Job Discussion Forums

[R]

Hello peeps.

Here is a nice, roundabout, general sort of query for you:

Private Students?

Is it as rewarding (with the right students) as I imagine it to be? Is it sensible to teach in your own home? Is offering a free first lesson-come-interview a good idea? Have you had any hilarious, weird or frightening experiences?

As I say, a general enquiry looking for any kind of info or anecdotes on the subject. Not country-specific or anything. Just think of it as a sort of conversation-starter.

Rob.

[Shaman]

Greetings Rob.

I found private lessons to be far more rewarding. It's up to you inre: location. I liked separating home from work, so taught at the student's home. Sometimes a neutral site is preferable (eg. coffee shop). I think you're on the money with the freebie as a first lesson. It's a good faith gesture that starts the relationship out on the right foot. IMHO, it lands you more referrals too.

Shaman

[scot47]

In the Middle East, Problem Number One with private students is getting them to pay you !!!!!!

[Kent F. Kruhoeffer]

Good Morning Rob:

I've taught a fair share of both private students and group classes over the past 14 years.

Strangely perhaps, I find the group classes to be much more rewarding and invigorating in the sense that 'one-on-one' teaching can sometimes drag out and become rather boring. After the umpteenth one-on-one session with the same student, you know basically everything about them, and they about you.

With small groups of 6 to 12 people, on the other hand, there's just a lot more give-and-take involved ... a group dynamic, if you will. Discussions are more lively, interesting and diverse. On top of that, there's always one student in every group who's a little more advanced than the others, and this student can help others within the group to understand some of the more difficult concepts of grammar and vocabulary.

So ... if I have my druthers, I'd take a small group over a private student any day of the week, but that's just me!

OK: it's time for me to sign out of here and enjoy my Saturday off. Have a nice weekend everyone!

Best wishes,
keNt

PS: In the second paragraph above, you'll notice that I said 'invigorating' and NOT 'invigilating'.

[Tripmaster Monkey]

Privates are kind of a double-edged sword.

On one hand, you can really get to know your student and provide specific help in the specific areas that need help. You have no problem with pacing since you can slow down and speed up as the two of you see fit. If you're preparing a student to go overseas, you can tailor things to their destination and really personalize the whole experience. Your private will be much more likely to stay in touch with you, which means you get the satisfaction of seeing your efforts pay off.

On the other hand, all of this tailoring means more work for you. This shouldn't be a problem if they're paying as much as you get for group classes. But, if they are a side job, it's easy to kind of slough them off. Payment is another sticky area. Since they're kind of like your friend, it can be awkward when they're behind schedule. My advice is to always work out payment in advance. Also, cancellations are a big deal since you will not be getting what you had budgeted. If you're going to them, travel time is a consideration, moreso if you have teach multiples and the traffic in the city where you live is horrendous.

In my opinion, it's about 50/50 between good and bad. The single most important factor, though, is motivation. I love to teach privates who know what they want to learn and will tell me if they see changes that could make lessons better. I hate teaching students who are passively silent and don't have any inkling of what they'd like to learn other than English. This is especially dangerous with teenagers whose parents had the idea for them to study privately. Over time, I've found that I can break most out of this mode, but it often takes precedence over actually learning anything, and it's a hassle that I'd rather not deal with.

Nowadays, I only teach privates that my school sets up for me. They take a cut of the money, but it allows a third party to deal with payment and cancellations. It's also something that virtually every school sooner or later will ask you to do because there's always a market for it. So, it's a worthwhile experience and, for me, quite different from the classroom. In other words, a nice thing to get familiar with.

Hope this helps!

[R]

Hi people,

thanks for your responses. Something to chew over...

Rob

[johnslat]

Dear scot47,
Over here, if you don't get the money up front - BEFORE the class - there's a good chance you'll get stiffed.
Regards,
John

[scot47]

John you are 100 percent right as usual. This is one reason why I NEVER give private lessons here in Saudi. Another reason not to do this is that students here have the strange idea that the teacher should do everything - including learning on their behalf. Attempts to get the student to learn something usually end in confrontation. Who needs it ? I will stick to my official classes.

[Wolf]

Well, R, you asked for anecdotes regarding private lessons, so here you go.

When my EFL school in Japan went belly up last year, it was my only source of income. I had been a part time Japanese language student on the sly rather than teach more (also trying to preserve my sanity - a futile effort I guess. )

Anyway, my firends and family call me on my first day of unemployment. They ask me after a while what all my co - workers are going to do now. I said without thinking:

"Oh, they're all living off their privates."

I forgot. None of them are EFL teachers. For them, to "live off one's privates" means, well, maybe I should have posted this on one of the prostitution threads....

For all you newbies out there, that's NOT what we mean when we ask for money up front before a "private session."

Is is....

PS Here's a sentence from an assignment a student handed in to me:

".... the invigilators handed out the papers."

And later:

"The invigilators walked around the classroom."

If it weren't for Dave's I would have been ignorant....

[Mike_2003]

I find private lessons extremely rewarding. It's a marvellous feeling when one of your students comes top in his university exam or returns from a business trip full of confidence because he was able to deal with his foreign colleagues more comfortably.

