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Any jobs available in Macau atm?
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ChrisRose



Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Posts: 427
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Fri Jul 07, 2017 10:24 am    Post subject: Any jobs available in Macau atm? Reply with quote

Hi all, looking for a little bit of a change.

2x years of teaching, lecturing and tutoring in HK. Well after working as a private tutor for the last 6 years, I need a little change.

Any tips or steers to reasonable jobs in Macau will be great.

Thanks in advance
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Jmbf



Joined: 29 Jun 2014
Posts: 663

PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 4:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There's a thread immediately below this one referencing a company called Centre for International Cooperation in Education (CICE). Apparently they place candidates in schools in Macau. Might be worth sending either them or the OP of that thread a message requesting more information.

P.S. On a side note, what about private tutoring has turned you off / made you want to change? I've been tutoring in HK for over 9 years now and I love it, especially the job flexibility and the decent income.
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ChrisRose



Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Posts: 427
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 4:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just this summer is too quiet.

I have an office in Sheung Wan. Beautiful classroom, huge white board, projector, surround sound, etc etc

Alas, just too many students away for summer. When you are a one man company, so much unpaid work; book keeping, advertising, cleaning, etc.
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Jmbf



Joined: 29 Jun 2014
Posts: 663

PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 5:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm sorry to hear that. I'm also a one man band. And yes the summer months will typically see a drop in student numbers, this summer being a bit worse than in previous years. However, the income from the other regular months more than makes up for the summer slowdown (for me at least). Even in a 'slow' summer month I'll typically see income in excess of 80K, and income in the 105-120K range during a 'regular' month.

If Macau doesn't work out for you perhaps you can re-look at your setup and see where some positive changes could be made.
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ChrisRose



Joined: 19 Apr 2003
Posts: 427
Location: Hong Kong

PostPosted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 7:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi I sent you a pm and someone perhaps not you gave a very strange reply.

Just curious of your formula, do you visit the student or they go to your location? Also, without wishing to pry, what are your rates?
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Jmbf



Joined: 29 Jun 2014
Posts: 663

PostPosted: Sun Jul 09, 2017 2:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've replied to your PM but I'll post some additional thoughts here in case anyone is interested.

Private tutoring in Hong Kong can be extremely lucrative with salaries upwards of USD 100,000 / year perfectly possible. Having said that, it's not a situation that you can just walk into and expect to have that level of income from day one. It takes TIME and EFFORT to build up a quality student base, many years in some cases.

Rates:

HKD 250 - 1,000 / hr.

The rates you can command as a private tutor depend on many factors but it's mostly down to location and reputation. An experienced tutor who has put some effort into developing their reputation should be able to command at least HKD 500 / hr in Kowloon and HK Island. Yes, some parents will try to lowball you BUT there are many many others who are willing and able to pay HKD 500 / hr and more. If you have a strong reputation and can gain some traction with students attending some of the top tier schools or private international schools then you can see your rates rise closer to HKD 1,000 / hr.

Travel-out Tutor / Fixed-location Tutor:

Tutors who travel out to students home / other locations to teach will be limited in the number of working hours that they can do per day simply due to the restrictions of travel time. I would say 4-5 working hours per day (for a full-time tutor) would be around maximum possible under this setup. Of course that will still lead to a decent income but it's hard work and tiring.

Fixed-location tutors who have students come to them have more options. It's possible to do 7-8 teaching hours per day (for a full-time tutor) and still have some work / life balance. There's also something to be said for teaching in a controlled environment without distractions and with all your teaching resources on hand.

All in all, the private tutoring industry is extremely varied. There is no one-size fits all strategy and to be successful you will have to adjust your own strategy to take local conditions and trends into account.

I welcome all queries and would be happy to advise anybody interested in taking on work in this field.
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indoboy17



Joined: 22 Jul 2017
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Sat Jul 29, 2017 5:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

1000 per hour? YOu kidding? I am in Taiwan and all private students want to pay here is 600 NT which is exactly the same as what you get paid working at a language school. SO about 250 HK$ then. I tried also to get students by putting ads under BMWs and Mercs and Luxgens etc but noone called so I gave up!

TO make $100k a year as a private tutor is an almost impossible thing to do. I would think Hong Kong would be similar to Taiwan. The ESL salaries at language schools don't add up to the cost of living there which according to Numbeo.com is 4 and a half times more expensive than in Taiwan. Taiwan is doable for a basic ESL salary because it is so so cheap to live here outside of Taipei (or even in Taipei if you share an apartment). $100k as a private tutor? Nah...Kidding mate
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Jmbf



Joined: 29 Jun 2014
Posts: 663

PostPosted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 3:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

indoboy17 wrote:
1000 per hour? YOu kidding? I am in Taiwan and all private students want to pay here is 600 NT which is exactly the same as what you get paid working at a language school. SO about 250 HK$ then.


