If you were given the choice between a full time job at a language school or private tutoring, what would you choose?
Basically what the title says. I’ve been doing private tutoring for the last 3 years, and it has been fine, but you’re depending too much on other people. People cancel last minute, and I don’t get paid for school holidays. I do make more hourly though, and there’s more flexibility.
I moved to a different city recently, and I started tutoring here a month ago. I was recently offered a full time job at a language school. I know the conditions aren’t always great at language schools, but I already work there part time. I get paid holidays including summer holidays when I’m not working, and the boss is a really awesome person. It’s more financial stability. It seems like an obvious decision, but I feel bad canceling all the tutoring classes now in October, and kind of leaving people hanging. (I live in a very small city, and there are no other native teachers). It would not be possible to do both. I felt pretty confident about my decision to leave the tutoring, and then I got a message this morning from a mother telling me her daughter said I was “the best English teacher she ever had.”
I know I should do what’s best for me, but I hate letting other people down. Plus I’m in a new city, and I don’t want to get the reputation of being “unreliable.” On the other hand, people don’t think about me when they cancel their class an hour ahead of time several times a month, so I shouldn’t care as much either.
What would you do?
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u/EnglishWithEm 6d ago
I wouldn't trade my online private tutoring for a job at a school. However, if I taught face to face, I would take the position at the school. As long as the school was well established and the job felt secure. I wouldn't want to have to try to get students back and find new ones a year later after getting laid off.
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u/lrc1391 6d ago
The tutoring is face to face, so I’m spending my afternoons/evenings running around to different houses. I already work part time at the school, and I like it. It’s a newer school that opened like 3-4 years ago, but they have more and more students signing up each year. I’m part time now, and I already have an indefinite contract, so it wouldn’t be short term. Plus I’m pretty much the only native speaker in a small, rural city, so I think I’m kind of a novelty for them, and they can advertise that they have “native teachers” haha.
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u/EnglishWithEm 6d ago
All that sounds like a step up, and pretty secure, so I'd definitely go for it!
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u/SophieElectress 6d ago
Personally I hate 1 to 1, language school any day for me. I enjoy the energy of classes more, plus all the things you said about financial instability and flaky clients, plus half my friends are people I met through work and I hated working alone all the time, plus having an employer just makes lots of things easier, from taxes to residency (if that applies in your situation). Classes where you already know that the boss is cool would be a no-brainer.
I wouldn't feel too bad for the clients - yeah it's always a shame to lose a good teacher, but it's life, and there are thousands of tutors online if it's that important to them to have a native teacher. If you turn down the job there's no guarantee your current students will still be around in two months anyway, once they've also taken up swimming and guitar and realised they can't keep up everything, and then you'll have passed up a good opportunity for no reason.
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u/krava1000 6d ago
I like the school setting, and I like having colleagues. The additional responsibilities aren't exactly things I enjoy (hall duty, going out with the kids to places, etc.). I still teach outside of my school hours, and it pays more than I earn per class (when broken down from my salary). As you mentioned, it does provide stability. Plus, if I end up staying in this country, the social contributions will end up benefitting me in the end (even if not much).