Be clear about what you hope to accomplish in your target language

At the moment I’m juggling three languages - Polish, Mandarin and Kurdish. With the help of Italki teachers of course! To make the Italki learning experience as successful as possible, It’s important not only to choose the right teacher, but to be clear about what you hope to accomplish in your target language. By giving your tutor an idea of what you want to achieve helps you head off in the right direction on your language learning journey. <iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eyhEjVOOiyQ?showinfo=0"></iframe> How to choose your tutorChoosing the right teacher for your needs can be key to your language development,but for some languages there are so many teachers to choose from. So, here aresome tips for making a choice. From your teacher’s profile, you’ll be able to watchtheir introductory video. This will give you a good overview of your teacher’s styleand approach. You’ll also be able to hear their accent. So, if you’re looking to learnPortuguese for example, but want to learn with European Portuguese, you’ll be ableto narrow your choices down. Tutors’ feedback and the number of lessons they havecompleted can also be seen from their profiles. How to approach your tutorSo, you’ve chosen a teacher, and you want to let them know what level you’re at andwhat you hope to achieve from the lessons, right? The next step is to contact thembefore even booking a lesson. You can do this using the “Contact Teacher” buttonon their profile. From here, you can write a message to your potential teacher to askthem specific questions, tell them about what you’ve been doing so far and what youwould like to concentrate on, be it grammar, conversation practise or language forbusiness. Without this contact, you will be going into a lesson blindly and it will take longer foryou both to establish what will work well for you. Hopefully, and even if you haven’tdone this, your teacher may contact you once you’ve booked a lesson and ask forspecifics from you. What next?So, you’ve started your lessons, you and your tutor are getting on fine, and all is well.The first lessons will always be about familiarizing yourself with your teacher. Don’tforget, your teacher is also human and might be nervous that they are doing a goodjob! And they probably are! But what if the lessons are not panning out the way youexpected? The teacher may be focusing too much time on grammar and notenough on conversation, for example. Tell them!! It’s important to put aside a fewminutes in the early lessons to give feedback to your tutor. If you can do this duringthe lesson, that’s great. If not, then send a personal message afterwards suggestinghow you would like to continue. Try to be specific, for example, “I’d like toconcentrate more on examples and less on grammar drills.” Your tutors are there to help you, so don’t be afraid of asking them for help. I askedmy Polish teacher to explain some exercises that I’d been working on by myself andshe offered to help mark my exercise book as part of an Italki lesson. My Kurdishteacher helps me decipher a phrase book that I was struggling with because I askedhim to. My Mandarin teacher helped me revise some Chinese characters because Ifelt like I needed to review rather than learn new items at that stage. These arethree examples of me having some influence over the content of my lessons. So, best wishes with your language learning. I’d be interested to hear about yourprogress and how your teacher has helped you with your journey. Hi my name is Andy and I’m an avid language learner. I’m currently learning Kurdish, Polish and Mandarin. I have a YouTube channel that you can check out called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/andyjuggleslanguages">Andyjuggleslanguages</a>

How to get the most out of your italki teacher

Hey fellas, I’m Candiace! I am from California and I’m 16 years old. If you would like to improve your English, feel free to contact me! I can certainly help.

My German lesson with Meike was super fun

I always enjoy taking conversation classes in the languages I'm learning. The first lesson is the hardest, and I get super nervous, but then I get through the lesson and learn what my speaking level is really at, and it's always worth it.&nbsp; <iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TlbbKaQ8JwI?showinfo=0"></iframe> My German lesson with Meike was super fun. I had been studying German for some years, but this was the first&nbsp;conversation I had ever had with a teacher. We even learned that she had visited my small Canadian town! I learned a bunch of words that will stick in my brain much easier than if I had merely read them in a textbook. She was wonderful to speak with, and I look forward to taking more lessons with her in the future. Hello! My name is Nellie and I love learning languages:) I'm currently learning and improving German, French, Spanish, Russian, Dutch, and American Sign Language. If you would enjoy video diaries of my learning process, my Youtube channel is under the name <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Wiebits">Nellie Janzen</a>.