Hong Kong and Taiwan are very different in terms of the education industry. To be fair, very few places are like Hong Kong. It has a large number of very wealthy people concentrated into a very small geographic area. This combined with a strong demand for good English teachers means that there is a lot of potential IF you are willing for work for it. I stand by my rates although please note that I did give a range to reflect a teacher's reputation and experience. New teachers and those with less experience and qualifications will be in the HKD 250 - 400 range. I'll repeat again, you are not going to be able to walk into town and immediately command tuition fees in the higher range. With local experience, networking and a bit of work most decent tutors will see their rates increase to HKD 400 - 600 / hr. Over a longer period of time, if you are willing to continue working hard at developing your skill set, reputation and making inroads with the right types of clients then yes HKD 1000 / hr is possible. I've charged HKD 1000 to some clients and I know others who charge the same.

indoboy17 wrote:
I tried also to get students by putting ads under BMWs and Mercs and Luxgens etc but noone called so I gave up!


This is a common mistake that many teachers make. You need to think HARD about how to advertise yourself. This includes leaflet design, message, layout and distribution. Ask yourself, what's trending / popular right now in your local ESL field? How can you access that market? What distinctive advantage do you have? If the answer is nothing, then you know what areas you have work on to improve! Also, don't target nice cars. Target upmarket housing estates where you know upper middle class families live. Target areas around good schools. Remember that as a general rule, for every 1,000 flyers sent out, you will get maybe 1 reasonable lead IF you have designed your leaflet well and done some targeted distribution. So you have to up the quantity in addition to the quality of your marketing materials. At the end of the day, the goal from marketing yourself is not to get a lot of new students. It's to get a few high quality new students who will then spread the news about you to their friends and family. This is when the word-of-mouth referrals kick in and this is when you can start making serious inroads in building up your student base.

indoboy17 wrote:
TO make $100k a year as a private tutor is an almost impossible thing to do.... $100k as a private tutor? Nah...Kidding mate


It's definitely possible. I've been making USD 100K+ income consistently as a private tutor for several years. I know others who are doing just as well, if not better. However, don't confuse POSSIBLE with PROBABLE. Not all tutors have what it takes. Not all are willing to put in the work and time it requires. At the end of the day the old saying is true, there is no free lunch. To earn decent money does require some hard work and sacrifice. The opportunity is there, but are you willing or able to take advantage of it?
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GHL



Joined: 16 Jul 2017
Posts: 34

PostPosted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 9:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

$100k a year? In TEFL? As a private tutor? Impossible.

Cancellations and vacations will slash your income right down. It's not as simple as thinking, damn 500hkd an hour, 160 hours a month, 12 months a year = $$$ raining from the sky. What about when you're sick? What about when students cancel? What about the many times you can't get 8 hours to line up in a perfect block? What about prep time? What about when you go on vacation and don't get paid? What about when a student leaves and now you have to try and source a new student?

$60k is where it tops out at private tuition. That's 20 hours a week at 500hkd an hour for 46 weeks a year. That's around $60k, and is as good as it gets.
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currentaffairs



Joined: 22 Aug 2012
Posts: 828

PostPosted: Sun Jul 30, 2017 10:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

From info above I think Jmbf is teaching around 7 hours a day from his home. I'm sure he will clarify.
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indoboy17



Joined: 22 Jul 2017
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jmf has said in the past he has earned well in excess of $100k.

There is no such thing as educational qualifications or reputation when it comes to private tuition. Only employers check your educational assertions and references. Private students don't do that sort of thing. Any teacher could tell any private student he is the best qualified teacher and list whatever experience he wanted.

Yes the reason why 100k is not attainable is because students and parents want to pay the cheapest rates they can so they shop around. And why is Taiwan so different? A nice apartment in Taipei will set you back 16m TWD or more. Mind you the average wage here is supposef to be just 40k twd. Perhaps JMF is one lucky fellow then in outrageously expensive HK.
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Jmbf



Joined: 29 Jun 2014
Posts: 663

PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 3:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

GHL wrote:
$100k a year? In TEFL? As a private tutor? Impossible.


Perfectly possible as I said before, just not easy.

GHL wrote:
Cancellations and vacations will slash your income right down. It's not as simple as thinking, damn 500hkd an hour, 160 hours a month, 12 months a year = $$$ raining from the sky.


