Wouldn’t it be great if there was a site that paired students with private tutors? I think it could work in Taiwan. A place where students could say what they’re looking for and site administrators (or an automated system) paired them with available tutors. Students say how much they’re willing to pay and tutors say what they will charge. Those that fall within the agreed price range and have an overlap in preferred location and hours available are put in contact with each other. There is already something like that in Japan. (http://www.linagogo.com/ click on Teacher’s info at the bottom.)
Apparently the site, or company, handles the payment process. Students pay the company, company pays teacher. The company therefore has leverage to see that some standards are met. Teachers have to give 2 weeks before discontinuing lessons. Students must give 24 hour notice before cancellation. And a few more reasonable conditions makes the arrangement a little more structured and reliable.
I think it makes sense. I wish something like that were in place here. I wish I had the resources to get it going on my own. I wish the Falcons win the Superbowl and I wish my favorite shoes didn’t squeak (Yes, they’re still my favorite.)
I’m between contracts and wish I could fill my downtime with more privates. I’m not exactly sure of the best way to find them. It seems I get word about them when I’m too busy to do them and the only ones listed aren’t enough to justify travel time. I guess it’s back to finding block hours in a buxiban.
I got a few hits until I put my picture up. Kinda reminds me of what I went through when I first started looking for a job here… I guess five years of working at a real school made me forget that not all people seeking educators really want to be educated. Or at least not by black people, even those having 6 years’ teaching experience, two EFL teaching certs, and a handful of professional recommendations from their other teaching jobs (from professors, principals, teachers, and parents in Taiwan and the US).
Anyways, congratulations to the lucky FOBs with no teaching experience or qualifications who are landing privates left and right through myu.com.tw just because they happen “look” the part. I’m sure you deserve it.
Yeah, I’m a different Ryan and proud of it, particularly after reading the radio station thread. Also, myu.com.tw is a Taiwan registered company. That’s how we got the .tw.
I know a lot of the teachers who use our site don’t like the whole photo thing. Including that feature was a tough decision for us. We like to think that a photo saves teachers a lot of BS down the road, regardless of the whole ethical can of worms of judging people by their looks. Besides, I don’t think that a small business like this (or even a large business) stands a chance trying to change the habits of their customers.
On a somewhat related note, you might be interested to know that, on our site, Taiwan-origin teachers are second in popularity only to Americans.
Anyway, I’d appreciate more feedback if anyone has any!
You have 450+ teachers registered, right?
So just how big a pond does this school of fish inhabit? In other words, how many “paid-up” prospective students do you have?
You have 450+ teachers registered, right?
So just how big a pond does this school of fish inhabit? In other words, how many “paid-up” prospective students do you have?
Cheers.[/quote]
Thanks for having a look!
There are a lot of students registered. So, the chances of the average teacher getting contacted by more than one student are good. We’ve had many teachers tell us that they’ve gotten multiple classes through our site. And, truthfully, we’ve seen teachers who never get contacted. It depends on the teacher, their rate, qualifications, and location.
How much do you know about myu.com? Ever gotten work through them?
Cheers.[/quote]
Yup. I found a couple of private students through myu. Not many, but no time-wasters. I believe that other people have found more students than me - but I’m older, not American, and more expensive than most. Actually, they may be the reasons why I get picked when I do.
I think photos are important. It would be good to be able to upload two or three to show you in different guises: serious me, fun me, man whore me.
Yeah, I put my picture up for browsing (as opposed to being able to view it only after paying to see it) to cut through the bullshit of someone spending money to view my information and then not biting or worse paying to contact me, contacting and then backing off when they see I’m not white.
I’ve had only two people actually contact me before I put my picture up. Neither worked out…but I’m still optimistic.
Thanks. I might put a profile together and register this weekend.
I think my main problem is going to be the limited time I have available. I have a hectic afternoon and evening schedule during the week, which really only leaves Sat and Sun afternoon & evening. That, and my “man-whore” photo, is likely to deter a lot of punters, I’d imagine.
What exactly is “a lot”? Dozens? Hundreds? Thousands?
The thing is, I’ve been watching the listings on your site for the past week and have noticed something interesting.
The number of registered teachers has increased by about 10. However, of these newbies (and the teachers who were already registered prior to this time last week, and who keep refreshing their profiles to stay at the front of the queue) I can’t recall one who has altered their “time available” to indicate they’re picking up work.
My guess is that few people are trying to build a career using MYU.
Most are just hoping to pick up an extra private or two. I didn’t alter my available times after getting some work, because I’m basically not available any more.
It doesn’t take long to register, and costs nothing. Why not use the time to create a profile instead of monitoring everyone else to see if it’s worth your while? You may not get much response, but what you get may be worth having.
(OT - I remember seeing a strip cartoon once showing two lager louts being chased by two very big versions of themselves. The caption was “oh no, larger louts!”)
I’ve been listed for one week and I’ve gotten 1 reply. Not bad for a free service.
I also run a free service for listing tutors of English or Chinese. It’s basically a forum just like Forumosa, except it is strictly for listing tutors and students needing a tutor. It’s free to list your services and free to view.
Unlike myu.com, though, you have to give out your email and you may get replies from people who want language exchange or penpals. But, hey, it’s a free service. Won’t hurt to have one more place with your services listed.
[quote=“ImaniOU”]I got a few hits until I put my picture up. Kinda reminds me of what I went through when I first started looking for a job here… I guess five years of working at a real school made me forget that not all people seeking educators really want to be educated. Or at least not by black people, even those having 6 years’ teaching experience, two EFL teaching certs, and a handful of professional recommendations from their other teaching jobs (from professors, principals, teachers, and parents in Taiwan and the US).
Anyways, congratulations to the lucky FOBs with no teaching experience or qualifications who are landing privates left and right through myu.com.tw just because they happen “look” the part. I’m sure you deserve it.[/quote]
Thanks for speaking up ImaniOU. I’ve been following the site for a couple of days after seeing their ad seeking people to write articles for the site. I knew I didn’t want to put my picture up, but, like you, I decided it would probably save me time from getting students who cancel once they see me in person. I guess I’ll have to work on my networking skills so I can get a lot of word-of-mouth referrals
