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Finding a private native-speaking German teacher online is an ideal choice for learners seeking professional guidance when studying German but having no time to attend formal classes or when there are no native-speaking German teachers in their neighbourhood. The greatest benefits of having a professionally trained private tutor are the opportunity to communicate with a native speaker in the language you are trying to learn while focusing on topics that interest you most or need extra attention, all that from the comfort of your home. Additional advantages include time flexibility and time saving.
On most platforms offering private tutoring you can choose a tutor that you like most based on their experience, teaching style, students’ feedback or interests. In most cases, teachers have their individual rates but some platforms have the same rate for all of their teachers. Many platforms also offer virtual group classrooms with a small number of participants (maximum 5 or 6) that are considerably more affordable than one-on-one private lessons but they do not give you the same degree of flexibility.
Alternatively, you can find qualified non-native-speaking German tutors who tend to be less expensive than native speakers. They can often explain grammar topics better than native-speaking teachers. Below is a list of the most popular platforms for finding qualified German teachers for private online lessons at reasonable prices. You are guaranteed to find there somebody capable of helping you with your German.
The Top Platforms for Finding German Language Teachers
- Italki is an ideal place where you can find a private German tutor or teacher. This platform has more than five million active members learning different languages and more than five thousand registered tutors and teachers. The prices vary between 8 and 65 dollars an hour, depending on the tutor’s qualifications, experience and rating. Hourly rates of German-native speaking tutors start at 20 dollars. Choose a teacher or a tutor whose teaching style and hourly rate suit you best and start practicing German online. For your convenience, Italki has developed its own language-learning app to facilitate better communication between the student and the teacher.
- Preply enables learners of foreign languages to find native-speaking tutors for practicing conversation on Skype. Currently there are nearly 900 native German speakers registered as tutors (out of ca 1,200 German tutors including those who are non-native speakers of German). For many of them you can read reviews from their former students. Hourly rates vary but are among the most competitive in the market. Prices for native-speaking German teachers start at EUR15 per hour.
- ClassGap connects international learners with over 12,000 professional online tutors for one-on-one tailor-made lessons. Out of those, ca 540 are German online tutors. Although most members are interested in learning languages, there are many other subjects you can find a tutor for including natural sciences, arts, economics, computers, etc. When reading tutors’ profiles check their rating and reviews, schedule and interests to help you decide who to contact. Generally, most tutors’ fees are very affordable. For German tutors they start at $7 per hour and the average for native-speaking German tutors is between $20 and $30.
- Tutoroo enables German learners from all over the world to find private online tutors at very reasonable prices. The prices for private one-on-one lessons on Skype start at EUR15 per hour and you can choose a professional German teacher literally from around the whole world and thus pay in various currencies. That is, you can even find a native-speaking German teacher in your town and schedule an in-person session. Classes will be tailor-made to your individual needs whether you wish to learn German for business or pleasure or to get ready for a German proficiency exam. Teacher profiles and student reviews will help you choose the right tutor.
- AmazingTalker offers all sorts of different courses, including fully customized German one-on-one video lessons for all those who want to improve their conversation skills or are getting ready for the official German language exams or job interviews. Prices start at just EUR13 per 50 min unit and you can pay as you go. Hence, no long-term commitment is necessary and you can change to another tutor at any time. Trials are available from as low as EUR1 per class.
- TalkAbroad is a paid service that was originally developed for university students of foreign languages in the US to help them find native-speaking conversation partners. Now, anybody can use it. Conversations last 30 or 15 minutes and take place on their own videoconferencing infrastructure. You may provide a topic or let your tutor decide. To remain true to their original mission, the prices remain low, that is, one 30/15 minute conversation costs just $10 and $7.5, respectively.
- Lingoda offers interactive online classes for small groups of 3-5 students as well as one-on-one lessons with private teachers. Classes last 60 minutes, cover broad range of topics and are suitable for German learners of all proficiency levels. Prices depend on volume but, for example, if you pay upfront, 40 one-on-one lessons (duration three months) cost EUR950, which is EUR24 per class. Group lessons cost between EUR11-16 per hour, depending on the volume ordered. You can also choose to pay by monthly subscription. Lingoda has recently taken over Easy Languages abc GmbH, which used to specialize in helping foreign students find private German language tutors for one-on-one sessions over Skype, and thus added more private tutoring to their portfolio. Lingoda also issues language certificates that follow the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and are accepted by employers and universities in Germany as a proof of language proficiency.
