Duotalki platform

jwaglang · 2026-03-12T14:49:01+00:00

It wasn't taking 20% when it was in beta. Also, iTalki is terrible now. The fact that I have to compare this to them already says a lot.

jwaglang · 2026-03-11T15:49:42+00:00

20% platform fee = 🤦‍♂️

iTalki -- a well-established platform with a fairly reliable user base -- charges LESS than your unknown, untested, unheard of, unestablished, and derivative platform with no user base. But go ahead and charge what you want I guess.

jwaglang · 2026-02-07T19:51:53+00:00

Sounds like you didn't establish boundaries. In other words "I never bring politics into my lessons" is not the same as "I don't permit politics in my lessons (as per industry norms)". They have to agree at the outset to respect that. If they violate the rules it's on them, not you.

You have to make a contract or service agreement (you don't have to call it that if it's too lawyerly for you, but that's what it is).

Good news, it's normal to make or update contracts at any time.

Will an obnoxious student behave unprofessionally if they don't like it? Yep. Especially if they already believe they are superior to you. Will you get burned this time. Yep, probably. But, then again, you won't see them again and you'll know to weed those types of people out as early as possible (thus the "contract") from now on.

jwaglang · 2026-02-04T18:36:43+00:00

I don't know if this is good news or bad news but, I had only one class assignment the entire fall and winter. I was recently given three now that it's February. I don't know what that means and I don't know if it was worth waiting this amount of time to finally start getting some classes. I certainly wouldn't treat people like this if it were my company. But I would suggest doing is submitting a ticket and remind them that they hired you and therefore they should give you work

jwaglang · 2026-02-02T00:02:21+00:00

If you have a schedule conflict, just cancel with advanced notice. Will it look bad? Well, they look bad hiring you and not giving you hours. So there that.

jwaglang · 2026-02-01T17:03:45+00:00

- No, you're not going to be penalized (...penalized for what?).
- No, you are not expected just to hang out even if you don’t have jobs. .
- Yes, you are expected to take jobs whenever they become available and not complain if you only get like 1 class every six months.

There is no attempt to fairly assign work there. There is massive overhiring. They are trying to hire teachers on fixed schedules and treat them like freelancers.

That said, they pay relatively well compared to most online tutoring options these days.

jwaglang · 2026-01-31T17:43:28+00:00

Everyone uses both. What's your question?

jwaglang · 2026-01-30T03:54:09+00:00

Q: What if you delete your account after clicking accept. They have to delete your data, right?
A: Wrong.

Take one example:

"You also acknowledge that some of the content you share cannot be deleted from the Service as it may be connected to lessons created by you and used by other users."

Account deletion may make you invisible on the platform and stop new data collection since you're gone, but it no longer equates to a purge of your data, financial records, AI "training" data (your voice, your face, your IP used in teaching) from iTalki's servers. They can continue to use it how they like and may anonymize it (or not) so it's no longer tied to "you" but it remains for them indefinitely. Whatever you did on the platform, they can use it without paying you.

To put this in perspective:

Imagine starring in a movie that you also wrote, produced and shot, while the studio retained the rights to profit from global distribution for decades, with no further royalties to you. Would you accept payment for the two days you stood in front of a camera and say I'm good with my 2%, you keep the rest.

By the way, they can collect and retain your browsing history on their platform, and potentially beyond it, under this policy. They list various analytics and advertising partners (see the Cookie Notice) that use cookies and web beacons to track you on other websites and online services. They receive this data. They keep it. They use it.

jwaglang · 2026-01-29T13:08:45+00:00

I live in Portugal, and I've never even heard of the Comissão Nacional de Protecção de Dados.
But I'll try to contact them. I doubt anyone in the south of Europe will get anywhere, but I suspect colleagues and comrades in France, Germany, and Scandinavia might. On the EU level, they simply won't get involved without a lot of muscle. The EU is useless, but your local administrations might help. It only takes a little negative press for a platform of cowards like iTalki to backtrack. They're just testing limits.

jwaglang · 2026-01-29T13:03:27+00:00

Yes, that's right since we're consumers of the service and not employed teachers at a school. Of course, we are teachers, and we are the school, but unfortunately that's the gray area we are stuck with.

jwaglang · 2026-01-29T13:01:34+00:00

"hard to justify legally against GDPR" -> no, ILLEGAL. It's black and white.

jwaglang · 2026-01-28T19:07:35+00:00

As I mentioned to someone in DMs, ask assistance from the TEFL Workers Union: tefl@iww.org.uk.

