I’m 18 years old and going to Taiwan in about a week up until July 2009, and while I’m there I want to try and pull in some NTs. Do the Taiwanese use tutors? Would It be easy for me to find a few kids to tutor 1v1 off the books and have them pay me?
If so, can anyone give me some tips? I’ve never tutored before so I have no skill in the area. Is there a good book I could get to go over with the kids lesson by lesson or something? Would they pay me to simply sit and teach them freestyle without a book?
Also are there any other ways an 18yo American can make money in Taiwan since I have no degrees or anything? Adult films (;D)
[quote=“Springfield”]I’m 18 years old and going to Taiwan in about a week up until July 2009, and while I’m there I want to try and pull in some NTs. Do the Taiwanese use tutors? Would It be easy for me to find a few kids to tutor 1v1 off the books and have them pay me?
If so, can anyone give me some tips? I’ve never tutored before so I have no skill in the area. Is there a good book I could get to go over with the kids lesson by lesson or something? Would they pay me to simply sit and teach them freestyle without a book?
Also are there any other ways an 18yo American can make money in Taiwan since I have no degrees or anything? Adult films (;D)
Thanks a lot- (BTW I’ll be in Kaohsiung)
Oh and what’s a reasonable rate?[/quote]
Yes they use tutors, a lot you can earn a very good living from just doing privates and you have a good reputation (I regularly take home 1000NT plus an hour).This, however takes a long time to get, I’ve been here for 4 years and taught for 5.
You have to ask yourself a few questions here. Would YOU pay someone to just “freestyle” teach you or your children? Value for money has become more and more of an issue here of late.
Would you choose a very young guy who has probably little experience to teach over someone who has been here a while? Granted, many will just be happy that a honky is teaching little Jimmy, and they have no idea if you are doing a good job or not.
A reasonable rate? Hmmmmm… well a young guy in the South with no experience? I’d say 500NT an hour absolute top whack and build from there as you get better. I would check www.myu.com.tw to be sure
just wanna say: privates are illegal and only a certain number of people can do them (not that it stops anyone)
[quote=“Springfield”]500 Is still good enough for my purposes… It’s great actually.
Anyway, I don’t see why It’s illegal… Seems pretty harmless.[/quote]
Yeah, but now matter how stupid or harmless it is, it is the law of the land. That being said, I have only heard of one person being done for privates out of all the teachers I know, and that was a “you pissed off the wrong person” sort of deal. No evidence to back that up either, so could be an urban myth.
it’s illegal because you don’t have a work permit for that profession, and you won’t get one without a degree or any experience. it’s also illegal because you will be working on the black market without paying any tax. it’s i9llefgal because you’re most likely here on a visa that does not allow you to work at all… perhaps a student visa if it’s for one year.
so, yes, it’s not trivial, and you can easily get the book thrown at you and get deported if you cross the wrong people, go about it stupidly, or draw attention to yourself for a variety of reasons.
and getting students will not be easy without a word of mouth contact network, which you don’t have yet. i would not rely on it as my sole source of income.
The Aussie wrote: [quote] I would not rely on it as my sole source of income.[/quote]
Yep, good advice. There are a lot of teachers chasing privates, so it takes time (a few months at least) and some luck to build up a stable of private students.
To pull this off you will have to be a networking machine. Get some cards made up as soon as you get here. The only way to get good at teaching is with experience, so if you do find some privates, they will prove to be unstable. As far as the material, you have to cater to the needs of the person, every private is different, so NO there is not a book you can get. If your students are not successful in learning English with you, you will not be successful in teaching privately. Another good approach would be to coordinate small groups of 4-6 people. Charge them all 100 or 150NT each. Many people will pay a white face to “freestyle” teach their children. I really don’t think you have to worry about getting pinched for teaching illegally. Bring some enthusiasm and make sure the class is interesting. Good luck.
I was under the impression that as a student you are supposed to show you have enough money to live in order to qualify for the visa… Or am I wrong?[/quote]
I have enough to Live in Taiwan, probably more than enough, but I want some money to still be in my bank account when I come back from Taiwan so I’d like to make some in Taiwan. A little extra money (or a lot) never hurt anyone… Well it probably has, but you know what I mean.
If you’re coming over as a student, your best network may be the University itself. Talk to students who do know English and see if they know anyone that is looking for a private tutor.
1:1 classes provide many challenges you should be prepared for. Reading through this forum may bring some of those to light. I had a 1:1 student that wanted me to prepare her for the TOEFL exam that she is taking in a few weeks, but it took her 3 minutes to put together her first sentence with me. There was not a lot I could do about that.
There’s a great thread that’s a sticky subject about teaching 1:1 to adults. That’s worth a read. I have a lot of great ideas for working with children, but it has been developed over years of working with children in schools. So it’s hard just to map out here.
I think you’re relatively safe doing private lessons. I’m not saying that as any sort of attorney at all and yes…there is a chance of getting :banned: from the country. It’s a stupid law and they could do so much to set up a system where people are taxed from that income and everyone ends up winning, but laws of Taiwan are not always exactly known for their well-thought out plans. I understand the reason behind it, but what can you do? If it helps any, if a person comes to America on a student Visa, I also believe they don’t have a right to work. And America enforces that law a lot more vigorously than Taiwan does.
I agree with everyone that it will be hard to find tutoring jobs. It’s often hard for people that have been here for a while. Make sure you have enough to cover yourself for the time you will be here.