Job Discussion Forums

jfurgers · Joined: 18 Sep 2005 Posts: 442 Location: Mexico City

Does anyone ever have students who want to get together for private lessons that focus only on unplanned conversation? No books, no tapes, no classromm.
Many of my students ask me if I can get together with them sometimes to just sit around and talk. Sounds fine with me because that would probably help them more.
If you have students in Mexico who would want that kind of set up, what would be a good rate to charge? If I have enough students who want to meet for an hour or two, I charge all of them $5.00 per hour so if I have four students that's $20.00.
Not much per student but it keeps them coming back because it's only $5.00.
I also have some students who want to pay me by feeding me. This happens a lot when I go to their homes. Has anyone experienced that in Mexico? A friend of mine was in Japan teaching and he said he nevre had to buy his lunch throughout the week because someone would always buy his if he would spend the time talking with them.
Sounds like a pretty good set up.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Sure. I do intercambios with people all the time to try and improve my super-crappy Spanish: we spend half the time talking in English, then switch over to Spanish for the other half of the exchange.

I wouldn't charge students money for lessons because my students have no money (and I believe it's against my contract anyhow) but I would certainly be open to having a friendly discussion over some delicious Mexican food! Razz

MELEE · Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 3:24 pm Post subject:

In Japan, I also did the lunch in exchange for conversation thing. One was a group of three and we went out to fabulous restuarants I never would have been able to afford otherwise. Another was with one women and we cooked Japanese food at her house. So she practiced her English while teaching ME how to cook Japanese food! That was great.
I haven't done it here in Mexico. But there was a guy who was willing to stay at a certain bar, Speaking English, as long as there was a beer and a pack of cigs in front of him. Once either of the two were no longer filled for him, he'd leave. Laughing

cwc · Joined: 16 Nov 2005 Posts: 372

Thanks for the laugh!! It sounds absurd to me to teach for food. I�m not saying it is bad. Just absurd and very funny.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Hey, at least it cuts out the pesky middlemen in the market.

MELEE · Posted: Tue Feb 21, 2006 2:58 pm Post subject:

And its not like teaching rather than just speaking. It doesn't invovle lesson planning, materials, or anything, like a language exchange conversation partner, but instead of doing it half in their language half in yours, its all in yours and they provide the food. In Japan at that time, an inexpensive meal cost about twenty-five dollars. I was taken to restuarants where lunch ran about a hundred and fifty dollars.

Ben Round de Bloc · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1946

I've never thought of it as work, but I have small groups of former students who invite me out from time to time to practice their English. Even though the conversation usually reverts to Spanish within an hour, they insist on not letting me pay my part of the bill. We usually go to a bar familiar, a type of family restaurant-bar common in Merida, where customers pay for the beer or drinks, and the traditional Yucatecan food is free. These places are open from around noon until 8:00 p.m. Most have a kids' play area, live music, and a laid-back atmosphere.