Job Discussion Forums

[aisha]

what is the average one should charge for teaching a private class?

[Guy Courchesne]

Depends on where. Mexico City, you can get between 100 and 250 pesos per hour. Guadalajara - around 80-150. Small towns, probably not more than 100.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

I agree with Guy. It depends on the location. In the city where I am, most people I know who do private classes get between 50 and 100 pesos per hour. It also depends on whether you travel to the students or they travel to you, whether you're doing asesor�as (tutoring to prepare them to pass an exam) or actually preparing and giving lessons, number of hours per week, number of students in the group, and other factors.

[richtx1]

If you're teaching private classes, be sure to collect your pay up front, especially if you are working with individuals. People tend to cancel classes, or realize they have other priorities, and you're SOL. If you've committed the time and effort into the class, which presumably is your income, you want to be paid... and a private agreement isn't enforceable.

[MixtecaMike]

If you are a newbie you might find people aren't that keen to pay up front. Likewise, if you are an experienced and well-known teacher then you should be sufficiently respected so that your students wouldn't dare skip out without paying.

No shows can be a pain, but as long as the student advises you I think you have to just accept them. It's probably easier for you to find students than it is for them to find a decent English teacher, so if they are more than half-interested in learning English they won't do it too often.

[some waygug-in]

You'd be surprised at how often they do skip out, without notice, a simple phone call or even a sorry at the next class when they do show up.

Many of the privates I tried to teach simply didn't think there was anything wrong with skipping class without notice.
They were quite surprised that I would even complain about it.
I can't say this is a common trait of Mexican students, as I am only one person and I only taught a few privates, but this was my experience of it.

All I can say is......... good luck.

[moonraven]

I don't recommend giving private classes--for all the reasons other posters have mentioned.

If you need to supplement your income, it's less hassle to do translations or editing jobs--for which you can charge 100 pesos and up per page--if your language skills are good and you're a decent writer.

[Ben Round de Bloc]