With the comfort of the internet, language learning has become much easier than before. Connecting more than 5 million people as of 2021, Italki can be recognized as one of the biggest language learning platforms available on the internet today.
If you are considering Italki to learn a new language but are unsure about its program and performance, you’ve landed on the right page to learn thoroughly about it.
Many websites are raving about the platform and mentioning it as the best choice to learn a new language through its individual one-on-one session under the available budget. But is it really the best platform available for language learning, as they say?
We spent time getting to know all the details about the platform and understanding its whereabouts. Therefore, in this Italki review, we will be taking a look at everything the platform offers based on our personal experience.
So without further ado, let’s get into the details!
Italki Review: In a Nutshell
It’s totally understandable if you don’t have the time to read the entire article or want to look at italki’s primary features. Below mentioned are some of their parameters and ratings respectively to acknowledge.
| Parameters | Rating |
| Tutor’s quality | 4.5/5 |
| User experience | 4.5/5 |
| Scheduling | 4.5/5 |
| Available features | 4/5 |
| Bookings and pricing | 4.5/5 |
| Language dialects | 4/5 |
| Community | 4/5 |
| Earning from italki | 4/5 |
| Overall platform rating | 9/10 |
| Free service | Language partners and written corrections |
Italki Review: A Quick Overview
Itlaki allows its users to connect with native or fluent language speakers to make learning better and faster than ever. Offering classes in more than 100 languages, one can find their ideal tutor according to their learning style, flexibility, and the level they wish to learn.
Along with learners, tutors can also set their own budget and schedule the hours of teaching according to their choice of interest. From being a language exchange community for people to come, connect and learn the language they desire from the community to allow teachers to earn money through individual sessions, italki made its mark on the internet.
One can learn almost any language with italki, which is comparatively cheaper than any other language-learning platform. Even with the best resource, one can experience trouble understanding the language correctly. Italki is exceptionally well because it allows enthusiasts to connect and learn the language with their ideal mentors who could teach them in the right way possible.
How Does Italki Work?
Italki has plenty of native instructors for you to choose from to learn any new language you want. You can contact the instructor of your choosing to learn that particular language, and learners can also set a time, according to their convenience, to learn the language with the instructor.
The instructor also charges a fee per lesson, so there is no fixed pricing which is great for learners who want flexibility since the rate are decided by the instructors, so you can easily find the instructor who fits your budget. You can take the classes directly in the Italki classroom, so you don’t need any third-party software.
Italki: Available Features
While there are a lot of features that we liked, let’s take a look at some of the prominent italki features below!
- Discussion forums
There are discussion forums available for you to post anything. One can connect with the language partners and ask for language help. Know the cultural differences to understand more grammar and vocab of the language by just posting a question.
- Notebook feature
Write down your everyday learning in the notebook so that you will be prepared for the next lesson to acknowledge it better. Learn to store the information you understood because it helps you retain it further. Practice writing and share it among the community so that they can help in correcting your learning.
- Exercise
This feature could be a favorite for many in italki because one can improve their writing capability in their target language with time and consistent writing here. One could write about any topic they wish to in the language they are learning, and there are proficient readers who correct your mistakes and advice you. Also, you can improve your speaking pronunciation with the regular postings of your recorded audio.
- Application
Other than the website, italki is also available in an application format supported by both IOS and Android. Call your tutors or schedule a lesson with them from anywhere. The learning experience is almost the same even with italki’s application. Search, schedule, and communicate just like you do on the website.
User Experience
Considering different user experiences from different platforms, one could say good things about the platform. Although it has some cons, they are largely negligible when compared to other platforms. The interface and classroom learning is more like a fun activity rather than boringly sticking to the end.
Activities like asking questions in your target language and tutors helping answer them are pretty impressive by the platform. You have fellow learners who are learning the same language and are both above and below your levels. This can help you to chat and learn with different personalities of different styles.
User experience purely depends on an individual’s interaction and connection with their respective tutors. While some are fast learners, some take more time to acknowledge every detail. It’s the same with tutors too. Some might correct every little mistake while others let go of minute details and help you to concentrate on overall learning.
Italki Specializations
After creating a social network space for language learning, italki focused on hiring qualified tutors to teach languages to its users on the platform. Now you can find hundreds of tutors in italki to learn a new language. Its exponential growth happened within a short time, and it has skilled teachers in more than 100 languages and a great user base of over 5 million as of 2021. Some of its key features are:
- Connections and perspectives
A user can connect with as many tutors as they want from any part of the world until they find the right one at a price that is best suitable for them. This modern approach is equally applicable to tutors also. A tutor can charge according to his level of teaching on the platform.
While the number of tutors increases, the perspective count also increases parallel to them. Language learning is all about acknowledging it from multiple perspectives. Consider learning a language in olden times; one must approach it in both literature and speaker formats for better understanding. Here in italki, perspectives are numerous.
- One-on-one learning
Customized one on one leaning is an exclusive factor to consider in Italki. The liberty of learning in Italki allows learners to schedule a time to meet their instructors through online video chat and learn the required language.
Without any comprehensive structure or curriculum in language learning, one can start learning the language at any level they wish for. This could be a problem for some learners, but one can quickly become fluent in the language through proper communication with the native speaker.
