I’ve recently been using a language learning platform called italki to practise Spanish and Cantonese. It’s an online marketplace connecting teachers and students.
I used to think these types of marketplaces didn’t have a shot; especially for services that can easily be taken “offline”—where a person could pay the service-provider directly.
However, I’ve been convinced otherwise because of italki’s excellent tools and a critical mass of students and teachers.
As a student, I want to know I’m getting a good teacher, and that the price is reasonable. With their platform, I’m able to easily filter by reviews, price, and experience (i.e., number of classes taught). I can quickly select a teacher for a trial lesson that I feel confident could be a good match.
A teacher may have 50+ students, and scheduling is a nightmare when lessons are on an ad-hoc schedule and online. Italki provides a very simple scheduling tool, allowing teachers to choose when they work, and places the responsibility on students to pick a time that works best for them.
The combination of these factors mean both teachers and students are happy to pay a percentage of fees to italki to take the hassle out of matching and scheduling.