italki

What is italki?

italki is a very well-known Internet-based language tutoring platform, with complementary iOS and Android apps. It allows its users to connect with language teachers from around the world for 1-to-1 lessons across a massive range of different languages and dialects. 

italki, however, is not like your traditional tutoring app, instead it operates more like a social networking platform allowing you to  engage with other users and tutors. Through italki, you essentially book language classes directly from a  tutor who you feel will best further your language needs and goals. There is literally a global pool of thousands of independent teachers from whom to choose – each with unique qualifications and  experiences, who set their own schedules and prices. 

italki itself doesn’t offer any classes; it simply brings the teachers to you. There are also a lot of free, more independent features included on the app, to further enhance your language-learning journey. You can take a ‘Language Assessment (aimed to estimate your proficiency level), study prescribed flashcard study sets, watch podcast, post and reply on discussion forums about trending  topics, and read ‘Articles to inspire you’. 

It really is a comprehensive language-learning platform because there are tutors for every budget and  ability level. Consistency is always key in improving and maintaining your language skills and italki effectively bring this into your living room with the mere click of a few buttons. Practicing with a proficient speaker is the best way to learn a language, and italki is a wonderful place to find them. 

The italki app is very well presented with quality graphics and the variety of features will help you to engage and explore, effectively stimulating you on language-learning journey and keeping you motivate  to engage again and again. The app is a safe, secure, and supportive platform, which is free to  download. The only costs involved are when you book your lesson(s). The app doesn’t specifically outline the age group of its targeted audience; however, I would argue that italki is aimed at teenagers and older. Ultimately, your age won’t be key is deciding if this app is for you – if you are motivated to learn a new language or to reconnect with one that you already know, then you will be hard pressed to find a more suitable and effective platform than italki.

What we love about italki 

Firstly, italki is an extremely well-presented app that is clear and effective in what it sets out to do. The app itself is divided into easy-to-navigate sections. 

Overall, italki is an online platform for language learners across the world, bringing the element of real human-taught lessons and interactions to help you practice any one of the over 130 language pairings. This fact alone makes it one of the most popular and comprehensive online language learning services on offer. It allows the user to connect with quality and experienced teachers in real  time, at a time and place that is most convenient for them. With italki, you practice conversational  skills in real-life, authentic situations – interacting with native speakers, potentially from the comfort  of your own home. Unlike with most other apps, you have lots of speaking opportunities. By connecting to tutors one-on-one, you are constantly speaking the language and progressing in it. There is no set or designated curriculum, as such, on italki, which means that each lesson or lesson  series can be tailored to suit individual needs and goals. Learners can decide when and what they want to focus on learning. For example, if a learner wants to be able to order food at a restaurant, they can ask their instructor to study food vocabulary and basic server-diner phrases. Or, if a learner is more advanced, they can focus on an aspect of grammar or vocabulary with which they are having trouble. Thanks to this you have freedom to direct each lesson to go were you want; however, it  should be noted that the success of these outcomes will be determined by your individual  engagement and whether the tutor is a ‘good fit’ for you. 

I was astounded at the volume of teachers available of this platform and was further impressed to  note that most are vetted professionals who are committed to helping students achieve their  personal goals. italki states that it screens its teachers for quality and professional experience  before they can offer their services through the platform. From this, teachers are then grouped into  two types: professional teachers and community tutors. Professional teachers on italki possess a degree and teaching certifications. Whereas, Community tutors do not need a degree, but must be  native or near-native language speakers. It may seem, then, that finding the ideal teacher for you  would equate to the proverbial needle in the haystack, but in italki you can narrow your search parameters to better reflect your needs. After that, you can gauge your ‘fit’ by screening tutors’ profiles to view their introductory video, pricing details, lessons, and real student reviews. Ultimately, you should not focus on these too much, as language learning is quite a  personal pursuit – I would advise that you explore the ‘trail’ option with individual tutors for a  fraction of the usual price until you find someone who works for you. This feature is an excellent  way to see what approaches and teaching styles work for you, without breaking the budget and  tying into a long-term commitment. 

As I have mentioned, the most effective way to promote effective language learning and to  guarantee progression comes with regular interaction, ideally on a one-to-one basis – and italki offers this in abundance. On top of that, compared with more traditional forms of tuition, italki is more affordable. Whereas in-person, you would expect to pay a high premium for such engagement and expertise, italki offers such a huge range of tutors that you have your pick of  facilitator and as such can choose those who best reflect your budget. 

Another nice customisable feature links in with italki lesson lengths. As it is often not easy to find time in our hectic schedules, individual lessons can be set to 30, 45, 60, or 90 minutes in length. You can choose what duration you prefer when you book a lesson or search for teachers who have the required slot available. 

Conveniently, there is no obligation to stick with one tutor – you may wish to book single lessons or  schedule a repeat block-booking at your tutor’s discretion. However, from experience continuous, scheduled lessons allow for greater accountability and continuity and, as such, you will see greater  rewards for your efforts. Unfortunately for some of us, if we allow ourselves to sporadically  schedule occasional lessons then the motivation tends to wane and with it our engagement. Yet, if  you are not someone who has the luxury to schedule lessons sufficiently far in advance, there is a  novel feature to ‘start a lesson now’. With a click you will be taken to a lesson within five minutes (these types of lesson are usually restricted to 30 minutes). You will pay a slightly higher rate and  have less of a range of tutors at your disposal, but I find the ability to schedule a one-to-one lesson  with a language professional an unbelievable asset. I do not have enough superlatives to express  how convenient and significant this is. 

