What's a fair price per hour for online teaching?

[Irrumator]

I have been full time teaching here in Thailand since 2004, all sorts from KG1 to M6 classrooms in schools, but mainly business English in companies and Government departments.

Since Covid came along, I have been teaching online English of all types.  I’m very experienced, speak Thai and am very familiar with the Thai mindset regarding studying.

Now that I am much older and don’t want to travel all around Bangkok, I want to concentrate on online teaching and I’m part way through constructing a Facebook page.  I’m also wondering what other platforms I could use.  Any suggestions welcome for the latter. 

 

However,  what bugs me is what is a fair price per hour? I do some work for one agency which pays 360 baht an hour (sometimes 300, for some reason) and another which pays 350 baht an hour.

 

Now, that’s all very well when they are finding the work for you but to my mind, it’s rather low.  I have seen private teachers pricing themselves at 450 – 500 baht per hour, and I personally know one guy (who is very good with younger kids) who charges 1,000 baht an hour – and gets it!

 

I don’t want to price myself out of the market, nor do I want to work for too little.  I prefer to teach 18 years and upwards, so university students but also working people who want to improve their speaking and listening skills for work or further education.  They also have more disposable income.

I only teach one hour classes because 30 minutes is a waste of time, and after an hour, most people’s concentration starts to flag.  Even 1½ hours is too much for many.

Any *serious* suggestions as to a fair price for an hour’s class and also where else I could advertise very welcome. 

[simon43]

I teach science online via iTalki platform, who manage all bookings, calendar, payments etc for 15% of my tuition fee, which is $26 per hour.  But that rate is only for teaching KG and primary/middle grade students. Most of my students are in China, some in Russia, Japan etc, and almost none in Thailand.

 

I don't advertise - I get new students on iTalki via word of mouth/recommendation.  I have about 250 one-to-one students and (I just checked), 1,590 future lessons already booked and already paid to iTalki.  (I get the money after the lesson).

 

You can see my profile here: Learn English online with Scientist Simon on italki  (not to book, just to show you an example of an iTalki profile!).

Edited January 5, 2023 by simon43

[Irrumator]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

I teach science online via iTalki platform, who manage all bookings, calendar, payments etc for 15% of my tuition fee, which is $26 per hour.  But that rate is only for teaching KG and primary/middle grade students. Most of my students are in China, some in Russia, Japan etc, and almost none in Thailand.

 

I don't advertise - I get new students on iTalki via word of mouth/recommendation.  I have about 250 one-to-one students and (I just checked), 1,590 future lessons already booked and already paid to iTalki.  (I get the money after the lesson).

 

You can see my profile here: Learn English online with Scientist Simon on italki  (not to book, just to show you an example of an iTalki profile!).

I checked with the iTalki website and positions for teaching English for both Professional Teacher or Community teacher are both currently closed.  

Edited January 5, 2023 by Irrumator

[Callmeishmael]

I stopped teaching private lessons a few years ago.  Back when I did teach, I would charge 500 baht/hour if I didn't have to travel far and 700 an hour if I had to drive to their place.

 

I got some work from current or former students and other jobs from neighbors (like my dentist).

[Irrumator]

On 1/5/2023 at 8:13 PM, Callmeishmael said:

I stopped teaching private lessons a few years ago.  Back when I did teach, I would charge 500 baht/hour if I didn't have to travel far and 700 an hour if I had to drive to their place.

 

I got some work from current or former students and other jobs from neighbors (like my dentist).

That seems fair enough.  I've just started teaching a member of the wife's family and I'm charging him 400 baht because of he's only 20 and not earning much, and of course, he's family.

I had been charging 450 an hour for online but I'm going to start charging 500 this year.

For face to face, I charged 700 an hour plus a topup for travel depending on where I had to go to.

I want to cut the travel down to no more than 20-30 minutes from  home, and I think increase to 800 an hour basic and add an estimate  for travel, which will depend on how convenient for me.

 

Seem fair?

[BananaStrong]

Some students are easier, some have more money, and sometimes you feel like you have more free time to teach (example:  a good time for you).

