Why Did iTalki Reject My Application?!

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Hi teachers! Are you thinking about teaching independently or on a platform like iTalki or Preply? Download our Starter Kit for Online Language Teachers: Free Essentials Pack www.welearnahead.com/start-teaching-online-toolkit-free

[@slindlovu6671]

You don’t need a bachelors degree to apply as a community tutor on italki

[@cdb_music6949]

Yeah, I kinda stopped watching after that, misinformation like that ruins the whole video

[@abuleilalaa5930]

Then how do I apply so I don't get rejected?

[@slindlovu6671]

@@cdb_music6949 he still has good tips

[@viejodelentes6079]

They can reject you based entirely on your looks in the intro video, I've heard they have a standard of how friendly and attractive you look, so if you are ugly and have a hard time faking smiles, you have zero chances of getting accepted.

[@refilwenetta6136]

What😂

[@bongekkile]

Thank you Ryan for these videos, they are very helpful. I’ve been rejected on italki once(sometime in October) but I reapplied two weeks after the rejection with a different email address and have been pre-approved.

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Not a problem Bongekile. Congrats! 🥳

[@j.a3889]

@Bongekile thank you for sharing your experience. It's very helpful. My application was declined last October too. When you applied with a different email, do you now have 2 accounts in italki with the same name, is that fine? I mean if I do that and create another italki account using a different email then I'll have 2 accounts with the same full name, is that okay?

[@bongekkile]

@@j.a3889 I think I deleted the old account which was rejected. Try it. They’ll probably approve you as well. I’ve heard some people applied 3 times even. It all depends on your patience and how bad you want to work for the platform. Try Preply as well. Good luck.

[@j.a3889]

@@bongekkile Thank you. I was pre-approved last October however the system won't accept my ID for ID verification that's why my application got declined. And now I can't see any reapply button, no email as well. But when I log in to the website, I can see the status that my application was declined. I processed a new ID and I have a new ID now, I'll try to reapply using a new email. Thank you for answering my question and thank you for your advice. Have a nice day ✨

[@sinesworld2023]

When im rejected do i need to apply with a different email address?

[@lindab4557]

I'm a young teacher who got my masters in teaching and getting a rejection without any explanation really sucks. Treating teachers like this really makes it feel like an unwelcoming platform, especially because without teachers they wouldn't be able to work. Spent a lot of time on my video and I can say it was better than other videos already on the platform. Sorry for this angry comment, I had to let it out

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Hello Linda! I’m sorry to hear that - no, no problem at all! This is the perfect space to vent. It’s not a spot to pretend that everything is perfect for iTalki teachers. It’s best to be realistic. I feel like getting a rejection would be tough for anyone who is overqualified. However, in fairness to iTalki, they are just an employer, and every rejection I’ve ever gotten from an employer has come with zero explanation. In any case, I get the unwelcome point but it seems like you’re more than qualified. Best of luck and let me know if you need help!

[@HumanDrillBit]

I read your comment and my impression from watching Ryan's video is this iTalki company is supercilious. That's the vibe I get. I'm certain there are more accomodating platforms for this vocation.

[@rodriguezk96]

You don't need a degree to be a community Tutor

[@HumanDrillBit]

I caught that error in the video as well.

[@rodriguezk96]

@@HumanDrillBit I just got accepted I'm excited

[@HumanDrillBit]

@@rodriguezk96 Congrats! I'm toying with the idea of applyimg to iTalki as well as a "Community Tutor. I wish you the best of luck on that platform!

[@rodriguezk96]

@@HumanDrillBit thank you! You should give it a try

[@HumanDrillBit]

@@rodriguezk96 I will indeed. I'll keep you posted. It may be several months from now when the whole process is completed. You'll surely remember my unique screen name. I'll respond in this thread. Take care!

[@angelacampbell7450]

Hi Ryan. Did you reapply with a different email address? Love your content by the way. Applied on Sunday, got rejected today. But while i was waiting for feedback, I started having anxiety about my first trial lesson, your video on one's first lesson eased a lot of that anxiety. Great job man.

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Hey Angela and welcome! Cheers, I'm happy to help. I just reapplied with the same email address. Best of luck with your application; let me know if you need a hand.

[@Spookykooks-xv2bj]

Where's the link to book the one-on-one consultation?

