So I prefer to do things the legal way, of course. However, having a source of income before the wedding would be nice.
I would like to tutor or language exchange with some privates for 4 months before the wedding (Then I can actually work legally afterwards). Since I do not have much experience, I would charge a minimal rate of 450 NT per hour. I was thinking 2 hours a day 5 days a week. This would equal 18,000 NT a month or 72,000 NT for 4 months.
I could network myself in May and then start tutoring in June.
Is this a reasonable plan? How likely is success? Are my fees too low, too high, or just right? How easy or hard is it to find privates that are stable? My fiancee thinks its a piece of cake and should be no problems at all.
Your fees are too low. You want to be looking more at about nt700 an hour or so.
Getting privates is not as easy now as it used to be (when I first came to Taiwan I used to get asked everywhere I went it seemed…at the supermarket, on the street, even while riding my bike) but that rarely happens now, so you will most likely have to advertise yourself.
I would suggest advertising at the local unis and on places like TeaLit. Have your gf help you translate your ad into Chinese and you shouldn’t have any problems.
You could also pick up some part time cram school work, which would pay around nt600 an hour (privates are notoriously unstable).
I wouldn’t say it’s too low provided that the private classes are:
one on one
don’t require much prep
the students sign up for a block of pre-paid classes
involve no/little travel time
the private students are hot drool-worthy babes
When it comes to pricing things, I believe that we should balance the "How much can I get? approach with the “How much would I like to pay if I were in their shoes? / What’s a fair price approach?” Perhaps that’s why I’m broke. Most of the private students I’ve taught have been of high school age and from middle-class families for whom the tuition was a major expense.
Apart from the advertising suggestions already given, I would say that a good hook for privates is offering a free introductory first class; this enables the the student to see that you are not a loser (and conversely) and you can accurately access their level and needs. It shows that you are professional and not just after a quick buck.
Considering that you are usually travelling to meet your student instead of the student coming to where you are located, you need to factor that time in as well. You probably won’t get such a set schedule, such as 2 hours a day for 5 days a week. Private students take time to build. I would also suggest teaching some hours at a cram school as well, just to have more stable hours and income.
The cram school thing scares me…dont want to risk deportation.
However, I have a friend here in the US and her mom owns a cram school. It is on the 2nd floor of a grocery store complex, way in the back. No signs or anything that give it away as being there. I really don’t think it is “legit” with the laws. But, her mom is very nice and I like her teaching style. Seems like a safe enough place. “Teacher Joey” is its name. Anyone hear of it? The location is in the Taipei district that is known for lots of foreigner housing. Kind of up on a hill / mountain semi near the Grand Hotel. Wish I could remember the name of the district
Don’t expect to suddenly have that many students. The easiest way to get students will be from referrals. So, start teaching as soon as you get a student and hope they can bring a friend.
My fiancee thinks its a piece of cake and should be no problems at all.