Private English Tutoring Tips

Anatta wrote:

Men. Hearing the fees you guys are charging make my mouth dropped.

I was recent offered to teach (part time) in a private university in SGN. A highly technical course to be taught in English. Their compensation: 5 USD/teaching hr , and of course, they don't pay for preparation time (i.e., I have to make my slides and homework assignment from scratch).

It's a matter of supply and demand.  I have a friend inm the US that makes over 50K USD a year teaching computer networking via the internet, to students in Hanoi! 

You're Vietnamese Anatta?

I've come to hate the placement tests, even though I profit from them.  I'm sure that someone, somewhere has killed themselves because they didn't get the 6.5 on the IELTS that they needed to study abroad.

Does anyone want to take on a TOEFL iBT student?  She just needs to improve her reading skills, but is convinced that the people at the TOEFL Monster have reinvented the task of taking a reading test.  PM me if you're a native speaker from North America, have TOEFL iBT teaching experience, are patient and you're willing to work for $12 per hour, or less.  I tried to tutor her, but after one lesson we both agreed that she needs someone else!

Anatta wrote:

WideAwake

Yes, I am a VietKieu.
I have no problem with supply and demand.

The thing that irks me is reading the newspapers complaining frequently that the VietKieus are not willing to help 'motherland' to improve and the screaming demand for skilled English-speaking lecturers at the few universities teaching in English here. Either you have Vietnamese speaking professors who know the courses but speak English badly or you have native English speakers who either don't know how to teach or not technically skilled in those professions (math, business, engineering, whatever...).

Add to that, the Vietnamese students are not good enough in English so they also prefer to have lecturers who can brief explain in Vietnamese what those new concepts are, if need be.

Therefore, I figured I would help since I have also been lecturer at similar courses abroad, but 4USD/hr, come on. Adding to the common ratio of at least 3-4 hr preparation per hour taught, it works out to be 1USD/hr.

Don't get me wrong Anatta, I agree with you.  I've written on here before that I would rather land a job based on my teaching skills, rather than the pigmentation of my skin, or country of origin.

I've worked for $2 an hour here!  It was a writing gig though, not teaching.

The consensus seems to be that a learners native tongue should be used minimally in the ESL classroom.  I will use a "bridge" occasionally if we come upon something that I am unable to get across to the students.  That's just another way of saying I will ask a student who does understand to translate the target language to the class.

English House online wrote:

We are looking for English teacher. Please send your profile to email: info@englishhouseonline.net

Do you pay Viet Kieu who are native speakers of English the same rate as a white person who has the same qualifications?

Budman1 wrote:

Good Damn question WideAwake. Wonder what the response will be?

Suddenly, I hear the sound of silence! 

I've talked to them.  They pay from $12 p/h for online classes up to $30 p/h for communications classes.

WideAwake wrote:

The consensus seems to be that a learners native tongue should be used minimally in the ESL classroom.  I will use a "bridge" occasionally if we come upon something that I am unable to get across to the students.  That's just another way of saying I will ask a student who does understand to translate the target language to the class.

Totally agree. However, the class I am talking about is not ESL. In fact, it is not an English class at all. It is a regular university class taught in English. Even though English should be used at all times and  the students' English is OK in general, the students are not all up to par in the technical jargon areas.

There are just a few of them in SGN. The best one is arguably the public Ho Chi Minh City International University which has Engineering and Business degrees. Their classes are taught totally in English.

Otherwise than that, there are a few other places, most common classes/degrees are MBA's taught by the foreign universities set up here.

The idea is to provide, in addition to technical skills, also English skills as an alternative to the studying abroad option.

WideAwake wrote:

Do you pay Viet Kieu who are native speakers of English the same rate as a white person who has the same qualifications?

A better question is "Do you hire Viet Kieu who are native speakers of English than a white person who has the same qualifications?" .

This topic was discussed in a separate thread in this forum some time ago.

For the sake of clarity, I am NOT an English teacher neither do I desire to be one.

Anatta wrote:

For the sake of clarity, I am NOT an English teacher neither do I desire to be one.

After I just asked EH a hard question for you and scared them away?  

I understand now.  What's the name of the course that you teach?

A better question is "Do you hire Viet Kieu who are native speakers of English than a white person who has the same qualifications?"

