Learn Italian online: benefits
Online language lessons provide benefits that make them stand out compared to face-to-face lessons.
First of all, online lessons are location-independent: you can learn wherever you want.
If you want to learn Italian, but you don’t live in Italy, it may be difficult to find a native speaker who teaches the language.
Online courses make it easier to find a native Italian speaker who is also a qualified tutor.
Additionally, you can have a broader choice than face-to-face lessons. You can select the rates that suit you and choose the tutors according to their reviews.
Online language tutors usually have a complete profile with their top skills and reviews from previous students.
With face-to-face lessons, it is harder to find objective reviews of a teacher.
Online tutoring is student-focused: only you and your tutor (1:1 lessons). You can clarify your doubts, ask questions, and receive immediate feedback about your mistakes and progress.
Last but not least: online lessons are flexible, and you can choose the time and the day to ensure learning doesn’t interfere with your work schedule or other commitments.
However, there’s a flip side: when you need to plan an online lesson (or if you have a group lesson with participants from different time zones), it’s easy to get confused about the hour.
A timezone converter may help pick the most suitable time for everyone.
Why do you need online lessons?
Before you look for Italian tutors online, be sure of your proficiency level.
Are you a beginner? Or do you already know some basic Italian?
You can check your language level online: many tools are available, most of which work with AI.
A good test should provide reliable, immediate, and accurate results. It takes you a couple of minutes, and you will get your proficiency level.
Take a free Italian proficiency test to check your grammar and vocabulary.
Knowing your proficiency level makes you aware of why you need online lessons.
You might want to improve in areas where you’re less skilled or boost those in which you’re already good.
So, before looking for an Italian teacher, be sure of your goal before surfing the web.
Do you need to improve your fluency? Do you want to expand your vocabulary? Or do you want to learn grammar?
Find an Italian tutor online
To know where to find an Italian tutor, you must first know what you’re looking for.
The most important aspect is to set your goals before choosing a tutor.
In other words, be aware of which part of language learning you want to improve.
All tutors specialized in different aspects of language learning. Some put the focus on grammar and vocabulary, others on active speaking, etc.
There are additional aspects to consider after you’ve decided what you want to learn:
- Consider the price. How much are you willing to pay? Most often, higher rates mean more qualified tutors.
- Find the lesson type. Do you want to learn through Skype, Zoom, or other platforms? It is essential to find a platform that suits you to make the learning process comfortable and easy.
- Schedule the lessons. When you choose a tutor, consider if their availability fits your schedule.
- Look for native speakers. Though it isn’t always true, in general, native speakers can provide more insights about life in Italy, cultural facts, idioms, and so on. However, being native doesn’t mean knowing how to teach: find a teacher who is also qualified and professional.
- Do a trial lesson if it’s possible. Many teachers offer a free trial lesson, which helps you understand if their teaching method suits you.
The best websites to find Italian tutors online
The Internet offers several resources and opportunities to learn Italian: how not to get scammed?
In general, it is better to look for Italian tutors on language learning websites.
Many websites offer online Italian lessons. They mainly work in two ways:
- A qualified and skilled teacher offers a language course;
- There’s a database of language teachers where you can choose the one you prefer.
Let’s see two of the most popular online platforms to learn Italian.
Italki
Italki is the largest language learning community that connects students and teachers for online language lessons.
Italki itself doesn’t offer educational services; instead, it acts as a database of teachers where you can choose the one that suits you.
Italki is pretty easy to use because the design is clear, the scheduling system is intuitive, and the search panel is efficient to search the tutors according to various features:
- Native speakers or non-native
- Hourly price
- Languages spoken
- Country of origin
- Weekly availability
Lessons take place on Skype, Zoom, or Google Hangouts.
You can sign up for free, while the price of the lessons depends on the teacher’s rating. For the Italian language, you can expect to pay 10-25US$ for a 1-hour lesson.
Payment is safe because Italki acts as a proxy: the payment goes through Italki, and you don’t share payment information with your tutor.
The only personal information you’ll share is your Skype username.
Do you want to learn more about Italki? Have a look at this comprehensive review.
You can also sign up as an Italian teacher in Italki. Here’s how you can teach in Italki.
LanguaTalk
This platform for online learning was founded in 2021; it is very new, but it has already become one of the best options for teaching languages online.
The first evident feature of LanguaTalk is that it is pickier than other platforms.
LanguaTalk accepts only 10% of applications from potential teachers and only from native speakers, and people with experience teaching a language.
This means that the level of professionalism and experience is a little higher on average.
Regarding the other features, LanguaTalk is similar to Italki but provides more personal support.
Payments are safe because they’re processed by a third party (Strife).
Also, LanguaTalk offers refunds, while Italki does not at all. LanguaTalk has a 24-hour cancellation policy and a 16% commission.
Learn more about LanguaTalk in this exhaustive review.
Take a step further with 1:1 coaching
There is another option to get 1:1 language support online, and it is language coaching.
A coach is, in general, an experienced language teacher or a polyglot who shares his secrets about how to learn languages.
A coach talks about his methods to learn a new language and gives tips and secrets to optimize the study.
How does coaching works? In most cases, the student takes a survey to assess his proficiency.
He can also ask questions and get personalized advice. Then, the coach drafts a study plan for the student.
Coaching is perfect for people who don’t know how to study a language or frustrated students who feel they’re wasting time and money on language courses.
One of the main advantages of coaching is the student’s active involvement.
This means that it is not the teacher who chooses a method or the study plan; instead, the student does it through his questions to the coach.
Do you want to get constant and personalized support? Get your Italian coach and live online Italian classes.
Find an Italian tutor online: a wrap-up
Finding a good online tutor (whether a teacher or a coach) brings several benefits compared to group or face-to-face lessons.
With online tutoring, you will:
- Learn how to study
- Choose the best teacher for you according to your needs
- Practice speaking
- Get personalized lessons
- Get immediate feedback
- Study from home
- Choose the time that works best for you
- Be aware of your progress
If you want to learn Italian with a private tutor, this post about Italian language classes prices is what you need.
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One Response
Thanks for sharing this helpful list of websites! I’ve been wanting to brush up on my Italian and this will definitely come in handy. Grazie mille!