Hi, I'm new here but I'm planning on teaching English in a year or so in Korea. I just quit my job so I could concentrate on finishing up my college but I've been thinking of doing private English tutoring to supplement my income and gain some experience. There are a lot of Koreans in my area that may be able to use an English teacher.
Basically, I was looking for some advice on how to get started.
What would I do in the first lesson to assess their skills depending on whether it was an adult or child?
What kind of program should I use?
How much should I charge and should I do it by half hour or hour lessons?
Any and all suggestions would be appreciated since I'm really brand new at teaching English professionallly. Thanks!
Kevin
Private Tutoring
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tomballjerry
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Wed Nov 08, 2006 9:51 pm
- Location: Houston, TX
My comments are based on teaching adults, so I hope this helps.
This may seem simple, but the first thing to do is to find out from your students what they want. Often, they will be upfront with you: "I want to do well on the TOEFL test", or "I want to improve my pronunciation and conversational abilities." Sometimes, they will be very vague about their goals, in which case you will have to try a little bit of everything (grammar, listening/speaking, reading/writing). No matter which way it goes, you will most certainly have to spend the first session assessing their abilities in all areas as well as trying to find out their personalities and work habits. Depending on how well you accomplish these things in the first session, you can get an idea of how the rest of your meetings with them will go in the future.
Again, the material you use will depend on what you find out at the first session. There are lots of books available that cover the main points. The NorthStar series for listening/speaking or reading/writing are particularly good, and they have up to 5 levels. I personally recommend not relying on books too much when it comes to one-on-one lessons. Use logic and common sense in adressing the needs of each student. Keep a written record of what you cover in each lesson and review what you previously covered when you meet for the next lesson. Of course, if you don't feel quite experienced enough to do this in the beginning, then use a book as a guide. Just don't go through the book mindlessly. Be sure that both you and the student leave each lesson, if possible, with a sense of having accomplished something. This requires focus in the lesson and patient practice on your part.
Pay -- I teach mostly Korean students in Houston at an institute, and then I supplement this with tutoring in the afternoons. With about three years of good experience under my belt, I charge $25.00/hr as I had heard of other teachers charging the same. I was concerned that it might be a little high, but after hearing from more than one Korean student that it was "cheap", I decided to stick with it. Some teachers charge $20/hr, and I've seen as high as $45/hr depending on experience and location. Start where you feel comfortable and then go up from there as you begin to sense your own abilities as a teacher. You will find out. The main point is to give every bit of energy that you can during each lesson. The students can sense this and they will be willing to pay for that sort of attention!
Lots of luck with your work!
This may seem simple, but the first thing to do is to find out from your students what they want. Often, they will be upfront with you: "I want to do well on the TOEFL test", or "I want to improve my pronunciation and conversational abilities." Sometimes, they will be very vague about their goals, in which case you will have to try a little bit of everything (grammar, listening/speaking, reading/writing). No matter which way it goes, you will most certainly have to spend the first session assessing their abilities in all areas as well as trying to find out their personalities and work habits. Depending on how well you accomplish these things in the first session, you can get an idea of how the rest of your meetings with them will go in the future.
Again, the material you use will depend on what you find out at the first session. There are lots of books available that cover the main points. The NorthStar series for listening/speaking or reading/writing are particularly good, and they have up to 5 levels. I personally recommend not relying on books too much when it comes to one-on-one lessons. Use logic and common sense in adressing the needs of each student. Keep a written record of what you cover in each lesson and review what you previously covered when you meet for the next lesson. Of course, if you don't feel quite experienced enough to do this in the beginning, then use a book as a guide. Just don't go through the book mindlessly. Be sure that both you and the student leave each lesson, if possible, with a sense of having accomplished something. This requires focus in the lesson and patient practice on your part.
Pay -- I teach mostly Korean students in Houston at an institute, and then I supplement this with tutoring in the afternoons. With about three years of good experience under my belt, I charge $25.00/hr as I had heard of other teachers charging the same. I was concerned that it might be a little high, but after hearing from more than one Korean student that it was "cheap", I decided to stick with it. Some teachers charge $20/hr, and I've seen as high as $45/hr depending on experience and location. Start where you feel comfortable and then go up from there as you begin to sense your own abilities as a teacher. You will find out. The main point is to give every bit of energy that you can during each lesson. The students can sense this and they will be willing to pay for that sort of attention!
Lots of luck with your work!