When it comes to learning German faster, having the right German tutor makes all the difference. No matter what your reason for learning German, whether it’s travel, new career opportunities, or simply the cognitive and creative benefits of being bilingual, you’re found a great resource here at Rype. This page will walk you through exactly what you need to look for in terms of selecting the right German teacher, as well as the pros and cons of working with teachers in person versus online.
How to select German Tutors
The first thing to consider when selecting German tutors is figuring out your “must-haves” in terms of who your teacher is. It’s easy to simply look around and let cost dictate your decision making. Consider instead your specific situation and learning style.
Over the course of teaching thousands of German students, we’ve identified the following important characteristics students look for in teachers:
- Availability: How does your schedule look for classes? You need to make sure your teacher can fit into your available time.
- Qualifications: What experience, and in particular, success, does your teacher have? What if any online reviews do they they?
- Personality: How about your teacher’s personality? Are they fun and engaging? Communicative? Proactive? All of these are key character traits.
- Empathy: An extension of their personality is your teacher’s empathy. Are they able to challenge you while making sure you feel encouraged an empowered? Language learning journeys can be difficult and emotional. Your teacher needs to have your back.
German Teachers Online VS. In-Person
The next important consideration about German teachers is whether in-person or online is better. We get this questions a lot from students.
The truth is that there are pros and cons with each. Let’s go through all the different scenarios
In-person German teachers
- You get real life interaction in an intimate setting.
- This gives you the ability to carefully model their body language and expressions in detail.
- Since it’s live, there’s no issues with bad wifi connections or dropped calls.
- Can be a bigger time commitment due to the commuting time for lessons.
- Each individual lesson may be longer than you have time for.
- Typically more expensive.
- You’re limited to a single teacher which means:
- You’re not able to try different teaching styles / personalities.
- You have to conform to a single teacher’s schedule / availability.
- Your teacher may not be qualified or lack reviews / recommendations.
Online German tutors and teachers
- Significantly more convenient / less time involved. Since there’s no commuting, you save 30-60 minutes per session.
- Shorter sessions. (Rype lessons may be 30 minutes.)
- More cost effective. German lessons online cost much less.
- More teacher diversity. You have access to all sorts of talented teachers instead of limiting yourself to whoever is in your local city.
- Online tools for leveraging your learning experience such as screen sharing and document sharing.
- Your teachers are rated/reviewed, giving you a heads up on what to expect.
- Connectivity issues. Depending on your / your teacher’s connection, there is the potential for dropped calls or low internet bandwidth.
- To be successful, students should enjoy working online and have at least a baseline level of being tech savvy / navigating a computer.
- Lack of in-person intimacy for students who prefer real-life conversation.
When you consider all the pros and cons, we believe that while in-person teaching can be amazing, it simply requires too many factors to line up perfectly (availability, teaching style, chemistry with student) in order to succeed. Therefore for the vast majority of students, online German tutors win out.
How we hire our German Tutors
Let’s look step by step at how we hire our German teachers. Note how each step aligns with recommended criteria for choosing your teacher.
Step #1. Initial application
In order to cull serious applicants from the thousands of applications we receive, our initial applications filters info about each candidate’s background, experience, and availability. Only the top candidates move on from here.
Step #2. Rype University training
The next step is Rype University, a demanding training program where potential Rype tutors work on strategies and tactics for the most effective language teaching for all types of learners. During this program we also ensure tutors have the right resources available, and spend time getting to know their teaching goals and professionalism.
Step #3. Live 1-on-1 interview (with our Teacher Lead)
Teachers who have successfully completed the training program now take part in a live one on one interview with our lead teachers. From here we assess 3 criteria: qualifications, professionalism, and personality. This is how we at Rype differ from all other language platforms: Our community of teachers is amazing, each one a great fit for our students.
Step #4. 60-Day Trial
Teachers who pass the interview now enter a 60-day trial phase of teaching. During these first two months we carefully assess the student feedback provided for them and work to ensure they’re doing an excellent job.
Step #5. Continued success (4.5/5 or higher)
Once teachers have successfully completed the 60-day trial period, they’re officially welcomed into the Rype community. That said, all teachers must maintain at least a golden standard of quality (average 4.5 out of 5 on reviews) to remain on our platform.
How to Start Learning German With Rype
Learning German, as with any major learning journey takes time and patience, especially up front as you’re seeking answers to questions about how to get started. Along those lines, we hope you now have a better idea of what to look for in your German teacher and the best approach for you.
If you’re ready to start learning German right now, we recommend Rype’s free trial offer. It’s a completely risk-free trial you can begin today, and experience for yourself the quality of teachers we have on our platform.
See you there!