iTalki makes some pretty heavy promises: its tagline is ‘become fluent in any language’. Unlike other Modern Hebrew online courses, iTalki offers several languages to learn – with a twist.
iTalki does things a little differently, linking learners to enthusiastic language educators who aren’t necessarily professional educators, and they have the chance to offer tutoring in the languages of their choice. That means, your teacher won’t necessarily be a native speaker (although most of the teachers I saw were native Hebrew speakers, but more on that later).
iTalki’s core mission is to deliver personalized, individualized language sessions tailored to your needs. Without any spoilers, I found this to be a refreshing approach, giving me some interesting flexibility – but it wasn’t all roses.
iTalki Modern Hebrew Course Structure and Content
iTalki really breaks the mold when it comes to Modern Hebrew courses. That’s because it allows you to customize almost every area of your study.
When you choose your language, you can either scroll through all of the instructors available and their price points, or you can also filter down your preferred type of lesson. That means you can filter by:
- Lesson category: choose from instructors offering conversation practice, pronunciation specialists, grammar, spelling, reading, listening and writing; business specialists, including meetings, presentation, job interviews, negotiation and Israeli business etiquette, and kids (3-6 years, 7-12 years, 13-15 years and 16+).
- You can choose your lessons by the day of the week, time of day (by 4-hour windows around the clock), or even by specific calendar days and times.
- You can filter your instructors by the additional languages they also speak, for example, Spanish and Chinese. This was a handy feature for a Brazilian friend of mine who sometimes struggled with the English-Hebrew aspect of learning, so when she found a Portuguese-speaking Hebrew instructor, it really helped her learning journey.
Because iTalki’s Modern Hebrew course is so personalized, the course structure and content really vary from teacher to teacher – but more on that below!
iTalki Modern Hebrew Learning Methodology
As I mentioned above, iTalki’s philosophy is all about learner personalization.
I did find a common theme across all instructors, that there’s a real emphasis on real-world application and active engagement. Plus, when working with a live instructor, it’s much easier to get instant feedback and personalized lessons.
However I will do this: because there’s a lot of choice of instructors unless you stick with one your entire Hebrew learning journey, it’s likely that your learning experience will be very different each and every time.
iTalki Modern Hebrew Unique Features
As I mentioned above, iTalki’s methodology in language learning is very different to other online learning platforms I’ve experienced, especially when it comes to Modern Hebrew online courses.
Having said that, it’s also different in a number of other ways: Here’s an in-depth look into what differentiates iTalki Modern Hebrew:
iTalki isn’t just a language learning platform, it’s more like a global gathering of language enthusiasts. The ‘Language Partner’ program is a really great way to dip your toes in the water, and partner up with native Hebrew speakers who also want to practice their languages too. It’s a pretty win-win situation, although as my Brazilian friend found out, if you’re not a native English speaker and are looking to share your language with a native Hebrew speaker, you’ll have a lot fewer choices. However, this is only a small grumble, as the Language Partners feature is free to use, and it’s really fun.
I really liked the iTalki Journal, where you can practice your Hebrew writing skills. You can write anything you want, and then get feedback from native Hebrew speakers and even instructors. It was a really solid tool for getting real-time feedback, although some of the native speakers who weren’t instructors gave less pointed feedback than a professional would have done.
Then there are the iTalki Challenges. These take place on the iTalki forums, where if you take part in a challenge, you’re eligible for rewards like iTalki credits or recognition badges. It’s a fun, competitive twist to the language learning process, not to mention, a potential money-saver.
Lastly, the iTalki Marketplace was pretty unique. It’s as it sounds: a place where instructors go to sell their educational tools. This means that you can get your hands on a whole bunch of resources, from activity sheets to e-books, to really boost your learning journey.
Although this all sounds awesome, I did find iTalki’s initial approach a little overwhelming until I got more used to it. I would suggest that iTalki offers a more structured introduction to each feature for newcomers that would definitely help to ease them in.
iTalki Modern Hebrew Flexibility and Accessibility
Flexibility and accessibility are the names of the game when it comes to Modern Hebrew online courses because you need to make it as easy as possible for yourself to stay motivated.
I’m happy to report that iTalki excels in this domain. The platform is all about customizing your Modern Hebrew learning to your own needs, meaning you can literally have a lesson around the clock! The platform is available as a mobile app, although since the platform is more of an instructor brokerage and not a self-led course, you won’t have the ability to download content to your device or use iTalki’s web platform or app when there;’s no internet or reception.
iTalki Modern Hebrew Instructor Quality
Since iTalki does things so differently, it’s a little difficult to talk broadly about instructor quality.
