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Korean Job Discussion Forums
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| Is it worth it to leave a hagwon and strictly do private tutoring? |
| Yes |
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40% |
[ 2 ] |
| No |
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60% |
[ 3 ] |
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| Total Votes : 5 |
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lynn05
Joined: 09 Oct 2014
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 Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 5:14 am Post subject: Full-time tutoring |
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Hello everyone. I am getting married to my Korean fiancé soon, and I am considering no longer working for a hagwon once my current contract is finished. I would like to begin private tutoring, as I've heard it is rather lucrative. I love teaching and if I can make more money and potentially work less, with my F visa, then I'd like to consider it.
I already have a lead on some tutoring jobs for when I am ready to begin and it shouldn't be a problem finding more students in need of private tutors.
Is there anyone out there that does full-time tutoring in Seoul? If so, how much do you make in a month? How many students do you teach? Do you get paid hourly? Do you ask for the fee at the beginning or the end of the month? Do you do 1 on 1 tutoring or group tutoring? Is it worth leaving the hagwon life behind?
I am considering doing tutoring for 2 students at a time. I think it would be more lucrative than just 1 on 1 tutoring. Thoughts?
Of course, I have seen the pay ranges posted in the past, but I would like to know from someone who has had first-hand experience doing full-time tutoring. I would greatly appreciate any helpful advice~~. |
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Troglodyte
Joined: 06 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 6:07 am Post subject: |
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| lynn05 wrote: |
Hello everyone. I am getting married to my Korean fiancé soon, and I am considering no longer working for a hagwon once my current contract is finished. I would like to begin private tutoring, as I've heard it is rather lucrative. I love teaching and if I can make more money and potentially work less, with my F visa, then I'd like to consider it.
I already have a lead on some tutoring jobs for when I am ready to begin and it shouldn't be a problem finding more students in need of private tutors.
Is there anyone out there that does full-time tutoring in Seoul? If so, how much do you make in a month? How many students do you teach? Do you get paid hourly? Do you ask for the fee at the beginning or the end of the month? Do you do 1 on 1 tutoring or group tutoring? Is it worth leaving the hagwon life behind?
I am considering doing tutoring for 2 students at a time. I think it would be more lucrative than just 1 on 1 tutoring. Thoughts?
Of course, I have seen the pay ranges posted in the past, but I would like to know from someone who has had first-hand experience doing full-time tutoring. I would greatly appreciate any helpful advice~~. |
If you've never worked as a full time private tutor before then you might want to consider doing a mixture of tutoring and part-time hogwon work for a while until you manage to build up your client list.
To answer your questions.
-There are some people who live off of full time tutoring.
-Their salaries vary a LOT. Anywhere from barely getting by (and about to go back to hogwon work) to "raking in the big bucks".
-I don't do this but I know from others that the number of students fluctuates based on the time of year, how well students do on exams (word of mouth reputations) and randomness.
-Pay is always hourly (or per classes which have a fixed amount of time --> basically hourly).
-At the beginning of the month. You ALWAYS get paid in advance. Do not accept a promise of payment "later". You also need to establish rules about how many classes a student can post-pone (but never cancel for a refund) and how much advanced notice they need to give in order to post-pone it (as opposed to losing it).
-1-on-1 and group classes are both common. Most teachers like to go for group classes because they are more profitable and it's easier to reel in more customers (students/parents). The going minimum rate for 1-on-1 is 40k per hour. That's the bare minimum. It increases based on numerous other factors. But if you have a 2 student class, then maybe each of them pays 30k/hour or a for a 3 student class, each pays 25k per hour. It's attractive to parents because three students is still a small number and a good teacher:student ratio plus it's more than a third off the 1-to-1 price. The other market that you might want to look into is "business class" where you go to offices and teach employees on site. These can pay very good but you really need to have your stuff together and be effective, entertaining, and look the part. If you have an F visa then you'll have an advantage because it's hard for hogwons to send E2 teachers to do this type work (problems with official workplace rules) and the fact that you're a foreigner gives you some advantage over locals in terms of image (and guaranteed that you actually know English, as opposed to some people who simply have a piece of paper claiming that they know English).
-Most tutor don't completely leave behind hogwon work. Most work part-time at hogwons (starting salary is 40k/hr) and usually comes in blocks of time. Hogwon work is a bit more reliable since students will often stick around longer at a particular hogwon (if it's good, and if you're good). There are also job agencies that specialize in part-time teaching jobs.
The main drawback of tutoring is that you have to live in a very densely populated neighborhood. Most tutors get jobs through word of mouth (moms chat and gossip) so you need to have a lot of kids living in your area. BUT... interest varies so you never know what tomorrow will bring.
One thing that you also need to be aware of is the type of hogwon jobs you'll get. After you get an F visa, a lot of hogwons won't want to offer you the regular deal that E2 foreigners get. This is because hogwon owners know that you can leave at any time. They don't want to invest too much in you. You will normally get paid on an hourly basis and you likely won't have a fixed number of hours per month, but you can negotiate that (lower hourly rates in exchange for guaranteed minimum hours per month). You won't get accommodation either. |
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meangradin
Joined: 10 Mar 2006
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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| i don't know any f'er who only does privates; it's always a combination of kindie/corporate/after school/hagwon and whatever else can bring in the bucks. personally, i gave up doing them years ago because it felt like i was a pimp and i didn't like that feeling. hagwon ownership is the way to go imho. |
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basic69isokay
Joined: 28 Sep 2014
Location: korea
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| Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 8:27 pm Post subject: |
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Its quite unstable. Also, it doesn't matter how well you teach.What you need is a wife who can chat up the moms. That will get u clients faster than anything. If your wife is a shy type who doesnt know the ESL world, market, prices.....you will struggle.
I'd suggest afterschool or corporates, if u can get hired.
Privates or hagwon ownership if you have capital saved up or can get a loan. More risks, though. |
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