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Out of the various teaching jobs ranging from
full time involvement at government sponsored schools to part
time employment at private language institutions, private
tutoring often pays the most and comes with the benefit of
liberty and comfort in working.
It involves going to the student's home in
the evening to help them develop certain skills or strengthen
certain weaknesses. Students study individually and often in
groups. An efficient and organized teacher has the potential to
meet the student's expectation, resulting in teaching them for a
good period of time and reaping juicy financial benefit out of
it.
Private tuitions are not only lucrative
earning alternatives but they can also serve to supplement your
regular income comfortably. What you charge is entirely up to
you but remember that the average monthly income in Thailand is
only 7,000 baht so unless you are teaching at high societies,
chances are low to charge a fortune. The average charged could
be around 500 baht an hour, approximately. Many Thais are
willing to pay anything from 500 baht to 1000 baht an hour for a
native-speaking teacher to give them lessons and guidance in
conversational English, grammar, academic and business writing,
and TOEFL preparation, etc, etc. (simple conversation practice
is still the choice of the vast majority however). Negotiation
skills will also come in handy for those times when you want to
charge a thousand baht an hour and your customer had budgeted
for a couple of hundred at most.
There is also the flip side of Private tuition which makes the
picture not so rosy. Thai students are notorious for last-moment
cancellation resulting in unwanted gaps in earning. Therefore it
is a bit risky to rely on the same for a starting income and not
a permanent mode of survival. A convenient location and a
workable knowledge of communicative Thai language should help in
setting up the business. Along with this, one needs to be smart,
professional, and friendly with some business acumen. Best way
to rope in private students is through schools or private
institutions where one is already employed. Students here often
approach for after-hour or weekend classes against a decent
remuneration. Therefore, it is important to schedule the
student's lessons to fit in with respective timetables.
In order to successfully run the private business, the
checkpoints can be –
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Teaching in small groups rather than
handling individual students
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Instructing students to pay for lesson one
month in advance
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A convenient location with comfortable
setting
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A strict schedule to adhere to from the
very beginning.
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