[sabina83]

Hi Turnjet

im in same boat as you, from UK got MSc, BSc and TEFEL but decided to work in teaching. i wanted to do tuitoring but i just cant seem to get any students. Ive put my ad in parknshop and welcome but still no luck. was also thinking of charging $100 as i dont have any teaching experience but it would help if i had some students. im amazed you could earn so much...wow!!!

plz help me...n tell me how you found all those 'lovely' students....r there any websites???wat can i do???

and does anyone know if could i apply for working visa or do you always have to have a sponsor?
thanx

[turnjet]

Originally Posted by sabina83

Hi Turnjet
plz help me...n tell me how you found all those 'lovely' students....r there any websites???wat can i do???

and does anyone know if could i apply for working visa or do you always have to have a sponsor?
thanx

Well, my girlfriend is from HK, so most of my students are friends, relatives and relatives friends. Big help! That's about all I did really, so I count myself lucky.

I'm pretty sure you need a sponsor to be able to work in any sort of fashion here.

Sorry I couldn't be any more help.

[HKChigger]

sabina83 - Unless you are on a Dependant Visa or you yourself are a PR it will be illegal to tutor students.

On a work visa you must be sponsored and it is valid for that job only.

Also if you two insist on tutoring may I suggest you try to market yourselves and set your rate at $300 hourly?

I knew one guy who was charging $450 (per hour), he said he was pretty much full time on it. (he was ABC with Perm. ID) He told me that was his marketing. People seen $450 and thought he must be a pro.

[carang]

all of the private tutors i know, including myself, charge minimum $350-450/hour. HOWEVER, we are all here working LEGALLY. i would be VERY careful about doing it illegally, you never know who is going to call you up if you place an advertisement. i have police officers, judges, lawyers and other gov't civil servants as clients....my aunt even had an immigration officer as a client.

[turnjet]

Pardon my asking carang, but how old are you and how much experience do you have teaching?

I started out with the intention of getting experience foremost and the cash on the side would be extra. There was no real rush for me to get to the $300+ mark, due to only having a degree and an online TEFL under my belt.

It was quite daunting being plunged into the deep end without any experience with kids, but as I found out, the experience was essential.

I'm sure once I get my work visa sorted out (fingers crossed, next week) and get married with the girlfriend (we are talking next year... perhaps), i'll have enough confidence and experience to charge the figures you see fit.

[Alby]

turnjet ... being thrown into the deep in is extremely common ... the sink or swim approach is how it typically is done... leaving the teacher to tread in the water...

charging market value also tells potential clients that you are capable ...
when you charge below market value you basically tell your market that "you are not so sure" and also risk not building up a clientle that is "serious and consistent" about using your services.

Thinking of yourself as a business professional and selling/marketing your tutoring services as such can only assist you.

Originally Posted by turnjet

Pardon my asking carang, but how old are you and how much experience do you have teaching?

I started out with the intention of getting experience foremost and the cash on the side would be extra. There was no real rush for me to get to the $300+ mark, due to only having a degree and an online TEFL under my belt.

It was quite daunting being plunged into the deep end without any experience with kids, but as I found out, the experience was essential.

I'm sure once I get my work visa sorted out (fingers crossed, next week) and get married with the girlfriend (we are talking next year... perhaps), i'll have enough confidence and experience to charge the figures you see fit.

[carang]

i'm 35 now, but i started fresh out of uni back in 1995. even then i charged $250/hour.

i have a cousin, 24, that charges $300-350/hour. she is 1/2 way through a degree but has a Tefl and a couple of years experience. she used to take some of her mother's students when her mum went on holiday. that was when she was 16. obviously, back then, she didn't charge so much.

[turnjet]

Thanks for the heads up carang, in that case i'll wait for my work visa to be sorted and then see if I can get new clients for $200+

[HKFella]

Originally Posted by turnjet

......

I also have a degree in Business Computing and a TEFL certificate, but some people say $100 is well below the amount I should of asked for.

Good luck with the visa, buddy! But (to take a leaf out of PDLM's book, esp. in TEFL and would-be-tutor context), do take a look at this: Could of, should of, would of, will of... .

[carang]

even with a work visa, it is illegal to tutor part-time on the side as your visa is tied to your employer.