Private Lessons

[ian]

Hi all

How much do you usually charge for private lessons in Japan for an hour or half hour lesson.

I assume the price will be different depending on the location, so how much would you charge for Tokyo, Sappora, Chiba and Fukkoka?

Thanks.

Ian

[Jk]

Hi,

Usually the average price for an hour lesson is 2.500 Yen. Half hour lesson is such a short time don't you think?

[ian]

JK

Need to supplement my, hopefully, job working in a school with private lessons, looks like I will have to get quite a few clients in. Asked about 1/2 hour lessons as not sure how long the lessons usually are, can now assume they are one hour. Thanks for your reply it will help in deciding my coming over to Japan budget.

Ian

[Curious]

Just wondering is there is still a lot of call out there for private lessons? With the downturn in the economy, are people just not spending anymore?

[Anonymous]

It was 3,000 - 4,000 yen for privates, one hour. Keep in mind students pay 6,000 yen for a private at many eikaiwa schools. If you're experienced, charge atleast 3,000. That doesn't include prep time, which you don't get paid for so 3000 or 25 bucks for 1 1/2 hours is reasonable in Tokyo. You'll find someone to pay that, unless you have no experience or connections. In which case, better to head to Nova

[Glenski]

Obviously, the more people you teach privately, the more money you'll make. So, in my opinion, the money for private lessons is made in groups. Some fellow teachers choose to organize their classes by level of fluency and/or topics that students want to study. They bring in new students to existing groups, so it's a lot like a language school; that is, new students don't know the existing ones, so there is a possibility of personality clashes.

I don't do that, and a few of my friends follow my example. We build our private lessons in groups where the students know each other. It makes them feel more comfortable knowing everyone.

As for payment plans, you can ask for money each time, or you can go by a monthly rate. I ask for a month in advance. I also give a semi-discount monthly rate as follows. Each lesson is 4000 yen per person, but a one-person private lesson costs 16000 yen per month. This is a "discount" sometimes because some months have 5 lessons in them. If students argue that some months may have 3 lessons in them, I show them a calendar and point out that most of the time there are 4, so in the long run it balances out. Besides, I need to maintain a certain income for my own regular monthly expenses, and people such as apartment managers don't care if the month is long or short. My payments to them are always the same.

So, each of my students pays 4000 yen or 16000 yen, depending on how they want to study. Some who study a couple of times a month pay each time. If students want to take a group private lesson, the payment plan changes. To teach more people requires more effort, so I need more money. (Just my opinion.) But, it's not a linear thing, so I point this out to students as follows. If two students are in the group, the total group cost is 5000 yen (2500 per student). If the group size is 3 people, the total cost is 6000 yen. I raise the group cost by 1000 yen per person. Look at the math. If you calculate how much EACH person winds up paying for group lessons, the more people that join, the less that each person pays. But, the TOTAL group lesson cost goes up, so I get more and students pay less as the group grows. Best of both worlds.

Of course, my lessons often involve traveling around the city, so I also charge a travel fee per lesson. Whoever shows up has to split the fee. Sometimes that spurs students to attend each time, otherwise their classmates have to pay a larger share of that fee. If someone argues about paying a travel fee, I just tell them that the fee for TEACHING is separate from the hassles of TRAVELING from one lesson to another, and my time is important. If it takes half an hour or an hour to just GET to a lesson, that's an hour I could've taught someone else in the first location, so I need some compensation. And, in some cases, traveling involves more than one mode of transportation, so it can run up to some pricey figures. (In one case, I take a subway, then a taxi.) Of course, travel costs are always round-trip figures because once I get to a lesson, I have to figure on getting back.

If people argue about costs, I have two responses. One, they are getting customized lessons, based on what they need, and there won't be any other people or agendas to consider in their private lesson. It's totally focused on them without regard for a formal school's policies or rules or textbooks. And, if the student(s) want(s) to change the format, we can discuss it openly. Two, I don't have to teach them. There are plenty of other students around the next corner.

This teaching strategy works quite well. Some group lessons have 4 people, some have one or two. My customers are steady and have been with me a while (a real benefit when you teach privately). Younger people tend to be less reliable, while older ones stay longer and pay for my coffee and such. They also bring in new students when they have to drop the group. Younger ones just leave.

Of course, the two disadvantages to living solely off private lessons are important ones. No paid vacation. No guaranteed monthly paycheck long term.