Job Discussion Forums

[Jmbf]

I haven’t seen much discussion on this, so apologies if this has been discussed in detail before.

I’ve found plenty of discussion regarding teachers taking on private students to boost their income. What I haven’t found is much indication of how much they have managed to increase their income through private tutoring.

I’ve heard (through friends and colleagues) varying stories of teachers increasing their income by less than a thousand per month to those who have managed to double or even triple their income through taking on lots of private students. This is a very wide range and opens questions as to the earning potential of the tutoring market. Please note that I’m leaving my own experience out of the equation at the moment as I realize I’m an ‘outlier’ and thus not representative of the whole.

So my questions are:

Do most teachers only take on a couple of private students? Or more?
Why is that?
What tends to limit the amount of students a teacher takes on?
Self-imposed restrictions due to not wanting to work too many hours?
Strictly enforced restrictions from your employer?
Fear of not wanting to take on too many students due to the inherent illegality (in most situations) of it?
Or is it down to difficulties in finding new students?
If they were able to do so fairly easily, would most teachers want to take on more private students?

I realize that these are fairly open-ended questions (many variables at play here) and therefore responses will also vary widely. Still, it would be interesting to see people’s responses and hear more about their experiences.

[wangdaning]

Remind me not to post while drinking

[Jmbf]

[JB140767]

[Jmbf]

[Guerciotti]

A few years ago, when I worked a standard 6k/month uni job, I had side work totaling 5k-9k per month. 9k months were usually February, or when a new teacher at my side job screws up by teaching grammar, and I get all her hours. I was more comfortable at about 6k side earnings.

I worked at two training schools, plus some tutoring on the side. Or on the side/side, as the training schools were already my side jobs? I had a lot of work after about one year.

Oh, most of that's at a 150 or 200/hour rate. I know I know, bad G, charge more. I had one or two at 300 per, ok? Happy? I actually raised my price to 300 to avoid new students, but it did not work. Hahahaha

On the issue of how much can one make? I personally know or knew two teachers making well over 15k per month on the side. (not myself)

Yes, I was busy. Decided to find one position paying 10k-15k. So far, so good.

But yea, if you're looking and you have the right personality/accent or lack of accent, and you make useful and or fun lessons, you can make more in side work than your main job. Have good advice for those going to overseas unis? Not hit on every teen girl you meet? Useful practice or writing lessons for IELTS/TOEFL? OK, you can make some side cash. Oh, kinder work is possible if you're fun, and no prep!

Or maybe you speak well, well educated, friendly demeanor. You can find students. I guarantee it. The always-drinking, inarticulate, 'I majored in home econ' dude gets nothing, though he will probably tell everyone he makes bank.

A friend of mine made considerably more than I. Others just wanted an extra 2000 for expenses.

So, your questions:
I believe some teachers take on limited private students. Not most, not all.
Why? It's exhausting. And maybe they want to have a life. Who knows? I cannot speak for everyone. Some take all they can get. Enjoy the extra income, or your free time. Up to you. I got no dog in that fight, I mind my own business.

I really think the limits are personal, whatever limit the teacher has, for whatever reason. I mean, for example, sometimes it's nice to actually spend some time with your girlfriend, rather than work 24/7.

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

I think that Guerciotti has the right attitude and approach. One 15,000rmb per month job beats working on the side.

I have always avoided one-on-one tutoring because one student can burn through a lot of curriculum in no time. Three students at a time @ 100rmb per student per hour works best for me.

Corporate work gotten through Chinese teachers and language school owners have provided me with long term work with the least time spent on curriculum development.

Caveat: Your boss/FAO may not appreciate that you're working on the side, so be discreet.

[JB140767]

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

[Jmbf]

[hdeth]

There seem to be basically three types of teachers I've encountered so far working at a uni and an 'international' school.

Teacher A is content with his/her salary and is happy to have the lowest hours as possible so s/he can do wtfever it is they want to do.

Teacher B is pretty content with his/her salary but wants to save/earn more and so has a stable side job (generally on the weekend). Generally the pay for the side gig is quite high.

Teacher C wants to earn as much money as possible and works long hours with little or no vacation.

Personally I think I would only take very bright students looking to study abroad and charge about 300-400 per hour. I've had students offer to pay me around that but as I'm already a teacher here I felt uncomfortable doing so and just tutor them a bit during my office hours. It's a lot of fun for me so I don't mind it. Discussing some famous essay or short story or whatever, hardly work at all.

[mpalazuelos]

What is the going rate for private classes?

[Jmbf]

[Volver]

Glad to see this topic as it is something the more ambitious among us want to know.

I currently make and extra ¥6-10K per month at a side school and with private tutoring. I had an IELTS prep student at ¥300/hour, but now just have a conversation student at ¥250/hour. I insist all private lessons be no shorter than 1.5 hours in length. I REALLY want more private students and am thinking about handing out fliers in front of the better high schools in town. Has anyone tried this?

BTW: My main tutoring resource is "Charlotte's Web". I use this for just about everyone and change the lesson difficulty depending on what the student wants. Everyone who reads this book loves it. If I finish this book, I step up to "Charley and the Chocolate Factory" and finally "Harry Potter". I use these books for everything except listening. Hope this is useful.

V

[JB140767]