The market for children's ESL instruction is huge in China, so tutoring children can be a very lucrative job for ESL instructors or anyone who has an interest in teaching. Here are some tips to help you get set up as an ESL tutor for children in China:
Check Your School Contract
If you currently work for a school or language center, check your work contract to see whether or not your employer allows outside tutoring. Certain institutions allow their teachers to tutor students outside work while other institutions prohibit additional tutoring. In most cases, you are not allowed to use the institution's curriculum for your own personal tutoring and must provide your own materials. If your institution allows personal tutoring after work hours, as a general rule, it's best to tutor children who are not in your classes.
Find the Right Age Group
Determine which age group you're most comfortable working with. Younger children between the ages of two through ten generally need more kinesthetic activities and games along with frequent breaks during tutoring sessions. They are also more motivated by external motivations such as stickers and treats.
In contrast, older students between the age of 11 through 18 can do longer sessions, but the challenge may be eliciting responses from students since they tend to be more self-conscious. They can also be motivated through sticker charts and verbal praise is important to help them build their self-confidence.
1-on-1 Versus Group Tutoring
1-on-1 tutoring offers tutors a chance to develop a closer personal relationship with the student and tailor sessions to better meet the student's interests and needs. Group tutoring can be more lucrative since there are more students but may be more difficult to manage if numbers exceed five students. This is true especially if you're dealing with younger students or students who are at different levels. In addition, group tutoring will also involve more preparation and parent communication.
Finding Out Information About Students
Prior to your first tutoring session, set up a meeting with the parents and the child to discuss what areas they want to work on such as:
- Improving conversation skills
- Reading
- Writing
- Pronunciation
Get to know the child by asking about interests, learning style, and how they're doing in school. In addition, ask about whether or not the parent has a preference for what textbook to use.
Materials and Curriculum
Some tutors like to make their own materials while others like to use ready-made ESL textbooks. If you plan on making your own materials and flashcards, Graphics Factory and Free Digital Photos are good places to get pictures. In addition, some parents may be particular on which textbooks to use so it's best to consult them beforehand. If you want to use textbooks, Cambridge, Oxford, Longman, CCTV, and New Concept are all reputable ESL textbook series familiar to Chinese people.
Rates and Hours
As of 2011, the going rate in large cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen is 150-200 RMB per hour for individual tutoring and 40-60 RMB per child for group tutoring. Some tutors charge additional fees for books and materials while others include it in the tuition. Furthermore, some tutors will give several trial sessions for free or at a discount price in the beginning to see if they are a good fit for students. Hours will usually be weekdays in the late afternoons and evenings and on weekends when children and parents have free time.
Assessments
Frequently assess your students to see how well they are mastering the material. Assessments can be formal or informal. Formal assessments include spelling tests, reading comprehension questions, sentence corrections, and written essays, whereas informal assessments include verbal questions or observations.
Networking and Self-Promotion
Networking is key to promoting your tutoring business. Talk to your co-workers and neighbors to see if they know anyone who is looking for a tutor and let them know that you're available. In addition, print flyers and distribute them in your neighborhood or post on a community website. Be sure to include your contact information on the flyers.
Parent Communication
Chinese parents like to be involved in their children's education and will frequently ask about their child's progress. Be sure to communicate with parents frequently about how their child is doing in class in terms of discipline, areas they're doing well in, and areas they struggle in. It's a good idea to give monthly, written progress reports to parents which have been translated into Chinese. Include tips on how parents can help children improve their English.
Allowing Parents to Sit In
Sometimes Chinese parents want to sit in on sessions to see how their child is doing. Some tutors are comfortable with this while others are not. A good way to to circumvent the issue is by scheduling open sessions throughout the year for parents to attend. Another method is videotaping a session for the parent. Let parents know about your sit-in policy during your first session.
Evaluations
A good way to find out how to improve your tutoring service is to periodically have parents and children fill out evaluations and give suggestions for improvements. Your criteria may include
- Promptness
- Personality
- Communication with parents
- How interesting the class is
Tutoring ESL to children in China can be very rewarding. Hopefully these tips will give you a good start..
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