Job Discussion Forums

[cordilleranevada]

heyall, sorry about that, but now I have your attention, I wanted to ask about peoples' experiences with private lessons. Specifically, where to offer classes that people are willing to pay good rates - I�ve heard that private lessons go from about 7000-12000 (pesos/hr), but people here in El Centro seem to think 6000, or even 5000, is a rip-off. Are people actually getting 7000 or more in Santiago, and would that only be in the super cuico neighborhoods like Las Condes, Vitacura, and La Dehesa? Is anyone making good $ in the more, well, normal parts of town?
Do people generally state their rates in their ads (flyers/newspapers), or wait to be contacted and then negotiate?
Where do y�ll normally get your class material - do you write it all yourself?
Finally, safety: I�m a little, well, sketched out by the idea of going to someone's home by myself, especially if it�s a guy and there's no one else there. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Weona]

Haha - nice topic name. Got a laugh out of me

Anyway, those are good questions, cordilleranevada, and I too am interested in hearing what others have to say as well. Most of my privates have been from ads I put in the paper or posted around university campuses. I don't state my rates in my ads mainly because they differ, depending on the student but I find that even if I were to do so, I wouldn't get as many calls.

I generally charge between 7,000 and 10,000 pesos per hour but again it depends on the student. I first find out what they're looking for from the classes and I come up with a price and have had no eye rolls or hang ups yet! Business men generally get charged 10,000 because of their specific needs (for business English). People just looking for conversation usually only get charged 5,000-7,000 because most of the time it is just basic conversation and there isn't much work that goes into planning for that. I write most of my material and get ideas from the internet.

Generally, the first meeting is in a public setting... cafe, restaurant, in a park, etc and I get a general feeling for the person that way. After that, the classes may move into the persons home (never my home).... but most of my privates actually continue to take place in public. Most of my private students are university students and I just go to campus and we head to the library (parts where talking is permitted) or private rooms on campus.

Oh - I should probably mention that I do not live in Santiago, but rather in Vi�a del Mar so that could change things a little, namely the price. I would not charge below 5,000 for private classes and 12,000 seems kind of high...no matter what neighborhood of Santiago. If the person wants classes 5 days a week then I would lower the rate but if it's just 1-2, I wouldn't do it for less than 5,000. That's by far cheaper than what they'd pay at any institute.

[eileen]

I have inherited some privates from people I know. Actually, one could no longer meet at the time we had scheduled so I now only have one. I only know one person who charges 7,000 or less, and it is generally agreed that she's not charging "enough." But she feels that her students don't have the money, and they go to her house, and I think she's generally happy with how it works.

I have a rate of 12,000 an hour and 15,000 for 1.5 hours, but one of my classes was in P. de Valdivia, and the other is in Las Condes. I make most of my living from the institute I work for, and just do this kind of on the side. But I know lots of people that charge 10,000 an hour, and have classes downtown. To be fair, we are all teaching English for at least 3-4 years and/or work for Norteamericano or other well-considered institutes, both of which I think drives up the going rate.

As for material, I have based my curriculum on what the student needs, and use photocopies from books that are level-appropriate, grammar texts, newspaper articles, songs and books. I don't write my own materials, because I figure there is enough really good stuff out there anyway. For group classes I would design activities, and I occasionally create clozes or something for my student, but it's really not necessary. FWIW, I agree with not having students over to your house, and I have only ever had private classes either in a cafe or at the student's office or medical practice.

The biggest problem with private students is that they can be unreliable. Family problems can wreak havoc on your schedule. It's best to take it seriously, establish a cancellation policy and hope for the best, because even the best-laid plans can fall apart.

Good luck!

[cordilleranevada]

Thanks so much for the info! You�re right, if someone has the plata for private lessons, they just might have an office or something. Didn�t think about that. I�m just curious about 2 things: what are clozes? I�ve never heard that term, though I am more of a rookie. And what does FWIW stand for, I�m just curious? Once again thanks

[eileen]

a cloze is a "fill in the blanks" exercise. I usually only use them to help students suspend their disbelief about unknown words, helping them to think about the definitions, or at least the parts of speech. I don't use them much, actually.

FWIW= for what it's worth

Hope you find what you're looking for in Santiago. There are definitely ups and downs! I can't remember when you're coming here (did you say?) but there's a week in July when kids are on vacation from school and many classes are cancelled, and the week before fiestas patrias (before sept. 18th) is kind of a dead-zone too. So be warned!