Where Can I Find Good Chinese Teachers Online?


Whether it’s for business, travel, or to enjoy Taiwanese heavy metal, there are so many reasons one might choose to learn Mandarin Chinese.

But before you’ve even started learning, you might be asking doubtful questions, such as:

  • “How can I practice Mandarin Chinese with natives if I live in *insert country that isn’t China here*?”
  • “How can I find the time to look for and travel to a Chinese teacher or language center in my area?”
  • “Why am I asking myself these questions out loud in an empty room?”

Luckily, the online world is here to serve you.

There are now more options than ever to find Chinese teachers online. There is also a stupendous amount of Chinese people looking for language exchanges from all over the world.

What should I look for in a good online Chinese teacher?

Everybody is different and likes to learn in different ways. Some people prefer very structured lessons following a certain curriculum, and others prefer informal chit-chat.

But before you sit down and look for an online Chinese teacher, it’s good to ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do I want the teacher to explain things to me in my native language? Or do I want a strict ‘no native language’ rule in place before I begin?
  • Do I want to focus on learning specific grammar points? Or would I prefer to just have conversations in my target language?
  • Are there any specific materials I’d like to go through? Perhaps I want my teacher to supplement an online course or a textbook I’m currently studying.

If you want to really get the most out of your online Chinese lessons, give it some thought and really nail down what you want from your online Chinese teacher.

Italki

Italki is one of the most renowned online teaching platforms for language learners all over the world.

Simply create an account by clicking here. You can use iTalki on your phone or desktop, and all you have to do is choose your target language and search for teachers.

iTalki is the most popular online platform for one-on-one language teaching services. It has the most teachers available compared to any other similar platform.

Each teacher has a rating, an introduction video, and a number telling you how many classes they’ve taught. There are loads of search filters available so you can really hone in on a teacher to suit your needs.

My advice with iTalki is to always shop around. The most expensive and experienced teachers aren’t always the best for you, and it might take a few trial classes to find one that you click with.

Price:
– New teachers are available for as little as $5 an hour.
– Experienced teachers are available for as much as $50.

HelloTalk

The HelloTalk app is your best bet for finding a good language exchange partner.

It works much in the same way as iTalki, in that you create an account and search for people teaching your target language.

If your native language is very niche, but you’re fluent in a more widely used language, sign up with your second language. Finding other users that wish to learn dutch or welsh, for example, is difficult. Also, you are unable to change this language selection after you’ve created an account.

The great thing about HelloTalk is that you can communicate with your language partner in a number of ways directly through the app. You can chat via text, voice recordings, voice calls, and video calls. You can doodle, too.

You can also engage with the entire HelloTalk community by posting moments, kind of like WeChat and Facebook.

These public posts are seen by all native speakers of your target language, and people are able to correct your mistakes.

Price
– Free for most of the good stuff, but NOT for the video chat feature.
– Premium is $6.99 per month or $45.99 per year.
– Lifetime membership – $175.00.

Preply

With Preply, all you need to do is search through a database of online teachers and choose one that suits your budget. You can enjoy trial lessons with most teachers, and you can also see their availability on their profiles. Your classes will be conducted via Skype.

There aren’t as many teachers on Preply as there are on iTalki, and there aren’t as many reviews for the teachers either, but prices are roughly the same.

Price:
– Price of teachers ranges from $5 – 50.

TutorMandarin

Tutor Mandarin might have fewer teachers to choose from and the prices are slightly higher, but this is a company specifically designed to teach Mandarin to foreigners online.

The other sites on this list are basically databases for students and teachers to find each other. A bit of a ‘free-for-all’, if you will.

Tutor Mandarin provides a whole host of services like business Chinese, HSK exam preparation, Chinese for kids, etc. Although iTalki is still a great resource (and probably my number 1 choice), if you want to pay extra for a very structured speaking course with much better customer service, TutorMandarin is a great option.

Price:
– One credit costs $10
– One credit can buy a 25-minute class with a professional tutor
– Two credits can buy a 50-minute lesson with a professional tutor
– There a ton of package booking options. Check them out here.

Online Language Schools in China

China is home to a number of awesome Chinese language schools (and not-so-awesome ones) that offer online classes. I go into more detail about the following schools in my post The Ultimate Guide to Learning Chinese in China.

All of the schools below offer online classes. Their services are likely to be more expensive than the average class on iTalki, but they’re also likely to be superior in quality (but not always).

Online Teacher vs Language Exchange

A teacher will be someone you pay to teach you Chinese for a given period of time.

A language exchange partner will be someone who helps you learn Chinese in a less structured/formal manner, with you doing the same thing for them in their target language for the same amount of time.

The main benefit of a teacher is that you get someone who can focus on your progress methodically, tailoring the class to suit your individual needs. Your personal Chinese development should be the only focus of your time together.

Language exchange is more of a give-and-take kind of thing, where you both help each other out with your respective target languages. Although a language exchange can be great language practice, there are some issues with it that need addressing.

Chinese Tacher: Pros and Cons

PROSCONS
– You’re the primary focus of Chinese lessons.

– You can structure your learning content with the help of a tutor – language exchanges tend to inevitably focus on practice.

– Structured material.

– Finding time to suit you and your teacher is easier than finding time for an unreliable language partner wanting to practice occasionally.

– Online reviews and video presentations make it easier to choose a teacher that’s right for you.
– Can sometimes be too rigid and unengaging for those who prefer a more informal learning environment.

– Chinese teaching methods can be quite outdated and different from what many westerners are used to.

– It might take time for you to mold a new teacher to your preferred method of delivery.

– More expensive than a language exchange.

Language Exchange: Pros and Cons

PROSCONS
– A great way to practice your target language in a free-flowing manner.

– Meeting new friends online, and potential cuddle buddies.

– Free (most of the time).

– If you find a good language exchange partner, you can adapt to each other’s language learning needs over time.

– More choices are available when it comes to language partners.

– More chances to learn some informal language and engage in topical Chinese interests and events.
– Less structured to your needs than a Chinese teacher would be.

– Less time spent on practicing your target language.

– Language barrier and possible communication problems.

– Can take some time to ‘click’ with a language partner.

– ‘Flakiness’ is definitely more of an issue with language partners.

Teacher quality

Most of the services suggested in this post give you the option to read reviews and watch video introductions of Chinese teachers. Not only that, but many offer a free trial so you know what you’re getting before you commit to a block of lessons.

I strongly recommend you take advantage of any free trials available. It’s your money, and there are a lot of teachers out there to test out.

When it comes to language exchanges, it’s good to have a few sessions with a new partner before you throw in the towel and say, ‘This person’s no good!’ It can take a bit of time to get used to new people, especially when there’s a language barrier. Also, Chinese people tend to be incredibly shy and reserved, so give them a chance to open up a bit.

Studying in China

I’ve lived and studied in China for a number of years. I’ve written about my experiences extensively, so check out the following articles for more information:

Further Reading

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