I will say that iTalki has such a massive range of educators, each contributing their distinct teaching methodologies, backgrounds, and areas of expertise, that you will almost certainly find one that fits you. They each have their own price points, approaches, and teaching methodologies: ranging from certified language tutors with years of experience to enthusiastic native speakers keen on learning other languages with you, iTalki offers you a wide spectrum of educator profiles.
As I mentioned above, the ability to customize your Modern Hebrew lessons means you’re likely to find exactly what you want, however it might take a few tries until you find an instructor you truly connect with.
I recommend shortening the process by thoroughly reading the instructor profiles provided,d and even sending a question to instructors you’re interested in learning with, to see how their approach fits you.
Ultimately, one aspect I really liked was iTaly’s feedback mechanism. Post each session, you get to submit your review of the lesson and the instructor, meaning you can give detailed, anonymous feedback, helping to better the platform for yourself and other users – creating a culture of continuous improvement for both learners and teachers.
One important thing I’d like to mention about choosing your instructor: since iTalki allows native speakers to sign up as teachers, it does; necessarily mean that they are certified teachers. One way this could be improved would be for iTalki to create a certification process or training program, just to add an extra layer of confidence.
iTalki Modern Hebrew Course Platform
I found it very easy to get started and continue with iTalki’s Modern Hebrew online course. The platform is pretty user-friendly, meaning you can get straight to filtering down the available instructors to find one that’s suitable for you and start learning right away unlike other online modern Hebrew courses, there are no crazy or confusing dashboards to navigate, very few pop-ups or extra attention-stealers.
All that being said, I did feel that the platform could benefit from a contemporary design overhaul and the use of some more interactive elements. Since iTalki’s offering is meticulously designed to prioritize the user, it seemed like a little bit of a misstep.
Otherwise some cool features of iTalki;’s platform and the mobile app includes:
- Video Chat: you can have an in-platform, glitch-free, HD video chat with your instructor, without needing to mess around with Zoom, WhatsApp video, or otherwise. That means no time wasting or need to share personal information, which is something I appreciate as a user. You can also screen share, file share and otherwise…all without leaving the app or browser!
- Customized Dashboard: you’ll get a personalized dashboard with your own personal insights, including monitoring lesson durations, viewing upcoming sessions, and even getting tailored learning suggestions.
iTalki Modern Hebrew Student Interaction and Engagement
If you haven’t realized by now, then it should be obvious that iTalki’s defining feature is its emphasis on community engagement.
Other than individual lessons with instructors you choose, the community forums are a base for interaction with other students. You can enjoy discussions and challenges, and even meet up with a Language Partner for some free language practice!
The forums are a really rich resource of, well, just about anything you would want to know about the experience of learning Modern Hebrew. From discussions of certain idioms to joking around about funny mistakes (‘fadichot’, as they’re called) to sharing personal wins, you can find just about any topic to discuss with your fellow language learners. I particularly enjoyed expert discussions, where instructors also weighed in, on cultural aspects of the Hebrew language, to explanations of certain concepts (such as national holidays, or the root of words, and even one discussion on how Biblical language shapes Modern Hebrew).
All in all, iTallki’s forums were some of the most involved I’ve seen on any Modern Hebrew course platform.
iTalki Modern Hebrew Cost and Value Proposition
iTalki’s pricing structure is as varied as its instructor community.
You will definitely find a teacher to fit your budget because each instructor sets their own pricing.
I found that some of the teachers started by offering lower, $5 lessons to establish themselves on the platform, and sometimes I found a real diamond at a super low price. Generally though, the more experienced and in-demand a teacher is, the higher their price tag will be, and the less available they’ll be.
If you’re looking to get more bang for your buck (sort of) and have found an instructor you love working with, then you can schedule an iTalki Lesson package. These are buying lessons in bulk, and are available in groups of 5/10 or 20 lessons, for which you’ll receive a discount, set by the instructor. You then have 6 months to complete all lessons in the package.
If you feel like you want to try out a few differentiators before committing, then you can also request a trial lesson. Trial lessons are offered by most -0 but not all – iTalki instructors, at an lower price point. You’ll be able to take a maximum of 3 trial lessons with 3 different teachers. Another important point to mention: iTalki offers a 10% satisfaction guarantee, for up to 2 times on your trial lesson; that means, if two different instructors fail to satisfy you during your trial lessons, you’ll receive a 100% refund for each of those lessons.
The Final Verdict on iTalki’s Modern Hebrew Course
I was essentially a little hesitant by iTalki, as I wasn’t sure how I liked the language-broker mode on my Modern Hebrew online learning journey. But I was pleasantly surprised., not least by the sheer amount of choice of structures, but also by how much fun it was to learn a language with so much community support.
Although I did miss a few interactive quizzes and other widgets (not all of us learn languages via discussions and note-taking), I’d say iTalki is a good place to start learning Modern Hebrew online if that does suit you. Otherwise you might benefit from a more self-led style of Modern Hebrew online course.