Why teach on LanguaTalk?

A Platform Made For Tutors, Not Just Students

The online language teaching market is highly competitive. Unfortunately, some tutoring websites take advantage of this, with commissions over 25%, as well as policies that hurt tutors, such as allowing students to cancel on the day of their lesson.

Part of our mission is to improve the lives of tutors around the world. We protect tutors with a 24 hour cancellation policy. Lessons are 55 minutes to allow for a quick break if you have back to back lessons.

Commission is capped at 16%. Our aim is to reduce this to 15% once we become less dependent on advertising (a big cost for a self-funded startup).

We send your earnings monthly, and do so directly to your bank account as payment fees for tutors are lower compared to using PayPal or Payoneer.

Maximise Your Income

On LanguaTalk, tutors set their price per lesson, which they can increase over time as they gain students and positive reviews. We limit the number of tutors on our platform to:

1) give each new tutor a fair chance at receiving bookings

2) ensure high teaching standards

3) avoid a race-to-the-bottom on prices

Enjoy a flexible lifestyle

• Work from anywhere with a good internet connection.
• Work at times that suit you. Adjust your availability any time using our simple software.

Make a meaningful impact

Teaching 1-on-1, you’ll be able to provide a tailored learning experience that delivers results. Results that could change your students' lives.

"I really like the ease and clarity of LanguaTalk. Everything is straightforward, nothing hidden, and as a teacher I feel heard and protected. I also really like how easy it is to get in touch with their team when I have questions. They are so supportive." Renée, teacher

"Easy to adjust your availability, easy to adjust the price, being able to fix the price for existing students, and payment without intermediary. Hands down, the best platform I've come across. Nice work!" Erik, teacher

Frequently Asked Questions

Below you can see answers to questions commonly asked by tutors.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR APPLYING?

• We generally only accept tutors for teaching their native language. However, if you have a C2 level and a particularly strong application, we may make an exception.
• You'll need some experience teaching a language. We do not require qualifications, but they will certainly increase your chances of being accepted.
• You must be able to speak English, at least at B1 level (lower intermediate).
• You need a reliable internet connection, a microphone, and a webcam. Note that newer computers often have built-in microphones and webcams. Your internet connection must have a download/upload speed of at least 2Mbps. You can test it here.
• You must be 18 or over.
• Due to banking restrictions, we can only accept tutors with a bank account in one of the following countries:

Americas:

• Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, St. Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago, United States, Uruguay

Europe:

• Albania, Austria, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom

Asia Pacific, Middle East & other regions:

• Australia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cambodia, Egypt, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates

WHAT IS THE APPLICATION PROCESS?

1) Submit your application. Among other things, we'll ask you about your experience and availability, as well as how you teach.

2) If we're currently recruiting for your language and like your application, we'll welcome you and help you get set up to start teaching! We may also ask you to submit a profile video before accepting your application (all tutors need one for their profile). If you don't hear back within 7 days, it may be because your application wasn't accepted, or it may be because we're not able to add more tutors for the language you teach until the following month.

HOW ARE LESSONS TAUGHT?

Lessons are taught 1-on-1. You’ll design your own lesson plans, tailoring them to your students’ needs. You’ll teach via video call. We encourage you to offer at least two software options, choosing from Google Meet, Whereby, Skype and Zoom. Zoom is not recommended unless you have a paid plan as without one, calls need to be restarted after 40 mins. Students will have the option to select their preferred video tool (unless you only make one available). We’ll advise you on the pros and cons of each tool.

HOW LONG ARE THE LESSONS?

Most students take 55-minute lessons. This duration is appreciated by tutors as it allows them to take a 5 minute break when they have back-to-back lessons. You’ll also have the option of offering 30-minute lessons. Trial sessions last 30 minutes.

WHAT IS THE RESCHEDULING & CANCELLATION POLICY?

Students can reschedule or cancel lessons up to 24 hours before the start time. We have this policy to protect tutors from being messed around. Tutors do sometimes allow their students to cancel/reschedule less than 24 hours before, for example if a student has not requested a last minute change before or has a reasonable excuse.

HOW WILL I GAIN STUDENTS?

Students who like your profile may book a 30-minute trial session with you. This gives them an opportunity to get to know you and how you teach. After the trial, they'll have the option of purchasing between 1 and 20 lesson credits. When a student joins LanguaTalk, they'll be able to take one trial session for free. If a student has already taken a trial session with another tutor, then to take one with you they'll have to pay 30% of your 55-minute lesson rate. We strongly recommend you offer free trial sessions for students who are new to LanguaTalk, however you can opt to charge 30% of your standard lesson price if you select this option on your profile.

HOW MUCH CAN I EXPECT TO EARN TEACHING ON LANGUATALK?

Your earnings will depend on many factors, such as how well you attract and retain students, as well as your availability. You set your price per lesson, so if you're an talented tutor in high demand, you could earn a high hourly rate. When you start, we may advise you on what rate you should consider setting in order to gain students, given the strength of your profile and the language you teach.

WHAT COMMISSION RATE IS CHARGED AND WHAT DOES IT GO TOWARDS?

One reason we started LanguaTalk is to help tutors earn a living and not have to rely on websites that charge extremely high commission rates. Our commission is capped at 16% of the price of each lesson. Our aim is to be able to reduce this to 15% once we become less dependent on advertising. Advertising online is costly, for example when someone clicks on our website from Google, we pay up to $4 per click. The commission also goes towards running and improving our technology, marketing, and providing support to students and tutors.

HOW & WHEN WILL I RECEIVE PAYMENTS?

Payment will be sent automatically to your bank account once per month. The payment will usually be sent on the 5th of each month and will cover lessons given during the previous month.

WHAT TAXES WILL I NEED TO PAY?

As with other online platforms, tutors on LanguaTalk are independent freelancers. Given tutors on our site are all over the world, we cannot advise on their responsibilities regarding taxes and accounting. You should be aware that as a freelancer your country will usually expect you to report your income and pay taxes associated with self-employment.

ARE YOU ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE LANGUAGE I TEACH?

We always welcome applications, and we're gradually adding more languages to the platform. Occasionally, if we're at capacity for a language and don't have enough demand for more tutors, we may pause recruiting for a month or so, but we'll check your application as soon as we're recruiting again. And you can see specific pages for each language you can apply for here:

Spanish | French | German | Italian | English | Swedish | Dutch | Japanese | Romanian | Portuguese | Danish | Russian | Mandarin / Chinese | Arabic | Greek | Russian | Korean | Thai

WHAT EXPECTATIONS ARE PLACED UPON TUTORS AND HOW CAN I MAXIMISE MY STUDENT NUMBERS?

After each lesson, students are encouraged to leave a rating/review. As you gather more positive reviews, your profile will become more popular with students. You'll also find it easier to raise your price per lesson.

To achieve positive reviews and retain students, you'll need to adapt to your students’ needs, using different methods to make lessons as fun and effective as possible.

Tutors with positive feedback from students, as well as sufficient availability, will be more likely to be placed near the top of the tutor listings page. Tutors near the top of the listings page tend to receive more bookings.

We also expect tutors to stay organised. This includes:

Updating your availability calendar regularly so that students can book lessons without issues.

Responding to messages from your students within a reasonable time period (preferably checking at least twice a day on weekdays.)

Turning up to your lessons on time. Students won’t be happy if you’re 5 minutes late.

You can see full terms and conditions for tutors here.