 

Absolute minimum is 300, regardless.    Top end is 1000.   OK, now we have a range.

 

If rich, go from 700 and don't settle under 500.  rich people will think it's better if more expensive.

 

if poor and you like them, 300.   really, why not discriminate?  some students are better and easier.

 

I'd advertise group sessions........1000 for 3 students, one hour.   

 

note:  I'm not a fan of online language teaching at all.  write a book, do youtube, try patreon, whatever....I've talked with soooooooooooooo many parents upset with the quality of online teaching during covid.  not your fault, but that's the perception now.  

[ChaiyaTH]

On 1/7/2023 at 9:47 AM, Irrumator said:

That seems fair enough.  I've just started teaching a member of the wife's family and I'm charging him 400 baht because of he's only 20 and not earning much, and of course, he's family.

I had been charging 450 an hour for online but I'm going to start charging 500 this year.

For face to face, I charged 700 an hour plus a topup for travel depending on where I had to go to.

I want to cut the travel down to no more than 20-30 minutes from  home, and I think increase to 800 an hour basic and add an estimate  for travel, which will depend on how convenient for me.

 

Seem fair?

What is fair or not fair totally depends on where you are, who you teach and sell it to. Some teachers think 35K a month is the standard, and it likely is at a public school. Just depends on your clients right.

I used to always think I should charge less as I worked remotely and my clients were in Europe, that just shot myself in the feet for years as it was just my subjective view. Clients are happy to pay me as much as home, as long they get the good quality / service.

[proton]

Mrs charges 600 baht an hour now, worst students have always been rich Indians. They never want to pay up front, never pay on time and always cancelling and swopping times about.

[Irrumator]

1 hour ago, proton said:

Mrs charges 600 baht an hour now, worst students have always been rich Indians. They never want to pay up front, never pay on time and always cancelling and swopping times about.

Sounds just like many of the Thais I have taught for 18 years!  

That is the real downside of working for yourself and not having an agency to refer them to.  

Edited January 8, 2023 by Irrumator

[Irrumator]

On 1/8/2023 at 11:09 AM, proton said:

Mrs charges 600 baht an hour now, worst students have always been rich Indians. They never want to pay up front, never pay on time and always cancelling and swopping times about.

Just like many Thai students then.

[JimmyJ]

On 1/7/2023 at 10:39 AM, BananaStrong said:

note:  I'm not a fan of online language teaching at all.  

Why?

[SoilSpoil]

I get 500 for a 50 minutes one-on-one and 1,000 to 1,500 for groups up to 4 kids. With no travel time, morning assembly, extra duties, lesson planning an examination involved, I dont think I will ever work in a school again. I teach coding and a bit of English.

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

Yup, 300 baht is the bare minimum, as $10/hr USD is the least you can get all on the online tutoring platforms. I've had people try and haggle this down, and I tell them no.

 

With private, online students, I have the hassle of trying to collect from them, and creating lessons for them. On a platform payment is automatic, and materials can be easily accessed. If in person, those hassles plus that of face to face meetups and scheduling. So for private, local students not on a platform, I should get more than 300. This would also be just for basic conversation practice, vocab, grammar correction. For anything more advanced, such as business or academic English, IELTS prep, this price would be higher.

 

But I've had several offers from parents around my village, and I told them no, I have too many online students already. But the reality is, I'd rather just not have the hassle, when with the online platforms it's a much easier affair.

[BananaStrong]

On 1/12/2023 at 8:56 AM, JimmyJ said:

Why?

It's impossible to connect with a student online in the same way as face-to-face.   Teaching is much more than simply talking, and online is absolute garbage to learn a language.  It's the easy way out, but there's a reason why Ivy League schools aren't closing their campuses.   Being there is important.   Especially if there are more than a few students.   If you don't understand, I really can't explain it to you.

 

People like online dating, why even meet the person???  lol.   Why not just do Thanksgiving dinner via Skype???  Xmas with your kids over Skype?

 

At my last school, every teacher, student and parent said online teaching was worthless.

 

It's a quick and lazy way to make money.

 

If a student is 10,000 km away, I would recommend they stick with FREE YouTube instead of paying anyone online.  

