Job Discussion Forums

[Elissa]

I saw a message posted by Ben on May 3rd about pay for private lessons. I'm wondering if someone can expound on it. If I ask for 6000 yen for a private lesson with one tutee, is it acceptable to ask 4000 per person for a lesson with 2 tutees; 3000/person for 3 tutees; 2500/person for a class of 4? My thought is that there is more take-away work, and this is generally what's done with private lessons in the States. Do these rates seem unreasonable? I do have a Master's In ESL and much experience. Many thanks!

[azarashi sushi]

If you can get those prices... GREAT! Where in Japan are you? My feeling is that it might be a bit difficult to find people prepared to pay 6000 for a lesson.

[Elissa]

Thanks for writing! Osaka. I have a friend doing negotiations for me. He said between 5-6000 yen/student, so I said why not 6000? However, do you think my ideas about charging students more for a larger group is unreasonable in Japan? In the past I've only had 1 / 1 private classes in Japan.

[Glenski]

Elissa,

The going rates are 3000-5000 yen/hour per person. This is cited by www.eltnews.com in the Teaching guide section.

That covers a per person case, and what you are describing is different. Some call it a sliding scale. I have charged 4000 per person per hour, and then altered the fee for each new person added to the group, so that they pay less (like the scheme you described). I agree with azarashi, that if you can get 6000 for one person, and 4000 per person in a group of 2, great. However, in my experience, it's hit and miss, and I'd tend to think that it's more miss. You might want to lower your individual and pair price a wee bit. See if it gets any bites, and if not, change it. Despite the recession, location could be a big factor. I live in Sapporo, so if you live in Tokyo, perhaps people would pay more for lessons.

I have also found that the younger crowd (under 35) have less money (no surprise there), so they are the least stable and least able to pay for lessons. The older crowd is able to pay, but they will still haggle over fees, especially if they think you are their friend. Stick to your prices, unless they fail to work.

For what it's worth, your degree and experience mean very little to people who are looking for a private tutor. By that, I mean, it means very little in terms of what they will pay. As one example, I was negotiating with a high paid college professor last year. I told him 4000 yen per hour, plus travel expenses. He gave me a hard time about just finding his home (where he wanted the lessons), and it turned out that I'd have to take a subway and bus/taxi to get there. For me, that would've meant about 1000 yen (and about half an hour) one way just in travel expenses. He complained by saying that the last foreign teacher had accepted 2000 yen/hour and nothing more. I told him these were my prices, and left the decision up to him. I didn't get the private lesson, he never even gave me a response, and I have not regretted it. More fish in the sea.

[azarashi sushi]

As Glenski said, it's more miss than hit . . . Best thing is just to feel your way, but bear in mind that the economy is harder hit in Kansai than it is in Kanto and there is a lot of competition. Here in Tokyo, most people I know are charging 3000 for a private lesson and less for two or 3 people in a group. If you can target salarymen whose jobs depend on speaking English and where the company is paying, you will have more luck getting 6000 per hour. But 24 000 per month is a huge chunk out of a young person's wage especially if they don't desperately need English ( ie just for travel purposes or what ever ) . Good luck!

How and where is your friend doing negotiations?

A.S.

[Lucy Snow]

Glenski is right. I got more private students because my husband was a university professor than because of my MA. The students liked to say there were studying with a "professor's wife." Young people are definitely not to be counted on--I finally ended up not taking anyone under the age of 35. I had too many students who cancelled after a month or two, or kept "forgetting" to bring their money, etc. etc.

Housewives can be either the best or the worst. I had a group of nutters who were all married to executives at a large company near the city I lived in. They nickle-and-dimed me about everything. It took me 1 hour to get to the lessons, and I had to take a bus and a train. They didn't want to pay my travel expenses. It was a deal-breaker, and they finally paid up. It turned out that all the foreigners in the area knew about them, and wouldn't take them on as students, so they were pretty much stuck with me.

But, I had another group for six years. The size of the group fluctuated as husbands were transferred, and I always adjusted my fees if the group gained or lost members.

[Shonai Ben]

If you can get 6000 yen per class then I say grab it.I would say that is the high end of private teaching.Everyone thinks that teaching privates is the end all of everything.It is not.It is very difficult to start out and get new students.The best way to do this it to be already teaching at an eikaiwa and "steal" the students.Once you have a few students then they will spread the news by way of mouth and you will pick up new students.You should have a business card also and have an email address so that the students can send you a message.Once you start teaching and you are a good teacher your students are your best advertisers.They will spread the word.Have fun.