Giving Private English Lessons in SpainAs an English teacher you have quite a bit of free time (I only work 16 hours and most other English teachers work 12 hours) and one thing that almost every auxiliar (English teaching assistant) has in common is that almost all of us give private English lessons to people in the community we're residing in currently. I'm going to section this post into three sections where I will explain how to find people to give private lessons to, where you give these lessons, how much you should charge and what you do in your lessons (but this is a simple answer- you teach English duh) and I hope this helps any of you out there wondering about how all of this works!
Where Do You Find Your Clients?: There are many way to find your clients, one way is using the website tusclasesparticulares.com where you essentially create an advertisement for yourself offering private English lessons. Many families use this site to look for English tutors for their kids, so you're bound to get a few clients this way if you use this site. Another way and the most common way I've gotten my clients is through word of mouth. In one case (last year in La Rioja) I mom interested in private lessons and then she told her friend about me who later told her other friend about me and that's how I landed three private lessons a week with three individual kiddos in the same school and grade! Where Does The Class Take Place?: These classes typically take place at the house of the person you're giving the lesson to, at least this has been the case for me. For the most part this is where the lessons or held, but sometimes you may end up hosting the lesson at your place. I have a friend on the island who has her kiddos drop by her place for private lessons and I usually travel to my private lesson which is about 15 minutes away via tram. What Do I Do?: Now that you've landed your share of private lessons you may wonder so what am I going to do? This is simple, teach English duh, but different families have different expectations and things they may want you to do with their kids. I've been giving private lessons for a while now and I've had parents who have wanted me to different things ranging from focusing solely on what the kiddos are learning at school, helping the kids with their English homework and just basic conversation practice. The parents of the kids you're giving private lessons to will probably tell you upfront what they want you focus on and so you'll have an idea as to what you're going to be doing. Currently I am giving private lessons to twins twice a week and the mom likes for me to help the girls with their homework and to focus on conversation practice with them which I do through a variety of fun games and activities I prepare in advance. How Much Should I Charge?: Now this is a tricky question to answer. It depends on where you're teaching really, how many kids you're teaching at once and how much you're doing in the private lesson. When I taught English in Valladolid I charged 12 euros an hour, this was a rate set up by the mom of a kid I tutored and I just went along with it. When I taught English in in La Rioja I charged 15 euros an hour (plus 5 euros per additional student in the same class), because this was a set rate proposed by the majority of English teachers in La Rioja. This was set up so that there wouldn't be any competition amongst all of us. I went along with this last year and kept this rate for private lessons here in Tenerife. So, because I give private lessons to twins here I charge the family 20 euros for the hour as there are two kiddos I'm giving lessons to at once. I've heard of people charging more than 15 euros, my friend who works in Galicia as an English teacher charges 25 euros for twins. I say when thinking about how much to charge, 15 is a good starting point, but take into account where you're giving the lesson, how far you're traveling and remember your worth! I say don't charge any less than 15 an hour for one student. Hope this helps any of you who were curious about giving private lessons in Spain! Con amor, Nelli <3
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