If your next video has you in a bathtub surrounded by women making it rain with 100s you made from private tutoring, I'll know and am gonna want a cut!
I used to do Swing Dancing in that cafe in U37. One time the owner asked me to do some modelling for him too, but I decided not to do it as he wanted to pay me with in store credit. If you're on a student visa, you're not supposed to do any work. You can apply for a permit which allows you to do up to 8 hours a week but I didn't bother. I just made sure that no students knew my full name and always paid me in cash.
Another excellent video. I would buy an eBook from you about TEFL in China. You're a fascinating speaker/writer and you have a lot of insight into the process of living, immersing yourself in, gaining from, and progressing in China.
I tell people the same thing all the time. You can make a lot of money here in China by tutoring. Glad to hear you are doing well financially Austin. Cheers.
Been in China three years, never taught private students. Tons of people have approached me trying to get me to teach them or their kids, but I always refuse. Had one person offer me 500 rmb an hour. I value my free time. I also teach at an International school though, so I am busier than the average foreign teacher anyway. I leave before 7 every morning, don't get home until close to 5 or later every day.
That's pretty cool. Do you have any advice on taking the teaching license course internationally from your country? I.e Online, and whether it makes a difference when applying for jobs?
Austin In China Great to hear as they are a valuable place for UA-cam creators in China. I say that as most have 5G data access and provide internet when internet is broken in apartment...
That was really informative thank you ^^ PS: about the camera, if you deactivate the autofocus mode and setting your camera's lens manually would be better in terms of quality of the video and I loved the backgroung music :D
1) Teaching English on the side is illegal and I've seen people caught doing it. You can't pay the taxes because your work visa is only valid for the location of work. The government has actively been perusing illegal workers for the last 3 years. If you watch TV you'd see it. 2) Your private rates are right but you're assuming 7 days a week of work, every single week of the year with no holiday. If you don't work you don't earn money. It's not that great. 3) $4000 is an okay amount of money but it's not superb, lot of people make a lot more. Even Chinese people. 4) A university salary of $1000 might give you an okay life in China but you're not doing much back home with $500 a month in savings.
I can get an online lesson on Italki. I only get changed for 13-16$ per lesson. But I never tried it lol. It's probably the time to get a try or something. It's very common to pay around 300rmb whatever you're gonna learn one by one in China.
I've researched this extensively and found it to be illegal to do private teaching even if you pay taxes on it, because the work visa with school doesn't support it. basically I found that the work visa needs to be associated with your income. so, this would require you to register a business or obtain a license to associate this private teaching work with. :(
There's a bill being batted about at the moment about this topic. It'll be a great thing for a lot of people if it gets passed! But for now, yes - private teaching remains illegal and under the radar
I own my own English School. Before starting this I was a University professor and before that I taught public schools and EF (EF is a waste of time, but it is a good place to start your journey). I charged 400rmb/hour for private tutoring for one student (500/hour for an adult) and 250/hour for each student up to four students per class for an hour.
I am a student of Chinese medicine in NY and am planning to come to Chengdu sometime within the next year to continue studies in Chengdu. I am CELTA certified and have experience teaching English in Asia. How difficult is it to get tutoring work in a city like Chengdu on days I am not at the hospital and how much could I expect to earn? Thanks! Oren.
What is this new concept of "privilege" I keep hearing the last few years? Stupid, lazy concept created by lazy leftist radicals. All I know the parents like telling their neighbors and friends (for FACE) that they spend a lot of money "on my American teacher for my child". The more they spend the BETTER they look in the peers eyes. So why not take advantage of that situation? You, young PADAWAN, are living in the leftist DARKSIDE. Come to the light.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been scientifically proven not to be effective... none of it. Trust me since I have used it from headaches to Gout. Nothing. It is really a :mind over matter" measure, but outside of that fact (not opinion) it takes about a year (without any Mandarin Skill) to cultivate the contacts to start making high quality English money and having high quality students. The wealthier the clients the less chance of getting nailed by the authorities since the wealthy in China do not want any "light" shown on them... if you get my meaning. But the wealthy can open up so many doors for you be it business, financial, personal (marriage/Girlfriends) and have all the GOOD GUANXI (business contacts/relationships). In Chengdu do not ask for less than 350 to 400RMB/class for one on one. 500 would also be great. The higher you ask the more respect the clients will have for you and it will weed out the parents who only wish to take advantage of you which are more numerous than the honest ones. Stay with the upper 10% of wage earners in your city. Ask for a minimum of 20 classes money up front with a NO REFUND POLICY. Have your classes arranged in 20 or 40 or 50 class blocks for middle school and older. For 3-5 year olds teach in 10 class blocks (with all 10 classes paid up front) and allow 3-4 students to be taught at a time for the younger age clients and charge 180/per student. For kindergarten aged kids classes are 40 minutes, but for every 10-15 minutes you have a 5-8 minute break with two to three breaks per class so it comes to an hour. For older kids (MS and HS) do hour and a half classes so the parents think they are getting more bang for their buck. For these kids have a ten minute break every half hour (class is really and hour an 10 minutes) but charge per class not per hour. If you can have 3-4 students per class at the same 180 per class. You must STAND OUT from the many other English teachers. IF you are AMERICAN that is ideal.
the concept of "privilege" is created by SJW, they get angry about people that actually work hard to make money. They think white people get money for free or something. So they want to earn a lot of money by doing very little. It is all a big farce though, I hope they grow up and realise we all have to work hard to make decent money, nothing is free.
Hi Austin, I think your teaching position in a university is already decent enough. You can achieve much more on your current position with your free time.
I agree!! This video is mainly for people who are interested in making extra money and trying to save while they're in China. I'm interested in other things in my private life besides money ;)
An interesting video, but if you're working in a training centre you won;t have the time, as you'll have to be there 7-8 hrs a day plus travelling. There's also the preparation time to factor in
I've been in China for 3 years and never taught private students. For me, I prefer to have free time over a little bit of money. Teaching privates is not scalable. Some people have approached me for private teaching (usually their children) but I don't follow through with them or they don't accept after I tell them I charge 300 yuan per hour.
Many teachers in my uni/or from my middle school are doing exactly the same thing after class. But the tutors in the college prefer the one to one teaching thing. They have many students outside of the uni n get very good wage for sure lol.
