold funds or open a dispute if the student challenges the payment, and sorting it out takes up time you could spend teaching.
It still makes sense if you teach mostly students outside Spain and need something everyone recognises without explanations. If your students are mostly in Spain, there are better options.
Card with a payment gateway (like Stripe): what buyers already expect
Paying by card through a gateway is what anyone expects when buying something online today: you enter your details, you pay, you get instant confirmation. For the student it is almost invisible. For you it means an end to chasing payments: the money is taken before the lesson, automatically.
There are honest downsides worth knowing before you set it up. Depending on your situation, getting paid this way may require you to formalise your business activity; talk it over with an accountant before deciding. There is also a fee on every transaction and an initial setup that takes some time the first time round.
One advantage that is not purely technical: selling packs or blocks as products (instead of negotiating a price lesson by lesson over chat) makes your offer clearer and avoids that awkward “how much do you charge for this?” conversation every time.
A payment policy that prevents missed payments
You don't need a contract. You need three decisions written down somewhere you can consult them and apply them the same way every time:
- When payment is due: for example, 24–48 hours before the lesson, or when the booking is confirmed.
- What happens if payment doesn't arrive: the lesson doesn't go ahead, without drama and without having to justify yourself each time.
- The reminder: an automatic notice the day before reduces forgetfulness without you having to write each time.
For the student who is repeatedly late paying, a message template (adapt it to your style; this is only an example): “Hi, just a reminder that to confirm your Thursday lesson I need payment by Wednesday afternoon. If it doesn't arrive, we'll leave it for the following week, no problem.” Firm, without apologising for charging for your work.
How all this fits together on your teaching website
Your website can do a good part of this work on its own: packs with a visible price, a payment page, an automatic confirmation email and a reminder the day before, without you having to watch over anything.
In WordNext, the Docente plan (€29/month) includes a website with courses, a student area and automatic email sequences, with a 5% commission per sale. If you also want to sell monthly memberships or instalment payments, that is in the Crecimiento plan (€99/month, 5% commission) or in Escala (€149/month, with no commission per sale). In every case, the money from payments collected with Stripe Connect goes straight to your account.
Frequently asked questions
Is it better to take payment in advance or after the lesson?
In advance or on confirmation, whenever you can. It reduces missed payments and saves you having to chase money after you have already given your time.
Can I use Bizum with students who are outside Spain?
As a rule, no: Bizum is designed for payments between Spanish bank accounts. If your students are international, you need another option such as PayPal or a card gateway.
PayPal or card (like Stripe) for my private lessons?
PayPal is convenient if your students are very international and you want something everyone recognises without any explaining. A gateway like Stripe usually looks more professional and automates payment further, but it is worth weighing up the initial setup.
Do I have to declare what I earn from my lessons?
It depends on your country and your particular situation, so there is no single answer here. The sensible move is to check with an accountant or tax adviser before deciding how to organise yourself.
If you want to build your teaching website with payments, courses and automatic reminders without getting lost in the technical side, the course «Monta y vende tu web» (€49, one-off payment, taught in Spanish) takes you through it step by step. And if you would rather keep reading for now, you can subscribe to receive the next articles.