Job Discussion Forums

[kanjizai]

Just a quick post so I can get some feedback from you guys/gals out there about private students. Just so you know, [u][b]I used the search function.
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Well, I have quite a few private students and all was going well, I thought. I have had a rash of privates canceling recently and Its starting to bother me. Of course the money is an issue but its happening so much I'm starting to wonder is something else is gong on.

With all of my pivates, I have tried to identify goals that they want to reach from the first meeting. The problem is that most of them are quite uncertain about what they want to achieve. Of course, they say they want to improve their English ability but not much more than that.

So as a dutiful teacher I set out out to find lessons that would suit some needs I think they have and try to find lessons that are "interesting" . But, Im starting to hear that it is difficult and I can see them losing interest and then suddenly they have this or that come up and the lessons become more sporadic.

I just cant wrap my mind around this. Id like to know what steps other people have taken to deal with similar issues. Im really looking for suggestions.

Thanks!
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[RingofFire]

Sounds like these students are not necessarily "fickle," just directionless.

You are the teacher. You are responsible for setting students' goals. By talking with students at the outset, you have to assess what they're good at and not so good at, and then tell them where they must improve in order to "improve their English ability," as they would say. If they agree with that, you'll have their attention. If they don't agree with those goals, at least you can negotiate with them because now you have some idea of what might be going on with their English studies. But the work on details has to begin before lessons actually take place. It is important, especially with Japanese students of English, that you show students that you are tuned not just to what they want but what they need, and show that you know what that is in great detail.

Sometimes I don't know what I need to do in order to build my Japanese proficiency, sometimes I also need my teacher to tell me all the things I'm doing wrong. Because of language ego, that's hard to realize without someone else telling me. If that doesn't happen, I'll more or less be content with where I am with my Japanese, and ease up on the studies, and perhaps lose interest altogether. If I have a direction, on the other hand, and the realization that someone knows the direction to take and can guide me there, motivation won't be a problem.

In short, a lot has to get done in that interview process where you set up your strategy with your student as to what you plan to do with them. It's important to invite ideas from them as to how they would like to approach English study, but also as a teacher, you have to lead them to new goals they didn't consider. That curiosity goes a long way to keeping them interested.

[Glenski]

Students often don't know exactly what they want, but I disagree that the teacher alone has to set the goals. Work together.

You really haven't given us much to work on here. A large number cancel on you at roughly the same time? I'd say your lesson planning is more to fault than the students' goals. Did you actually discuss their goals specifically with them, or just make a stab at it yourself with some do-it-yourself lessons? I'd say they heard your prices were good and/or that you were a nice guy, but after a few lessons, they just realized they didn't like the way you taught. (no offense, but this is all I can come up with given the lack of info) What did you do in those "interesting" lessons?

I had a few privates quit on me. All gave valid reasons. Husband was transferring. Or, their preparations for the overseas trip was over, and they went on their trip. Or, the test they prepared for was scheduled. Only one guy surprised me; he was studying with a friend that was much lower level. I thought his friend was going to quit, leaving me with a good student who was motivated. That lasted a few classes, and then he simply said he had no more time. Out of the blue on the last class for the month. No warning.

Most EFL teachers in Japan have no training whatsoever in SLA education or theory, so how can they assess students' needs and goals?

[Khyron]

[RingofFire]

[Wintermute]

I have taught private lessons for nearly 3 years now and I have learned a lot in that time. The most important thing I learned was not to treat them as students but as customers seeking a service. After you realise that you have to identify what kind of service they want. Most of my students just want to talk to a foreigner with a little correction here and there to maintain the facade of a lesson. Others really want a lesson format and feedback. Yet others just want an hour to talk to someone who doesn't belong to their social circle - one of my students even enjoys using Japanese in his lessons and asks me to translate what he is saying. It's fine to be backed up by theory but private lessons are far removed from the classroom. If you lay down 'goals' and 'levels' most of them bolt within the first 6 months. If you can get beyond that 6 month mark then you can really develop good friendship networks. In terms of behaviour, don't come across as superior to them just because you are the 'teacher' - have fun and enjoy yourself. In a way it is kind of like hosting.

[king kakipi]

[Wintermute]

So very very true

[ironopolis]

[tanuki]

Hey there Kanjizai!

There have already been some really good points brought up already so I'll try not to repeat too much.

There is one really fundamental point that has been raised a couple of times, though, that I think is worth repeating:

* You need to know why students are REALLY taking private lessons.

Not why they INITIALLY SAY they're taking private lessons, but why they are REALLY taking private lessons.

Let's take a bit of a crass, albeit honest and, I would wager, common example: "I want to learn [language] to pick up chicks/guys". Now who is really going to TELL you that--particularly on a first meeting?

So even after you do the stuff that I am about to recommend, I would still suggest keeping your wits about you as to where the client takes the most interest and the topics that he or she often brings up or most wants to pursue. You'll want to roll with these and incorporate them into your lessons--even if there are other mutually-agreed, overarching priorities or goals.