Dude, I think foreigners in china need to be really careful about taking outside work on top of their full time jobs in China. At least 5 English teachers in Beijing that i know, have been found out that they basically have a "second job", go to jail for one or two days, and then get immediately deported. I don't know what it's like in other cities in China, but that's what's happening in Beijing over the last few months
No , it depends on who sponsors his visa. China is one of the few countries where marrying a citizen does NOT mean you get to become a citizen. If a certain company sponsors your work visa technically you are not supposed to work for other companies or jobs. But of course many do.
Chris is right. Also, if you're on a spousal visa in China, you're not allowed to work. If you're on a spousal visa and the government finds out you've been working, you'll be in trouble
Just to clarify something. At some point you say you can make "$4000/month and that would be for 2h a day". Well, the 2h/day will provide 2k not 4k 😄. But great video
Here comes something that have never been mentioned by other UA-camr... THE SALARY for foreigner. As for the private teaching, it is not shocking. Anyway this is China, where polarization is heading for its maximum.
Thanks for the video so much! I have a few questions if you don’t mind: what do you think about opening an English center for kids or kindergarten where everything is in English? And the second one: where to find students there in China? 🙄💋
It's a money machine - it's a popular business! But it's not for me, personally. I won't ever do it. As for where to find the students, you can post your ads on WeChat, put up flyers, or your coworkers/friends will come to you with potential students. Someone will find you eventually! And once you get one student, you'll often find that it snowballs, because if you're good, they'll tell their friends/co-workers/classmates, and more and more will come to you.
Oh thank you very much! I’m a Master degree student in China, not a native thu. But I have a good experience with different ages and studying Comparative Education in Beijing Normal University. I do want to teach English for those who don’t go to school yet because I know how to do it and love it!! Still worried it’s not illegal for me..
Part time job income is not taxfree, gov rips you 20-40% tax (劳务报酬所得税) depends on the amount which is very heavy. But people always have ways to avoid it lol
That's crazy, I didn't know you could make that much in China. Is the standard of living going up for most Chinese people right now by your observations? I know in the U.S. the standard of living has dropped a lot. At the same time the middle class in China has grown, and a couple of years ago IMF declared China's economy to now have surpassed that of the U.S. China also got a greater share of the voting rights at the IMF. There's also talk of the RMB having a greater role on the global stage and backing it with gold for oil trade. China definitely seems to be a new place of opportunity and standard of living. I enjoy talking about money by the way haha. I find it fascinating.
Yes, the standards of living are absolutely increasing. There are, of course, issues that have come along with such rapid development (ex. pollution, runaway costs in certain markets, uneven resource distribution, corruption, etc.), but from what I've seen in the past six years, yes, absolutely. Living standards have gone way up for a huge amount of people.
i have a question how can we teach English to those students who even dont know the single word of China. For example if someone dont know the Chinese then how that is possible to privately teach the Chinese student plz explain
Alot of times the parents dont want their children speaking any chinese when they are with a teacher...they want them to try to only speak english with the english teacher/tutor... Ive seen people go over and get a teaching job without knowing very much mandarin to start, they obviously pick up the language as they are there
You said word of mouth for advertising, how else do you get started with advertising for private students? Would you mention it your students from your day job, or would that likely get you into trouble with your employer.
Hey Austin, nice video man. I'm living in Chongqing and been here about 6 weeks. Was wondering your thoughts on something: A friend of mine here , wink wink, is living here on a spousal visa and wanting to do some private lessons. So a couple weeks ago he went out on a weekday morning to a school nearby ( he lives in a really good district in Chongqing) with some flyers - translated into Mandarin- and passed out about 30-40 to parents taking their kids to school with all his contact details and that he was an English tutor, price/hour, free 30 minute demo, etc.. etc.. and ......NOTHING!! Not one wechat or email message wanting to inquire about his service. He has 2 bachelors and a TEFL certificate. What strategy would you recommend? Keep plugging away with the flyers?? You say word of mouth is the way to go - but how? Should he just keep trying this route, plus asking everyone he knows and comes into contact with if they are looking for an English tutor? Any opinion/advice you could offer that could pass on would be greatly appreciated! Thanks man, keep up the great work.
When I pass out flyers I usually try to strike up a conversation with the people reading them. If they speak English there seems to be a higher chance that the parent will want their kid to learn English. Plus you will have built a small connection with them. Just handing out flyers doesn't seem to be helpful.
And keep in mind it’s fully illegal, so the police and PSB May notice your advertising easily and you offer yourself to be tracked down, trap and take the consequences...
Private tutoring: it's something I'm going to try out for sure while I'll try to find a more serious and stable job in China. Do you think tutoring would be viable with a tourist visa?
I'd advise finding a job before you get here. Coming here on a tourist visa, looking around, and switching over is costly, time consuming, and requires a visa run to Hong Kong. Jobs are easy to find online (jobs sites, Facebook expat groups, etc), plus you can get everything taken of before you arrive! That way, when you arrive, you already have a job and legal visa and can then concentrate on finding a place live, finding students, and just adjusting in general versus doing all of that AND finding a job. Save yourself a bit of trouble :)
Austin In China thank you Austin for the tip. Of course this is the best option, but it sounds so abstract to me finding a job online and getting hired even without being in the country. Which expat group do you suggest? Are there also forums?
Yeah, there's places like Dave's ESL Cafe, GlassDoor, LinkedIn, or just googling "China Jobs Board" can yield great results. There are groups for the major cities on Facebook as well as some websites/forums, such as GoChengdoo, Chengdu Expat, the Beijinger, Shanghai Expat, etc. I and many others have found good jobs just by doing searches online. It's not as scary or out of the ordinary as it seems :)
Thank you again Austin for your precious tips. It is probably normal in most parts of the world, but Italy is WAY behind with internet and things connected to it. I'll check around for offers in the Fujian region.
In general, China's not super up to date, either (but it's getting way better)....but companies and schools who are looking for people abroad can be pretty Internet saavy sometimes!