[@theveganpolyglot9746]

Could you make a video where you talk about drop offs in the amount of students you get, particulalrly after losing the 'new' badge?

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Hello! Great suggestions - I’m on it! 😃

[@teamayran1952]

I'm not a professional teacher but I've been online tutor for almost 2 years and have my TESOL and TEFL certificate. Is this qualified to be a professional teacher on Italki?

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Yes, so long as the cert. is recognized by iTalki.

[@Tony-ow3if]

Great video...Thanks Ryan, aswell as the previous one on the comparison to Preply. Just a a quick question - is a CELTA certificate enough for a community tutor application (or is a degree also required for a community tutoring) Thanks T

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Hey Tony! Actually, to be a community tutor you don’t even need a degree. A CELTA would definitely help your application nonetheless I’d think! Let me know if you need any help; best of luck!

[@LeratoM98]

Hi Ryan! I didn't see any place on the application where they wanted employment and education. So I didn't put anything regarding mine. Can you please assist?

[@SeanReynolds1962]

Hi Ryan, Just to share some feedback ... My Professional Teacher application to Italki was acceptable, but it has been "waitlisted" due to the volume of applications. In the email, I was assured my application met the criteria ✅ and it would be "prioritized for pre-approval" in the "coming weeks". Given the volume of applicants, someone said it had doubled in recent times due to COVID, China, etc., I was pleasantly surprised to hear back from Italki in 6 days flat. (Unlike Cambly, where things seem to move very slowly ... maybe it isn't processing applicants rn? Dunno.) Also, the "waitlist" email reminded me to monitor my account for the pre-approval email - I am watching like a hawk lol - as I would have to complete the last bits within a 10-day window. (This made me hope/think that a "few weeks" would mean exactly that, as I felt the tone of the email was quite straight, ethical. If I was to be 'pending' for, say, 3 months, I think the email would have stated that, etc.) For the moment, I just waiting, but I want to say how I did get a nice positive vibe from the company. To echo your point in the video about rejection requiring persistence, see being waitlisted as a chance to get prepped for launch. Cheers!

[@bongekkile]

Hi Sean. Don’t worry they will get back to you very soon. My application for community teacher was also waitlisted earlier this month but luckily I received an email within two weeks saying I was pre-approved. I attended the Q&A webinar Friday.

[@SeanReynolds1962]

@@bongekkile Thanks Bongekile and well done on getting to the finish line ... I got 'Pre-Approval' today and uploaded the image of my passport and did my selfie, and .... ten minutes later, the Verification system Italki uses refused to accept the materials and deemed they weren't 'verified'. I've just written off to Italki support to see what I need to do to fix this, I dunno what's wrong, the only thing I can think of is my passport photo has me wearing glasses and my selfie doesn't ... I'll wait and see what they say, I screen-grabbed the Italki screen and of my passport for Italki support. But I hope it doesn't mean I've to reapply from scratch. The ID Check seems very sensitive, maybe, I think it's new technology. Last update 23/11/21: I contacted customer success and got a reply stating the system Italki uses to verify identity had rejected me and generated a "warning" to the platform and Italki then rejects the application. I will see about reapplying, but it is NB NB NB to be able to do the verification process in ONE go. From my experience, if you repeat the step, it will reject your application. (Sigh). I thought I should share this, folks. HURRAY: approved, 24/11/21!! Wow, what a rollercoaster ... after my ID verification got rejected, I emailed customer support at Italki and the customer service agent gave me a link to the company that does the verification element. I quickly emailed them and - miracles happen - the guy there APPROVED my identity and the Italki status moved back to 'pre-approved'. Today, I moved onto the videos/quiz elements and ... ta dahhh ... approved. In short, peeps, be persistent and you'll get there. Thanks again to Ryan, your vids inspired me to keep going, get my head down and apply. So frigging happy right now.

[@Spookykooks-xv2bj]

I don't see it :(

[@TeenAngel1947]

Hi Ryan! I really enjoy your videos and have learned a lot about teaching on iTalki. I would like to book a 30 minute consultation with you and wondered if you have anytime before Friday 12/10. Could you please let me know? Thanks so much!