I've had cases where someone has engaged me to supposedly help them do ABCD&E, but after a month or so they admit that what they're MOSTLY looking for is just conversation practice (or XY&Z). I think you'll find that this is pretty common. It might be a way for them to slowly back out of your lessons, I suppose. But my experience has been that if someone wants to end their series of lessons, then they simply end them; we are after all dealing with adults.

Right, so let's make a bit of list. A sort of "Steps to Take":

1. Needs Analysis

The first thing you need to do is a good Needs Analysis. BUT...
**Danger Will Robinson! Danger Will Robinson! ** This can very easily backfire so allow me to run through it. (If you're au fait with this bit, jump ahead to #2.)

i. Go here and read about Needs Analysis:

http://www.ireallyrecommend.com/needs-analysis.html

There is a set of SUPERB articles and resources that you will find useful. (Thank you, Alex!)

ii. When you meet your client the first time, explain that you would like to get to know a little bit about them, but while you are doing so you are also going to assess their level of English and take some details that will make planning a series of lessons easier for you and--more importantly--relevant to them.

*** YOU, as the teacher, can CLEARLY see the value of a needs analysis, but quite often clients cannot for some reason. I still haven't worked this one out! So you have to make it really, really clear to the client (without being patronising, obviously) PRECISELY HOW going through this process is going to benefit THEM. Yes, of course it's going to benefit you in lots of ways, but what do they care? (Most of us when we are in the role of "consumer" are totally unreasonable and oblivious to things like this.)

The potential problem here (and hence the robot arm-waving above) is that if you don't make it explicit how this can help THEM, the client will probably be thinking (even if not really front-of-mind consciously, but probably EXACTLY that!) "Hey, I'm paying this joker 50 bucks an hour and he wants to play journalist with me?"

To this end, then, you have to make it crystal clear that the information you are collecting is so that you can make the best series of lessons for your client in order to meet HIS or HER needs.

iii. Provide a written summary of this in your next lesson for the client (keep a copy for yourself and let the client know you have created a special file with his/her name on it and that this document is in there).

The purpose of this is to let the client know that there are some goals laid out to work towards. It also demonstrates your professionalism by showing that you are treating him/her as an individual and that you're not just printing some crap off the internet 10 minutes before your lesson.

Let the client know that these goals can, of course, be altered and changed as freely as they like, but ONLY in consultation with you. Why? They may not see the need for this sort of consultation at all. You need to let them know, though, that you are planning a series of lessons (it's no accident I've used this phrases several times already) and you have almost nothing else to go off except this document--which you put together with information they told you!

Get them to go over it with you on the second meeting and AGREE that you got it right. If not, amend until you have some clear goals to work towards and priorities have been established (and why) and THEN you can move forward; Both of you are now accountable.

If you feel that they are moving away from what you gathered in your initial interview, bring it up with them in the next lesson and perhaps re-negotiate the goals.

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2. Terms

Get students to agree to a contract. Not on the first meeting. Tell them at the beginning of the lesson (or even before, preferably) that your terms are as follows:

* first lesson is 15-20 minutes longer than the standard lesson, but they only pay the standard lesson rate. They'll ask why and this is where you explain the Needs Analysis (not using those words!) for the first time. Just briefly. Get them thinking about it.

* that if they are happy with the first lesson and wish to take you on, they will need to agree to 4-lesson sets of lessons, paid in advance. Now, depending on your reputation, your appearance (yes, and do refrain from PMing me or replying here about this; I've never had any trouble getting privates, even with hair down to my arse and two eye-brow rings so don't get on your high-horse over this one. Your appearance DOES count), the client, how long you've been in town, who recommended you (if anybody), etcetera... some people will balk at this. Fair enough. Test it and see. If it works, fine. If not in your situation, work out something else, obviously. But you want to try and get away from the week-to-week gig.

* make sure they have your contact details and ask them to EMAIL you AT LEAST one day in advance (i.e. 24hrs--email is date-stamped) if they need to re-schedule a lesson. Make it clear that if they don't do this, they forfeit this lesson. I wouldn't want to work with anyone who thinks that this is unreasonable. I make my plans for the week based on knowing that on this day, from this time to this time, I am working with MrXYZ. It takes me a certain amount of time to organise things around this and possibly even travel to our meeting place. Cancelling means I am unable to reschedule MY time to do something else more productive.

Obviously, cut people some slack from time to time if something really warrants it, but otherwise respect your own time. If you don't they won't.

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3. Technical Skills for Private Clients

Go and buy this book about teaching privates:

http://www.ireallyrecommend.com/privates-1.html

It's definitely not cheap (it's around $50 at most bookstores), but it made a WORLD of difference to the way I went about doing private lessons!

AND... I was able to take a bunch of stuff over into my regular classroom teaching too, which was nice.

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4. Breaking Through the Standard Privates-Game Income Threshold

Check out this ebook (well, more of a report, really) that I found recently about altering your mindset and some of the tricks of the (privates) trade:

http://www.ireallyrecommend.com/privates-2.html

It's about 20 bucks. It's really, really short. The sales page is awful. And I really should write to the author about the number of typos in there (typical things like "your" for "you're" and vice versa, "it's" for "its", etc. I may well have made some of these mistakes in this very post!)...