Please comment about doing English tutoring as a free lancer, w/o having a regular teaching job somewhere else. I had a little experience teaching at a private school....not much support or guidance. My wife is always after me to do free lance tutoring, and I have been approached several times by Chinese people. What is expected in a tutor? What would tutoring consist of? In the private school, I was always concerned that the student's parents weren't getting value for money for what I was doing. My wife is retiring, and we will be moving to Shenzhen. She will be working now as a nurse/doctor at an upscale school, and I suspect I will be approached by people to be an English tutor. How should I prepare? What would be expected of me? What would a typical tutoring session look like? If you could point me to some online or other resources dealing with this topic, I would appreciate it. Thanks.
dundreary chinese education is exam oriented, if you can make the student get better score, you are a good teacher. So better start check some examination papers to see what they need to taught
If your wife is Chinese, then yes, you can freelance teach without a regular job! This is actually a great topic for another video! Here's the short of it: what I normally do is meet with the student for half an hour for a free evaluation class - some call it a demo class. I talk with the student and get an idea of where their English level is and take notes on their strengths/weaknesses/possible solutions, and what I can do about it. After that, I talk with the parents and tell them my plan and get their ideas/opinions (since they're paying for it). After that, I just prepare a bit of material for every time we meet. If it's once a week, I'll prepare stuff for class, and also prepare some homework, if it's every day, I'll prepare a few bits for class that day and some review exercises. What the tutoring session looks like is up to you and what you think the student needs. It can consist of reading and writing, if that's what they need, or if it's speaking, you can focus on dialogues, pronunciation, vocabulary, and free talk. If they already have materials, then use those in combination with your own. The beauty of a private class is that you can do whatever you want! The fact that you're concerned about the value of your classes and what's being paid shows that you care, and if you can stay cognizant of that, you won't go wrong. Over-preparing for the first 5-6 lessons is a good way to be ready to deal with whatever may happen in class, and after you begin to get a feel for what the student needs, you'll be able to assume that tutor role more naturally. I remember when I had a daily student in the past, I took notes every single day on mistakes he made and weaknesses he had so that we could deal with them in the next class. That's a great way to personalize each class.
Yes, that's true - it depends on the expectations of the parents. I always made sure to ask parents what they wanted, and if they said "better grades," I would always make sure to dedicate a little time to looking at their homework and/or schoolbooks
thanks austin. that was most helpful. i've just started at an adult learning centre in Wuxi with EF (you can guess my crap working hours). i'm already planning a year 2 contract at a uni/high school where i can incorporate privates. thanks again - great content BTW.
If your from a native speaking country, friends of friends of friends all will literally ask you to tutor their kids. Basically make friends and someone will ask.
When I used to teach privately, I'd just put up flyers or put an ad online, then people would call me. I didn't seek out anyone in particular, I just said, "These are my rates - if you can accept them, call me!"
I went there again later that day....apparently it opened like half an hour after I was there. They open at 10am - I just missed it before because they don't post any hours on the doors. Had to ask hahaha
Aren't you concerned about saving for retirement though Austin? 6000rmb/month with whatever's left after bills not going into some kind of 401k is going to make life tough in your later years, especially if you plan on spending it in America. Jobs in China don't provide any of these benefits.
Privates CAN be good if they don't... flake on you, live far away, or have a crazy tiger-mom, etc. I worked at a big adult school, and I HATED to do V.I.P. classes. If they're normal V.I.P. it pays nothing extra, and if they're special V.I.P., you get an extra 50 RMB an hour - or what I like to call "fvck all". Tith the special V.I.P.s, the students get to choose anything that they want to learn about. "Yes, Mr. English teacher. I want you to make a lesson on basketball. I want to know all informal vocab. and expressions, but then I want more professional voc. and terminology that a sports announcer uses." Me: Uh... I hate basketball. The special V.I.P.s get a discount depending on how many classes they pay for. We had some rich chick pay for 120 classes. The school was going to charge her 120,000, but 120 is a lot, so they bumped it down to 70,000 - does the teacher see this money? Hell no!
I have a question...I’m almost 60 and my Son is about to move to China, Shenzhen. He befriended quite a few Chinese students when he worked as a “Student Ambassador” at his University and visited China with them 4-5 Times. He fell in love with China and its people and spent the last 5-6 years, getting his MS in Business and Asian Studies as well as working for a large organization that helps Asian immigrants, students and Business “visitors” navigate the culture and systems here in the US. He’s been saving up for his move and maintained contact with his Chinese friends, most of whom are now in Shenzhen, employed with...or even owning, businesses that deal in International trade. He wants to bring ME over there with him, or in bathe next year or two, and has me taking classes in Chinese and even a Calligraphy course-working with some of his friends and other young People who seem to love working with me, teaching me their language. Lol, every day I’m getting something from China; copy books, calligraphy supplies, my Seal came today..and also, because it’s the start of the Spring Festival, they’ve sent me decorations and all kinds of little trinkets. One young lady introduced her grandmother to me during the Autumn festival (she’s a retired English teacher) and because she’s really into Chinese Astrology and Feng Shui, she’s concerned about me and has sent me a bunch of “protective” amulets, scrolls and statues (I think I need a compass though.., 😂 “please place this in highest spot North East” My question to you as someone who has been there awhile, is it really practical, as a 60yr old, not in the best health, to be moving to China? My Son says I could get a job is I wanted either teaching or consulting with these companies-but I always only see you young folks over there. Have you seen many “older” foreigners living over there..or working? Thanks in advance!
Well....at your age, it would be very difficult to get a job. I have only very, very rarely seen expats over sixties, and those that I've seen are on short-term visas because they're visiting businessmen. Work visas and contract, as a rule of thumb, have a cutoff age of 60 . For example, one of my coworkers is turning 60 this year and even though he's much beloved by students and teachers alike, the uni isn't renewing his contract because of his age, so he's got to go home. After 60, employers have to write/sign an age requirement waiver to let people work after that. In Shenzhen, the laowai capital, I think it'd probably be possible to find a job, but I don't think it'll be as easy as your son thinks to legally live and work there full-time. If you'll be in Shenzhen, you can just come on a tourist visa and pop over to Hong Kong every 30/60 days (though I can't officially recommend that, as it's technically illegal to work on a tourist visa). That may well be what you end up doing, because of potential employers being concerned about your age; you may end up doing private tutoring out of your house or something similar on a tourist visa. I'm not familiar with Shenzhen's job market, as I've never been there. As far as your health is concerned, I don't know your specific situation, so I can't really give you any advice other than saying medicine's fairly cheap and easy to get, though China doesn't always have the latest, cutting-edge medication. Air pollution won't be an issue in Shenzhen, so that's good.
