Oh Miriam, I understand completely lack of money and the inability to transfer money. I have helped people for free in the past because of these issues, and some have become friends. But none of these people demanded something for nothing. I am talking about the ones who tell me they are a doctor or an engineer and yet still want free lessons. I have even been told that I am a selfish person for not giving them free classes. Genuine need and a sense of entitlement are very different things.

I subscribe to the "give before you ask" hint:

- a good quality correction of a text shows that you are proficient in your own native language (something that you cannot assume for granted);

- if you are helpful to strangers, you'll be as helpful as a language partner, not like some leeches who try to spend all the time speaking THEIR target language.

Another hint: if you want to receive language exchange offers, open your privacy settings, so that other italki members can send you private messages.

I know that you'll be flooded by spam messages, the problem is so bad that even Miriam had to "rise her shields", but once in a while you'll get a real, serious proposal.

Yes, I agree.

The first thing I check when someone screams that they are desperate for a language partner is how many other people they have helped.

Spending a couple weeks helping other people on here counts for a lot (in my opinion).

Just showing up and demanding things is less appealing, haha.

Very good tip, Beth! I’d like to add that users in search of language partners should not only fill in their own profile but also read the profiles of potential partners. Many English learners contact other users who aren’t interested in practising English.

@Earl Florida and Beth

Many English learners can simply not afford any classes. If you earn 2$ per month, how are you going to pay for classes (<a href="https://www.efe.com/efe/english/world/venezuelan-minimum-wage-hits-rock-bottom-2-00-a-month/50000262-4053749" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.efe.com/efe/english/world/venezuelan-minimum-wage-hits-rock-bottom-2-00-a-month/50000262-4053749</a>;)? Also, there are some countries that don't allow transfering money internationally (e.g. Iran), so even though some users might have enough money to pay for classes but they don't have a credit card and can't use services like PayPal, so they just can't buy any italki credits. Also, many of the users who are looking for free language exchange are students from poor countries who don't have any extra money to afford the luxury of private classes. Unfortunately for them, they often don't speak languages that are very sought after by native English speakers, so it's really hard for them to find someone to practise with.