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Fitzgerald
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 224
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 Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2015 7:48 pm Post subject: Working for Multiple Language Schools |
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Since language schools will generally not guarantee hours for part-timers, one can face the possibility of working for more than one school. philipjmorgan42 commented in another thread that some schools demand exclusivity, which I think is unrealistic.
Right now, coming off a three-month exclusive arrangement with one outfit that did not give me enough hours and did not pay me on time, I am looking at a combination of working for two schools and doing some private lessons (plus online teaching if I can ever get any - that is proving surprisingly difficult).
For those of you who have experience with this kind of set-up: When schools approached you with a class and you replied that you were already booked during those hours, did they roll with it and keep making you offers, or did they get peeved off and scratch you off their list? I would like to avoid this problem as much as possible by working for one school in the morning and another in the late afternoon / early evening, but even so, I can tell that the issue is going to come up. |
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BadBeagleBad
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
Posts: 1186
Location: 24.18105,-103.25185
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 3:12 am Post subject: Re: Working for Multiple Language Schools |
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| Some of both. I had one place insist I give one day´s notice and start working for her. Another place would send me emails with what was available and I could say yes or no, I wasn´t the only one being asked, though, so a couple of times when I was going to say yes, someone else got there first. Another place I told them when I was available and that was that. I would update them when there was a change. I was fortunate to find pretty good, stable long term classes with good companies that paid on time, so I wasn´t really looking too often. |
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Fitzgerald
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 224
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| Posted: Sun Feb 22, 2015 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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It turns out that one school wanted to secure my exclusive services and made me a reasonable full-time offer, which I accepted. I will also have one private student to start, and probably more over time.
Teaching "live" full-time, online gigs become trickier; but I am looking at Skimatalk, which allows teachers to indicate their available hours on a daily basis. Online editing and proofreading work is more time-flexible, of course, so I will definitely be doing some of that. |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 5:18 am Post subject: |
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You might also look into online tutoring services such as Smarthinking, NetTutor, or Brainfuse where, basically, you just give feedback on rough drafts of student papers so they can revise them before submitting them to their instructors for a grade.
Here's a review of one such service that I pulled from the Chronicle of Higher Education about six months ago:
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| If you are looking for part-time, online academic work, consider Smarthinking, an online tutoring company. I worked for Smarthinking for three years. You don't lead classes. The format is asynchronous. College students submit their work for review (schools, usually community colleges, subscribe to the service). When you log on, you simply go to your queue and pick up whatever is at the top of the pile. You review and critique the work within thirty minutes, save, and hit send. Then you pick up the next assignment, etc. You can schedule shifts around your own schedule, 24/7, and work as many hours as you want. You never interact with students in real time or are responsible for leading classes. They pay isn't great--$11 or $12/hour--but you can earn extra 5-8K a year to supplement your brick-and-mortar income. |
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Fitzgerald
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 224
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| Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 10:18 am Post subject: |
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| esl_prof wrote: |
You might also look into online tutoring services such as Smarthinking, NetTutor, or Brainfuse where, basically, you just give feedback on rough drafts of student papers so they can revise them before submitting them to their instructors for a grade.
Here's a review of one such service that I pulled from the Chronicle of Higher Education about six months ago:
| Quote: |
| If you are looking for part-time, online academic work, consider Smarthinking, an online tutoring company. I worked for Smarthinking for three years. You don't lead classes. The format is asynchronous. College students submit their work for review (schools, usually community colleges, subscribe to the service). When you log on, you simply go to your queue and pick up whatever is at the top of the pile. You review and critique the work within thirty minutes, save, and hit send. Then you pick up the next assignment, etc. You can schedule shifts around your own schedule, 24/7, and work as many hours as you want. You never interact with students in real time or are responsible for leading classes. They pay isn't great--$11 or $12/hour--but you can earn extra 5-8K a year to supplement your brick-and-mortar income. |
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Those are great leads, thank you! Time flexibility is exactly what I need. And an extra 5-8 K in Mexico would be HUGE. |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 12:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Fitzgerald wrote: |
| Those are great leads, thank you! Time flexibility is exactly what I need. And an extra 5-8 K in Mexico would be HUGE. |
Precisely. |
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AGoodStory
Joined: 26 Feb 2010
Posts: 738
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| Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Fitzgerald wrote: |
Those are great leads, thank you! Time flexibility is exactly what I need. And an extra 5-8 K in Mexico would be HUGE.