Tutors Quality
There are two types of tutors available in Italki for learning a language. One can choose both or between them according to their standard of learning the language and the budget they have.
- Professional tutors
Italki staff verifies the professional tutors in three ways. The first one is if they are teaching the language in an institute or a school by looking at their experience. Next would be a language degree from any university, and the last one is if they hold a teaching certificate, then they are eligible under professional tutors.
- Community tutors
Community teachers are largely helpful for native speaking or learning the natural conversations of the language. Most of them are native speakers and don’t require a certificate to join the community.
Typically, professional tutors are more expensive because of the teaching styles and techniques they possess. Unlike community tutors, they help understand the language with materials and practice sessions. But community tutors are often more skilled even without a certification or diploma because of their nativity.
Italki: Scheduling
Before hopping into scheduling with a teacher, one must categorize their ideal class and practice. Each person’s individual need to learn the language differs from others, so choose accordingly. Look for a perfect teacher who matches your preferences, but it can be overwhelming at once because of the number of tutors available for every language.
After clicking on a teacher, you’ll be redirected to the tutor’s profile, where you can see all the information about him/her. Never spends hours reading different reviews from the tutor’s profile. It’ll baffle your thoughts on learning.
Book the trial lessons, which are available for 5$, or choose your plan immediately. Look at the available spots on the tutor’s calendar and book according to your flexible timings. Many would advise people to book different trial sessions before committing to the right one.
Bookings and Pricing
If you’d like to schedule a lesson with the tutor you wish to learn from, simply click on ‘book now’, and you’ll land on the page of different lessons that he/she offers. Tutors can price the same for all the lessons or different prices for different lessons. One can also consult their tutor before booking any session for better clarification.
Choose the communication tool you want to continue the lesson along with the date and time during the booking session. The italki classroom platform is suitable for both video calls and chats, but one can choose their own communication platform for a better experience.
Tutors have the free hand to set up their own prices in italki. One-on-one sessions could cost a minimum of 8$, but a community class session costs 4$. However, one can also get a discount on the price if both are agreed upon after the trial lesson.
The price is comparatively cheap from other resources or platforms because italki charges for every lesson and the price varies from tutor to tutor. Also, one can learn a required lesson that is suitable for them, unlike a monthly or annual subscription with the whole course.
Language Dialects
It is essential for some to learn the dialect of the language rather than the universal speaking. Some travel to a particular part of the country, and their language must suit the area they’ve visited. In that case, dialect plays a significant role while speaking. For instance, they have Taiwanese, Hakka, Mandarin, and other Chinese.
Language dialects can be learned simply from italki. Because of the availability of tutors with different dialects of the same language in italki, one can book a tutor with the respective dialect they prefer to learn. Whatever the language you want to consider, there are more certainly tutors available with different dialects.
Community
This tab is the free section you find after registering into italki. Everyone has access to the community tab once they log in. Below are some of the community features you won’t find on any other platform.
- Discover:
With the discovery tab, one can find the content created by fellow learners and other tutors who are willing to teach basics for free and potentially correct learners’ mistakes.
- Topics and postings:
Posts and topics are categorized according to your interest in the ‘for you’ section. From general language discussions to food, books, and travel, every content topic is available for all learners to improve their learning.
- Exercise:
To improve speaking and writing, the exercise section is the best and free. Write on different topics or speak on different topics and post for feedback from fellow learners to certified tutors.
Earnings From Italki
There are two methods to earn from italki. The first is to teach languages as a certified or community tutor. The first one is pretty simple. If you are proficient in all language formats, register on the website or app and offer your services. Decide the price for each lesson according to your expertise. The second would be to refer to italki for people or, put it in simple terms, advertise the company and earn with every referral who registers with italki.
Italki: Pros and Cons
Now that we have reached the end of our italki review, let’s take a look at the pros and cons!
Pros
- One can easily connect with native speakers and learn the language according to their pattern choice.
- The price is really affordable when compared with other online language-learning platforms
- Learning from the community is probably the best of learning the language. With constant feedback and looking from different perspectives, one can easily excel in their targeted language.
Cons
- Price fluctuation. Price may vary from tutor to tutor and lesson to lesson
- There’s never a curriculum or structure available to learn the language. One can start according to their familiarity with the language.
- Although the interface is pretty cool and advantageous, there are technical glitches associated with the application that people are complaining about very often.
Is Italki Worth It — My verdict
Italki is one of the best platforms available on the internet for people to start learning a new language at the lowest price possible. The action of learning a language is extremely important, and people can only connect to the language when they understand precisely what they are performing at the right time. Italki focuses on the exact human connection with the language. There’s no memorization process when you learn how to act with the language.
Understanding the role of language play in everyday life can help learners to understand its culture along with the literature. With the help of diverse tutors, one can pursue the language according to their own individual interest.
FAQs
Italki allows people to learn from the community after registering, but booking a trial session is not free. However, one can access a trial class for only 4-5$, and that’s affordable for almost everyone.
The website link is here. The Italki application is available on Android and IOS.
After the BOS account is ready, administrators can start accessing their italki business function with their admin account