My first German italki Lesson

De verdad 😂

So true 🤣

Tiel vera 😅

Kuyiqiniso 😁

Habla conmigo para tener una excelente conversación en inglés.

Hello everyone, I love to help people learning languages, if you need help, contact me, I'd be delighted to help you. My mother tongue is Spanish but I can speak English, Italian, Portuguese and German ☺️

It’s been an opportunity to reconnect with the learning process in a meaningful way.

I warned you about my silly jokes and puns in the very first blog post on Korean. That said, there are two important messages in this punny title of mine. It definitely serves as a good overview of what’s to come in any case. <img src="https://ofs-cdn.italki.com/u/internal/galaxy/message/bvnrn0sd4sq75bdqvbl0.png"> The Year Whose Name Cannot Be SpokenValdemor, stand aside! 2020 has taken your place! There have been some positives this year with being online for so much more stuff though. For me this has been the year of doing lives on my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/speakingfluently">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/SpeakingFluently/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Torbyrne">YouTube</a> channels. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of interacting with so many lovely language learners in the process too. It’s been an opportunity to reconnect with the learning process in a meaningful way. It’s inspired me to start on this journey with Korean over an entire year too. My hope is that documenting this process helps you on your own language learning journey as well. In fact, I will be adding updates daily to a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/learningwithrichardsimcott">Facebook Group</a> I set up especially for this (and possibly to <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@speakingfluently ">TikTok</a> too, if I build up the courage…). And YOU are welcome to join me there to help us keep account of each other’s progress and encourage each other. Materials &amp; Motivation MatterI pose questions about what’s important to know in the language learning process. For me the biggest thing is definitely motivation. And I cannot get motivation to learn if I am not inspired by the materials I have to study the language. So to be content in Korean, I have to have good content in Korean! &lt;— See what I did there? I amuse myself writing this stuff. Some of you will definitely laugh along and others will groan. And it’s all good. The important thing is that we’re in this together! Curing The Cons of KoreanThe biggest con for me in learning Korean is that I have almost ZERO natural contact with the language in The Balkans. No Koreans here! The choice to learn it came from my daughter. This is not the way I usually pick a language to learn. So I had to get creative and turn to social media for help. After all, how could I turn down my daughter to learn a language? I was determined to get over this hurdle and needed time to look into what is out there for learning the language. I turned to my friend <a href="Lindie Botes">Lindie Botes</a>, who gave me some pointers. I also got lots of great responses on social media with suggestions for channels to follow. I started following Korean channels on YouTube, Twitter and Instagram. YouTube has a couple of channels that stood out to me for well-organised, engaging and useful content. They are: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/GoBillyKorean">Learn Korean with GO! Billy Korean</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/talktomeinkorean">Talk To Me In Korean</a> I plan to use both of these channels during my studies to supplement my learning experience. By far I find my instagram feed the best place to see content in Korean quickly and easily in a casual way. I have followed many great channels and LOVE giving my basic reading skills a workout. There are 12 Korean language learning accounts I now follow. They provide me with Korean on a daily basis without even trying! Feel free to check them out or look for others too and suggest more for me to follow! <a