Live, one-to-one learning
How 8Billionminds works
8Billionminds connects real people for live, one-to-one lessons, wherever they are in the world. Lessons are either paid, where the teacher sets the price, or free community lessons, where people share what they know and learn from each other. Here is how it works, whichever side you are on.
For learners
- Create a free account and tell us what you would like to learn.
- Find someone to learn from. Search by subject on Explore, then narrow the results by location, price, teaching type and skill level.
- Request a lesson. Open their profile and request a lesson in the subject you want. The teacher can accept or decline your request. For a paid lesson you pay securely through Stripe when you book.
- Meet in the virtual classroom. Lessons take place in the built-in classroom, with video, audio and a whiteboard.
- Review period. After a paid lesson you have 3 days to tell us if something went wrong.
For teachers
- Add the subjects you can teach, with your level and, for paid lessons, your own price.
- Connect Stripe. To offer paid lessons you set up a Stripe account and complete its verification steps, so that you can be paid.
- Accept lesson requests and teach in the virtual classroom.
- Get paid. We release the payment to your Stripe account 3 days after the lesson, as long as no dispute has been raised. Stripe then pays it into your bank account, usually within a day, depending on your country, bank and payout schedule.
Want the full picture? Read about teaching on 8Billionminds.
Community lessons: learn for free
Everyone who joins is part of our free learning community. You can share something you know and learn something you want from other members around the world, all without money. No payment is involved, and you do not need a Stripe account to take part.
The virtual classroom
Every lesson happens in our built-in virtual classroom, which is free to use. It has video, audio, screen sharing, a whiteboard with annotation tools, file sharing and chat. We ask everyone to teach and learn inside the classroom, because it is how we can confirm that a lesson took place if something goes wrong.
Payments and safety
Payments for paid lessons are processed by Stripe, so 8Billionminds never sees or stores your full card details. We hold the payment until 3 days after the lesson, which gives students time to report a problem. If there is a dispute, we pause the payment while we look into it. Any contribution to 8Billionminds is completely voluntary.
The details, including refunds, cancellations and disputes, are in our Help & FAQ.
Questions
Is it free to join?
Yes. Creating an account is free, and community lessons are free. Paid lessons cost whatever the teacher has chosen to charge.
Do I have to use the virtual classroom?
For any lesson booked on 8Billionminds, please teach and learn in the built-in classroom rather than moving to another app. We rely on it to confirm that a lesson took place if there is a no-show, a refund request or a dispute.
Can I cancel a lesson?
You can cancel free of charge at any time before the lesson starts. Please do it as early as you can, out of respect for the teacher. You can rebook another time that suits you, also free of charge.
What if something goes wrong with a lesson?
Report it within 3 days of the lesson through the dispute area. We pause the payment to the teacher while we look into it, and we aim to reach a decision within 5 business days. You can read more in the Help & FAQ.