Italki

italki
Type of site
 Private
Available in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Indonesian, Swedish, Polish, Hindi, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese
Founded 2007
Headquarters Shanghai, China
Industry Language Learning
Slogan(s) Become fluent in any language
Website www.italki.com
Alexa rank Positive decrease 10,151 (April 2015)[1]
Current status active

italki /ˈaɪtɔːki/ is an educational technology website that helps foreign language learners connect with online teachers and native-speaking language partners. italki users are able to search for a freelance teacher, schedule and pay for language lessons. italki teachers are able to create a profile, and build a personal reputation.

Concept

italki is an online marketplace and a social network focused on language learning. Users are classified as "students" or "teachers". Membership on italki requires an email address, but payment is required to schedule lessons with online teachers. Teachers go through an application process that includes verification of their identity and teaching credentials.

Teacher Marketplace

Paying users on italki are able to take lessons from freelance online teachers. Teachers on italki are designated as "professional teachers" or "community tutors", the former having professional teaching experience or certifications. Both types of teachers are able to create a teacher profile, and set their own rates for payment.[2]

When teachers conclude lessons, they receive feedback and ratings from italki students.[3]
Most lessons take place on Skype. italki charges a 15% service fee for successful lesson transactions.

Social Language Learning

italki users are able to make friends for language exchange, ask questions about language learning, write essays and receive corrections, and enter into language discussions. These features depend on responses from other members of the italki community.

History

italki was founded by Kevin Chen and Yongyue Jiang in 2007, and officially registered in Hong Kong, with a development center in Shanghai, China.[4]

In August 2012, italki completed a round of financing for an undisclosed amount from angel investors.[5]

In February 2016, italki relaunched its website with a new logo and design. In the same month, italki also launched its Android native application.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "italki.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
  2. ↑ "italki.com brings language teaching to market," Ryan McLaughlin, CNet Asia, http://asia.cnet.com/blogs/thetechdynasty/post.htm?id=63009740, March 24, 2009
  3. ↑ "italki launches marketplace for language tutors," Camille Ricketts, VentureBeat, http://venturebeat.com/2009/03/25/italki-launches-marketplace-for-language-tutors/, March 25th, 2009
  4. ↑ italki | CrunchBase Profile
  5. ↑ "Six Years In, Language Learning Site Italki Finds Its Angels" Hamish McKenzie, Pando Daily, http://pando.com/2012/08/09/six-years-in-language-learning-site-italki-finds-its-angels/ 9 August 2012
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