italki Help | Help / FAQ2

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Online Language Teaching on italki

Do I need special software or hardware to teach or learn foreign languages online on italki?

You will need the basics including broadband Internet connection (cable, DSL, etc.), a sound card, and speakers and a microphone (we recommend a headset).

We recommend you download . Skype is a voice-over-IP software that allows you to talk and chat with people over the internet. Skype is completely free for Skype-to-Skype calls and allows for text, voice, and if you have a webcam, video chat.

FAQ for Teachers

How do I sign up to be a teacher?

When you join italki, please indicate that you'd like to earn money teaching foreign languages. Then confirm your email address. If you're already a member of italki and want to become a teacher, click "Language Teachers," then you will see a button which says "Apply to be a Teacher." Follow the on-screen instructions. You will need to decide which statement more accurately describes your experience teaching:

Professional Teacher
Language Tutor

Professional Teachers are typically people who've attend a teachers training institute and are currently in the classroom teaching foreign languages. Language Tutors are people who have extensive experience in a language but who aren't certified to teach and usually don't have much experience teaching languages in a classroom.

How do students schedule lessons with me?

Interested students will request a tutoring session. You'll be informed of the request when you log in to italki (we'll also notify you via e-mail). You can view the session and then confirm the details, modify them, including price, time, etc, or reject the session. All times are adjusted for your local time zone based on the information you gave us upon sign-up.

How do I change the price, time, or other information on the session request page?

As the teacher, you can change the price, time, or other details on the session request page before you confirm the session. The student will need to accept your changes before the session is ready. If you've already confirmed the details, you cannot make any more changes. You will need to teach the session as agreed, or contact the student directly for other changes.

How do I conduct the session with the student?

At the agreed upon time, you should contact the student via the method provided, usually Skype, although you can also use italki's chat function.

I've already agreed to teach the lesson, but now I need to cancel. How do I cancel?

As of now, there is no way to cancel a session. If you realize you can't meet with the student at the scheduled time, we suggest you contact the student ahead of time to reschedule your session. If you and the student are unable to reschedule or otherwise unable to conduct the session, please wait till after the session time has passed and then indicate on italki that the session did not occur. Please read further in the FAQ for an explanation of what happens after the session time. If you believe a Session Cancel function is necessary, please email feedback at italki com and let us know what features you'd like to see.

The session time has passed, now what?

You will need to wait for the student to confirm that you taught the session. This is so that italki can ensure both parties upheld their part of the contract. This also tells italki to transfer the ITC from the holding account into your MyFinance account.

If the student indicates you did not attend the session, then you will be asked for an explanation. If both you and the student indicate the session did NOT occur, then the ITC will be returned to the student's account. We encourage you to avoid this situation by rescheduling with your student.

If the student says you did not attend, while you indicate that you did attend, both parties will enter into a dispute. italki encourages the student and teacher to resolve this themselves. If they cannot, italki will arbitrate on the dispute and italki's decision is final. A dispute will be shown on your profile and cannot be removed. We strongly encourage you to avoid this situation.

If the student is a no-show for the session, we encourage you to deal directly with the student to reschedule. As of now, italki does not have no-show policy. If you have suggestions for one, please email feedback at italki dot com.

When will I get paid?

After the lesson is finished, wait for the student to confirm you taught the session. Once the student has confirmed, italki will transfer the ITC to your MyFinance account. Make sure your MyFinance account is set up ahead of time. Go to the MyFinance FAQ for further details on retrieving the money from your account.

How much does it cost to tutor on italki?

italki is free for teachers to sign up and create a profile. Italki charges an 15% commission per lesson taught. This fee is charged for use of italki's platform and services. You are only charged when you tutor a session, so you will only be charged when you're making money teaching on italki.

Do I need to be a certified teacher to offer my services on italki?

No, as long as you can provide value, you can become a teacher. The better a teacher you are, the more likely you will be to attract new students and the higher price you'll be able to charge for your services. We strongly encourage you to update your profile with any information that will make a student more likely to select you, including your education, credentials, certifications, etc.

How do students find me on italki?

Attracting students to italki is a team effort. On our end we'll be doing a number of things to spread the word and market the site. On your end we encourage you to market your services as well.

How does italki calculate the rating score?

Ratings are calculated based upon 3 factors: the professionalism, knowledge, and helpfulness of the teacher as scored by the student. To reward teachers who have taught more sessions and received consistently high scores, we use a Bayesian Average in our calculations. In addition, we show an overall score, and the score for the past month and past 3 months to let the italki community see the rating trend.

What is MyFinance and how do I set up this account?

MyFinance is the extra secure part of italki in which you as the teacher receive payments from students for tutoring sessions. You can cash out your account through paypal or bank transfer.

To set up your MyFinance account, you will need to provide italki with additional information so italki can verify your identity, including full name, mailing address, and phone number. This information will be kept secure and not displayed on italki. This is necessary to securely pay your for tutoring sessions. You will also need to create a PIN number to add an additional layer of security to this account.

FAQ for Students

How do I sign up to be a student?

italki is free, and registration only takes a minute, join italki now

How do I schedule a session with a teacher?

