Job Discussion Forums

[Tracer]

I'm wondering if anybody out there has had much luck setting up private lessons?

I've been trying to get a couple of Polish students to teach one-on-one for a couple of weeks now. So far I've been completely unsuccessful at marketing myself. The two things I've tried so far:

1. Putting up posters at bus stops and around Warsaw University with my contact info/pricing.
2. Advertising on Gumtree.

(I don't really think these are the best methods, but I decided to try them anyway.)

So far I've received 0 responses. I know there is a huge demand for English here in Warsaw, so I'm amazed by my ineptness for marketing myself as an English teacher.

I want to try the paper next, but I'm not sure which one to advertise in?


By Contrast . . .
I put an ad on gumtree announcing "English for Polish." In it, I offered free English lessons to anyone who was willing to provide me with free Polish lessons. My inbox was inundated with serious responses. I got 10 to 20 emails per day and had to take the ad down just to stop the emails from pouring in.

I know they're out there and I'm just wondering how to get a few students to teach privately?

[Richfilth]

It'd be nice to set up, say, a "network" of reputable teachers in the big cities so that when extra work comes your way, you can pass it on to someone else if it's not in your district, price range or area of English expertise.

For example, I hate teaching kids, but I still get students asking me if I know anyone who will take on their 12-year-old son, or I get offered a tasty business student but they're in Wilanow and it's not worth the 1-hour-each-way travelling.

Most of the privates I am offered come off the back of my students recommending me to friends or family. However, they all eventually become unreliable and if you only have an informal word-of-mouth arrangement with them, you should NEVER trust them for anything other than disposable income; especially not University of Warsaw students.

[Mike_2007]

For privates worth doing you want to hit the upper managers, particularly if you can get them on a contract. These people don't wander around pulling numbers of lamp posts. If you advertise like a student, you'll get students, and that means few enquiries, low prices, loads of haggling, loads of cancelled lessons, long empty holiday periods, and no chance of a contract.

You need to do some research, mail some of the managers of the larger businesses in your catchment area with a well-present resume and introduction. You only need to get your foot in the door with one or two of them after which you'll get enough work through recommendations (assuming you're good, obviously) plus the chance of in-company work which is the best by far (less travelling for more hours, paid for all cancelled classes, and mostly reasonable hours).

Good luck!

[Richfilth]

What Mike says is good advice; bear in mind, though, that companies like to put the classes through the books (as expenses, so it's tax deductable, or at least so that it comes out of the company budget and not the student's pocket) and in that case, you will have to set yourself up as a company.

That's not to say it doesn't happen that you'll get a manager, but you might get a lot of rejections if you can't issue an invoice.

[Mike_2007]

Combining the two ideas would be great. Find a few other teachers in the area and only one of you need set up a company and all invoices and taxes for any in-company classes can be put through his company. I do something like this in Romania and it works out great. I have about 80% of my classes on the books, earning the steady money, and a few cash-in-hand privates on top of that. All of my classes are during the day, Monday to Friday and it wonderful to not have to lose my weekends and evenings. Being able to issue invoices also gives you an advantage over the competition.

[lundjstuart]

I will have to say that word of mouth is my best weapon! I'm in an elite group or demographic teaching them English. I do get weird hours but its worth it to me. Maybe if you start out with a school and advertise yourself to the students about their friends that want English lessons. I always give my students my business card on the first day but I always give them more, 2-5 more to pass on to others. It works great!

[Harry from NWE]

[Jack Walker]

I know a young guy looking for English lessons in Krakow.PM me if you're interested.

[lundjstuart]

Tracer: Hint for you, I wouldn't trade English for Polish anytime!
Do you live in Warsaw? I can give you a couple of classes if you do.

[Jack Walker]

I have 9 hours of private lessons per week.I just finished one25 minutes ago actually, and we spent most of the lesson talking about the attributes of various whiskies.

9 hours is quite quite enough for me as I work evenings in a normal language school setting.I also want to have a life.

What's the point of being in Europe if you are going to spend all your free time working.I try to find a nice balance.I

've turned down dozens of private lesson requests this semester already.All my students come to my home so that's a nice bonus.

I know Polish colleagues who work 7am-10 or 11 at night 6 days a week.They all look like they've been dragged through the ringer backwards with red eyes hanging out of their heads.

It's the Polish reality for many teachers.

Put in 60-70 hours per week to be able to afford monthly payments on that 250,000zl bunker and the 2004 Peugeot.

Private students are hit and miss.Some never cancel while others do it regularly.I always go out of my way to reschedule cancelled lessons as it's cash in hand.

[the new guy]

i gave up on private lessons, as there were toooooo many wishy washy students who always canceled with 5 minutes to go, full of crap saying they wanted to have months of lessons, haggling over the price of the lessons, bla bla bla

[dynow]

i hear that new guy. i did privates for a few months to earn some gravy last year, and haven't done it since.

i have one day during the week always free, and i will not fill that day with any private lessons unless some fat cat comes along and offers me a substantial amount of money to do brainless english lessons that require little to no preperation. otherwise, you put together stuff for them, they cancel, they reschedule, and it's just not worth the time and effort. at the very least, when you work for a school and your student doesn't show up, you still get paid for it.

[Kootvela]

To those who complain about how studens reshedule and cancel, I can tell once thing-it's entirely your fault.

I have been giving private lessons for 2 year and we always write a contract with cancellation policy clearly stated. Surely, if you work illegally, you cannot strike any deal whatsoever correct. I pay my taxes and file my tax return, I have private students on a waiting list for private classes and if they cancel, they pay for it.

[lundjstuart]

Its our fault for chasing the money? We have to survive somehow! It's our fault for our students having to go on business trips, meetings, and everything else that is out of our control? So its my fault that my students have to film? How do you think our students pay for our lessons Kootvela? I remember my mother telling me something about money not growing on trees!

I write contracts also with my students but that doesn't mean that they always follow them! What am I going to say? You owe me for 2 late cancellations, now pay up! You have to treat them with some dignity! After 3 late cancellations, I plan my time with another student. Time is money and money is time! Can't waste either!

[Jack Walker]

Precisely.My students are very busy at times.

They often have unexpected problems at work or business trips.

They usually notify me a few days before if possible.I like to give them the benefit of the doubt.

If our lesson is for two hours and starts at 9am but my student arrives at 9:15 because of traffic,I finish at 11:15.

Last week, one of my students had to cancel at the last minute and actually came to my house after work and handed me money for the cost of the missed lesson.

He said he wasted my time.I promptly gave him back the money and told him it wasn't necessary.I don't want to take money for doing nothing.

If you show your studenst respect they will always be loyal to you.That's the case with my students anyway.