You know the answer to that one!


I should behave myself, because I might need to go work at EH. Nahhh....I gotta' be me! 

Come on English House, please answer the question.  The people want to know!

Let me re-phrase it for you:

Teacher A is an American with a BA, TESOL, 1 year of teaching experience and golden brown skin.

Teacher B is an American, with a BA, TESOL, 1 year of teaching experience and pasty white skin.

Do they both get offered a job,if you need a teacher?

If the answer is yes, do they both get offered the same amount of money?

WideAwake wrote:

Anatta wrote:

For the sake of clarity, I am NOT an English teacher neither do I desire to be one.

After I just asked EH a hard question for you and scared them away?  

I understand now.  What's the name of the course that you teach?

Let me re-phrase it for you: [/b]

Teacher A is an American with a BA, TESOL, 1 year of teaching experience and golden brown skin.

Teacher B is an American, with a BA, TESOL, 1 year of teaching experience and pasty white skin.

Do they both get offered a job,if you need a teacher?

If the answer is yes, do they both get offered the same amount of money?

Sorry for destroying your ruse
EH: pls just ignore my previous comments. I want to apply for the job, please, please. I can even bleach my skin to be pasty white, like Michael Jackson, if that is what you need. Heck, I can even do his moonwalk better in every class.

WideAwake wrote:

English House online wrote:

We are looking for English teacher. Please send your profile to email: info@englishhouseonline.net

Do you pay Viet Kieu who are native speakers of English the same rate as a white person who has the same qualifications?

WideAwake is fair, I like your question ...

WideAwake wrote:

~ Get business cards made that have your picture on them.

~ Target a particular student segment, e.g., students who want to study abroad.  Most of them will have to take the IELTS, so you also become an expert on preparing for that test and the myriad of others that I mention in the next paragraph.

~Have literature printed that is designed for the segment, but also states that you tutor the 4 skills: Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking, or visa versa: IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, PET, KET, plus...the SAT and ACT.  The latter have reared their ugly heads in Vietnam of late, so it wouldn't hurt for a teacher to know the test taking strategies for them.  It also wouldn't hurt to have this information on the back of the business cards, or you could even forego the literature and use the cards.

~ Go "Guerrilla" in your marketing.  This would take a little moxie, but I don't think a person would get in trouble for it...most likely!  What I'm suggesting next is a fairly common scene in HCMC, but it's usually a business doing it:

Go to the schools or universities when students are getting out of class.  Either do a couple of runs up and down the front, handing out cards/lit. along the way, or you go to the nearest stop light and wait for it to turn red.  When the motorbikes stop, you hand your information out to anyone with a backpack, or in the case of minors - their parents.  You could also hire university students to do it for you, which would increase the amount of people who get your information.

~The wages can run from $10 to $50 p/h, depending on the type of class, your qualifications, how successful the client is in selling you on their tale of financial woe, etc.  I have a friend who regularly makes $30 an hour doing private IELTS preparation, but he also holds a Trinity TESOL.

~ Take your time and build a client base.  Word of mouth will do the rest, if you're good.  Be careful not to burn yourself out! Personally, I can't teach more than 30 hours a week.  If I do my lessons suffer, which makes my students suffer, which irks my boss...

Hanoi is much better suited for privates.  I think the main reasons are the lack of foreign teachers there and the availability of the New Hanoian, a website that is widely used by Vietnamese and foreigners alike.  There's nothing like it in HCMC, insofar as the range of readers that it touches.

If you need materials, send me a PM.  I have just about anything you would need.  That offer is open to anyone, students and teachers alike.  I have a very wide range of textbooks in .pdf format and I want nothing in return, other than to know that people are learning English.

Anyone preparing for a TESOL or CELTA course can feel free to message me, too  They have required readings and I've got ya' covered!

Hope this helps.  Go get 'em Tiger!

Thanks a lot - you speak as a true teacher who cares. Kudos!

1sammy wrote:

Hi,iam trying to start my own tutoring business.My target audience is primary and secondary students.Looking for materials and ideas,thank you,brenton

Start with a set of good quality text books, perhaps 'my pals' (international edition) or whatever you like. You'll have to find an educational book supplier but the internet will do that for you.

Then you have to be better than everyone else.