href="https://www.instagram.com/2koreanteachers">2KoreanTeachers</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/eggbun_education/">eggbun_education</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/learning_korean_with_bam/">learning_korean_with_bam</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/learnkoreanphrase/">learnkoreanphrase</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/corea.do">corea.do</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/learnkorean365/">learnkorean365</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/koreansunrise/">koreansunrise</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/studykorean24/">studykorean24</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/yoonssam_kr/">yoonssam_kr</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/90daykorean/">90daykorean</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/TTMIK/">TTMIK</a><a href="https://www.instagram.com/korean_uri_hangul/">korean_uri_hangul</a> My plan with these is simple. I want to have accidental access to Korean, so I clock up my exposure to the language without even trying. I enjoy a quick look through Instagram during my downtime in the morning and evening for about 15-20 minutes max. I also like TikTok, but I have not yet found anything much in Korean, so if you have any suggestions, please do let me know.<img src="https://ofs-cdn.italki.com/u/internal/galaxy/message/bvnrqd6p0sksvv7flndg.png"> On Course For Korean Goal CompletionTo keep me on track I like to set goals. I also like to be realistic and treat myself kindly, so no judgement if I miss some of them. I treat myself and others as I would like others to treat me too. So I need to own up. I was a little ambitious with my goals over the holiday period and I managed to get sick too. Life sometimes just gets in the way of learning though, right? Readjusting Goals I am now a couple of days behind with my Michel Thomas Method Korean course. I may still finish it by 1st January, but I am not going to hold myself to that now. I am giving myself an extra three days. The new date to complete it is 3rd January. The Korean Script Hacking is still on course to be finished by 31st December though, so we’re good to go there!<img src="https://ofs-cdn.italki.com/u/internal/galaxy/message/bvnrqmup0sksvv7flneg.png"> Kicking off with Korean in 2021 I have been through many books and courses to see what’s on offer to structure my learning throughout the year. The Michel Thomas Method Korean course and Scripting Hacking were easy preliminary goals to set myself. So what am I going to use now? Remember that I am doing this Korean challenge with my 13-year old daughter, so I needed to be on the look out for something that would work for her and for me. I love my Teach Yourself and Assimil courses. My plan is to have them as something to dip into and carry around in my bag to read over as extra material on this occasion. Longterm Goal The <a href="https://talktomeinkorean.com/">Talk To Me In Korean</a> website has a great package. You can follow 10 levels of courses, each split up into around 30 lessons. It also offers certificates after each level with the premium option, which is great for my daughter! If I complete one lesson a day in the morning before I start work, then I should be able to complete the 10 levels by the end of the year. Shorterm Goal Now 10 levels of 30 lessons each is very longterm, so let’s focus on getting through January first. I aim to get through the level 1 course by the end of the month and then review how realistic that bigger goal really is. During my studies I will be working with an italki teacher to help me practise what I am learning. I am a great believer in lots of input and coupling that with some output to play with the language. My learning has always been about me fumbling around with the language and trying out things I hear and want to say. I will set up a couple of classes a week. One will be more structured with language questions I have. The other will be more chatty to just practise dialogues and language I come across during my studies. <iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CzO_2VcLDrU?showinfo=0"></iframe>

