Job Discussion Forums

[Vaqueiro]

Has anybody managed to set this up?

[johnslat]

Dear Vaqueio.
I wouldn't worry too much about finding students. Of course, it will depend to some degree on just where you'll return to in the States, But I had no no trouble finding lots of tutorees.
You might want to make yourself known to the ESL Department(s) wherever you go. Not only can you (if you want) find part-time help there, but they will often also steer potential students your way.
Regards,
John

[killian]

the learning center at my university a decade ago paid $15 per hour to tutor exchange students. this is what led me to teaching.

[Nozka]

Finding privates can be tough, and it's not always reliable or convenient income. As killian suggests, you're better off working for the establishment. I tutored at a local community college while I did my MA. Though not well paid, it was a fun and rewarding job. I had lots of free time to study, I could choose hours which fit my schedule, and it got my foot in the door for a job after I graduated. Plus no preparation necessary! If the adjunct pool is low, they may even give you a class of your own. I could never figure out why my fellow grad students didn't want to work there.
Also try the local high schools for tutoring opportunities. I had a few of these gigs. I suspect that most university students who would want to pay for private tutoring are more interested in having you work as an editor, which raises obvious ethical questions.
In short, there are ESL opportunites around. Speak to your program director; I'm sure he/she has the low-down.

Peace,

Nozka

[jillford64]

What would be a good rate to charge for privates/tutoring of university students?

[Jetgirly]

In Canada I put up signs around the university during the summer (so, when not too many students were around) and I was bombarded with interest to the point where I was turning down students. I even had to turn down groups. I had MANY one-off requests for proofreading/editing, I had conversation classes with a visiting professor and I helped students at the English Centre who hadn't found many opportunities to actually speak to native speakers who weren't their teachers. Nobody wanted grammar-based instruction and nobody wanted to use a textbook. On their end it was pretty casual, but it did require a lot of prep work on my part. To keep track of who did what I had attendance sheets that the students signed each class where I wrote down what we did/discussed and checked off when the lesson was paid for. I charged $20 an hour. Were I doing it today I would charge more, but only because I now have a B.Ed as well.

I see that someone above me mentioned that there are ethical issues tied to editing papers. I'm a high school English teacher now, and I tried to think of how much editing I would consider acceptable. As a guideline, I thought about the amount of help I would give a student of my own who came after school and wanted help perfecting a paper before handing it in. I let the "customers" know in advance that I structured my editing in such a way that they had to be there so we could discuss their work and how it could be improved. If they wanted to email me a file, have me fix everything and send it back, they could call someone else.