Austin In China Yes, as far as a specific company and work visa-we figured no one would sign me on-although, I guess that’s also going to depend on my Son and his friends who actually own some companies. The “trick” about Hong Kong has already come up as a possibility; although I’d really rather do everything above board, so-to-speak. Since I’ll be there with my Son and his dream has been to live and work in China; I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize his future there. My health problems, besides some benign orthopedic problems which will eventually cause me to need a wheelchair, (but I plan on fighting THAT until it’s impossible for me to get around 😁. My docs here wanted me in a wheelchair years ago, but after my spinal injury, I worked my ass off to get OUT of one, and I’ll be damned if I’m going back into one 😁). My “major” problem is Chronic Kidney Disease. I only have one kidney and it’s been threatening to shut down for a few years. I’m not a candidate for a transplant, so it will eventually mean dialysis. Right now, I’m still stable, above the threshold enough that traveling isn’t contraindicated. Lili says she has a friend who practices Chinese Traditional Medicine who was supposed to be on dialysis many years ago-I don’t know much about CTM, HOWEVER, one thing I DO practice is Ayurveda-including supplements and teas a close friend (and Ayurvedic practitioner- Ayurveda is the Ancient system of medicine in India) sends me every few months as well as yoga. My allopathic physician and good friend, calls it “Hocus Pocus”-yet he can’t explain either my mobility (I was told I would never walk again), nor the continued stability of my kidney. So, I certainly wouldn’t rule out whatever Lili’s friend is doing or taking to keep her kidney functioning! 😁 Still though, realistically, sudden kidney failure IS a possibility.
I can't offer any advice as far as that is concerned; that's pretty serious. That being said, I do hope you find the answers and guidance you're looking for!
The channel is about China, so I talk about what I see in China. Most Europeans learn English in school, just like Chinese, but the difference is that they have a lot more opportunities to use English than Chinese. I'm sure there are private English tutors in Europe as well
Hi, thank you for this video, and I'm wondering if it will be problematic to teach privately? And if yes, how can one secure a part-time or second job in china but that is100% legal??
No such a thing as 100% legal, but if you have a legal full time job, with English teacher visa title, you can ask the employer to put it in writing, so it seems that they organized you for that off-campus private gig. Chances are low, if they agree, they take their share. Basically saying part times are illegal
:D You forget to mention that the idea of taking on private face to face students is risky as f! You sell your video well with the title but then the answer is illegal private teaching?
luke skywalker Pls come to the Northwest part of China. You'll definitely know what I mean haha. 2000Rmb per month is not an underestimate. I'm Chinese who live in China. I'm more familiar with China than you dude.
luke skywalker you're only half right because almost the white folks live in Beijing,Shanghai,Guangzhou n etc. It's not fair enough 😂China is huge n those bastards can't represent
luke skywalker yep it's not much before tax but truly a lot for me to spend in China. I only can get like 2000Rmb-3000Rmb (around 400AUD-600AUD) per month in China. It's pretty a big difference
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video Austin! I always get ideas for new videos from your videos!
If your next video has you in a bathtub surrounded by women making it rain with 100s you made from private tutoring, I'll know and am gonna want a cut!
Bullshit!the living cost in Shanghai is the lowest in the world! Except the insane real estate properties
I used to do Swing Dancing in that cafe in U37. One time the owner asked me to do some modelling for him too, but I decided not to do it as he wanted to pay me with in store credit.
If you're on a student visa, you're not supposed to do any work. You can apply for a permit which allows you to do up to 8 hours a week but I didn't bother. I just made sure that no students knew my full name and always paid me in cash.
Another excellent video.
I would buy an eBook from you about TEFL in China. You're a fascinating speaker/writer and you have a lot of insight into the process of living, immersing yourself in, gaining from, and progressing in China.
Huh, interesting - never thought about writing a book about that haha
I tell people the same thing all the time. You can make a lot of money here in China by tutoring. Glad to hear you are doing well financially Austin. Cheers.
Thanks for breaking it down dude, very good of you!
Great video Austin. This was really helpful!
I did exactly this, but full time, in Italy. Was making 1500-2000 euros/month
Really, wow 🤔😮
Simon Maclean can you tell me how like what company did you contact?
wow! its a so good video!
haha I am a brazilian fan, I want live in China but I was worry about money, now I am so happy hahaha thank you !
Thanks for this! Definitely going into private tutoring alongsid my university job.
You're welcome! And thank YOU for watching! :)
You have a great vibe. Thanks for the videos.
Been in China three years, never taught private students. Tons of people have approached me trying to get me to teach them or their kids, but I always refuse. Had one person offer me 500 rmb an hour. I value my free time. I also teach at an International school though, so I am busier than the average foreign teacher anyway. I leave before 7 every morning, don't get home until close to 5 or later every day.
That's pretty cool. Do you have any advice on taking the teaching license course internationally from your country? I.e Online, and whether it makes a difference when applying for jobs?
and you make BANK
5 is too early for any normal worker in china
you refused 500 RMB/Hr???!!! say what??? Thats nearly $76 USD/Hr and I'm sure you can get away with not paying taxes on that.
>value my free time
Code word for lazy af
Awesome video man I am inspired !
Austin I too get dishearten when my favorite coffee shop is closed ... Great video on private tutoring jobs and salary from them .
Luckily, I just got there too early - not closed forever! Haha glad you liked the video :)
Austin In China Great to hear as they are a valuable place for UA-cam creators in China. I say that as most have 5G data access and provide internet when internet is broken in apartment...
"USD4000/Month, that's a ton of money over here" lol In Shanghai it ain't. 25K Yuan/Month in Shanghai wouldn't go very far.
Hahaha yep - Shanghai's ridiculous
Hey Yang Liang, Can you please send me your mail id/ Wechat/skype Id? I want to talk.
That was really informative thank you ^^
PS: about the camera, if you deactivate the autofocus mode and setting your camera's lens manually would be better in terms of quality of the video
and I loved the backgroung music :D
Yeah, I know - usually the autofocus is really good, but this time, it messed up on me. I think it might have been the lighting situation
1) Teaching English on the side is illegal and I've seen people caught doing it. You can't pay the taxes because your work visa is only valid for the location of work. The government has actively been perusing illegal workers for the last 3 years. If you watch TV you'd see it.
