New website "Lingo121" helps language learners find private tutors in cities across Canada
TORONTO, Oct. 12, 2016 /CNW/ - A new website opened to the public this week called "Lingo121" (www.lingo121.com). The site helps language learners find private tutors in cities across Canada, and joins a growing number of "peer-to-peer" websites like AirBnB that aim to make accessing services better, cheaper, and more convenient.
Language learners will find Lingo121 easy to use: they enter the language they're studying, and their city; the site then returns a list of matching tutors. The learner can browse tutor profiles to read about teaching philosophy, specialties etc., as well as reviews from past students. They can then book and pay for tutoring sessions all inside the site.
Lingo121 focuses on "real-world" tutoring sessions, not online. CEO Jeff Myers explains, "Online is convenient of course, but research shows that in-person teaching has better outcomes, especially for language learning; so we wanted to start with that." As for the one-to-one model, he adds, "A private tutor can really accelerate a person's language acquisition; the pace of learning is so much faster when there's individualized attention."
Tutors set their own hourly rates, which start as low as $20/hr. The site currently boasts 100+ tutors in 15 Canadian cities covering 20 languages, but recruitment is ongoing; interested tutors can apply directly from the main page.
Myers says he got the idea from personal experience: "I wish something like this had existed when I was finding tutors. It's much more convenient to have everything in one place, not to mention the peace of mind knowing someone has vetted the tutor".
Myers, who has a PhD in Adult Education from the University of Toronto (UofT), says the project got its start through a collaboration at the University, confirming UofT's status as one of the most productive startup incubators in the country.
SOURCE Lingo121
Press Contact: Jeff Myers (CEO) / 416-931-4362 / [email protected]
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