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Agreed. Really useful leads! Thanks, esl_prof!
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Fitzgerald
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 224
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| Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 3:58 pm Post subject: |
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I have already sent inquiries to Brainfuse and NetTutor. The Smarthinking situation is a little more complicated, for a couple of reasons. You need to submit an I-9 eligibility form in order to qualify, and it has to be "verified by [a] US notary." Only border commuters from Canada and Mexico are allowed to fill in an international address on an I-9.
BadBeagleBad had earlier recommended to me the possibility of doing test assessments for Pearson Education, one of the largest textbook publishers and the owner of Smarthinking. That job also presents the "making it look like you are living in the U.S." problem, and I'm not sure it's a game that I want to play.
On top of that, I have some qualms about what Pearson represents in the educational world (in the U.S., its home base in the U.K., and around the globe). It is a juggernaut sort of a company, and I tend not to like those. I'm not saying that I wouldn't work for them, perhaps, only that if it is difficult to qualify to work for them, I might not go to the trouble. They also have one of those cumbersome multi-page applicant registration systems where they ask for all sorts of information, which is a little off-putting (and typical of invasive juggernaut corporations these days). |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 5:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Fitzgerald wrote: |
| Only border commuters from Canada and Mexico are allowed to fill in an international address on an I-9. in the U.S." problem, and I'm not sure it's a game that I want to play. |
Since the purpose of I-9 forms is to prevent undocumented non-citizens from taking work from U.S. citizens, I'd say just fill out the form using the home address of one of your parents or siblings (with their permission of course). You're a U.S. citizen; there shouldn't be anything wrong with you seeking employment with a U.S. employer, regardless of where you actually intend to do the work from. You're certainly not violating the spirit of the law and, other than bending one corporation's in-house rules, I'm not sure you're even violating the letter of the law either.
| Fitzgerald wrote: |
| On top of that, I have some qualms about what Pearson represents in the educational world (in the U.S., its home base in the U.K., and around the globe). |
This, on the other hand, might be a much more compelling reason to seek out work with Pearson. |
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Fitzgerald
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 224
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| Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Good point about the I-9! But it might be difficult to get the U.S. notarization when out of the country. I think I'll see if I get a response from the other two companies first. |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Fitzgerald wrote: |
| Good point about the I-9! But it might be difficult to get the U.S. notarization when out of the country. I think I'll see if I get a response from the other two companies first. |
Indeed! That U.S. notarization of the I-9 almost sounds quasi-legal. I've never been asked to do that before. Short of going to a nearby U.S. consulate (which doesn't seem likely in your current location), that probably isn't going to happen. |
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Fitzgerald
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 224
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| Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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| esl_prof wrote: |
| Fitzgerald wrote: |
| Good point about the I-9! But it might be difficult to get the U.S. notarization when out of the country. I think I'll see if I get a response from the other two companies first. |
Indeed! That U.S. notarization of the I-9 almost sounds quasi-legal. I've never been asked to do that before. Short of going to a nearby U.S. consulate (which doesn't seem likely in your current location), that probably isn't going to happen. |
Mexico City is not that far, but I need a compelling reason to spend more than 500 pesos on round-trip bus fare. My prior experience with cumbersome and complicated application processes is that they are no more likely to yield work than less difficult ones, so I tend to look skeptically at them. |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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| Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2015 7:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Fitzgerald wrote: |
| Mexico City is not that far, but I need a compelling reason to spend more than 500 pesos on round-trip bus fare. My prior experience with cumbersome and complicated application processes is that they are no more likely to yield work than less difficult ones, so I tend to look skeptically at them. |
Very true. Since many of these places probably hire on a year-round basis anyway, you could just simply wait until you have other reasons to go to Mexico City, do the I-9s then, and submit your paperwork when you get back home. Assuming, of course, that you still need the work if and when a trip to Mexico City ever happens. |
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bdbarnett1
Joined: 27 Apr 2003
Posts: 178
Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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| Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2015 7:59 am Post subject: |
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| Fitzgerald wrote: |
| My prior experience with cumbersome and complicated application processes is that they are no more likely to yield work than less difficult ones, so I tend to look skeptically at them. |
Exactly my view. If it takes more than about 20 mins to apply, I am out, unless I have a really compelling reason to want it. |
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esl_prof
Joined: 30 Nov 2013
Posts: 2006
Location: peyi kote solèy frèt
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