2) Your private rates are right but you're assuming 7 days a week of work, every single week of the year with no holiday. If you don't work you don't earn money. It's not that great.
3) $4000 is an okay amount of money but it's not superb, lot of people make a lot more. Even Chinese people.
4) A university salary of $1000 might give you an okay life in China but you're not doing much back home with $500 a month in savings.
Wow reality sucks
1:45 - "Caution - vehicle reversing!". It's the Chinese national anthem! Shi bu shi?
yep hahahaha it should be played at schools as the flag's being raised. They just need to add some trumpets to accompany it
QING ZHU YI. DAO CHE!
I can get an online lesson on Italki. I only get changed for 13-16$ per lesson. But I never tried it lol. It's probably the time to get a try or something. It's very common to pay around 300rmb whatever you're gonna learn one by one in China.
I've researched this extensively and found it to be illegal to do private teaching even if you pay taxes on it, because the work visa with school doesn't support it. basically I found that the work visa needs to be associated with your income. so, this would require you to register a business or obtain a license to associate this private teaching work with. :(
There's a bill being batted about at the moment about this topic. It'll be a great thing for a lot of people if it gets passed! But for now, yes - private teaching remains illegal and under the radar
I own my own English School. Before starting this I was a University professor and before that I taught public schools and EF (EF is a waste of time, but it is a good place to start your journey). I charged 400rmb/hour for private tutoring for one student (500/hour for an adult) and 250/hour for each student up to four students per class for an hour.
I am a student of Chinese medicine in NY and am planning to come to Chengdu sometime within the next year to continue studies in Chengdu. I am CELTA certified and have experience teaching English in Asia. How difficult is it to get tutoring work in a city like Chengdu on days I am not at the hospital and how much could I expect to earn? Thanks! Oren.
What is this new concept of "privilege" I keep hearing the last few years? Stupid, lazy concept created by lazy leftist radicals. All I know the parents like telling their neighbors and friends (for FACE) that they spend a lot of money "on my American teacher for my child". The more they spend the BETTER they look in the peers eyes. So why not take advantage of that situation? You, young PADAWAN, are living in the leftist DARKSIDE. Come to the light.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been scientifically proven not to be effective... none of it. Trust me since I have used it from headaches to Gout. Nothing. It is really a :mind over matter" measure, but outside of that fact (not opinion) it takes about a year (without any Mandarin Skill) to cultivate the contacts to start making high quality English money and having high quality students. The wealthier the clients the less chance of getting nailed by the authorities since the wealthy in China do not want any "light" shown on them... if you get my meaning. But the wealthy can open up so many doors for you be it business, financial, personal (marriage/Girlfriends) and have all the GOOD GUANXI (business contacts/relationships). In Chengdu do not ask for less than 350 to 400RMB/class for one on one. 500 would also be great. The higher you ask the more respect the clients will have for you and it will weed out the parents who only wish to take advantage of you which are more numerous than the honest ones. Stay with the upper 10% of wage earners in your city. Ask for a minimum of 20 classes money up front with a NO REFUND POLICY. Have your classes arranged in 20 or 40 or 50 class blocks for middle school and older. For 3-5 year olds teach in 10 class blocks (with all 10 classes paid up front) and allow 3-4 students to be taught at a time for the younger age clients and charge 180/per student. For kindergarten aged kids classes are 40 minutes, but for every 10-15 minutes you have a 5-8 minute break with two to three breaks per class so it comes to an hour. For older kids (MS and HS) do hour and a half classes so the parents think they are getting more bang for their buck. For these kids have a ten minute break every half hour (class is really and hour an 10 minutes) but charge per class not per hour. If you can have 3-4 students per class at the same 180 per class. You must STAND OUT from the many other English teachers. IF you are AMERICAN that is ideal.
the concept of "privilege" is created by SJW, they get angry about people that actually work hard to make money. They think white people get money for free or something. So they want to earn a lot of money by doing very little. It is all a big farce though, I hope they grow up and realise we all have to work hard to make decent money, nothing is free.
Hi Austin, I think your teaching position in a university is already decent enough. You can achieve much more on your current position with your free time.
I agree!! This video is mainly for people who are interested in making extra money and trying to save while they're in China. I'm interested in other things in my private life besides money ;)
An interesting video, but if you're working in a training centre you won;t have the time, as you'll have to be there 7-8 hrs a day plus travelling. There's also the preparation time to factor in
sick intro tune
I've been in China for 3 years and never taught private students. For me, I prefer to have free time over a little bit of money. Teaching privates is not scalable. Some people have approached me for private teaching (usually their children) but I don't follow through with them or they don't accept after I tell them I charge 300 yuan per hour.
ripped off !
Many teachers in my uni/or from my middle school are doing exactly the same thing after class. But the tutors in the college prefer the one to one teaching thing. They have many students outside of the uni n get very good wage for sure lol.
Remember that for those $20/hour many chinese parents make big sacrifices.
Dude, I think foreigners in china need to be really careful about taking outside work on top of their full time jobs in China. At least 5 English teachers in Beijing that i know, have been found out that they basically have a "second job", go to jail for one or two days, and then get immediately deported. I don't know what it's like in other cities in China, but that's what's happening in Beijing over the last few months
Yeah, Beijing gets really serious, because it's....well....it's Beijing haha that's where the government is
FoodforThought He already got married with a Chinese citizen, so he can work whatever he wants except his full time job.
No , it depends on who sponsors his visa. China is one of the few countries where marrying a citizen does NOT mean you get to become a citizen. If a certain company sponsors your work visa technically you are not supposed to work for other companies or jobs. But of course many do.
Chris is right. Also, if you're on a spousal visa in China, you're not allowed to work. If you're on a spousal visa and the government finds out you've been working, you'll be in trouble
Then what's the point to marry with a Chinese citizen to live in China? Just for love?
Just to clarify something. At some point you say you can make "$4000/month and that would be for 2h a day". Well, the 2h/day will provide 2k not 4k 😄. But great video
Jay Leon Digital Nomad he meant 4K while you add the official English teaching money
Here comes something that have never been mentioned by other UA-camr... THE SALARY for foreigner.