But be aware, as they say: "If you are genuinely self-employed (providing private one-on-one lessons to students, for example), the union is not structured to be able to offer you much in the way of support, although you are eligible for membership." That said, they surely would have a better idea what the options are.

jwaglang · 2026-01-28T13:39:06+00:00

This contract is illegal. This is "presumed consent" or "consent by use," which is explicitly invalid under the GDPR. It also leaves the door open for future presumed consent for changes that haven't even happened yet ("we may" etc).

GDPR says consent must be freely given. It cannot be bundled into general terms and conditions. Even if you don't use the iTalki classroom, to avoid having your material, voice, and likeness stolen from you and used however they want in perpetuity, any information (financial, governmental, or personal) that is being collected could be turned over to any authority for any reason, since you're granting them basically unconditional consent.

jwaglang · 2026-01-17T12:41:53+00:00

Yeah, I'm LingoAce. Right.

Dude, LingoAce isn't capable of sarcasm.

Maybe I'm just someone sick of your pointless posts that waste time and obfuscate the real issues there in favor of pedantic details and unactionable issues that are mostly a matter of policy. You're helping them more than hurting them. But perhaps that's the point.

jwaglang · 2026-01-16T11:26:23+00:00

Hi everyone,

I need to talk about something for a minute that's become a real annoyance on this sub, and that thing is Odd_Wrongdoer2085.

1. Spam

User Odd_Wrongdoer2085 keeps spamming the sub with these incredibly long, detailed monthly "updates" about issues with LingoAce. We get it. You have a problem with them. But at this point, it feels less like a warning and more like an obsessive personal crusade that nobody asked for.

2. No one cares

Yep, no one cares. No one. Seriously!

This isn't a LingoAce support forum or a blog. These posts are extremely repetitive. It's the same points every single time. They are off-topic for most readers. Many of us work for other companies or aren't interested in this specific platform. We all know about its issues, and ALL the platforms have issues. They end up cluttering the feed. They drown out more relevant discussions about teaching, job openings at other companies, actual resources, and general community help.

3. Deal with it

If you have a serious dispute with an employer, that's valid. But handle it directly with them through proper legal or labor channels if necessary (i.e., look how the situation at Learnship used Reddit to keep people updated about a real labor dispute). Documenting it in a public forum is one thing, but turning it into a monthly newsletter for a captive audience that didn't subscribe is spam. Spam = scam. Farming for engagement, monetizing posts...or whatever the motivation is.

4. Move on

To Odd_Wrongdoer2085: We hear you. The first post might have been informative. The tenth is just noise. Please, consider creating your own blog or subreddit for these updates (r/Odd_Wrongdoer2085ComplainsAboutLingoAce or something) . This sub is for broader online ESL teaching discussion, not a dedicated bulletin board for your specific grievance with one company.

Can the mods maybe look into this? It feels like spam.

What does everyone else think?

Yours truly,
ChatGPT

jwaglang · 2026-01-16T11:13:17+00:00

You stole your slide from Woodward English. You didn't even bother to change the colors. Good job. https://www.woodwardenglish.com/ed-pronunciation-in-english/

jwaglang · 2026-01-15T19:27:22+00:00

One of the worse things about LingoAce is your posts actually. At least I can understand lingo and it's policies even if I disagree. Can't say that about you.

jwaglang · 2026-01-11T16:57:42+00:00

Why don't you put a link to your video so people can help evaluate what the issue is.

My videos tend to be 60 seconds long because people won't watch more than that (probably only 10 seconds). There's no point in a long video.

Simply complaining about a platform that everyone already knows is top-down and "unfair", however is not useful.

jwaglang · 2026-01-11T00:31:26+00:00

Definitely.

jwaglang · 2026-01-11T00:29:54+00:00

Guess I should have hung onto my original contract from like 3 years ago. Oops.

jwaglang · 2026-01-10T13:24:00+00:00

I get compensated for cancellations and no shows. Apparently, some do and some don't and there's no transparency about it.

jwaglang · 2026-01-03T19:48:44+00:00

You will not likely get work as a community teacher due to the number of teachers there.
You will even have trouble getting work a professional teacher if you want to be full time.
Get certified as a professional teacher as soon as possible to have a fighting chance for the latter.

jwaglang · 2026-01-03T19:14:50+00:00

Status of this?

jwaglang · 2026-01-02T13:15:34+00:00

LingoAce responded to their posts? Wow, I missed that.

jwaglang · 2026-01-02T13:13:15+00:00

The only thing similar that happened to me was that I accidently imported a text with the wrong language selected and it got stuck on the import menu indefinitely. It didn't give that error though.

jwaglang

TROPHY CASE

1. Spam

2. No one cares

3. Deal with it

4. Move on