Job Discussion Forums

[Kurochan]

Hi --

I have this private student who I'm prepping for the entrance exam of a British university program. I'm charging 200 RMB an hour. Am I being reasonable? That's what I usually get for classes, and I get a bit more for recordings. Is it too much? Considering that the kid lives in Shenzhen and his parents can afford foreign university tuition, is it okay, or is it wrong of me to charge the same amount for one-on-one lessons as for classes?

If I did charge too much, what can I do? Is there I was I can reduce the cost or give back some of my salary without making his dad lose face?

-- K.

[Steiner]

If it helps your conscience, you can donate the money to a charity. I suggest the Steiner Travel Fund Organization. I assure you it is a very worthy cause.

[MyTurnNow]

Nooooo!
You are being entirely reasonable, especially for a place like Shenzhen. 200 per hour is fairly sweet but not at all out of line for the big cities.

Your skills are valuable. So is your spare time. There's no reason an hour of your time to teach one person intensively should be worth less than an hour distributing your abilities over several people. Any time you spend teaching is time you can't spend shopping, or watching movies, or practicing your tai ji, or drinking tequila shooters, or dancing on tabletops for drunk Singaporean business weasels, or whatever it is that's your idea of a good time when you are off duty. Get what you think is fair and attractive for that hour...or walk away from the deal.

Take the money and buy something really, really cool with it.

MT

[Minhang Oz]

If they accepted the price without demur, then that isn't a problem. However, you'd better hope the kid passes the exam, as that's the implicit understanding. I got in a similar bind a few years back. The father was a multimillionaire real estate dude, kept sending presents, taking us to dinner. The belief is we can somehow influence the result, as happens here. I was sweating! She passed, but I swore not to do that kind of thing again. Trying to give back money would be the wrong thing to do, as well as saying you have no belief in the student - or yourself.

[Roger]

Take what you can, girl, and don't worry about your student's finances! How did they become so rich in the first place in a country where the majority make 200 in a month or two???
Besides, do you go to your student's home, or does your student make the commutes??

There are some obscenely wealthy people in Shenzhen (and elsewhere)! When I was living there, my boss loaned me to a former writer turned printing shop owner.
As a writer, he had all the connections to the Party, and as an entrepreneur he was free to make as much money as he decided! He had two luxury homes in a block of flats, one for his two kids, one for himself and his wife!
How much did he consent to pay for my lessons?
The same amount that 20 students combined paid in my regular classes - and he had to provide transport for me.
Three times a week, I spent a leisurely afternoon in his kids' home. The kids were rather bored but relatively well-behaved, and their father even invited me and my girlfriend to an outing on a weekend.
My boss gave me a special bonus - 1000 RMB.
Peanuts, considering that that tycoon had paid him 9'000 RMB for 36 hours!
That was in 1995!

[beerdang]

I'd take as much as I can and give some to the flower girl on the street instead of refunding anybody.
At one time all these construction company owners were the richest.
When I saw the living condistions of the workers, I wondered if the irish and chinese got better treatments to build the cross continent railroad more than a hundred years ago.
Who can tell me how long it will take China to become a more equal society?

I think a good communication with the parents is vital. It is not trying to make them understand what you are doing. I am sure they don't. It is keeping them informed what you have done and what their child has done in case things are not working out. Perception is important.