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Hello Paula! Thanks for reaching out. Absolutely, I've adjusted the availability specifically for you. You may book through this link or my iTalki profile: calendly.com/teacher-ryan/teacher-consultation-with-italki-teacher-ryan?month=2021-12&date=2021-12-08 See you soon!

[@bongekkile]

Hey Ryan. After the Q&A call did they send you any email acknowledging your attendance? I find it very strange that I didn’t get any email from them regarding that. My call was this past Friday. Maybe I’m just paranoid 😅 also during the call two other teachers mentioned that their profiles were already visible under the italki tutors list even though they had not attended the Q&A yet. Does that usually happen for some new teachers?

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Hey! Great questions. I didn't receive an email either. My profile didn't go live until after the call. Perhaps this is new. 🤔 You're not paranoid - these are great questions! 🙂

[@arkady7725]

Hi Ryan! Thank you for another interesting and useful video! My first experience was also negative - they have declined my application (I’ve already described that situation). Frankly I was just knocked out, particularly because they didn’t comment, why they had declined it. A couple of months later I’ve sent them a new application, now as a community tutor. And I guess, the problem was, that they generally don’t accept Russian diplomas, cause I’ve tried several times to upgrade my profile to professional, but without any success.

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Hey Arkady! Welcome back; nice to hear from you again. 😁 Ah, I'm sorry to hear that. Yes, that may be the problem. It's definitely unfortunately. Hopefully you'll be able to make the switch in the future.

[@thembekambatha]

How do i apply?can i use my phone or laptop cause I tried using my phone it takes me to the app and I downloaded the app on my phone still there’s is no option for applying to become a teacher…please help on how to do it

[@ofaletsemoremi4681]

Use the desktop option on your Google Chrome app. Click the three buttons on the top right and you'll see the desktop option for which will enable you to apply using your phone.

[@danielvillarreal6610]

Hi Ryan, 2 questions: 1) do you think that iTalki might reject on the basis of being overqualified? I think this has happened to me a few times (long story short!); 2) about the background for the video-what do they want? Is a virtual background OK? Thank you and greetings from an American expatriate and language teacher in Taipei, Taiwan

[@amalinarachmi74]

Hi Ryan! Thank you for sharing. I'm interested to become a teacher in italki. I have some questions for you about the application to be a professional teacher. I got my bachelor degree in German as foreign language and got my master in languange teaching and learning. There was a subject about teaching Indonesian as foreign languange. I'm native in Indonesian and I want to teach Indonesian as foreign languange in italki. Is it possible for me to apply? And then, all my certificates are in Indonesian, should I translate them first?

[@NguyenHoa_tudocungHoa]

So how to apply again after being rejected? Can you help me! I was rejected because of my ID card in Vietnamese not English

[@geraldinepagarigan5345]

I graduated with a no teaching bachelor's degree and have a tefl certificate. Would I be accepted by italki?

[@samukelisiwemothae9786]

I have been applying on italki but they reject my applications without any reasons. I don't know what to do

[@sinesworld2023]

Me too.

[@mab3900]

I did a great and detailed profile but I got rejected. It took me a long time to have the courage to do it too. I will try again though

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

I wonder what for. Let me know if you need a hand. Best of luck!

[@mab3900]

@@EnglishTeacherRyan they didn't give reasons, but I guessed I spoke too much in English in my video (I am a French teacher). I learned that you should mostly speak in the language you intend to teach. I didn't know about that requirement, but it's something people should really keep in mind. I thought it would be easier for students if I did a part in which I speak English in the video but it turns out Italki doesn't like that. Plus I also thought it was fine since it's what all the teachers are doing (except English teachers, most of them only speak the language they intend to teach!), but these people that are doing it are probably teachers that were accepted before the requirements began to become more restrictive.

[@aqeelahadams5836]

Hey hey thank you for this information I was wondering when you were rejected how long before you applied again? And did you apply after changing your email address?

[@AhmadAli-sz2uh]

hi Ryan, thank you for your videos. I have a question.do italki share our intro video on youtube without our permission as an add. because I have seen a teacher's intro video as an ad.plz tell how can we stop italki to share our video on youtube .