[Mason45]

On 1/7/2023 at 10:39 AM, BananaStrong said:

Some students are easier, some have more money, and sometimes you feel like you have more free time to teach (example:  a good time for you).

 

Absolute minimum is 300, regardless.    Top end is 1000.   OK, now we have a range.

 

If rich, go from 700 and don't settle under 500.  rich people will think it's better if more expensive.

 

if poor and you like them, 300.   really, why not discriminate?  some students are better and easier.

 

I'd advertise group sessions........1000 for 3 students, one hour.   

 

note:  I'm not a fan of online language teaching at all.  write a book, do youtube, try patreon, whatever....I've talked with soooooooooooooo many parents upset with the quality of online teaching during covid.  not your fault, but that's the perception now.  

Hi there, If parents understand English proficiently enough to asses the quality of online English tuition, then why don't they teach their kids themselves. They would have first hand knowledge of how they're progressing and it's free. Cheers.

[it is what it is]

 

why limit yourself to thailand?

 

if you're teaching on line the world, literally, is your oyster - assuming you're prepared to be flexible.

 

assuming you have relevant qualifications and experience then there are many companies that will pay you well to teach online.

[Irrumator]

On 1/29/2023 at 9:10 AM, it is what it is said:

 

why limit yourself to thailand?

 

if you're teaching on line the world, literally, is your oyster - assuming you're prepared to be flexible.

 

assuming you have relevant qualifications and experience then there are many companies that will pay you well to teach online.

Because I've taught here for nigh on 20 years, know how Thais think and act, know they always cancel, and more importantly, know how they want to study and hence how best to teach them.

I do have one Chinese lad studying to be a dentist at Mahidol, but although he's nice enough, there's a big difference between him and Thai students.

 

Also, I speak Thai well enough to help them out if necessary.  I'm not a believer is this absurd 'Never speak Thai in the classroom' rubbish.   

[SoilSpoil]

On 1/29/2023 at 8:33 AM, BananaStrong said:

It's impossible to connect with a student online in the same way as face-to-face.   Teaching is much more than simply talking, and online is absolute garbage to learn a language.  It's the easy way out, but there's a reason why Ivy League schools aren't closing their campuses.   Being there is important.   Especially if there are more than a few students.   If you don't understand, I really can't explain it to you.

 

 

That depends on  teaching skills and engagement. My students are improving their communication skills significantly. While teaching online you can use websites, Powerpoints, Youtube videos, sound files, google image search, etc..   My own kids, homeschooled, also love learning online. Combine this with lots of travelling, going to the beach a lot, you can see why.

[JimmyJ]

On 1/29/2023 at 8:33 AM, BananaStrong said:

  Teaching is much more than simply talking, and online is absolute garbage to learn a language.  It's the easy way out, but there's a reason why Ivy League schools aren't closing their campuses.   

Ivy League schools aren't closing their campuses because they are a recognized brand name and the name helps some get jobs.

[Doctor Tom]

I teach aerodynamics and general aviation subjects to aviation students online,  through a US based facilitator.,  They pay me $12 per hour,  so I clearly don't do it for the money, but its hassle free and I can pick and choose both hours of availability and what students I want to teach.  I don't teach English and I don't teach under 18s.    

[itsari]

On 1/8/2023 at 11:09 AM, proton said:

Mrs charges 600 baht an hour now, worst students have always been rich Indians. They never want to pay up front, never pay on time and always cancelling and swopping times about.

I have had similar experiances with Indians and Pakistanis when dealing in business . Slippery customers to say the least 

[Irrumator]

On 2/3/2023 at 7:31 PM, SoilSpoil said:

That depends on  teaching skills and engagement. My students are improving their communication skills significantly. While teaching online you can use websites, Powerpoints, Youtube videos, sound files, google image search, etc..   My own kids, homeschooled, also love learning online. Combine this with lots of travelling, going to the beach a lot, you can see why.

Agreed.  I do exactly what you say and share the screen with them.

 

Only on Monday, a young student didn't understand the difference between the UK and England.  I happened to have a map on my PC with different colours for each of the 4 countries and he got it in an instant.  Saves a lot of lengthy explanations.

