Job Discussion Forums

bauerke · Joined: 03 Feb 2007 Posts: 11 Location: USA

I just wondered if anyone had any idea as to whether it is legal or possible to make extra money outside of a standard salary, i.e. overtime, or private tutoring? What is the real scoop on this?

Jizzo T. Clown · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 7:27 pm Post subject:

Where

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Legal depends on where. If depends on you. I've seen and heard of people doing translations, interpreting, acting, modeling, getting dolled up and feeding Japanese executives (there's a thread about that somewhere), being a prostitute, writing, being a tour guide, and much more.

bauerke · Joined: 03 Feb 2007 Posts: 11 Location: USA

Guy just gave me some great ideas! (excluding the prostitute)... Actually, I'm going to be going to Korea soon and just wondering if it was at all common for people to earn extra income giving private lessons on the side? Ofcourse, if it will earn a little extra I guess I could still dress up Very Happy

jpvanderwerf2001 · Joined: 02 Oct 2003 Posts: 1117 Location: New York

My gigs:
* Private students. Very easy to get in most places, IMO, if you're a native speaker. The highest demand, I've found, is with school-aged kids and with the "desperate housewife" crowd;
* English Club. I've started an English Club here. I found 9 people who wanted to speak English (only speak, no class/homework) and then found a location where we could meet. I come up with topics and talk with them for 2 hours a week. I charge them each $70/month (could've charged more if I'd wanted) for very little time/effort. This is very easy to do. The hardest thing was finding a location (mine's in a coffee shop);
* Voice-overs. When I was in Ukraine, I did a number of voice-overs, for educational videos, at $50 a pop. That was pretty good cash when I was making only $300/month!;
* Male prostitute. Oh, just wait, I don't actually get paid for that...;
* Commercials. It's easy to get commercial work when you look different than the locals. Little time/effort involved, and usually enough cash for a night--or two--out!

Good luck.

Moore · Joined: 25 Aug 2004 Posts: 730 Location: Madrid

Translation is a good sideline

Jerezgirl · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Jerez, Spain

How much would you charge for translation?

Moore · Joined: 25 Aug 2004 Posts: 730 Location: Madrid

quote "How much would you charge for translation?" ...between 4 and 8 cents per word: it's really not very well paid, at least not here in Spain, but as the OP was asking about extra income it's pretty good for a bit of extra cash - it's really a very lonely and boring sort of job which requires a lot of extended concentration though.

Jerezgirl · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Jerez, Spain

I�ve been toying with the idea of doing translations as a bit of a side line for a while. Like you say, not great for a main job but for a bit of extra cash that you can earn from home and do in your own time, why not?

Moore · Joined: 25 Aug 2004 Posts: 730 Location: Madrid

quote "you can earn from home and do in your own time, why not?" ...the only drawback is that translations are usually urgent, two or three days max., or over the weekend: working from home sounds pretty idyllic, but it's amazing how tiring teaching can actually be, even if you've been doing it for a long time, so you really need your evenings and weekends to unwind, instead of spending your entire weekend with your nose next to your monitor doing an incredibly tedious technical translation. That said, I suppose that's the drawback of any work you do on the side to supplement teaching wages.

Don't get me wrong: it's a good source extra income, but it's monumentally dull most of the time!

Sorry OP, probably best get back on thread! Very Happy

MELEE · Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 5:23 pm Post subject:

Translation work can also be very specialized. I often have to do it as part of my job, not for extra money. Abstract of articles on topics like drought resistant chile pepper breading, and calibrations for optimisation equations for fruit packing plants. Not exactly easy or interesting work, but I am expanding my English vocabulary by leaps and bounds! Shocked

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

I do the odd translation job here, charging between 10 and 20 dollars per page. I don't have time to take on massive jobs, so they are never more than 10 pages or so. Usually technology related.

I was offered an audition for an infomercial once, but turned it down without asking about the pay. I didn't ask, but I didn't want to run the risk of being a Before the Buttmaster example.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

Be VERY careful about doing private lessons in Korea! From what I've heard on these boards, it is very risky. PLEASE CONFIRM THIS. Your work visa is tied to your job in Korea, so if you are fired for doing that, you lose your work visa.

movinaround · Joined: 08 Jun 2006 Posts: 202

shuize · Joined: 04 Sep 2004 Posts: 1270

This may be a silly question, but for those who do translation and charge by the word, you're counting based the original rather than the completed document, right?

In additition, for anyone who does technical translation in Japan, I was recently approached to do some specialized translation. I wouldn't mind getting started doing this on the side. Any suggestions on a fair price quote?