Content in Korean - Kicking off Korean in 2021

Could you tell the difference between Pretérito Imperfecto and Pretérito Indefinido?

How to use Preterito Imperfecto and Preterito Indefinido in Spanish

You won’t truly know if a teacher is a perfect fit until you are in a lesson with them!

Hi! Let me start by introducing myself- I’m Melissa and I occasionally make content about italki on Youtube! I am both a community tutor and student on italki and I often see the same questions over and over again from other teachers and students. I decided to make a video breaking down all of the most frequently asked questions that I come across to hopefully help other people who love this platform just as much as I do! Note the expressed FAQs represent my opinions as a Community Tutor and Student on italki! <iframe class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q4-vFx1vvCk?showinfo=0"></iframe> First, let’s go through the questions that come from students on italki How do I find a good teacher on italki?The easiest way to find a teacher that fits your needs the best is to narrow your search, read the teacher’s profile, and watch their introduction video! Also, take advantage of your trial lessons because you won’t truly know if a teacher is a perfect fit until you are in a lesson with them! I didn’t like my lesson/the teacher I booked with, what do I do? You have two options-If you think the teacher might be a good fit but the lesson they planned for you wasn’t exactly what you were looking for you can send them a message letting them know what you were looking for and ask them if they can switch it up next time! Or If you think the teacher just wasn’t the right fit you can always find another one. Sometimes it just isn’t the right match and that’s okay! How do I get the most out of the lesson?If you have a clear idea of your goals it can help immensely! Even if it’s a broad goal for example you are learning the language for business or travel that can help the teacher fit the lesson to your needs. It’s okay to not know your goals immediately but if you do it’s great! Other than that, make sure you are studying in between lessons and show up on time and ready to learn! How quickly will I learn my target language?That is completely up to you! It depends on how much time you are spending both in class and outside of class learning your target language. For example, if you are only taking a single 1 hour class per week and not studying in between classes it will take you a lot longer to learn your target language than someone who is studying or learning every day. There is no one size fits all answer for this one. There was a problem with my lesson!I often get asked specific questions about different problems with different teachers and my answer is always to reach out to italki support! I am a random internet person- I am unable to fix this problem for you! Now it’s time for the teachers! Here are all of the most frequently asked questions I get from professional teachers, community tutors, and people applying to teach on italki. Do I need a degree?Not necessarily! It depends on what teacher type you are applying for. They list out all of the different requirements here. Why didn’t my student book another lesson?If your student didn’t book another lesson it could be for a million different reasons! I try not to sweat it or chase down students who don’t book again. I have heard of teachers reaching out to students and asking them but that isn’t something I would personally recommend as it can be awkward and possibly make the student feel bad for not booking another lesson. Focus on the students who are continuing to book with you. How do I make lesson plans?As an English tutor, there are tons of free resources online for lesson plans. I like to get creative though. Youtube videos, Ted Talks, and News Articles are all great things to plan lessons around. I’ve also been known to throw the occasional meme into lesson plans. Be creative and have fun with it! How do I become a tutor on italki?I made an entire video about this exact topic where I break down the entire application process. You can watch it <a href="https://youtu.be/PGVfNT_pgJw">here</a>. My application was denied!Oh no! If they gave you a specific reason as to why your application was denied (like maybe an issue with your video or profile picture) you can always fix it and reapply! Sometimes they are at capacity for teachers in the language you are applying for though. If that is the case you can wait a few months until they are looking for teachers in that language again. Don’t lose hope! How do taxes work/ do I have to pay taxes?You are considered self-employed on italki so you have to follow the guidelines for your country! Every country is different and I have to spend too much time figuring out taxes for my own country so I’m sorry but I don’t have the energy to figure out the guidelines for yours as well! How to increase a student’s confidence?I love getting this question because one of my favorite things is seeing my students’ confidence grow over time! I like to let my students speak. Unless it is some tiny correction that won’t interrupt their flow, I save all of my notes until there is a natural break in the conversation so that they have the opportunity to express themselves. Corrections are a tool of empowerment and I try to be sensitive to each individual person’s needs. Some students need more positive feedback than others! I’d like to think that corrections+positive feedback+time= confidence. How do I retain students?This is an interesting one! Students will stay if they want to and students will leave if they want to. I like to let each student know what we will be working on next time at the end of each lesson that way they have something to look forward to! I also like setting both short term and long term goals with my students. Obviously, you can’t control if someone continues with you or not but letting them know what to expect in the future can at least help them inform their decision! I do have some students who keep in touch with me even when they aren’t taking lessons at that moment and in that case, I like to let them know if they decide to take another lesson they will get a discount on their first one back (but it’s always no-pressure) What equipment do I need to teach?I use the built-in webcam on my computer and my AirPods so I do not have the fanciest setup. As long as the audio and video quality is clear and your internet is reliable you should be okay. Audio is the most important thing though so if you want to upgrade anything- get a headset that has a microphone attached! How much money can I make on italki?italki is definitely not a get rich quick scheme and the amount you make completely depends on your experience, and how many hours you are willing to put in! I broke down everything related to money on italki in this video here but I can’t give you an exact number- sorry! I hope that I was able to answer some of your questions! Feel free to leave a comment below if you have a question that I didn’t answer. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC63FElQgYSWrmORuXYsY44A">Melissa Fallin has a YouTube channel</a> about language learning, working online, self-improvement and creativity.

italki Student and Teacher FAQ

The right teacher can help you reach your language learning goals.  italki has over 10,000+ Teachers teaching more than 130+ languages.