italki (/ˈaɪtɔːki/) is an online language learning platform which connects language learners and teachers through video chat. The site allows students to find online teachers for 1-on-1 tutoring, and teachers to earn money as freelance tutors.[3] italki is headquartered in Hong Kong, China.
One can choose online language lessons taught by a professional teacher, who provides structured learning plans, or a community tutor.[4] Students may also use it as a platform for mutual language exchange.[5]
History
In 2007, Kevin Chen and Yongyue Jiang cofounded italki as an online language exchange community.[6][7] At the start, the site was focused on building free features for the community.[8][9][10]
In 2009, the site launched its teacher marketplace, allowing teachers to earn money by providing online tutoring services.[11][12] Teachers on italki set their own price and time schedule.[13]
In 2012, italki raised angel funding from independent investors.[14][15] In 2016, italki raised $3 million from Hujiang, a Baidu-invested Chinese education company with over 100 million users.[16][17][18]
As of July 2017, italki has more than 3 million users from more than 100 countries, and 5000 teachers.[19][20][21]English is the most popular language being studied, followed by Spanish, French, Chinese, and Japanese. The site offers more than 100 languages for students and teachers to choose from[22][16] Its user interface supports 19 languages.[1]
