Ostado

What Ostado is

Ostado is an online marketplace for private English lessons. The home page describes it as "an online tutoring platform that helps students to find a proper English tutor in a safe and secure online environment", where learners see "every tutor's resume, skills, nationality, and all vital information needed for choosing a private teacher", compare tutors and pick one. It serves language learners first, from children to adults, and it also recruits English teachers who want to tutor remotely. The home page publishes three headline figures: "+1,000,000" tutoring hours, "+49,000" online students and a "4.9/5" student feedback score. On its background it says: "With 8+ years of local success, Ostado is now going global with WorldStartups' support." The stated priority is "to make learning English easy and affordable". The About section adds two promises, "Quality assured, support guaranteed" and "Your satisfaction, our mission", and states the goal as to "reshape private tutoring globally". The company also runs a magazine of articles on learning English, exam preparation, immigration English and teaching English online, which feeds both sides of the marketplace with guidance.

What learners can find

Ostado is English only, and its search is built around the reasons people learn the language. The tutor categories cover:

• Tests: IELTS, TOEFL, ESOL and AP. The site's own article menu also has sections on IELTS, TOEFL and English for immigration.
• Ages: kids and adults. The FAQ says "No matter what grade or age you are", and that Ostado "can help you find a proper tutor for yourself or your child".
• Level: tutors for beginners and for advanced learners.
• Skills: reading, writing, speaking, listening and conversation.
• Subjects: business English, intensive courses, literature and ESL.
• Dialect: British, American, Canadian and Australian English, so a learner who needs a particular accent, for an exam or a move abroad, can filter for it.
• Location: tutor pages grouped by city, including Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver in Canada and Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and New York in the USA.

Lessons themselves are online. The FAQ answers the question of which countries and cities a learner can study from with "All the learning processes in Ostado are online. So, no matter where you are right now!" The video type listed in the search menu is Skype.

How booking works

The home page sets out three steps. First, "Select your ideal tutor", choosing from "1500+ top-quality options". Second, "Book a lesson": the learner picks a time on the tutor's calendar and books the classes. Third, learn, and give feedback afterwards. Each tutor has an introduction page with their resume, skills, nationality and rate. Ostado also says it will "help you narrow the selections" and says it is committed to suggesting a tutor "by focusing on the skills you need", so a learner who is unsure can ask for a suggestion rather than search alone. The home page lists secure payment methods for paying through the site.

Prices

Tutors set their own rates. The FAQ explains that rates "differ based on factors such as the tutor's experiences or the course level", that there is a price range on the tutor list to choose from, and that "you can always see every tutor's rate on their introduction page." The home page does not print the range itself, so a learner compares rates tutor by tutor. On the tutor side, the company's article on tutoring marketplaces tells English tutors that "you can set your own rates" and that pricing also depends on whether lessons are group or one-on-one.

Tutors and quality control

Joining as a tutor starts with signing up and writing up skills and a resume. The FAQ says "We will evaluate your resume, and after qualification, you can start your job as an online English tutor!" Accepted tutors get an introduction page that students worldwide can view. Ostado's article on tutoring marketplaces says it selects only top tutors for its team and closely monitors their performance, and says tutors "are hand-picked based on their qualifications and experience to ensure they are able to provide top-quality tutoring."

The same article lists what tutors get. Ostado recruits "based on the number of requests per course" and encourages tutors to take on as much as they can, and "each tutor has a dedicated supporter who handles administrative tasks efficiently, allowing you to concentrate on teaching." It mentions tools and resources "from interactive whiteboards to educational materials", and says tutors can "connect with like-minded people, share resources, and collaborate on innovative teaching methods through Ostado." Teaching is a remote job "where tutors can work from anywhere and anytime." The duties it lists for an Ostado tutor include adapting lessons to the learner's level, assessing student progress, giving constructive feedback and suggesting resources. A tutor testimonial on the home page credits Ostado with the chance to "teach and earn from anywhere, anytime."

The article also makes market claims, calling Ostado "one of the largest online language tutoring marketplaces" and describing it as a vast marketplace "especially in Canada". These are the company's own descriptions.

What the experience is like

For a learner, Ostado works like a directory with booking attached. You choose by test, skill, dialect and age group, read a tutor's resume, check the rate, then book a time on their calendar. Lessons are private and online, so they fit around work or school, and the learner can switch tutors by booking someone else. Because each lesson is with one tutor, the content follows what the learner and tutor agree, whether that is IELTS speaking practice, business English for meetings, literature for a student, or conversation for a beginner. The 4.9/5 feedback score is a site-wide figure; individual tutor pages carry their own information.

Who it suits

Ostado suits English learners who know what they need and want to choose their own teacher: an IELTS or TOEFL candidate looking for an exam specialist, a professional who wants business English, someone preparing for immigration to Canada, or a learner who wants a particular accent such as Canadian or Australian English. Parents can also use it to find a tutor for a child, since the search covers kids as well as adults. Tutors who want remote English teaching with administrative support and a profile visible to students worldwide are its other audience.

It is not a course platform: there is no self-paced curriculum, no recorded lesson library and no certificate, so learners who want a structured program from beginner to fluent will need to agree a plan with their tutor or look elsewhere.