This is not really a problem for a professional tutor. Get payment in advance and have a clear cancellation policy. If a student cancels without enough warning or without good reason they forfeit the tuition payment for that lesson. If your reputation is good enough you can demand this and more. This clears up a lot of the problems with student cancellations.

GHL wrote:
What about when you're sick? What about when students cancel? What about the many times you can't get 8 hours to line up in a perfect block? What about prep time? What about when you go on vacation and don't get paid? What about when a student leaves and now you have to try and source a new student?


If I'm sick I reschedule the lesson to another time. Student cancellations can be minimised as I outlined above. Scheduling your students can be tricky but with practice it can be done. I usually schedule my students back-to-back in sessions of 2-3 hours with a break in-between. Prep time should be minimal if you are an experienced tutor with a large resource library and a good system for tracking student progress. Vacations are unpaid and that is a real downside but again this can be managed if your regular months are filled up. I typically take around 5-6 weeks a year holiday and still manage well over USD 100K / year. When students leave that's part of the normal turnover for a busy tutor. It allows for higher paying students to take their place.

GHL wrote:
$60k is where it tops out at private tuition. That's 20 hours a week at 500hkd an hour for 46 weeks a year. That's around $60k, and is as good as it gets.


That might be right for you in your situation, but it's wrong in my experience. You're drastically underestimating the potential in this market. Again, I'm not saying it's easy. You have to go in with the right attitude and be smart in your approach. Taking on private students randomly and without an overall game plan leads to many of the problems already mentioned in this thread.
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GHL



Joined: 16 Jul 2017
Posts: 34

PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 1:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

20 hours contact time is the maximum you can realistically take on if you only want to work 35-40 hours a week (i.e. you want 2 days off per week and a social life). With 6 weeks vacation a year that means you'll be earning around $60k a year, assuming you charge 500hkd an hour.

To earn more than that, you either have no holidays, work 7 days a week, work 12 hours a day, or a combination of all three. Which sucks. Forget working every hour possible in the day, I got into TEFL to work less, not more.
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indoboy17



Joined: 22 Jul 2017
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Mon Jul 31, 2017 2:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

IF you can get 500 HK$ per hour that is consistently 5 or 6 hours a day. Remember $100k is 10k a month or so. It is A LOT of cash and a lot of students to pay $500HKD per hour
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Jmbf



Joined: 29 Jun 2014
Posts: 663

PostPosted: Tue Aug 01, 2017 3:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good discussion going on! I like to see this aspect of the industry talked about a bit more. There's many ways to go about tutoring, some ways are more effective than others but IMHO there is no ONE correct way.

Let me detail my typical teaching week / schedule. I do on average around 40 (plus or minus a few hours) teaching hours a week. That's spread over 6 days, Mon - Sat. While that is a lot of teaching hours, it's not as bad as it initially seems. Let me clarify a bit further.

A typical day will usually see three teaching hours in the morning, usually 9:30 - 12:30am. Then lunch followed by 4 hours in the afternoon, usually split into something like 1:30 - 3:30pm, then 4:00 - 6:00pm. There are some variations on this schedule but that's a good baseline. Bear in mind that I teach from home and schedule my lessons back-to-back so commuting time is zero. If I've prepared my lessons the night before (which I often do), it's possible to wake up after 9am and finish work by 6pm which is quite a luxury. For me this schedule is very easy to handle and I've been teaching this way for many years.

Talking about lesson prep, this varies a bit from day to day based on student requirements but I usually can do a full day's prep in 30 minutes or less. This is largely down to experience, having a well organised resource library on hand and keeping updated notes on each student's progress. For each day ahead, I look up each student's file, quickly review it then load up the resources I will need on the computer. That's about all the preparation I need as the way I tutor is largely a reactive / supplemental exercise. Despite always having a plan for a lesson mapped out, many times a student will come in and ask for help with a certain exercise, or to review a reading passage they didn't quite understand, or to go over a certain verb tense they have some confusion with etc etc x a thousand variations. Being flexible, having a good knowledge of the local curriculum and being able to quickly change the lesson focus are key skills for a good tutor.

Perhaps another reason why I can easily handle this workload is choice. I'm my own boss. I decide my schedule, who to teach, what to teach and how to teach it. I also control the environment in which I teach. I simply don't have to deal with a lot of the frustrations that come with teaching in a classroom, for example having to deal with poor management, or a long commute to work, or a badly designed curriculum, or difficult colleagues etc etc.
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