- VerbalPlanet enables you to find a personal native-speaking German teacher for private, tailor-made Skype lessons. For each teacher there is a personal profile, students’ feedback and their hourly rate (for a 40 min class) to help you choose a German tutor that best meets your expectations. Prices start at £25 per 40 min class. You can pay as you go and still make use of their loyalty discount scheme. Trial classes are also available.
- LiveLingua offers private one-on-one lessons with native German teachers on Skype. You can view each teacher’s profile information and learn about their teaching style. One 60 minute lesson will cost you $32 if a 50+ hour package of standard German is ordered. The basic price is $38 per hour. Prices for exam preparation vary between $49 and $54 per hour. A free, full hour German lesson should help you make up your mind.
- SuperProf connects German learners who wish to improve their conversation skills and listening comprehension or those who just need to get ready for German exam with tutors offering private online lessons. The prices start at around $25 per hour for beginner/intermediate level. In fact, there are two platforms: a co.uk primarily targeting students in the UK with prices quoted in pound sterling and a .com platform linked from here that is used by international customers, especially those who value transparency of this project. Additionally, students living in large cities in the UK can find there private teachers for in-person lessons.
- Werbling is yet another platform that helps connect German learners with native as well as non-native German language teachers and tutors. Hourly rates vary widely, starting from ca EUR17 an hour for a native speaker.
- TeacherOn brings together online teachers and students from over 170 countries. You can find there experts on more than 9,500 subjects to improve your German fluency, pass an exam or help you with your thesis or other academic projects. Registration to the website is free. Users buy coins that are used mainly for contacting each other. That is the only compensation that the website receives from its registered users. You can use the payment infrastructure of TeacherOn but it is not mandatory, the rest is arranged directly between the student and the teacher. Prices are extremely affordable, that is, you can find a German tutor for as little as $3 per hour but be ready to pay considerably more for a native-German speaker, especially if they live in Germany.
- Tutors Live connects private tutors with international students for tailor-made online as well as in-person lessons in any subject, including modern languages. It is a long-established platform where you can find several dozen tutors offering private German classes. This website is different from other similar platforms in that not only teachers but also students can post their profiles. This means that students can also be contacted directly by teachers. Hourly rates vary (but are generally very competitive), depending on the tutor’s qualifications, experience, native language and whether tutoring is their primary or secondary job. You can choose between qualified teachers and native speakers who do not have an official qualification of a German teacher but they may share common interests with you and can thus help you improve your conversation skills in certain specific areas. Tutors-Live provide their own infrastructure for communication, video-conferencing, scheduling of lessons, payment processing, etc., but it is not mandatory to use it. The chief role of this project is to facilitate the initial contact between the parties. However, there have not been too many German teachers active on this platform recently.
AI-Powered Chatbot as a Private Tutor
Recently, AI-powered chatbots (AI is an acronym for artificial intelligence) such as ChatGPT or Bing Chat started being used by many students as free online language tutors. These intelligent bots can serve as your free conversation partner, they can correct your mistakes, explain grammar or meaning of words and provide examples in sentences, translate texts and even prepare your individual study plan but they certainly cannot fully replace a human tutor. The greatest advantage of AI chatbots is zero cost, convenience and customization. Their major weakness, however, is that in a rather self-confident way they sometimes provide wrong answers and thus can potentially teach you bad habits. On the other hand, it is fair to say that AI-driven chatbots are continuously learning new things and improving all their capabilities. For more information on this topic, read about ‘using AI in German learning‘.
Other Places where to Find German Tutors and Conversation Partners
Language exchanges are a popular place where to find language exchange partners for a free conversation on Skype in a language you are trying to learn. However, some of these exchanges also offer the services of paid private tutors. A few examples include:
Follow the above link “Language exchanges” to be taken to the section “Chat with German Native Speakers for Free” which is listing additional similar platforms albeit with free tutors. You can find there German-native speakers learning your native tongue who are available for a free conversation on Skype or for a personal meeting. Although in most cases untrained native conversation partners cannot fully replace a professional German language teacher, they can certainly help you improve general conversation and listening skills. Yet, some members at language exchanges are polyglots speaking several foreign languages and can be as good as a trained German language tutor. So, do not underestimate this free opportunity.