Which communication tools can I use to teach?

When a student books a lesson, they are required to select a communication tool they want to use for this lesson. In the example below, the teacher is offering 2 communication tool options to the student - Skype and Facetime. italki will offer the student the option of selecting italki Classroom by default, the teacher does not need to select it.

We recommend offering at least 2 (the more the better) communication tools for your student to select from. This flexibility will be greatly appreciated by your students who may be unable to use a particular communication tool in their country. Look for “Communication Tools” in your Teacher Settings where you’ll be able to add communication tools. The options are Skype, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, Wechat, Zoom and QQ. 

If your preferred communication tools are not listed as options, you can use them provided you ask your student’s permission first, AND they agree to change communication tools (remember they’ve already selected a communication tool when booking the lesson). If they disagree for any reason, respect their wish and use the communication tool already selected.

Each lesson request will clearly state the communication tool selected for the lesson like in this example below. If an external communication tool like Skype is chosen, you as the teacher are responsible for adding your student as a friend/contact well before the lesson starts. Please make 100% sure that you have the right person by sending them a message and asking them to confirm they are your student. 

If your student chooses italki Classroom as the communication tool, here’s an article explaining how it works.

If your student chooses Zoom as the communication tool, here's an article explaining how it works.

No matter which communication tool you use, we strongly recommend that you and your student agree on a backup tool in case there are any internet connection problems during the lesson.