Terms and Policy Center

How to be a Local

Learn to be a Lingochats Local

Before a Conversation

  • Review the application requirements and initiate the process on the Become a Local page (only available to Learners).
  • Please review the User Code of Conduct.
  • See how User Ratings (1 being the lowest, 5 the highest) affect your Commission Rates.
    • Note: We do not collect or publish written feedback.  After the conversation ends, the Learner has 48 hours to rate the Local.  After 48 hours, and no rating, the Local automatically receives a score of 5.  
  • Understand the following guidelines, provided to Learners during the rating process, for evaluating Locals:
    • Score of 5 - "I found this call valuable and would be open to another call"
    • Score of 4 - "I found value, and the effort was there, but there was something lacking"
    • Score of 3 - "I found a little bit of value, but overall it was just 'OK'"
    • Score of 2 - "I didn't get much value, and there were issues with manners or effort"
    • Score of 1 - "I found the Local to be either apathetic, inappropriate, threatening, or abusive"
    • Note: Learners are also advised that "the overarching goal for Lingochats is to facilitate authentic and often unpredictable conversations (similar to an interaction that you would experience if you traveled to a host country).  It is not designed to be a teacher/student model where you would expect curriculum or other criteria for language learning.  Please keep this in mind when you rate the Local."
  • Try not to overprice your conversations.  Depending on your region (e.g. cost of living, purchasing power) in the world, the recommended range is from 3 to 8 credits.
  • Please be responsive during the booking process.
    • Try not to let a booking request linger too long in a pending state.
    • Try to respond to messages in a timely manner.
  • Try to participate on the Topic Board by creating and/or showing interest in existing topics. 

During a Conversation

  • Please enable your video.  
    • If you have a valid reason not to (e.g. anxiety disorder, disfigurement), please communicate to the Learner prior to the call  
    • For obvious reasons, enabling video is mandatory for sign language.
    • Note: Body language is an important factor in any communication, and without video; there is a higher risk of receiving a lower rating.
  • By being a Local, you are committing to a 15-minute conversation duration.  
    • Try not to be more than a minute or two late joining the Zoom and starting the conversation.
    • With 20-minute time slots, there is some buffer time in case either party is a minute or two late. 
    • Try to keep track of the exact start time, so you don't attempt to end the call early by mistake.
  • Try to adhere to the chosen topic category or specific topic as much as possible.
  • Try to accommodate the unique needs and requests from the Learner (e.g. does the Learner want you to correct their pronunciation?).
  • Try to speak at a level as close as possible to the proficiency level specified by the Learner.  For example, if the Learner speaks at an A2 level, try speaking at A2 or lower B1.
  • Other tips:
    • Be friendly and patient.
    • Empathize and gauge the Learner's comprehension and level of frustration.
    • If the Learner doesn't enable video, please consider asking them to.  This helps you read and analyze their body language and adapt as necessary.
    • Switch languages (e.g. to the Learner's native language) only as necessary and at a minimum (unless the Learner requests differently).  

After a Conversation

  • Immediately after the conversation ends (or as soon as possible), please mark the conversation as "Complete".  This will trigger the 48-hour user rating period.
  • Please be proactive and message a Learner, if you anticipate that there were any issues with the conversation (try not to wait for a negative score).  
  • Although there is no official mechanism to rate Learners, please let us know (by Contacting Us) if a Learner is/was in violation of our User Code of Conduct and/or acts inappropriately in any way.
  • If a Learner rates the conversation with a score of 1 or 2, we will notify you prior to initiating a Conversation Audit and making the score official. 
    • We ask the Learner to contact you directly, prior to submitting a 1 or a 2, but we'll give you that chance as well.  If you concede that the Learner has a legitimate complaint, you have the option of providing a partial or full refund (To do so, view your Recently Completed Conversations).  Please message the Learner and attempt to get an agreed upon amount prior to issuing a refund.   
    • What is a Conversation Audit?  We use tools and analytics provided by the Zoom platform.  If necessary, we'll watch the recording.
  • Please consider leaving us feedback (by Contacting Us) as often as possible.  Lingochats is a new service, and your feedback would be greatly appreciated.