Tom

I had already tried a few teachers on italki and honestly had great experiences with many of them. However, Tom really stood out, and I think he is an exceptionally good teacher. I always had trouble “just getting the words out.” Of course, I still do, but I feel like I've finally reached the point where I can have actual conversations in Japanese. Tom manages to create an atmosphere where I don’t feel nervous at all. He speaks at a level that makes him easy to understand. At every moment, Tom is very attentive, incredibly friendly, and overall just a pleasure to talk to. One thing that makes the lessons valuable is the shared Google document where Tom writes down new words, corrections of errors I've made, as well as some useful phrases. This is very helpful for reviewing the lessons and preparing for the next one. If you are scrolling through these reviews trying to determine if Tom is the right fit for you, I am absolutely confident he is.

I've had quite a few lessons with Tom and honestly I still can't believe I was lucky enough to find him as a teacher. Our conversations are always so fun, I feel like I'm talking to a friend. He mixes formal and informal language and speaks in a way that is neither too easy nor too difficult. That way I still get a challenge without being discouraged. Also, Tom is always so nice and available when it comes to questions/ lesson changes/ scheduling/ etc. 絶対におすすめです!

Tom is a great teacher, he is super patient, willing to help, he has a super nice personality and on top of that he speaks very good English, so if push comes to shove you can rely on English to clarify things. I would highly recommend Tom.

First lesson with Tom was a lot of fun and very productive. We had a discussion early on about what my goals were and catered his teaching to my interests. It felt safe to make mistakes and really liked how he wrote out words and parts of our conversation I struggled with. Even though I'm by no means an expert, it felt more like a genuine conversation than a school lesson. It didn't feel like he slowed his speech down too much but kept his speech simple to understand. As a beginner, I find it's pretty hard to find input that challenges my ability to understand quickly - things are often either too slow or too fast. I felt like Tom scaled his speaking to match my level perfectly. I'd definitely recommend Tom to people who are interested in taking lessons but are maybe a bit nervous.

楽しかったです。先生ありがと👍

Tom was very nice and very helpful! The lesson went very smoothly and he was very patient. He offered great feedback and seems like he really enjoys teaching Japanese. He seems like a very kind person so my stress for speaking went away quickly after the lesson had begun. I would recommend Tom for all skill levels because it seems like he would have great feedback for all levels of Japanese!