[@user-fm5fn4bw9f]

Great guy. Thankyou for your helpful videos. I have only just passed the TEFL course, and trying to do a video to get on Italki and Fiverr. Feel a bit stuck! What to do next. Brand new teacher ever! I am an English native xx

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Hey Congrats! I'm happy to help. All the best of luck to you!

[@user-fm5fn4bw9f]

@@EnglishTeacherRyan Thankyou Ryan. I may come back to you. Have no doubt 🤣🤣

[@kryztolgarcia9697]

Can I work as a professional teacher if I dont have experience ?

[@mab3900]

Thank you for preventing me (hopefully) to be rejected by Italki!

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

You’re very welcome!

[@anelentombifuthizungu2045]

How long did you wait until you applied for the second time?

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Hello Anele! A week I believe.

[@kaihyun1251]

Hello teacher Ryan, is there a contract in Italki? thanks! hope you notice 😊👍🏻

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Hello Kai! I suppose there's a contract insofar as you must agree to the rules. As for some sort of payment contract which guarantees work and a wage, no. It's all you. 🙂

[@HumanDrillBit]

There's no standard empolment contracts with any of these platforms. You're an independent contractor. Your rights are very limited. Hence, they can snuff you out without notice or reason.

[@livewithliyana]

Can I apply as a teacher with a BA in English and Communication?

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

I believe the degree must focus on language pedagogy of some sort but that's a good question. I'd reach out to iTalki about that unless anyone else here has a definitive answer.

[@livewithliyana]

@@EnglishTeacherRyan Alright, will do just that. Thanks for the advice. 👍🏼

[@tutorcarol4693]

Hello Ryan! This is the video I was lookiing for ,thanksss! I've just got declined on I talki , Did they give a reason why they declined your application the first time ? because they didnt specify a reason my application was declined.

[@nk7595]

I also just got declined with no reason given. Like 5 mins ago

[@EnglishTeacherRyan]

Hey Carol - sorry to hear that! It was so long ago that I forget, but I believe that told me that it was because of my video. Perhaps they're too busy to give feedback now. In any case, best of luck; let me know how it goes!

[@nk7595]

I have just submitted a new application after being declined today. I only changed my video and made it more simple. I will let you know of the outcome.

[@Kamogelo_Langa]

@@nk7595 Hey, let me know how it went.

[@LeratoM98]

@@nk7595 Hey, I'd also like to know

[@africanoracle9272]

So is it just any degree or I need to have a Bachelors degree in English

[@tarma102]

I'm unable to get verified 😔

[@reneilwephiri]

Hi guys, this is the reason I received. Could someone please help me understand what it means. Hello Patience, in order to maintain a balance of student requests and teachers' supply we will periodically enact more stringent criteria on various cohorts of teachers such as English Community Tutors, though a language, in general, may still be open for application. At this time you fall into one of these cohorts, and your application has been declined. We recommend you re-apply in a few months.

[@LeratoM98]

Co ask! This is also the message I got.

[@foodonline6816]

I also got the same message few hours after applying

[@thabilemajodina9850]

me too!

[@mmathabonkoana5490]

Me too

[@user-fm5fn4bw9f]

Maybe they have too many teachers at the moment compared to students? So only choosing some people who they think at the time. I dont know. Just guessing? Anyone know? X applying it to community tutors? Cohort. Group of people with shared characteristics.

[@ncebcytibe3487]

Hey.. please can I ask what do they mean when the say this "Thank you for your application to teach on italki. Unfortunately, your application was declined for one or more of the reasons below: Hello, in order to maintain a balance of student requests and teachers' supply we will periodically enact more stringent criteria on various cohorts of teachers such as English Community Tutors, though a language, in general, may still be open for application. At this time you fall into one of these cohorts, and your application has been declined. We recommend you re-apply in a few months" like I dont understand the reason.. I dont know where to improve.. does this mean I should change my video?

[@sinethembajali3983]

Hey there you know you know I got the exact same rejection message as yours and seriously I don't know what it means, am as frustrated as you but I guess we have to re-apply.

[@ncebcytibe3487]

@@sinethembajali3983 worse part I don't know where to improve when it says this

[@thabilemajodina9850]

@@ncebcytibe3487 exactly!! when will you reapply though?

[@kutlwano_lesele]

Hi, can one be a community tutor ….I am still studying though

[@Kamogelo_Langa]

Hi, yes you can.