When choosing a teacher, we suggest contacting 3 - 5 teachers so that you can find a teacher quickly. Some teachers may respond quickly, and some teachers may take more time. Each teacher has their own teaching style, so it's a good idea to try different teachers and see which teachers fit your learning style.

 Make sure the teacher you are contacting is looking for new students.

Below is an example of a teacher's profile who is not looking for new students:

Check the teacher's time schedule and make sure there are openings available. 

While this is not an excuse for ignoring students, teachers with little or no availability may be more selective when choosing new students or may have forgotten to change their availability message. Below is an example of a teacher's schedule with little to no openings available:

As you can see, the only time slots this teacher has available are on Monday.

In your message to the selected teacher, write: "I want to schedule a session with you" or "I would like to schedule a session with you, but would like to know if you have experience with..."

Teachers are looking for serious students who will book sessions with them. Writing a quick sentence that shows you are serious about scheduling a session and learning your target language, which will definitely improve the response rate.  

What should I do if a teacher does not respond or accept my lesson request? 

After you request a session, the teacher needs to formally accept your session request.  The teacher has 48 hours to either accept or decline your lesson (or Package) request.  If the teacher does not accept or decline your request in 48 hours, the request will automatically expire and your italki Credits will be returned to you. You can then schedule a new session with a different teacher. 

You can find out more information on scheduling a session here.

 If you are still having issues contacting a teacher, please feel free to email support@italki.com and we will gladly recommend a few teachers that meet your requirements.