Job Discussion Forums

[GregX999]

Hi,

I'm starting to plan my career change to teaching English and I had a couple questions about being a private teacher/tutor as opposed to working for a school. (I currently work freelance and have gotten use to being my own boss... )

Basically, what countries is this feasible (as an American)?

I know countries like Argentina and Costa Rica are easy to stay in indefinitely on tourist visas by just doing border-runs (or paying a small fine when you leave the country).

I wouldn't think I'd find much work in Costa Rica at "reasonable" rates. (Unless maybe in San Juan, but I wouldn't want to live there.)

But I'm quite sure I could find a decent amount of work in Buenos Aires and be able to charge a decent rate. (I lived in Buenos Aires for 6 months last year and I'm good friends with a girl who teaches Spanish to foreigners.)

Does anyone else here teach 100% private lessons with just a tourist visa in any other countries? Anywhere in Latin America, Asia, North Africa, the Near East?

Thanks,
Greg

[naturegirl321]

Latin America might be a good choice. Here in Peru you can stay 183 days in a year, I think in Argentina it's 180 days. Though here in Peru, there was a dollar a day fine for overstaying your visa, they just did a major upheavel of visas, and no one, including immigrations knows what's going on know.

Keep in mind that I'm pretty sure it's illegal to earn money on a tourist visa anywhere, whether it's working freelance or for a company.

Take a look at immigration requirements for the countries you want to live in. Figure out about languages, knowing a language will help you get classes. And then just jet off to where you want to be.

[Glenski]

As for Asia, I can speak for Japan. You need a proper visa to do any sort of work, even teach privately. Moreover, getting students is not that easy, and keeping them can be even more difficult. Not many people live off private lessons here unless they have a formal private business of their own, and even then, as I wrote, Japanese students can be very fickle and drop you at the drop of a hat.

[Anda]

In China you can get more money teaching privates in the big cities but you need a work visa. Most privates you teach at their places and travel time can eat into you time. Get a regular job for 16 hours a week and do privates on the side. The other thing is generally once you are away from the big cities where the money is then it is hard to find private students that can afford what we charge.

[keitepai]

I know of a teacher in Istanbul (American) who lives very well off private lessons, did have a part time teaching job at a school but quit in favour of private. Rates charged are from 60YTL - 100YTL you have to go to their house, if you arrange your lessons well you can reduce travelling time, ie inner city on Tuesdays etc.

The majority of teachers that I know in Istanbul do have a legal job and do privates on the side.
It takes time to build a client base for private lessons and is through word of mouth here.

I think there is a 3 month tourist visa for Americans in Turkey, it was for us (NZ). Then you do a border run or apply for residence if you have a legal job. You are deported if you are caught working illegally and banned for a certain time. Also if you overstay you can be banned from re-entering.

[Mike_2007]

I'm sure it's going to be illegal to live off cash private lessons whilst staying on a tourist visa anywhere in the world, so the real question should be 'which countries allow me to stay indefinitely as a tourist with minimum hassle?'

If you're an EU citizen you can pretty much stay as long as you like in any EU country without having a job.

Some countries have a policy of only allowing you in for 90 days out of 180 or 180 out of the year, which makes border hopping difficult Sometimes these policies are not enforced by the border police, but would you want to take the risk?

I taught privately in Turkey for 5 years but I had a residence permit (but no work permit) so I could live there indefinitely but couldn't work. Nobody seemed to care - I was even teaching one of the local police chiefs! Income was very good, about 2000 Euro per month usually, but it included a lot of evenings and weekends which was what finally got to me in the end. What's the point in earning all that cash if you no longer have a social life?

All the best,
Mike

[naturegirl321]

[Mike_2007]

It's a bit heavier in Romania. I think the fine for overstaying your visa is quite hefty, certainly not a few dollars anyway.

[Glenski]

[keitepai]

Maybe because he has lived and worked like this in Turkey - you get a bit desensitised to the rules here. No one cares

[Kootvela]

Once you get deported from an EU country, all EU countries have this info and the moment they scan your passport in the customs, you might start packing your stuff for a journey back.

[spiral78]

The current penalty for overstaying the 90-day tourist limit (for North Americans and Aussies) in the EU is a 5-year ban on re-entering the Schengen zone. I don't kinow for certain if there is any monetary fine involved, but I don't think so.

[Glenski]

Japan is a land of "case by case" scenarios. You will be blacklisted from returning, whether for 1 or 5 or 10 years.

You might also face detention (23 days without a lawyer, but with daily grilling), further incarceration (you don't want to be in a Japanese prison), monetary fines (up to 3 million yen), and deportation at your expense.

[Anda]

Back around 1990 most English teachers were illegal in South Korea and Taiwan. Things have changed a lot since then so it isn't very smart to think of bypassing the regulations these days. I did 16 months back them doing visa runs out of South Korea every three months on a tourist visa before I decided to go back to Australia and put myself through Uni.

[naturegirl321]