Learn What Is Italki About If You A Need Legit Side-Income 

What Is Italki About?

We commonly find websites like VIPKid, Magic Ears, iTutorgroup, SayABC, and Qkids as a helpful resource for learning and teaching English as a language.

In Italki, meanwhile, you could learn and teach other languages aside from English. Thus, if you like to know how to teach on Italki, this post will fill you in on the very important details. 

On the landing page of Italki, visitors considering learning a new language will find solace as they read that they can be fluent in any language through the help of Italki’s 10,000 and more teachers.

These thousands of teachers will help students learn languages such as English, Mandarin, Chinese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Hindi, Italian, and Russian.

In one of the many reviews out there, you will read an interesting and factual description about Italki. The reviewer wrote that Italki is not exactly a provider of a lesson or course.

Instead, it is a facilitator with a vast database of language teachers from which a student could choose one that will guide him based on his goals and preferences.

Students can choose from two types of teachers (you):

1.  A Professional Teacher is someone who

• is a native or a near-native speaker
• holds a professional certificate
• can submit scanned documents as proof of his substantial foreign/second language teaching experience.

2.  A Community Tutor is a native or near native speaker and enjoys informal teaching.

For both positions, you need to be at least 18 years old and should submit a 1-3 minutes introduction video. Whether you are a professional teacher or a community tutor, you can set your price for the lessons you offer.

Requirements

To teach at Italki, you need

1.  Native or Advanced (C2) proficiency level in the language you want to teach. The company uses the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages in determining language proficiency.

You can show your proficiency in your introduction video wherein you will speak at least a short introductory paragraph instead of a few words. This way, you can make your profile more credible.

For other ways to show your language proficiency, you may 

• upload your language proficiency certification
• write your introduction with the perfect grammar of your target language or 
• take the Oxford Online Placement Test (OOPT) if you will teach English and display the results on your profile.

2.  Reliable internet connection speed of at least 2Mbps.

3.  VOIP software like Skype, QQ, Facetime or Hangouts

4.  External webcam or microphone

You need to create your Italki profile and complete your teaching application.

Italki Difference

This is not a platform you can join where all you will do is view the pre-made lessons in advance and deliver them according to the set guidelines.

The Italki platform is one where you can join to advertise the language learning lessons you created.

As a professional teacher, you must create 6 lessons for every language you will teach while a community tutor must prepare 3 lessons.

Italki Teacher Profile

A student who wants to learn a language through Italki needs to search for the most suitable teacher. There are search filters that he can use, such as

• the type of teacher (professional teacher or community tutor)
• location
• price
• language and
• skills.

Fill all these details into your profile to increase the possibility that the student will book a lesson with you.

Make your profile professional by uploading a professional-looking profile picture, and an introduction video. Make sure there are no grammar and spelling errors.

Create a great self-introduction. Not all people want to watch a video and some of them might prefer to just read your written introduction. 

Just make it short and only tell about what lessons you will offer and what students you will teach. Succinctly tell about your experience as a teacher such as how many years you have been teaching.

Teacher Marketing

It is up to you to market your profile so you have to make the most out of the marketing resources you may use.

One is a personal URL. Italki teachers have the benefit of Premium membership and having a personal URL.

Thus, you can copy and paste this URL onto other platforms and social media networks. This way, people can go directly to your Italki profile.

Once you already have students to teach, make sure that you will not only teach them effectively.

You also need to build a good relationship with them so be respectful, helpful and friendly to them so they will appreciate your effort.

This will pave the way for you to ask them to refer you to other people who are looking for a great language teacher.

Speaking of referrals, you can also ask your friends and relatives to refer you to other people they know who might need someone to teach them the language/s you offer.

How To Join

Go to https://teach.italki.com/application. 

Italki suggests that you first read information about the job before you apply.

This is a positive thing about Italki because it allows you to make an informed decision before you apply and finally submit your qualifications and credentials. 

Once you decide that Italki is worth applying at, you may click on the "Start Your Application " button.

This will open a pop-up window that shows different ways to sign up:

• by entering your email and password
• via Facebook
• Google
• Apple or 
• Wechat.

For the application, you need to provide your teacher display name (apart from your first name and last name).

Upload an appropriate picture that will show your face and not the background. This is also the part where you will provide the video introduction and your documentation (for Professional Teachers).

After you submit your application, wait for the Italki team to review it.

Wait for up to 10 business days for a notification email on whether the team rejected or pre-approved your application.

You must watch 12 success video stories of teachers, answer a quiz and fill up a survey form.

Then, you must book for a video call with the Italki teacher services.

Keep in mind that you have 10 days from when you received the pre-approved email notification to watch the videos, answer a quiz, fill up a form and book the video call.

Failure to do so will only lead to an unfortunate rejection of your application.

If they accept or approve your application, you could then add your calendar of availability, your lessons with prices and even your lesson packages and trial lesson.

You may change or edit your profile info, video and photo, but you first need the approval of the Italki team.

Possible Reasons Behind Rejected Applications

If you want to reduce your chances of rejection, you must avoid the probable reasons the Italki team rejects some applicants. These are:

a)  incomplete application

b)  inappropriate profile picture

c)  no introduction video, not working/viewable video, poor sound and video quality

d) errors in the written introduction

e)  your profile contains advertisements and promotions of services

f)   your profile includes your contact information (you may only communicate with the students via Italki messages)

g)  not meeting the minimum age requirement

Another factor that can affect rejection of application is the demand for the language you want to teach.

When the demand is low, the company would likely not hire teachers or tutors. Rejected applicants may re-apply after a few months.

Potential Income

There is no fee to settle to become an Italki teacher. The fees will come in later when you are already teaching.

Here, you can set the price of your lessons. The price depends on several factors like the local market of the teacher, and the time and effort to prepare the lessons.

Lesson Pricing

Start with lower prices for lessons. Conversational lessons may start at $4 per hour, while professional lessons may start at $8-12.

You can raise the price after you have taught a considerable number of students. Offer an even lower price for 30 minutes, trial lessons such as at $1.

Offer a discount for package lessons that students can take every week. Consider putting more available hours on your calendar.

Italki Commission

While you will pay nothing to create a profile, apply as a teacher, set your courses and your availability calendar, you understand that it also needs to earn money to continue its operation as a business.

It will deduct 15% commission from your earnings.

Remember that the company uses on-site credits. A student must avail these credits and when he books for a lesson.

Italki will deduct the price of the lesson from the student’s credits. Meanwhile, you will receive  the amount of credits equivalent to your lesson price minus the 15% fee.

Payment Withdrawal

Italki sends payments via Payoneer, Paypal and Bank transfer. Therefore, another requirement to become a teacher here is to live in a country where you can use any of these payment methods.

If you want to withdraw your money, submit the withdrawal request first by the 15th or last day of the month...

so you will get your payment on the 26th or

10th day of the following month, respectively.

Work Schedule

You may set your own schedule for teaching. However, include in the number of your work hours, the time you will spend on preparing and creating your lessons.

You should also spend time on marketing your lessons. To spread the news to more people, invest time and effort on various marketing methods like social media marketing and email marketing.

After you have prepared your lessons, you will only need to mind your booked lessons. You will only teach when you have bookings.

Thus, when you have few booked classes or lessons, but still want to add funds to your wallet, you could look for other online jobs to do.

Benefits

You may earn extra $10 when you refer a friend.

There is a Partnership Program wherein you could earn incentives through paid sponsorships and free lessons if you will introduce Italki to your viewers on YouTube, on podcast and other channels.

Italki also has an affiliate program that lets you earn $15 for each referral.

Italki Review

Conclusion

PROS