Thread: Freelance Teaching

Could anyone give me some advice on "Freelance Teaching".
Is it worth it?
What's the money like and how easy is it to find students?
Thanks for helping.

If you are going to rely on freelance teaching to support yourself in Thailand stay at home, unless you want to live like a tramp.

Do you mean doing privates at a place of your choosing, or working for companies part-time?

If it's the former a min of 500 baht of a hour, prolly more. If the later, you might get shuttled around the city on 3 hour bus journeys for little money.

I'd like to teach at home!
Advantages and disadvantages of doing this?

However you do it you need a workpermit if you want to be legal

Originally Posted by Changlight

I'd like to teach at home! Advantages and disadvantages of doing this?

You need to sort out a visa, probably need to own a company to do it 100% legally. Finding students is not too bad, but getting them to come at convenient hours and turn up on time or at all is not that easy. Personally I find it much easier working in a school, but some people prefer smaller groups. You'll probably end up working at the evenings and weekends which is not great for a social life. Pay could be anything from 300 to 1000++ baht depending on the area you live in and the size of the group.

Originally Posted by Changlight

I'd like to teach at home! Advantages and disadvantages of doing this?

Could you expand a little on the meaning of 'home'..if you mean your bedsit then it's totally inappropriate.

Students should never be subjected to the sight of your bed, so unless you have a separate bedroom you'll have to take a leaf out of Smeg's book and teach them at McDonalds.

Private students are notorious for being late or for canceling and have very fruitful imaginations when it comes to rendering excuses. If you're going to teach privately then you need a cancellation policy firmly established before you start. You might allow students two cancellations per course (20 classes). After that they forfeit the time.

Originally Posted by klongmaster

Private students are notorious for being late or for canceling and have very fruitful imaginations when it comes to rendering excuses. If you're going to teach privately then you need a cancellation policy firmly established before you start. You might allow students two cancellations per course (20 classes). After that they forfeit the time.

And money up front!

Can you teach?

^ Is that important?

Originally Posted by good2bhappy

Is that important?

might help a bit, don't you think.

I assume (dangerous, I know) that you're asking about teaching English, correct? I only ask because I have known some people who showed up and thought there would be a job waiting for them to teach French. While there certainly are some people in Thailand who want to learn French, etc., the market isn't all that big. Until the MOE decides that all Thai children need to learn French as well and be taught by native speakers, at which point most if not all English teachers will probably leave.

Working without a permit... I would advise against it but I like having all my ducks in a row. I think private classes are probably a nice way to supplement your steady income but might prove frustrating as a sole means of income until you can build up the clientele through good relations and word of mouth, as well as the reasons previously mentioned. That being said, I'm looking into it myself.

I know a girl who had signs made in Thai and went around putting them up. She got quite a few calls, but had never decided where to have them. So she ended up going to a lot of different houses, and spent most of her time traveling not actually making money. This might be something to consider.

Originally Posted by Skettios

I know a girl who had signs made in Thai and went around putting them up. She got quite a few calls, but had never decided where to have them. So she ended up going to a lot of different houses, and spent most of her time traveling not actually making money. This might be something to consider.

Wot?

a sign making business?

or hanging signs as a good way to travel?

Originally Posted by killerbees

Until the MOE decides that all Thai children need to learn French as well and be taught by native speakers, at which point most if not all English teachers will probably leave.

What the hell are you on about?

Changlight

How can you create a steady stream of students? Do you have a pipeline or are you going to do the recruiting and sales yourself?

Look at Bruce who has been posting here. I don't really know him or his company/school, but from his posting style he is surely a salesman, which is necessary to run a successful small business here.

From my experience, teachers are rarely good salesmen.

Originally Posted by kingwilly

Originally Posted by Skettios

I know a girl who had signs made in Thai and went around putting them up. She got quite a few calls, but had never decided where to have them. So she ended up going to a lot of different houses, and spent most of her time traveling not actually making money. This might be something to consider.

Wot?

a sign making business?

or hanging signs as a good way to travel?

Religious signs actually.

'The End is Near' 'Jesus Saves' 'I am the salt of the Land'
that kind of stuff...