Job Discussion Forums

[Cebuman]

I am due to start a PS position in Taiwan next month. I am wondering if there would be the possibility of getting a high paying business class at the weekend in HK. I would need to cover my flight from Taiwan returning the following day and I would want something like £500 for the class. Is this a possibility to get in HK? Someone on here said they earn over $100k a year freelancing in HK so I suppose a class like this might be obtainable. I doubt it would be in Taiwan.

[Jmbf]

What do you mean by a business class? Do you mean corporate training work or private tutorials for adults with a business focus? 1-1 or group lessons? Also, 500 pounds for the class? Would that be your total earnings for the weekend? Once you factor in flights, classroom rental, materials, accommodation, meals etc etc I'm not sure how much you would be left with.

I've done this kind of work but it is mostly carried out during weekdays.

I won't say it's impossible but it would there would be a lot of obstacles to overcome, namely:

Building up a reputation and a client base
Finding a suitable location to teach from
Working out visa issues (do you have the right to work freely in HK?)

Doing all these things remotely would be very difficult.

[Cebuman]

Yeh I think your right. It will be too difficult to do remotely. I don't have the right to work in HK at all but I am not bothered as I would just say I am going on a shopping trip each weekend. Also doing it every week would be tiresome. It might be possible to sort out one-off teaching classes and try and pocket a grand GBP or so though. Like once every three months. Perhaps it's possible to get in Taiwan but looking at jobs in Taiwan, it seems to be a $20 an hour place. Also I am only too aware that students don't always keep coming to classes. They drop out for one reason or another. I have been in Korea 6 months and at one point, I had 3 privates going but 2 dropped out after a monoth. I have my eye on the NET positions in HK though.

[Jmbf]

Don't get me wrong, the private tutorial industry in Hong Kong is still going strong. An in-demand tutor can make HK 5000 (approx 500 pounds) or more in one day BUT it's not a situation that you can just walk into and expect on day 1. It takes a lot of time and effort to develop your reputation and client base and it take a lot of organization to do it all correctly.

[Kowloon]

Sounds like fantasy tbh. The idea that a group of people will pay you 500 quid for a class once every few weeks.

[Jmbf]

500 quid for a single class no. But 500 quid for a days work (if it's regularly scheduled), yes that's possible but with conditions (as I briefly mentioned earlier).

[Cebuman]

500 quid for a day not a class. I couldn't manage it in Korea though. Everyone goes to hakwons here. Someone on here reckoned he makes well over $100k a year as a freelance teacher in HK. Who is it? How does he make so much money in HK? Why is HK so special for making that kind of money?

[Jmbf]

[Cebuman]

You make more than a head teacher at an international or UK school then. Great! But I think that most EFL jobs in HK pay about 20,000 HKD a month.

[Jmbf]

[CEB]

I would agree with those estimates

[Kowloon]

[Kowloon]

[Jmbf]

I don't have the full details but this is what I was able to guesstimate (this from my own post in March of last year responding to a request for Senior Lecturer salaries at CUHK).

Assistant Professors at CUHK make between HKD 45-58K / month (*some may be eligible for housing allowance on top of that)

Lecturers at HK universities in general earn between HKD 28-48K / month

As Senior Lecturer positions fall between Assistant Professors and Lecturers, I think it would be safe to assume that a Senior Lecturer would be earning somewhere between HKD 40 - 50K / month plus perhaps some accommodation allowance.

Again, this is largely guesswork. If someone actually has some hard data to contribute that could firm up the figures somewhat.