It goes without saying that this really is a superb platform, but beyond the primary usage, italki has a supportive online community, showcased by their discussion forum, quizzes, podcasts, and interesting reading materials – all geared at maintaining your interest and bringing variety to how you engage with the app. I was most taken by the discussion forum, where you can engage with other users about almost anything, and even share and practise your writing with likeminded  individuals, who are always keen to help with corrections and comments. I, equally, like the ‘Learning goal’ feature, where you can hold yourself accountable and pre-define your targets and intentions – which can be shared with your tutor(s). For beginner language learners, many of the free features will be a bit beyond you – at least until you have built up your competence and  confidence. 

There is also a flashcard-style vocabulary section, where you can toggle between your mother and  target languages, giving you that more refined focus in between your live tutoring sessions. You self navigate through these, with the option to review cards with which you are still not fully confident. The premise here is that you repeat the review and study process until a good level of  recollection and understanding has been achieved. 

In summary, it is an extremely well-presented app, but it is the premise of bringing the user into a  digital language-learning social community that makes this such a worthwhile download – especially, considering the restrictions of the current global pandemic. To have such a comprehensive wealth  of resources and – more importantly – people just a few clicks away is something that few other  apps will be able to rival. 

Is italki easy to use? 

Yes, italki is neatly designed and is it easy to navigate between the various features and content,  especially after a little time spent fully exploring the platform. In my opinion, the interface is very  user friendly, and you will easily find teachers, book lessons, and navigate the website – if needs be. 

How much does the app cost? 

italki is available for free on both the iOS App and Play Stores. There are a good range of free features, with the only costs incurred when you schedule lessons with one of the many, many tutors available to  you. 

You have the option to trial tutors for a reduced fee, before agreeing to a longer and more comprehensive lesson / lessons. If cost is an issue, you can choose a tutor that fits your budget and commit to lessons as often as you wish. 

Is italki safe to use? 

Yes, italki is safe to use, with it being ad-free and all content being related to the app itself. The app is straightforward to use and is well designed. Scrolling and navigation are mostly intuitive, there  are no unnecessary buttons or add-ons, and the interface will ensure that you can find intended content with relative ease. All teachers have been initially checked and vetted by italki, and those  not providing an acceptable user, learning experience appear to be removed. 

Although, it is fair to assume that – due to the style of platform - you may come across some unscrupulous users. From what I understand, italki allows for such people to be reported and  subsequently blocked. 

What, italki, can improve on 

My biggest frustration was that the free features have some limitations. Most notably, the ‘Vocabulary’ section has no ‘search’ feature, meaning that you are limited to scrolling through  available vocabulary sets. Personally, I would also like an option to create your own vocabulary sets – to further personalise the learning experience. Currently, you are limited to whatever is currently  available and should you wish to refine your lexicon on your chosen topic you may need to look outside of italki. Finally, in this area, if the vocabulary sets had audio added to them, I know that I would have found this a hugely useful feature – especially for those languages where the script will  not necessarily coincide with phonics. 

On occasions, I found a minor grammatical or syntax inconsistencies in the Language Assessment section; yet many of these would only be a problem in formal, written speech as they would be acceptable when using informal register. 

Most notably, it goes without saying that quality of teachers will vary significantly on platforms such  as these. You will likely have to spend some time – and of course, money – before you find one who  suits your learning style and personality, and with whom you feel comfortable and confident. In this remit, I feel that I should advise that higher prices do not necessarily reflect quality, as my most expensive trial lesson was not, in fact, my preferred. Consequently, this may be an element of frustration for some users. I would advise that you read the reviews from previous students to help guide your choice of tutor. However, there is no real need to fret the choice too much, as from my  experience I was delighted with each one of my tutors. I am a fluent Spanish speaker and had a  wonderful, informal lesson with a Mexican native where we simply chatted, and she interjected with  the occasional correction or advice. Similarly, I found a great Mandarin tutor – currently in  Germany, so very suited to my time zone – who was able to take me through the basics of  introducing myself, there was even time available to work a little on the script. On an intermediate  level for Portuguese, I had a promising introduction lesson on tense manipulation. Once again, the  sheer comprehensiveness and plethora of choice come to the fore and are what makes italki such a  stand-out platform; arguably, with unlimited promise for keen language learners. Finally, when it came to booking a tutor, it wasn’t immediately clear how the time zones worked. For my first lesson, I was left to hope that the time zone used was, in fact, my  own. Thankfully, it was the case that italki will match the booking calendar to wherever you are in  the world. 

Overall rating of the app 

In conclusion, I would happily give italki a rating of 5-stars, based on the Educational App Store ranking system. The website itself, has been well-established for some time and is fully deserving of its renown and reputation. The app just brings an even greater level of convenience to what is already an excellent and highly effective platform. Primarily serving as a conduit between tutor and  learner, the opportunity for a quality, one-to-one language learning experience has – in my opinion – never been so readily available. In-person classes, especially, one-to-one are notoriously expensive; yet italki offers this authentic interaction at a fraction of the price, on-demand, with the added  convenience that you can do this from the comfort of your own home, at a time that suits you. It  effectively brings a customisable and personal language opportunity to whoever wants it. For me, whether you are a total beginner or seasoned linguist, italki is absolutely worth it. The only real limitations will be the ones that you place on yourself, as any language you want to practice is now - quite literally - at your fingertips.

Alternatives

As learning a language online becomes more and more popular, you’ll find more and more websites like italki. There are already a lot of italki alternatives out there, but very few offer a good experience like italki. The best italki alternatives are Preply, Lingoda, Baselang, Verbling, and Chatterbug. If you’re looking for platforms like italki, add these to the top of your list.

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You can download italki on your iOS or Android devices from the app stores. Download the italki app from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.