Job Discussion Forums

[richtx1]

As a foreign teacher in Mexico, I supplemented my check with private tutorials. One of the reasons I work in administration is that I know teachers are poorly paid. I know demand for English classes outstrips supply. It�s ok to offer private classes, but �

DO NOT SOLICIT PRIVATE STUDENTS FROM EMPLOYER�S CLIENTS!

We have an excellent foreign teacher: good presentation, experienced, young, enthusiastic, Spanish-speaking, etc. My boss likes him; the clients like him; his students like him � hell, I like him. But � the client heard that he was soliciting private classes among his students and insisted we fire him. Thankfully the story turned out to be overblown (the teacher was suggesting his students� co-workers who wanted English lessons ask their supervisor to approve their enrollment � which is exactly what foreign teachers should do), No harm, no foul, no penalty. But, is was rocky for a few days.

Soliciting �privates� creates two problems. It�s not uncommon in any business for employees to sell Tupperware, or conduct lunchtime Bible-studies on company premises. Those activities have tacit management approval and do not conflict with union contracts, Mexican tax accounting rules or management policies. Soliciting private students may. Offering personal classes at the client�s site definitely does. Vendors on a company worksite in Mexico create legal and financial obligations for the client. Our client pays a lot for our services � which are not limited to providing English classes. The client knows � and we know � bilingual employees may use new skills to find better jobs. They accept that risk. They hired a business � not the teacher � for business reasons.

The second problem is damage to the employer�s business reputation. Talk about bad timing! The reason the client took a rumor so seriously was that we were in the middle of negotiations for a huge training and development contract � which included more English classes. We�re talking about lots of teachers, lots of students, lots of work and a hell of a lot of money. Remember, it was the client who was upset. The teacher appeared to be violating both union and business contracts. It appeared to the client as if the teacher doubted we could meet our obligations. Or that we did.

In reality, teachers are going to find potential private students through their classes. A couple ethical guidelines for teachers:

� Do not sell your services in class. It sounds like you are saying �I�m only going to do my best if you pay me directly.� You can give out your number and email � or meet prospective students at lunch � to discuss your services off-site and on your own time.

� Do not offer private tutorials on the client�s time or property. Meet the students elsewhere.

� Do not use your employer�s � or their client�s � resources. If you copy some material, or your student copy something, don�t tell me. My company pays for the material we use. It�s extremely hard to obtain credit in Mexico, and things like Credit Bureaus are nearly nonexistent. Our credit with the supplier is largely a matter of mutual trust. Asking me to make the copies is pure chutzpah � and likely to mean we�ll ask you to find another employer.

� Do not add private students to an existing class. We are not meeting our contractual obligations to the three paid students, nor is the client providing the stipulated benefit to those three when you have five students, two paying you, three paying us.

I know � even we ethical employers don�t always offer enough classes to meet your needs, or our payment schedule is sometimes more wishful than we�d like. Private students are an excellent way to supplement your income, and sometimes give you the cash you need to get you through the week (or month). My second job is as a placement agent for a U.S. based teacher placement agency. I work hard to find the agency�s clients at least one job that will let a teacher survive. The money sucks. Most teacher need more than the employer can provide. There�s nothing wrong with �moonlighting� with another employer (as a matter of fact, I recommend it. Hey, I work two jobs � and most Mexicans do too!). And we don�t object to employees having private students. Sometimes we even recommend you to people who want classes, but cannot afford our services (in which case, we may handle the billing, or let you use our material).

Most institutions offering business classes have some kind of incentive for uncovering new clients. My company is particularly generous, offering a percentage of the total contract, over it�s entire lifespan. Others generally give the teacher a percentage over the first six months or year. Generally, the institution has more experience than the teacher in approaching new clients, negotiating a price and writing service contracts.

A teacher, without the same overhead an institution has, might be able to offer a lower per hour price to the student, but cannot give the same tax and accounting advantages to a business, nor guarantee fulfillment of the contractual obligations. If the students don�t pay, or are slow in paying, you are on your own. If they cancel without warning (having given some private tutorials, this was a regular occurrence), you�re screwed. And� if you�re on a tourist visa, you face an outside chance of being deported for running a private business on the side. Don�t worry � I won�t turn you in to migrac�on � but once in a while, a teacher gets busted.

Most foreign teachers are multi-talented people. But I know my limitations. I only took up teaching because I have the right academic degree and a quasi-relevant work record. And because it was a way to support myself and live in Mexico. I�ve never been the world�s greatest teacher, and I�m better in other things, like administration and research, which is what I do now. Offering private tutorials is like any other one-person business: you are your own salesman, closer, marketing guy and collection agent. I�m regularly asked to tutor people�s children � but I don�t want to be the one to tell some eight year old that I�m not going to help her any more because her mother is behind on my payments. If you have the skills, and the toughness to take on private students, by all means do so. Many teachers find they really don�t make as much money as they expect, but they enjoy it nonetheless: they make some new friends, or see Mexicans �off-duty� or make useful contacts.

Private teaching isn�t rocket science � it�s like anything else. If the risks are acceptable and you play by the rules, are up-front and honest, there�s everything to recommend it. While it�s not for me, it may be right for you.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[richtx1]

Maybe I could have phrased that better, Tim. I've had situations where the teacher -- and the students -- simply schedule classes on a time that's convenient to both, but is taking the students away from their scheduled job duties or is using company resources (like a sala de junta) which interferes with other company activities.

Usually it's the students who aren't following company policy, but it's the foreign teacher who's going to lose a paycheck when this happens.

Thanks for the chance to clarify this point.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

Thanks for the clarification, Rich. I'd read the original "client's time or property" to mean on the client's free time in his/her home.