Italki Review
italki is a language learning platform that connects language learners with native language teachers, worldwide.
This language learning tool offers 1-on-1 lessons via professional teachers or community tutors. At the time of writing, italki has a community of ~3,000,000 language learners and more than ~5,000 language teachers worldwide.
You can sign up as a language learner and/or as a language teacher if you want to make some extra money. For the sake of this italki review article, we focus on the learning languages part of italki.
A Review of italki
The main selling point of italki: live language learning lessons are given through personal, 1-on-1 sessions over Skype or any other video chat software.
Language learning resources further include informative articles and other community support channels. The offering of languages is very broad. Italki has over 100 languages to choose from, from Chinese to French and almost everything in between. The most popular languages are:
- Learn English
- Learn Chinese(Mandarin)
- Learn French
- Learn Spanish
- Learn Portuguese
- Learn German
- Learn Japanese
- Learn Korean
- Learn Arabic
- Learn Hindi
- Learn Italian
- Learn Russian
How Does It Work?
italki uses a learning approach that focuses on the student. It gives you, the student, the freedom to determine which learning process works best for you. Language learners can choose between professional teachers or community teachers. We'll take a look at both.
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Professional tutors
are language teachers who are generally best suited for students new to a language. Professional tutors lay the basic groundwork for acquiring a new language. Not everybody can call them a professional tutor! To be signed up as a professional tutor, you need to possess a degree or certificate in education.
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Community tutors
help advanced students get a broader understanding of the complexities and day-to-day use of the language they are trying to learn. Hiring a community tutor helps you immerse and get to native level proficiency.
Rather than following a standard learning route, your teachers create a customized learning path, depending on your own personal needs and preferences. The lessons are designed according to what area of language learning you want to focus on.
How Much Does It Cost?
italki lets you pay per lesson. With this language study method, there are no tuition fees or long-term commitments. You can study at your own pace (and budget), and structure your own learning experience accordingly. Italki provides you with the possibility of picking a tutor based on your availability. Studying with italki gives you good flexibility in terms of what, when and where you want to learn.
How Do You Schedule a Lesson?
- Find a Teacher – You can choose your teachers based on three criteria: language, availability and hourly rate.
- Select a Date and Time – Create your own learning schedule. Paying per lesson lets you determine the number of lessons based on your budget and availability.
- Connect – After you have picked a tutor and set a schedule, you can now connect with your tutor through Skype or any other video chat app.
italki Community
Aside from its 1-on-1 tutorings, italki also offers additional language learning resources.
- "Articles" Reading articles on learning your language is a convenient method to reinforce your knowledge whenever you have some spare time. Get valuable insights by reading articles written by teachers and tutors.
- "Notebook" is another great way of language learning. You write a sentence in your target language and subsequently get feedback and corrections on your writings.
- "Answers" lets you ask questions about the language you are learning or lets you be a contributor by answering questions about your native language.
- "Language Exchange and Discussions" gives you an interactive way of communicating with italki’s language learning community.
Summary of this italki review
Italki’s student-centric program gives you full control over exactly how, what and when you learn. It also provides you with a way to easily plan your budget when learning a new language.
With hundreds of languages to choose from, and over 5,000 teachers available, italki opens the doors for students and professionals searching for a convenient way to learn a new language. This program also you to learn languages where you want, when you want, and how you want.