As for the private teaching, it is not shocking. Anyway this is China, where polarization is heading for its maximum.
I totally read SLAVERY
Thanks for the video so much! I have a few questions if you don’t mind: what do you think about opening an English center for kids or kindergarten where everything is in English? And the second one: where to find students there in China? 🙄💋
It's a money machine - it's a popular business! But it's not for me, personally. I won't ever do it. As for where to find the students, you can post your ads on WeChat, put up flyers, or your coworkers/friends will come to you with potential students. Someone will find you eventually! And once you get one student, you'll often find that it snowballs, because if you're good, they'll tell their friends/co-workers/classmates, and more and more will come to you.
Oh thank you very much! I’m a Master degree student in China, not a native thu. But I have a good experience with different ages and studying Comparative Education in Beijing Normal University. I do want to teach English for those who don’t go to school yet because I know how to do it and love it!! Still worried it’s not illegal for me..
Part time job income is not taxfree, gov rips you 20-40% tax (劳务报酬所得税) depends on the amount which is very heavy. But people always have ways to avoid it lol
The meaning of the name “Manjusaka” is: “Heavenly flower”.
Thank you so much for that information Austin, I hope i can find any sort or part time job there beside the university there
Great content
Just a wild guess, i think Manyusaka probably means Man(chester) U(nited) soccer.
Anything is possible!
Malian is man utd
That's crazy, I didn't know you could make that much in China. Is the standard of living going up for most Chinese people right now by your observations? I know in the U.S. the standard of living has dropped a lot. At the same time the middle class in China has grown, and a couple of years ago IMF declared China's economy to now have surpassed that of the U.S. China also got a greater share of the voting rights at the IMF. There's also talk of the RMB having a greater role on the global stage and backing it with gold for oil trade. China definitely seems to be a new place of opportunity and standard of living. I enjoy talking about money by the way haha. I find it fascinating.
Yes, the standards of living are absolutely increasing. There are, of course, issues that have come along with such rapid development (ex. pollution, runaway costs in certain markets, uneven resource distribution, corruption, etc.), but from what I've seen in the past six years, yes, absolutely. Living standards have gone way up for a huge amount of people.
i have a question how can we teach English to those students who even dont know the single word of China. For example if someone dont know the Chinese then how that is possible to privately teach the Chinese student plz explain
Alot of times the parents dont want their children speaking any chinese when they are with a teacher...they want them to try to only speak english with the english teacher/tutor... Ive seen people go over and get a teaching job without knowing very much mandarin to start, they obviously pick up the language as they are there
Couldn't agree more.
You said word of mouth for advertising, how else do you get started with advertising for private students? Would you mention it your students from your day job, or would that likely get you into trouble with your employer.
Hey Austin, nice video man. I'm living in Chongqing and been here about 6 weeks. Was wondering your thoughts on something: A friend of mine here , wink wink, is living here on a spousal visa and wanting to do some private lessons. So a couple weeks ago he went out on a weekday morning to a school nearby ( he lives in a really good district in Chongqing) with some flyers - translated into Mandarin- and passed out about 30-40 to parents taking their kids to school with all his contact details and that he was an English tutor, price/hour, free 30 minute demo, etc.. etc.. and ......NOTHING!! Not one wechat or email message wanting to inquire about his service. He has 2 bachelors and a TEFL certificate. What strategy would you recommend? Keep plugging away with the flyers?? You say word of mouth is the way to go - but how? Should he just keep trying this route, plus asking everyone he knows and comes into contact with if they are looking for an English tutor? Any opinion/advice you could offer that could pass on would be greatly appreciated! Thanks man, keep up the great work.
When I pass out flyers I usually try to strike up a conversation with the people reading them. If they speak English there seems to be a higher chance that the parent will want their kid to learn English. Plus you will have built a small connection with them. Just handing out flyers doesn't seem to be helpful.
And keep in mind it’s fully illegal, so the police and PSB May notice your advertising easily and you offer yourself to be tracked down, trap and take the consequences...
Austin, thanks for the video.
The problem is that most Chinese people cannot afford those hourly rates. What is the best way to find paying customers?
I never had a problem finding people at those rates (but then again, I've only ever lived in tier two and tier three capital cities)
谢谢你的答案
Thanks so much sir🌹
But main problem us visa and how to get z visa?
I have another video about that - you can check my channel for it
Private tutoring: it's something I'm going to try out for sure while I'll try to find a more serious and stable job in China. Do you think tutoring would be viable with a tourist visa?
I'd advise finding a job before you get here. Coming here on a tourist visa, looking around, and switching over is costly, time consuming, and requires a visa run to Hong Kong. Jobs are easy to find online (jobs sites, Facebook expat groups, etc), plus you can get everything taken of before you arrive! That way, when you arrive, you already have a job and legal visa and can then concentrate on finding a place live, finding students, and just adjusting in general versus doing all of that AND finding a job. Save yourself a bit of trouble :)
Austin In China thank you Austin for the tip. Of course this is the best option, but it sounds so abstract to me finding a job online and getting hired even without being in the country. Which expat group do you suggest? Are there also forums?
Yeah, there's places like Dave's ESL Cafe, GlassDoor, LinkedIn, or just googling "China Jobs Board" can yield great results. There are groups for the major cities on Facebook as well as some websites/forums, such as GoChengdoo, Chengdu Expat, the Beijinger, Shanghai Expat, etc. I and many others have found good jobs just by doing searches online. It's not as scary or out of the ordinary as it seems :)
Thank you again Austin for your precious tips. It is probably normal in most parts of the world, but Italy is WAY behind with internet and things connected to it. I'll check around for offers in the Fujian region.
In general, China's not super up to date, either (but it's getting way better)....but companies and schools who are looking for people abroad can be pretty Internet saavy sometimes!