1. Click "Language Teachers" and browse teachers and tutors teaching the language you want to learn.
2. Look for a teacher that suits you, including your level, time availability, rate per hour, and review the teacher's ratings.
3. Once you have found an appropriate teacher, click "Request Tutoring." If you have not already done so, this will prompt you to add money to your italki MyFinance account. Follow the on screen instructions or read further in the FAQ for help.
4. Select whether you want to "Request one-on-one tutoring" or "Book Lesson." The "Book Lesson" option is only available if your chosen teacher also teaches language courses. Fill in the rest of the information and click "Submit Request."
5. You must now wait for the teacher to confirm. After the teacher has confirmed, the session is ready to begin. At the scheduled lesson time, please be available to connect with your teacher using whichever online communication tool you agreed upon, normally Skype.

How do I know if a teacher is any good?

italki helps you to determine whether a teacher is good or not through Rating scores. You can also view the teacher's self-introduction and resume, credentials and background, and other activity on italki, as well as read feedback from other italki members.

How much does a session cost?

Teachers set their own rates for tutoring sessions. You'll see the teacher's rate listed on his or her profile page. Rates are listed in ITC per hour. 10 ITC = US $1

What if I need to reschedule a lesson?

If you need to reschedule a lesson we encourage you to do as far in advance as possible. You will need to contact the teacher directly, either through italki Mail or through another method and discuss alternate times with the teacher.

What if I need to cancel a lesson?

As of now, there is no way to cancel a session. If you realize you can't meet with the student at the scheduled time, we suggest you contact the teacher ahead of time to reschedule your session. If you and the teacher are unable to reschedule or otherwise unable to conduct the session, please wait till after the session time has passed and then indicate on italki that the session did not occur. Please read further in the FAQ for an explanation of what happens after the session time. If you believe a Session Cancel function would be a good addition , please email beta@italki.com and let us know what features you'd like to see.

The session time has passed, now what?

You will now need to confirm that the teacher taught the lesson. This is so that italki can ensure both parties upheld their part of the contract. This also tells italki to transfer the ITC from the holding account into the teachers account.

If you indicate the session did not occur, you will need to provide an explanation.

If both you and the teacher indicate the session did NOT occur, then the ITC will be returned to your account. We encourage you to avoid this situation by rescheduling with your teacher.

If you indicate that the teacher did not attend, while the teacher says s/he did attend, both parties will enter into a dispute. italki encourages the student and teacher to resolve this themselves. If they cannot, italki will arbitrate on the dispute and italki's decision is final. A dispute will be shown on your profile and cannot be removed. We strongly encourage you to avoid this situation.

If the teacher is a no-show for the session, we encourage you to deal directly with the teacher to reschedule. As of now, italki does not have no-show policy. If you have suggestions for one, please email feedback at italki dot com.

What is MyFinance and how do I set up this account?

MyFinance is the extra secure part of italki in which you as the student add money to your account. Adding money to your MyFinance account, via paypal or credit card, means you are buying italki Credits, known throughout the site as ITC. 10 ITC = US $1. ITC can be redeemed for tutoring sessions with any teacher on italki.

To set up your MyFinance account, you will need to provide italki with additional information so italki can verify your identity, including full name, mailing address, and phone number. This information will be kept secure and not displayed on italki. You will also need to create another password to add an additional layer of security to this account.

FAQ for Trial Sessions (Teacher's perspective)

Offering a Trial Session

As a teacher, you can offer trial sessions for one-on-one tutoring, and if you've created courses, for each course as well. We've set up this distinction so teachers can decide whether to let the student preview the course or just get a better sense of whether the teaching style is a good fit for them. A trial session is only 30 minutes.

One-on-one Tutoring

To offer a trial session for one-on-one tutoring, go to your Home page, then click [Edit] next to Profile. Select the Teaching tab. Below you will see the screen shot of what you should be looking at now. Select "Yes" if you're willing to conduct 30-minute trial session with students interested in learning the language you teach. Selecting "Yes" will help you to attract more students. It also gives you the opportunity to assess a student's language ability.

Course-based Teaching

To set up your courses to offer trial session, go to your home page. Click "My Courses," select "Edit" under the course you want to offer trial session for. On the Edit Course page, select Yes, as appears in the screen shot below. If you have more than one course, each course must be modified individually.

Limitations on trial sessions

Trial sessions make it easier for the student to give the system a try but also to protect the teacher from people who may try to abuse the program.

Students must have italki Credits (ITC) in their account to request a trial session.
Each student may only participate in a maximum of three trial sessions.
Students may only have 1 trial session per teacher.
When the trial session is completed, the student can leave feedback about the teacher. This feedback will appear on the teachers profile page but will not contribute to the overall score.

Disputes

What is the dispute resolution process?

In the rare event of a dispute, students or teachers request mediation assistance from italki. The first step in this process is self-mediation where both parties try to come to a resolution independently. If this does not work, italki can be asked to assist; however once italki is brought in to mediate, both parties ratings score will automatically be lowered. italki's decision on the dispute is final.

Teacher Ratings

Click here for a more detailed explanation of Teacher Ratings.

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