[markclover]

They actually pay the middle man 10,000+ per package.  Then they screw over the teacher with 300 an hour and some weeks no students show up so no pay.

 

The real winners are the people that own the 'schools'.

Edited February 15, 2023 by markclover

[Irrumator]

8 hours ago, markclover said:

They actually pay the middle man 10,000+ per package.  Then they screw over the teacher with 300 an hour and some weeks no students show up so no pay.

 

The real winners are the people that own the 'schools'.

Quite.  Agencies and language schools are robbers.  Inlingua used to charge students 1,200 an hour, all payable up front.

Teaches for about 450 an hour plus an end of curse bonus of 50 baht/hour, but since Covid they've done away all bonuses and reduced the hourly rate.
I left them about 10-11 years ago, went freelance and my salary doubled.

[brewsterbudgen]

If you can teach higher level students (IELTS, IGCSE exam prep) there are plenty prepared to pay 1,000 baht an hour for online tuition.

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

On 2/3/2023 at 8:22 PM, Doctor Tom said:

I don't teach English and I don't teach under 18s. 

I teach English, but only upper high school and up. Sometimes I'll get good, mature M1-M2 students (7th-8th grade) but it is rare. If you're used to teaching advanced vocabulary, academic reading and writing, professional applications, you're certainly not going to switch into colorful flash cards, noisemakers, hand puppets, silly faces, for the next student. Haha. They are totally different beasts.

 

Some really don't get that. "You're an English teacher? Here, teach my 10 year old." Uh, no. But I'll have you know, that certain famous name BKK private school I once worked for and keep mentioning, once tried to hand a primary class off to me. The fact that secondary and primary teaching have totally different requirements should be common knowledge in education. That pretty much let me the know the quality of that school.

[CrunchWrapSupreme]

21 hours ago, Irrumator said:

Inlingua used to charge students 1,200 an hour, all payable up front.

Add that certain chain of language schools named after a famous street in New York into that mix. I've heard they charge ridiculous amounts, the teachers are paid a pittance, the teachers are lied to about scheduling and their number of hours, and finally, it's more a sales outfit than a school. Teachers are evaluated on how well they can push students into signing up for longer or additional packages.

[puchooay]

13 hours ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

I teach English, but only upper high school and up. Sometimes I'll get good, mature M1-M2 students (7th-8th grade) but it is rare. If you're used to teaching advanced vocabulary, academic reading and writing, professional applications, you're certainly not going to switch into colorful flash cards, noisemakers, hand puppets, silly faces, for the next student. Haha. They are totally different beasts.

 

Some really don't get that. "You're an English teacher? Here, teach my 10 year old." Uh, no. But I'll have you know, that certain famous name BKK private school I once worked for and keep mentioning, once tried to hand a primary class off to me. The fact that secondary and primary teaching have totally different requirements should be common knowledge in education. That pretty much let me the know the quality of that school.

A good teacher can easily adapt. It's not difficult. 

 

One of my best teaching jobs was at a private school that had Kibdergarden 1-3, Junior 1-6 and Senior 1-3. I taught classes ranging from Kindergarden 2 to Senior 3. I simply loved the variation in my classes. It was easy to switch my style according to the class I was teaching.

[opporna]

10 hours ago, puchooay said:

A good teacher can easily adapt. It's not difficult. 

 

One of my best teaching jobs was at a private school that had Kibdergarden 1-3, Junior 1-6 and Senior 1-3. I taught classes ranging from Kindergarden 2 to Senior 3. I simply loved the variation in my classes. It was easy to switch my style according to the class I was teaching.

You missed the point.

If an electrician was asked to do plumbing, he most likely would defer to a trained plumber. Just because the electrician says 'I can fit my style to include pipes and such' doesn't mean they have the qualifications to do so. 

[puchooay]

7 hours ago, opporna said:

You missed the point.

If an electrician was asked to do plumbing, he most likely would defer to a trained plumber. Just because the electrician says 'I can fit my style to include pipes and such' doesn't mean they have the qualifications to do so. 

I believe you missed my point.