Job Discussion Forums

[steviok85]

Hi
Has anyone ever approached as many 'relevant' companies as possible in a city or country and offered lessons for its employees?
Have your efforts/tactics been successful?

I am currently planning to do this next May and have a city in mind where I would like to work. I am perfectly capable of getting work at a language school, but I know where my priorities rest.

I do not know if it will help, but I am planning to bombard myself with legal, medical and business English knowledge before next summer. I also have the usual qualifications.

Thanks

[contented]

I have a neighbor who did that. She got tired of teaching rugrats so she changed gears. She helped doctors with their presentations in English and would proofread for them. She did it until she was able to retire. I'm sure if you do it, you'll get a lot of offers.

[steviok85]

Yes, well I think it will be better to pound the pavement in this European city and present myself with what I have to offer. I got sick and tired of emailing language schools in the UK this summer that I feel my knowledge and ambition will be wasted if I do the same next time round.
Supposedly, the city I am aiming for is full of native speakers but competition does not bother me.

[riverboat]

I've thought about doing this. On the basis that the market is huge and that working directly with companies and cutting out the language school middleman, you stand to earn a lot more money.

But I haven't taken the plunge, mostly because the potential scheduling issues put me off. If you have to work with tons of different companies to make up the hours, I think it could get really stressful trying to juggle inevitable requests for flexibility, dealing with cancellations, trying to sort out any time off etc...at least with a language school that stuff is taken care of for you and you have a level of security (well with my language school at least)

Anyway I definitely haven't ruled it out with the future, and I'm sure it could be made to work and be a really profitable venture...I'd be really interested to know how you get on.

[spiral78]

I have some experience with marketing myself directly to corporations and also have a couple of friends who make a living doing this in European cities.

It IS feasible approach, BUT - it usually takes some time, local contacts, and local language skills to really make it work. If you're going to a 'new' European city where you don't know anyone, no-one knows you, and any negotiation you need to do must be conducted in English, I think you're likely to hit some brick walls. I'll put down some ideas below that myself and my friends have used in this situation - maybe it will be helpful.

On the language issue, most legal contracts will need to be in the local language, and it's still pretty common for HR and management staff to not be proficient in English, meaning that they may not feel comfortable negotiating with you on hours/wage/etc. You can mitigate this by speaking the local language and/or making sure you take a (reputable looking) native with you to assist.

For the 'local rep' thing, obviously any work you get in the city you choose should help to boost your chances of getting more. You may want to be sure to get letters of recommendation from as many students/companies as you can, and to create a portfolio you can show to others. The bigger and more reputable it grows, the easier it is to get more work. You could start this before arriving by putting together an overview of all the corporate work you've done to date, preferably with some letters of rec.

It's not easy to knock on doors cold to get in in the first place. Any friends you can make in the business world can be invaluable to help you get the contacts you need.

Also, keep in mind that some companies simply prefer to write cheques to an established school than to an individual, even if they get better service from the individual. It just looks 'cleaner' on their tax returns at the end of the year. So you may get some refusals simply because you are on your own.


Overall, I'd expect to have to do a language school gig at least part time while you're working on building direct corporate gigs. It can work well, but it takes a lot of hard work up front, and a bit of luck as well!

[Teacher in Rome]

Second Spiral's advice! Unless you're a known quantity, you'll be putting yourself at a disadvantage compared to your competitors. This is especially true of Italy, where language schools have cultivated their contacts in the ministries or at companies over a period of years.

Or are you trying to break into a market or sector not yet touched by language schools? Bear in mind that stagnant economies in Europe tend to cut training first (unless it's ringfenced like in the Netherlands).

If you're fluent in the language of the country you're going to, you could perhaps even start with a sideline (such as translation) and move from there. But even that isn't necessarily an easy option.

[steviok85]

I am leaning towards approaching prominent individuals rather than corporations as Spiral78 did. After some work in recent days, I have found over 1300 email addresses belonging to those involved with the law and doctors. The incredible thing is - I have barely scratched the surface.
I think that I have some good and bad things on my side:

Positive:
- I worked for the largest teacher training company in the region I am going to, and have a good letter of reference from them. The Director still acts as my referee and he could be the key.
- I have an MA in ELT. The knowledge of vocabulary learning strategies I gained from doing my thesis, and the medical and legal English I will be learning before next summer may compliment each other nicely.
- I have worked in the country for two years and can speak the language reasonably well.
- I will have plenty of free time between now and May to formulate my tactics, perfect my cover letters, and search for potential clients.


Negative:
- The city is swarming with native speakers, though I suspect that 95% have little experience and CELTA.
- I will only stay in the city for 10 days next May. Even if I get appointments and potential 'clients' then, I would not move to the city until mid-September as I will have to work in the summer in the UK. It might be tricky to say 'see you in four months'.

[spiral78]

It sounds like you've got a reasonable shot at it. You still might need to take some part time work at a language school while you build the business, but it seems you're developing some niche skills that can help. I've got one further idea that might be helpful in case you haven't thought of it already - consider contacting local universities that teach English for health care (and law, but that is a much smaller field).

[Glenski]

I have not approached any companies, but 1 or 2 have approached me when an adult student in my eikaiwa classes said their company wanted lessons, or when a colleague rounded up some company's students to chat over dinner about the possibility of doing lessons with them. Yup, the old word of mouth thing!

One tip I would give anyone who wants to advertise. Be careful how you send out email ads. A Japanese scientist I used to know said he recently got an email from someone at a university who was advertising proofreading services. The actual ad looked reasonable enough, but the guy had sent the email to about 50-60 places and had not done it via BCC. Result? Everyone's email address was shown. Not professional, my scientist friend said, and not something that instills trust in professional privacy. Of course, he deleted the ad and never responded.

Second piece of advice would be to have a business plan in mind. One can be flexible as you like, but you should consider how you will describe the lessons (content and structure) and fees (per person? per visit? per month? including transportation? on site?). If you want to give references, be darned sure you get permission to use their names!

[steviok85]

Thanks Glenski

Some useful tips, especially in the last paragraph

[uh huh]

Seems like some others took the time to give you the benefit of their expertise too.

[artemisia]