Please comment about doing English tutoring as a free lancer, w/o having a regular teaching job somewhere else. I had a little experience teaching at a private school....not much support or guidance. My wife is always after me to do free lance tutoring, and I have been approached several times by Chinese people. What is expected in a tutor? What would tutoring consist of? In the private school, I was always concerned that the student's parents weren't getting value for money for what I was doing. My wife is retiring, and we will be moving to Shenzhen. She will be working now as a nurse/doctor at an upscale school, and I suspect I will be approached by people to be an English tutor. How should I prepare? What would be expected of me? What would a typical tutoring session look like? If you could point me to some online or other resources dealing with this topic, I would appreciate it. Thanks.
dundreary chinese education is exam oriented, if you can make the student get better score, you are a good teacher. So better start check some examination papers to see what they need to taught
If your wife is Chinese, then yes, you can freelance teach without a regular job!
This is actually a great topic for another video! Here's the short of it: what I normally do is meet with the student for half an hour for a free evaluation class - some call it a demo class. I talk with the student and get an idea of where their English level is and take notes on their strengths/weaknesses/possible solutions, and what I can do about it. After that, I talk with the parents and tell them my plan and get their ideas/opinions (since they're paying for it).
After that, I just prepare a bit of material for every time we meet. If it's once a week, I'll prepare stuff for class, and also prepare some homework, if it's every day, I'll prepare a few bits for class that day and some review exercises. What the tutoring session looks like is up to you and what you think the student needs. It can consist of reading and writing, if that's what they need, or if it's speaking, you can focus on dialogues, pronunciation, vocabulary, and free talk. If they already have materials, then use those in combination with your own.
The beauty of a private class is that you can do whatever you want! The fact that you're concerned about the value of your classes and what's being paid shows that you care, and if you can stay cognizant of that, you won't go wrong. Over-preparing for the first 5-6 lessons is a good way to be ready to deal with whatever may happen in class, and after you begin to get a feel for what the student needs, you'll be able to assume that tutor role more naturally.
I remember when I had a daily student in the past, I took notes every single day on mistakes he made and weaknesses he had so that we could deal with them in the next class. That's a great way to personalize each class.
Yes, that's true - it depends on the expectations of the parents. I always made sure to ask parents what they wanted, and if they said "better grades," I would always make sure to dedicate a little time to looking at their homework and/or schoolbooks
thanks austin. that was most helpful. i've just started at an adult learning centre in Wuxi with EF (you can guess my crap working hours). i'm already planning a year 2 contract at a uni/high school where i can incorporate privates. thanks again - great content BTW.
You're right but it's illegal if you get caught you'll be sent back home 🏡
If you’re having to keep it on the down low , how do you get the word out initially?
If your from a native speaking country, friends of friends of friends all will literally ask you to tutor their kids.
Basically make friends and someone will ask.
Speaking of taxes... if living and working in China do you file taxes in China? If so, what is their income tax filing process like? Thanks!
I don't, no
Your company does, not you.
Fuck man this makes question my life in the states lol
To some Chinese that's a lot of money, do you only teach for wealthy Chinese or are the students really willing to pay that much?
When I used to teach privately, I'd just put up flyers or put an ad online, then people would call me. I didn't seek out anyone in particular, I just said, "These are my rates - if you can accept them, call me!"
hey ! where are you ? im in chendu as well. haha
Closed on the middle of Tuesday?
I went there again later that day....apparently it opened like half an hour after I was there. They open at 10am - I just missed it before because they don't post any hours on the doors. Had to ask hahaha
Aren't you concerned about saving for retirement though Austin? 6000rmb/month with whatever's left after bills not going into some kind of 401k is going to make life tough in your later years, especially if you plan on spending it in America. Jobs in China don't provide any of these benefits.
Privates CAN be good if they don't... flake on you, live far away, or have a crazy tiger-mom, etc.
I worked at a big adult school, and I HATED to do V.I.P. classes. If they're normal V.I.P. it pays nothing extra, and if they're special V.I.P., you get an extra 50 RMB an hour - or what I like to call "fvck all".
Tith the special V.I.P.s, the students get to choose anything that they want to learn about. "Yes, Mr. English teacher. I want you to make a lesson on basketball. I want to know all informal vocab. and expressions, but then I want more professional voc. and terminology that a sports announcer uses." Me: Uh... I hate basketball.
The special V.I.P.s get a discount depending on how many classes they pay for. We had some rich chick pay for 120 classes. The school was going to charge her 120,000, but 120 is a lot, so they bumped it down to 70,000 - does the teacher see this money? Hell no!
I have a question...I’m almost 60 and my Son is about to move to China, Shenzhen. He befriended quite a few Chinese students when he worked as a “Student Ambassador” at his University and visited China with them 4-5 Times. He fell in love with China and its people and spent the last 5-6 years, getting his MS in Business and Asian Studies as well as working for a large organization that helps Asian immigrants, students and Business “visitors” navigate the culture and systems here in the US. He’s been saving up for his move and maintained contact with his Chinese friends, most of whom are now in Shenzhen, employed with...or even owning, businesses that deal in International trade. He wants to bring ME over there with him, or in bathe next year or two, and has me taking classes in Chinese and even a Calligraphy course-working with some of his friends and other young People who seem to love working with me, teaching me their language. Lol, every day I’m getting something from China; copy books, calligraphy supplies, my Seal came today..and also, because it’s the start of the Spring Festival, they’ve sent me decorations and all kinds of little trinkets. One young lady introduced her grandmother to me during the Autumn festival (she’s a retired English teacher) and because she’s really into Chinese Astrology and Feng Shui, she’s concerned about me and has sent me a bunch of “protective” amulets, scrolls and statues (I think I need a compass though.., 😂 “please place this in highest spot North East”
My question to you as someone who has been there awhile, is it really practical, as a 60yr old, not in the best health, to be moving to China? My Son says I could get a job is I wanted either teaching or consulting with these companies-but I always only see you young folks over there. Have you seen many “older” foreigners living over there..or working? Thanks in advance!
Well....at your age, it would be very difficult to get a job. I have only very, very rarely seen expats over sixties, and those that I've seen are on short-term visas because they're visiting businessmen. Work visas and contract, as a rule of thumb, have a cutoff age of 60 . For example, one of my coworkers is turning 60 this year and even though he's much beloved by students and teachers alike, the uni isn't renewing his contract because of his age, so he's got to go home. After 60, employers have to write/sign an age requirement waiver to let people work after that. In Shenzhen, the laowai capital, I think it'd probably be possible to find a job, but I don't think it'll be as easy as your son thinks to legally live and work there full-time. If you'll be in Shenzhen, you can just come on a tourist visa and pop over to Hong Kong every 30/60 days (though I can't officially recommend that, as it's technically illegal to work on a tourist visa). That may well be what you end up doing, because of potential employers being concerned about your age; you may end up doing private tutoring out of your house or something similar on a tourist visa. I'm not familiar with Shenzhen's job market, as I've never been there. As far as your health is concerned, I don't know your specific situation, so I can't really give you any advice other than saying medicine's fairly cheap and easy to get, though China doesn't always have the latest, cutting-edge medication. Air pollution won't be an issue in Shenzhen, so that's good.
