How to choose an online Turkish teacher: 7 criteria

There are hundreds of Turkish teachers online. Most of them speak Turkish well, but speaking Turkish and teaching Turkish are not the same thing. I have taught Turkish to foreigners in five countries since 2012. These are the seven criteria I recommend when you choose a teacher.

1. Do they start by measuring your level?

A good teacher does not measure what you know in the first lesson; they measure what you can use. A program that starts without placing you on the Common European Framework (A1–C2) is probably giving everyone the same book.

2. Do they explain the rule, or make you memorize lists?

Suffixes in Turkish are not random. There is a reason why it is “evde” but “kitapta”. With a teacher who explains the reason, you learn a rule once and use it in hundreds of words. With a teacher who gives you lists, you memorize every word separately.

3. Do they take your native language into account?

A Russian speaker and an English speaker struggle with different things in Turkish. A teacher who knows where your native language is similar to Turkish and where it differs can prevent your mistakes before they become habits.

4. Are they trained to teach Turkish as a foreign language?

Ask them: do you have training, a certificate or institutional experience in teaching Turkish to foreigners? Knowing the grammar is not enough. Teaching it to a foreign learner, in the right order and at the right level, is a separate skill.

5. Do they make you speak?

If the teacher talks for most of the lesson, you are only listening. If you cannot speak as well as you understand, most of the lesson should be you speaking.

6. What do they give you outside the lesson?

A few hours of lessons a week is not enough to learn a language. A teacher who gives you material to work with between lessons (videos, tables, exercises) spreads your learning across the whole week.

7. Are their promises realistic?

Be careful with anyone who promises “fluent Turkish in three months”. A good teacher tells you honestly how long it will take to reach your goal and measures your progress regularly.

Start for free

On this site, video lessons, rule tables and exercises from A1 to C1 are free. First find your level, then watch the lessons. If you would like to work one-to-one, you can write to me.