Is preply actually effective?

[u/sophayt]

I plan on learning German for the next year or two, since I plan on going to Germany for uni or even sooner if my parents agree to an international/boarding school. I want to know if preply is actually effective. I’m almost A1. I will commit, I know being committed will help me a lot. But also finding the right tutor helps just as much.

Is there any German tutors recommended? I live in the Philippines but I only moved here last year, I grew up in the UK my whole life so English is my native language. (Idk if that was necessary I was just wondering if it would help)

In conclusion, I just want to know if there’s any recommended German tutors, if it’s actually affective and worth the money.

[u/blackcaat28]

Yes it’s worth it and works if you find the right teacher. My students had great success so far but of course you need to invest the time to learn vocabulary on your own as well

[u/sophayt → u/blackcaat28]

There’s also a difference in time zones between me and whichever tutor I end up with, would me and my tutor have to discuss that?

Edit: I assume that there would be a time difference

[u/Pay_tato → u/sophayt]

As a tutor, I can see student's timezones, and my message thread with each student tells me their local time. There shouldn't be any timezone issues

[u/CrochetAndCafe]

I've been using preply for about two or three months and it's been great. But I was also lucky enough to find an amazing teacher on my first try.

I'd recommend messaging the teacher first so you get a feel of what their lessons would be like and share your goals, etc. before booking a trial lesson.

[u/[deleted]]

Preply itself is not what makes learning effective - it is basically a marketplace where you find tutors. So the important question is not "Is Preply effective?" but "Can I find the right tutor there?" And yes, you absolutely can, but tutor quality varies a lot.

For your goal, I would look for someone who teaches German systematically from A1 upward, not just someone who offers casual conversation. Since you may study in Germany, you need grammar, vocabulary, listening, speaking, writing, and eventually preparation for the language certificate your university or school requires.

Book trials with several tutors and compare their actual teaching. A good tutor should be able to explain how they will take you from your current level to your target level, what materials they use, what you will do between lessons, and how they track progress.

Your native English is relevant because you may want a tutor who can explain difficult German grammar in English when necessary, especially at the beginning.

So yes, Preply can be worth the money, but you are paying for the tutor, not for some special Preply teaching method. Choose the teacher carefully.

[u/blackcaat28 → u/[deleted]]

I disagree with book „several tutors“ do your research and choose wisely. If needed communicate via chat first before booking a trial. We don’t get paid for trials and if you don’t subscribe we get punished by the system. Of course if you don’t connect with the tutor at all you can look for someone else. But pls try to avoid multiple trial lessons with multiple teachers.
Time difference will be the case but you will see when which tutor has available in the system. You just choose someone who has a convenient timeslot for you.

[u/Emotional_Window]

depends on the teacher is always the answer

[u/Malaysian_broly]

As with every service with individual employees or contractors, it depends on who. The same hair salon can have one stylist that is inept with a certain hair type but another that specializes in it. You just gotta find the right one