Austin In China Yes, as far as a specific company and work visa-we figured no one would sign me on-although, I guess that’s also going to depend on my Son and his friends who actually own some companies. The “trick” about Hong Kong has already come up as a possibility; although I’d really rather do everything above board, so-to-speak. Since I’ll be there with my Son and his dream has been to live and work in China; I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize his future there.
My health problems, besides some benign orthopedic problems which will eventually cause me to need a wheelchair, (but I plan on fighting THAT until it’s impossible for me to get around 😁. My docs here wanted me in a wheelchair years ago, but after my spinal injury, I worked my ass off to get OUT of one, and I’ll be damned if I’m going back into one 😁). My “major” problem is Chronic Kidney Disease. I only have one kidney and it’s been threatening to shut down for a few years. I’m not a candidate for a transplant, so it will eventually mean dialysis. Right now, I’m still stable, above the threshold enough that traveling isn’t contraindicated. Lili says she has a friend who practices Chinese Traditional Medicine who was supposed to be on dialysis many years ago-I don’t know much about CTM, HOWEVER, one thing I DO practice is Ayurveda-including supplements and teas a close friend (and Ayurvedic practitioner- Ayurveda is the Ancient system of medicine in India) sends me every few months as well as yoga. My allopathic physician and good friend, calls it “Hocus Pocus”-yet he can’t explain either my mobility (I was told I would never walk again), nor the continued stability of my kidney. So, I certainly wouldn’t rule out whatever Lili’s friend is doing or taking to keep her kidney functioning! 😁
Still though, realistically, sudden kidney failure IS a possibility.
I can't offer any advice as far as that is concerned; that's pretty serious. That being said, I do hope you find the answers and guidance you're looking for!
Speaking of money, did you have to pay the family of your wife for marriage?
No, I didn't! I got lucky!
Why is it a Chinese thing though, I mean, how do Europeans learn English?
The channel is about China, so I talk about what I see in China. Most Europeans learn English in school, just like Chinese, but the difference is that they have a lot more opportunities to use English than Chinese. I'm sure there are private English tutors in Europe as well
I agree with you, but learning English for exams are getting less and less, cos many families have 1-2 times travel abroad, they must use English.
Hi, thank you for this video, and I'm wondering if it will be problematic to teach privately? And if yes, how can one secure a part-time or second job in china but that is100% legal??
No such a thing as 100% legal, but if you have a legal full time job, with English teacher visa title, you can ask the employer to put it in writing, so it seems that they organized you for that off-campus private gig. Chances are low, if they agree, they take their share. Basically saying part times are illegal
拿旅行签证是不是不能工作呢？
小哲 许 不可以
:D You forget to mention that the idea of taking on private face to face students is risky as f! You sell your video well with the title but then the answer is illegal private teaching?
他信我的话算运气，不信的话，走则瞧吧……他这样的学历资历在美国小学老师都当不了，如果能，估计也不会到中国去
Amy Li
我想歧视你， 后来想了想算了。。。。 道听途说，嫉妒！
小胖是美国大学毕业！
撇开Austin本人的学历不谈，就说他在中国工作过的几个地方，兰州交大、天津外国语、西南财经政法、川大，每一所都是正正经经的教育部认证的高等院校吧，也不乏985、211名校。这些学校的所有英语系教授加在一起都不如您一双慧眼隔网线识人咯？
Yirou Luo 那可真不一定，我国内外俩硕士，在美国将近二十年的生活经历，不出国现在也差不多教授了。同学好几个教授，见识水平除了专业知识以外真不如我
Amy Li 那你双硕士好棒棒哦给你鼓个掌～所以人家靠自己的语言能力（管它是母语还是后学的呢）当个英语老师过自己的小日子怎么就碍着您这个成功人士了？有那闲工夫跑来喷人还是先把自己管好吧。
哎呦, 双硕士呢? 好牛逼的样子? 你能在美国二流大学当教授吗?
我好心提醒他一下，天真的以为中国可以养懒人可真大错特错了，这不是加拿大
Amy Li 你从哪里看出来人家懒了？人家现在川大的工作也是靠本事得到的，不是睡觉睡出来的，你以为只要英语母语都能教？
luke skywalker Pls come to the Northwest part of China. You'll definitely know what I mean haha. 2000Rmb per month is not an underestimate. I'm Chinese who live in China. I'm more familiar with China than you dude.
luke skywalker you're only half right because almost the white folks live in Beijing,Shanghai,Guangzhou n etc. It's not fair enough 😂China is huge n those bastards can't represent
Lei's Lifestyle 我只知道在美国是个人都能大学毕业，文盲都能英语很溜。他自己说他不愿意工作很长时间，喜欢休闲时间
Amy Li 你听错了吧，他说他一周只有十几个小时课，大学的课本身也只有那些吧，尤其外教课怕就是一周一节两节的节奏，然后几个班，十几节很好理解吧。说实话人家说的确实没错，就我们学校的老师，很多在外面代课的，就因为学校的工资并没有太多，固定的。个人选择吧，中国人都这么干，外国籍的就不行？
每周工作15小时让他在中国过上中上等生活的日子不会太长，美国人都每周工作至少四十小时才能过得去。中国发展很快……他想跟上步伐不自我提升早晚被淘汰，的意思是生活水平落到中下
Amy Li 但是人民币不值钱啊，在美国一小时挣得在中国得干几小时还不一定能挣来，我在澳洲一天可以挣二百刀，和人民币一千块，如果是挣了钱在中国花当然多，如果挣得钱存回去花，那就真没有多少
luke skywalker yep it's not much before tax but truly a lot for me to spend in China. I only can get like 2000Rmb-3000Rmb (around 400AUD-600AUD) per month in China. It's pretty a big difference