Sifting through loads of ads on Craigs List or having difficulty defining a search for what you are looking for at Google can always be frustrating.

Don't let the endless search wear you down.

An up and coming Web site called TeachStreet has defined the hunt for those looking for that class, coach or instructor that use to seem so unattainable.

Also looking out for teachers, TeachStreet is out there to help those on the search for students who want to learn the tricks of any trade.

Inspired a year and a half ago when he was searching for a motorcycle class so he could ride his bike, Dave Schappell, founder and CEO of TeachStreet, called and searched for every and any store that could help but had no luck.

It wasn't until he found a posting on a bulletin board, he finally found what he was looking for and realized that the search for such learning tools needs to be made easier.

"He wanted something that would make classes easy to find rather than looking at posts and bulletin boards so he created the Web site," said Sam Niccholes, online marketing associate for TeachStreet.

"TeachStreet was made to be an aggregated place to find what you want to learn in particular areas in Seattle," said Niccholes. "It's not e-learning, it's connecting with local instructors, tutors, and teachers locally."

Similar to Yelp, a search engine providing information and giving individuals the opportunity to write reviews on different categories such as restaurants, shopping, arts and entertainment and nightlife in different cities across the U.S., TeachStreet serves the same purpose just in the world of learning and education.

All at no cost, teachers, instructors and coaches have the capability of uploading their profile and information making it easy for searchers to find the right teaching aid.

One of the most popular teachers to date is Ballard tennis coach Chris Lewis.

"Last summer I put up a profile on TeachStreet and pictures and really I was only planning on teaching a couple hours a week through friends or family and the day I put it on there, I was getting two or three e-mails or calls a day," said Lewis. "They just slammed in. I started teaching 10 to 15 hours a week. I was hitting about 12 people a week with a total of 20 hours a week both group and single lessons."

Getting all his calls purely from TeachStreet, what helps Lewis the most with the flow of students was the option for students to write reviews and rate his lessons.

"They rated me out of one through five stars and in turn that kind of put me at the top tennis listings, which was great," said Lewis. "It was way more successful than I expected, I'm not a techy guy but I didn't know how these start ups take off but by far it surpassed what I thought it would do and gave me a bunch of tennis business.

Planning on expanding their services, they've launched a site in Portland last August and recently this month to the Bay Area.

"We've been pushing for the last few months and the Bay Area expansion is really exciting. We'll be adding more than 65,000 additional classes, teachers and schools...more than doubling on our 50,000 combined from Seattle and Portland," said Niccholes.

For more information, to post a profile or to find a teacher visit www.Teachstreet.com.

Allison Espiritu may be reached at 783-1244 or allisone@robinsonnews.com.