italki Review

Wednesday, December 4th

2024 Arabic Lesson Reviews

italki

• Pricing from $10 to $40 per hour
• Trial lesson usually available at half-price
• Tutoring and video-call lessons
• Highly qualified tutors and teachers
• 30-90-minute sessions
• Synchronous meetings
• 4.8-star average rating

italki shines as a flexible and cost-effective platform for connecting with language tutors. Rather than offering its own curated lesson material, italki is a place to find a tutor who will help you through your Arabic journey. The platform offers a wide selection of teachers proficient in over 100 languages, so you have the flexibility to pick a tutor that suits your learning style, timetable, and personality. The tutors each determine their own prices and availability, so you can have some flexibility in what you want to spend too.

Choose a tutor from the list

To begin, choose either an "instant" lesson or schedule one within the next 72 hours. This will display a list of available teachers and tutors ready to assist you in practicing Arabic. Each tutor sets their own hourly rate, so the pricing will be a determining factor in selecting the tutor or tutors you'd like to engage with. To get an idea of what you might learn, you can watch a preview video from each tutor.

Watch the preview video

For example, the top option suggested to us noted that he was born in Syria, held a Master's degree in Arabic, and was studying Arabic Language for his PhD. The video also showed a basic example of speaking exercises (introducing yourself, basic greetings, conversational comprehension) that that particular tutor might use in a session. However, the videos don't generally show exercises or work being done with students and that part of sessions will be designed with the tutor you choose based on your learning style.

Best as a supplement to other learning platforms

italki helps you find the best tutor match by providing all of the important credentials. You can also read reviews for individual tutors so you can make well-informed decisions about your Arabic lessons. In terms of learning methods, all sessions take place through video conference tools such as Skype or Facetime. Remember, italki doesn't offer educational services directly; it serves as a platform connecting learners with skilled language tutors. Ideally, italki complements your other Arabic learning materials and courses.

Price range changes depending on tutor

Pricing for Arabic lessons at italki will depend entirely on the tutor or teacher that you choose to work with as well as the length of the session. During our research, we found prices ranging from $5 to $20 per hour for trial lessons. After that, the prices go up to anywhere from $10 to $40 per hour for full lessons. You can choose lessons from 30-90 minutes, which will affect the overall price. For example, one tutor had prices at $11 for 30 minutes, $14 for 45 minutes, $19 per hour, and $25 for a 90-minute session. If you're trying to choose between tutors and prices, you can easily see student ratings for each tutor to get an idea of what quality of service you can expect. Many of the tutors we checked during our review had a full 5-star rating out of 5 from students.

Progress depends on you, not the platform

Your advancement in Arabic relies on your efforts and interactions with individual tutors. italki doesn't function as a language-learning program but as a tutoring service. So, there aren't pre-built lesson plans or benchmarks to hit. Your progress is shaped by the plan you establish with your tutor, the lesson materials you use outside of italki (which can sometimes be designed and provided by the tutor), and the frequency of your tutoring sessions. While certain tutors can help you with specific areas of focus (like "language and the Quran” from one tutor or "Conversation practice” for another), you'll have to seek out those lessons yourself. It's a more "self-guided" approach compared to other platforms we've reviewed.

Unclear refund for card purchases

To receive a refund from italki, you need to pay with "credits" purchased through its platform rather than paying directly, which can be pretty confusing. If you've gone the credits route, you can receive a "refund” of credits back to your account. Thankfully, you aren't penalized if you cancel versus your tutor canceling. However, we encountered difficulties in finding any policy related to payment if you opt not to use the italki credits.

High-quality teachers

In general, the feedback for italki is overwhelmingly positive. Based on Trustpilot reviews, the overall average rating for italki is 4.7 stars out of 5. Students specifically praised the excellent quality of instruction provided by the teachers. While a few customers complained that sessions were too short, this could just be the tutors that the customer chose as we saw sessions up to 90 minutes from different teachers on the platform. In terms of ratings for Arabic lessons specifically, italki shows that the majority of teachers and tutors have 4.9-5-star ratings.

Best if you want supplemental learning help

italki has built a solid reputation, but it comes with a notable limitation. The platform prioritizes tutoring sessions without a specific curriculum, expecting students to either bring their own or find external learning materials if they're not part of the services offered by the tutor. If your sole strategy for learning Arabic is relying on italki, you might face challenges or, at the very least, need to seek additional learning resources. This extra step and potential extra cost contribute to italki receiving a 3-star rating overall. However, if you seek a top-notch language-focused tutoring service to support your Arabic learning, italki is highly rated and recommended by students.