Job Discussion Forums

[migot]

To those of you who make some extra income teaching on the side:


Strictly speaking, teaching privates outside of the contract is probably illegal, so it is obviously wise to not attract to much attention.
Bearing that in mind, what are some good ways to find students?

Particularly, has anybody ever advertised online successfully? And what rate do you usually ask for?

Asking a Chinese friend of mine, I was referred to this website, which seems like a Chinese version of craigslist.

http://china.baixing.com/

[Bud Powell]

If you are a good teacher, the privates will find you.

[Non Sequitur]

While you can make money with privates and I agree with Bud that they find you, be a little more definite.
One on ones gives risk of last minute cancellations and getting payment.
There are also varying locations to be commuted to.
I found steady but lower paid Saturday work at a locally owned language school best.
Set commuting arrangements
Paid even if some students didn't turn up
Possibility of fulltime work over summer holiday - especially good if you have re-signed for another year and continue living in your school accom.
I approached one school and was told the manager was away. I was then taken aside by a Chinese teacher who said she was starting her own school a few blocks away and would I be interested?
Get into low key conversations with Chinese and you will be surprised how doors open.

[Hatcher]

Word of mouth is the best advertising.

Your students will tell others. Also, show a sincere interest in them - most important.

[Fergie]

I just take 10 minutes after school to introduce myself to a new mother every day and let them know I am available to tutor. About one out of six eventually call me, and one was a hot single mom who wanted more than English lessons! Sometimes you will also meet the neighbors of the family and they will want recruit for you so long as their kids goes free.

[Walsh]

These days you have to be a little careful about this. The guy who lived across the hall from me was a full time student at BIEU and he does private tutoring on the side for extra cash. Two months ago I came home from work and the cops were taking him away in cuffs. He wasn't drunk or the violent type so I was a bit shocked and he asked me to keep an eye on his apartment because he might be gone "a few days".

His girlfriend told me two weeks later that he had answered some classified ad in thebeijinger.com for "Private English Tutor Wanted - 2 nights per week 300 per hour" and the ad was planted by the PSB! When he called the number a woman answered the phone and asked him to bring his passport or she would not let him in her home. He thought it was an understandable safety issue and agreed.

When he got to the apartment, the lady was nice, gave him a glass of water and then asked to see his passport. He showed it to her and so she agreed to start the lessons in two days. When he left the apartment building near Weigongcun, three cops stopped him outside the entrance and asked to see his passport. The woman was obviously in on it and was the spotter that alerted the cops he had a student visa in his passport.

The poor guy was supposed to graduate in June and get married in July. They just put him on a plane for Wisconsin just last week and he is not allowed to return to China for three years. They had no sympathy for his situation at all. I agreed to sell his scooter and 200 gallon aquarium if anyone is interested (pm me).

[LarssonCrew]

Walsh I simply don't believe what you wrote, I'm sorry.

I don't think the PSB are that interested in students making 600 RMB a week when they could be nailing Nigerians overstaying their visa and selling illegal drugs, or teachers illegally here making 15,000 a month.

Seven posts, posting this kind of thing, just don't buy it.

[Walsh]

[SH_Panda]

[LarssonCrew]

Other holes in the story , student's are now allowed to work upto a certain amount of hours.

Two, he didn't actually do any teaching, he only agreed to do it, so how did he get busted?

If I buy tickets to fly to Taiwan in May and suddenly it becomes illegal to go to Taiwan, am I to be arrested now?

And thirdly, 'be gone for a few days', how long would a person being arrested know they would be inprisoned for? Most times the police just ask questions for a few hours, shake you down and let you go.

[Walsh]

My friend, I saw him taken away with my own two eyes. You are welcome to email him and get the whole story right from the horse's mouth. According to the girlfriend, the police took his smart phone and got his text messages and calendar. He had been tutoring other Chinese for over a year. It just caught up with him and he thought he might win some leniency if he just told the truth and apologized. They stung the guy and God know who else is answering those ads that look pretty innocent to most people. This just goes to show that they have finally gotten serious about doing their jobs.

[Non Sequitur]

I'm concerned as most countries I know of are trying to attract international students and allow them to work around 20 hours pw*.
I think generally it is a question of reciprocity, but if China is reneging then I think countries which receive huge numbers of Chinese as students should put the heat on.
But have to say 'give and take' isn't a Chinese strength.
*PhD candidates have even more cruisy terms, than your average undergrad.

[Fergie]

Maybe they just don't want us here anymore after they have already gotten what they needed from us. They have thousands of returning Chinese who are fluently bi-lingual after studying abroad for 4 years who can't find jobs in their fields. They work for much less money than us too. Maybe our day in the sun is coming to an end in China.

If the coppers are now being so sneaky to sting people who are even working part-time, it tells me they resent us and want us to leave mates.

It use to be they wanted our white faces for that international image, but now they have big international chains like Disney, Pearson, etc. and I am seeing less white faces in the schools than when I first got here.

[Walsh]

[Non Sequitur]

I think we're going off the Chinese too.
The Thais are putting a brave face on it, but I wonder how long they will persevere with visa-free entry for Chinese?