...BUT... if you re-read it a few times and really DO what he says to do, then you WILL increase your income from privates and probably get more loyalty from them as well.

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5. Resource File

Get a folder and some plastic sleeves and start collecting resources and worksheets that you think would be good for use with private students. Divide your folder into several sections, or have several folders: general conversation, business vocab, situational roleplays, business roleplays, etcetera.

ALWAYS have two or three copies for each sheet. At the end of each lesson either choose one (based on the lesson or recurrent problem areas or whatever--but some kind of PERSONAL reason) and give it to your client to complete for next time. Or ask THEM to choose something for next time, which might well reveal things that did not show up on your initial needs analysis (and which may or may not be worth pursuing with more of the same later).

Ask them to do it between now and your next meeting. If they don't, tell them you WILL go through it in the lesson--which would not be very cool, but you expect them to do it!

There are a few nice things about this in my opinion:

i. it gives a little "kick in the pants" that they have to review what you've done and constantly be working on building their vocab, etc.

ii. it lets them know that you are well-prepared (even if it's for a conversation lesson--which you would obviously have different "homework" worksheets for). This shows that you are professional and that you are thinking about them as an individual.

iii. you respect their time and realise that it's costing them a decent penny so you don't want them to be doing some worksheet for 20mins that they could easily have done at home during the week. Take 20mins to go through the answers, discuss language points, expand on it and turn it into a roleplay or discussion point or whatever, but don't spend 20mins DOING it on their time and then 20mins on the "real" work it forms the basis of.

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That's probably enough for now. If I think of anything else, I'll come back and re-post. Any questions, feel free to PM me. Posting here is probably better, though, because I'm sure a lot of other folks are interested in this topic too.

Best of luck with it all!

Tanuki

[ndorfn]

loads of students, like new members at gyms etc, lose interest when they don't get the magic pill they expected.

don't worry about it, just factor in the drop-off rate.

[cafebleu]

I tend to agree with those who think that the problem generally (not always) lies with the misguided expectations of the private students as well as with their egos. It is also very problematic if you agree to teach groups for set fees (which benefit them, not you) and their levels are mixed.

I'm a qualified teacher with a long track record of teaching ESL and EFL (certification has been achieved there as well) in various countries. In Japan I discovered quickly that it wasn't worth the stress and annoyance of teaching privates to get tax free money.

I found Japanese private students with a couple of exceptions to have overly tender egos. If the lesson was pitched at their true level (which I am confident I assessed correctly with my teaching experience) I often found the lower level students' egos were dented.

They then requested 'level up' English which again - dented their egos as it was too difficult for them. Something I foresaw but they insisted on this or that textbook or this or that material or whatever. A general rule of thumb with privates is that 'lower level students' includes just about anybody who is not genuinely conversant in English with a reasonable vocabulary and decent practical use of grammar.

Groups were the worst. I was once roped into taking over a group of medical staff (nurses and clerical support workers) in a hospital by the guilt trip placed on me by a friend who was leaving Japan. That class epitomised everything that is vexatious about teaching English to people who lack a solid commitment and solid knowledge of English but want 'English to be fun'.

The group ranged from 1 reasonable speaker, to a couple who were not good especially considering they had studied English for so long at school, college and elsewhere, to those who could not tell you what they did on the weekend in 1 or 2 simple sentences. A bad combination.

The reasonable speaker said the class was too easy, all the others whined it was too hard. I had a lot of material I took time in preparing or finding but it was always 'not fun' or 'too hard', even the conversational games that I used successfully teaching for years. I made my excuses and quit 3 months after taking over a class that was supposed to be for one year.

The money wasn't worth it - they got me on the cheap and I thought it was peanuts getting what I was getting to teach 6 people. It wasn't really a 'private' gig re the money - other teachers were getting what I got in one class of being frustrated by 6 people to teach one on one with students who were good speakers.

I have to be honest and say I think the Japanese are very difficult to teach as privates. They are too easily offended by the notion that their English isn't as good as they think and to be honest I found the majority of Japanese I taught in my time there to be unjustifiably low in level given all the years of experience they had in learning English.

Before you pull out the old chestnut 'Oh but they learn grammar', well - that's the fundamental basis of speaking a language. You learn those basics and then you can apply them when you start taking conversation seriously.

I didn't mind that so much as the inflated sense of English speaking skills so many Japanese have when in fact many cannot speak 1 or 2 simple sentences without the missing case and prepositions. These same people behave humbly on the face of it (I can't speak English) but when you actually start teaching them they resent your positive guidance and mistake correction.

Stay away from privates unless they're company men who have lived outside Japan. They pay you well and treat you decently - and most of them have enough openness to learning English to let you correct them.

[alexcase]

[Glenski]

[Kootvela]

Sometimes people just have problems with priorities in life. First they think they do need English but expect to pay and be endowed with the knowledge. Language learning is a hard and black work for both parties involved. Some of my students cancel because they suddenly decided it's not that important as they have previously thought. Some remained as part-time students of mine.


You have to tell your students that you can only guide and help but the majority of learning is to be done by themselves.