Honestly I decided to stop paying for converstion sections on lingq cos I think 15 minutes for $5 is too much. Moreover we use a free system i.e skype to communicate. What do you guys think?
If you can post a link for a better rate for the same service, I’m interested.
I found a language school here (where I leave) where I pay 7.50 for an hour!
live***
Am I right that you compare it with classroom rates with many students in one class? Otherwise I would say ‘poor teacher’.
Switzerland is usually very expensive. So enjoy this price. I hope you’ll learn a lot.
Finding a school like that is pretty impressive. Five dollars is quite reasonable compared to how much I would pay normally. Most one hour lessons that I have to pay for are between $15 and $30 dollars
I hope so too. But you guys don’t get me wrong, I still think Lingq is the most innovative idea out there about language learning. A very good place to learn languages. I still think group conversation is more interesting and it last longer. So I probably will sign up for group conversations but no more single ones for 15 minutes.
I hope so too.
But you guys don’t get me wrong, I still think Lingq is the most innovative idea out there concerning language learning. A very good place to learn languages. I have recommended it to most of my classmates in the language school.
I still think group conversation is more interesting and it lasts longer. So I probably will sign up for group conversations but no more single ones for 15 minutes.
Call me stingy 
I just like to have my dollars yield maximum returns.
And is it State subsidised? What are the class sizes?
In Spain a class with a single student costs about 20€ / hour. It’s 5€ / 15 min
In dolars would be 25.23$ / hour and 6,3 $ / 15 min.
I do find it expensive to just talk to someone. I do not have enough money to support my language learning on LingQ with regular discussions. There are so many people who are willing to speak to you ‘for free’ and personally I do not see much difference in quality.
I don’t really care if someone ‘signed up’ for a discussion (which means they payed) or not, if I can help someone who’s motivated to learn the language (and if I have the time), I’m willing to help the best I can.
Some people spend so much money on books to learn a foreign language up to an advanced level. Just buy a newspaper and a dictionary. If you want to learn a language, go and find someone who speaks your target language and start communicating. That’s how I do it.
It’s easy to find cheaper (including free) alternatives than LingQ (a certain Irish polyglot regularly gives links to such services…). It’s easy to find more expensive ones as well.
I don’t know of any site offering free conversations where the other person is expected to valueable feedback (such as here at LingQ), but I’m lying if I say it’s difficult to find people to talk to, for free.
I’m still a member because I earn a points from my shared lessons, and I also love the community.
No system/method has it all. Who knows where I will learn most of my language… other websites, here, movies…
Our system is at it is. You can just use our great content and not pay. You can save up to 100 LingQs and just continue deleting them. You can choose to use our discussion system and writing correction system or do that part of your learning elsewhere. I personally prefer our system because I can import the reports and it integrates with my learning, I like our community members and find the whole arrangement convenient. I also earn points tutoring. But then I am not neutral on this.
I hope people will use our tutors and also come forward to tutor, but I know that this choice rests with each individual.
As a tutor, I provide much more than my time to people (which in itself is worth something to me) . I provide real-time language feedback, I provide a reasonable expectation of punctuality, and good humoured encouragement. I also provide a degree of professionalism… this may be controversial but I think you can be a good LingQ tutor, and then you can be a really great LingQ tutor. I strive for the latter. So I expect to get paid, a little at least.
Steve, is it absolutely necessary to charge to simply speak with tutors? I understand that the site needs maintenance. Also people people are actually getting what they pay for (5 dollars for 15 minutes) and getting a 1 on 1 tutoring.
In my beliefs, learning should not have a price tag like a t shirt. I share LingQ with everyone I know but when i have to explain to them that u must pay in order to get the full fledged results of the program they get turned off and pretty much decide not to visit. Don’t take this the wrong way everyone, I still also believe, like Icominghome, that LingQ is definitely the best language learning site out there, but there are cons to it.
Perhaps you could set up a section on Lingq devoted to people just wanting to speak to other fluent speakers and create a mutualistic environment for certain people who can’t pay but who also want the interactionist perspective of speaking. Just food for thought.
-Michael Alfonso
Michael,
If a tutor spends time to host a discussion or correct writing, I feel that he or she should be compensated for the effort. This ensures continuity and seriousness. In addition, LingQ takes 25%, for the simple reason that someone had to create the platform, make changes and improvements, fix bugs and maintain it, as well as answer questions. Thus LingQ has expenses and salaries. Somehow we have to try to cover these expenses. We do not have government funding.
I suggest your friends grow up and realize that in the real world they will have to pay for things and they will need to get paid for their work.
Teachers do not make T-shirts, they offer their knowledge and expertise and best advice. Are you suggesting that they should not be paid, but makers of T-shirts should be paid?
People are free to use all the content at LingQ, to access it using our platform, which they did not pay for, and which they do not pay to maintain. They can find friends on our community, using our platform, which they do not pay for, and they can look for friends to exchange languages with, all free of charge. However, if they want the benefits of interacting with our regularly scheduled tutoring or writing correction services, they pay.
Learning does not have a price tag. You learn in your head and it is your own journey. If you use schools or libraries, someone paid for those services, and one day you may if you get a job and pay taxes. If you use a computer, you bought it. On the internet, there is a massive web of commercial interests providing a vast array of learning opportunities for you, all produced by people who like to be paid for their work.
Michael,
You can ask on the forums for other learners who would like to chat with you for free on Skype.
One of the services that LingQ offers is the ability to rent a tutor. In other words, you buy a certain amount of a tutor’s time. What you do in that time is up to you, and it’s up to you to get the best value for your money in that time.
There is nothing to stop a tutor talking to you for free if they want to…but it’ll be “off the clock” and therefore you don’t go through the LingQ time booking system to do it. Just get to know learners on the forums and on profile pages.
You could probably get all the free conversation you can handle here, with a little bit of asking around. Just be aware that some people (especially tutors) might be too busy for chat.
Remember, just because LingQ doesn’t have a button for it, doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
First of all I love LingQ and all one’s possibilities to learn different languages. And yes if somebody offers an effort like our tutors or for creating and maintaining the platform compensation is legitimately and more than normal at least. However, everyone has the possibility learning languages with or without hired tutors or working free with other LingQ members. My experience is that quite a few learners offer free conversation in their native language. But if I announced interest I never heard from these members thereafter. As far as I’m concerned wouldn’t like to learn with an other kind of teacher. That’s merely because of my poor experiences with language learning in both our German school system and expensive language schools like Berlitz. Certainly I haven’t any experiences with tutors at all. And I’m convinced that all of them are very professionally. Finally LingQ is as it is. If anyone have another possibility, hey, change it with us. As Steve said we all have our own way to learn foreign languages.
It looks like we have an increasing number of high school students here at LingQ, which I think is great. If you are still at school and not earning then of course $20 is a lot of money for you. You also don’t want to be tied into tutoring on a fixed timetable, if you are busy doing homework every night. But there are plenty of LingQers who might be interested in free chat via Skype or Google or similar. Try asking on the conversation forum.
The only other way to make tutor interaction cheaper is to get a bunch of people round your house and pool your money for an hour of tutor time as a group conversation. I spoke to 5 people in 15 minutes the other day! It’s not much time per person, but it was enough to estimate their level and give a little general advice.