I always give private lessons in my home; anywhere else can prove too distracting for the student. Offices are terrible: constant interruptions from other employees and phone calls and the student often finds it difficult to suddenly take his mind of whatever project or task he was previously engaged in. Teaching at a student's home can be equally disruptive if they have children or a spouse. I prefer not to teach outside but once in a while when the weather is fine I'll suggest an outside conversational lesson as I find this is often good for morale and it's always nice for both of us to have a change of scenery occasionally.

I have never had a problem with payment. Nearly all my students pay after the lesson except one or two who prefer to pay at the end of the month when they receive their wage. In four years I've never been stiffed once.

I offer a very reasonable fee, about half that of most native speakers. As I give all my lessons in my home I save money on transport and can fit more lessons into the time available. My price is about the same as many unqualified, non-native speakers ask for so I get many enquires. Also, being cheap(ish) does actually seem to dissuade many of the types of student I favour least: spoilt kids of the rich, and arrogant high-level businessmen. I feel they come from the school of thought that dictates "cheap can't be good" and so go for the more expensive private tutors.

I get on well with all my students. Many of the start with quite an intensive course of lessons and once they have reached their desired ability I recommend that they continue to attend for a couple of hours a week just to keep their hand in. Many stay for a year or two and they always keep the TL price they started with. So, for example, Student X has been attending for two years and still pays the same price as when he started. Due to inflation he is now getting and extremely good deal and he would probably have to quadruple that figure if he wished to change to another private teacher. My version of a "loyalty bonus".

Cancellations are the biggest problem. The whole point of private lessons is that the student can work around his own schedule and because many of my students work hard it is only natural to expect them to have to cancel once in a while. However, the average number of cancellations due to holidays, business trips, sickness or just a week off is fairly predictable so I simply build up the number off students to a point where if 70% of the lessons are taken I have my desired income.

I find about 50% of my students through the Internet and the other 50% are recommendations.

Take care,

Mike

[Roger]

I have done this time and again in China. There is no general picture. Students are individuals. I enjoy some, I dislike others.
I do it when conditions are alright:
- They must pay upfront and commit themselves to a
somewhat rigid schedule;
- they must come on time; no refund is offered for not showing up;
- I do what they want, but I also claim to be the person who knows
best what's in my student's interest.

I get some unbelievably rich people as customers - like that 28-year old wife and mother driving to my home in a BMW (in socialist China!). She paid me only 60 kuai an hour, but I liked her a lot because she was cooperative and doing what I asked her to perform. And, she brought expensive fruit baskets with her.

From time to time, a sinfully-rich "businessman" thinks he can hire me. I had nice chaps like that, but the majority seem to be disinterested in the language per se; what they are expecting is a magic transformation from a boor into a bilingual cosmopolitan person. Yes, China had the so-called "cultural revolution", and many still do not know what culture is all about!
Young people are more rare as they do not have the means to fund such a service. I had gangs of up to 4. My objection to some of them is: Poor discipline, typical in China! They come late, or not at all, but will raise a stink about what I still owe them. They use their mobile phones in class.

If I have to travel to other people's homes, my problem often is that they are not there on time, or have suddenly accepted another engagement. I charge them the full rate - it is why I want them to pay upfront. Also, I charge them for the time I spend on the road!

[Jojo]

Roger,
How much do you charge privates in China? Is there an average per hour rate or does it depend on where you are in China(rural vs big cities)?
Thanks

[chinasyndrome]

Hi Jojo,

perhaps I can answer the question you put to Roger. Fees vary enormously across China, and not just between city and rural. What is achievable in, say, Beijing is unheard of in many of the smaller regional cities. The local economy often dictates the amount someone is prepared or can reasonably expect to pay.

When I was teaching I chose private students based on an interview I did with them. I think it's important to like your student, their energy, level of commitment, and personality. Otherwise, it can be the hardest work you'll ever do, regardless of how much you get paid.

I found that genuinely liking the student made the time pass very quickly and the money, while important, became secondary. My best private student (from one of the wealthiest families in my city), is now studying in Australia and is like a second daughter to me. Her family still invite me out to dinner and are great in many other ways. It adds a different dimension when you can balance the student needs while creating (often) long term friendships. While the rich kid who doesn't want to be there can be a pain, I don't think it's because they're rich so much as it is that they just aren't interested.

Good relationships can also mean a very high rate of recommendation, giving you the luxury of choosing who you want to teach, regulating your hours, and generally not needing to 'bargain' your prices unless you want to help out a not-so-well-off family or student. I found it also meant that I never got stiffed on payment. Get the relationship right; all else will follow.

Hope this helps!

[Jojo]

ChinaSyndrome: Mystical new Avatar Thanks for your reply.
It makes sense that you would go by contacts and recommendations in getting privates. The fact that you can pick and chose who you teach as privates, I can see as helping both you and the student in the long run. Is it illegal to have privates in China or does it depend on who you work for?

Thanks,
Jojo

[jud]

I work really hard (full-time) and so am very particular about any private students I accept. I don't want to waste my time or lower certain standards.
I try to take students with a specific goal in mind (they have a presentation, the First certificate, etc.) as they tend to be more reliable and it gives us a limit. I also have them buy a package, just like schools do. This way they've bought a certain number of hours and are required to pay in installments. It gives the course a sense of closure and dissuades last minute cancellation (my policy is cancelling the night before by 6 p.m.).

Of course, this is Italy and I can do private lessons freelance (not in nero), so this works for me. Don't know about other countries.