278 Part V: What Kind of Class Will I Have?
Agree a cancellation policy with your students beforehand so that you don’t
waste your time. Some teachers ask for payment in advance and others are
more relaxed, as long as the students gives them reasonable notice of
cancellation, but it’s unwise to put up with customers who have no respect
for your time.
Finding a place
You need to sort out a place to teach. If you’re teaching private lessons in
addition to working for a school, and have checked that there’s no conflict
of interest between you and your employer, ask to use an empty classroom
out of hours. If you do this, at least you’ll have access to loads of resources
nearby. Unless you’ve built up a good supply of books at home, lack of
resources may limit your lesson preparation when you go it alone.
Other locations you may choose to use are your own home or a local library
or café. Whilst being very convenient, using your place poses obvious risks,
especially if you’ll be alone with the student. Because of this, you should
think very carefully before taking this option. The same principles apply if
you go to the student’s home. On the other hand, if you use a public place
like a library, you’re bound by their opening hours and rules. For example,
you may not be able to speak at full volume or play recordings.
One of the nice things about this kind of lesson though, is that you can more
easily take the student to different locations. If you’re working in an English-
speaking country, why not take a few trips to markets, auctions, courthouses
or anywhere your student may find stimulating.
Forging a relationship
Your relationship with your student also presents challenges and rewards.
Luckily, the majority of students are happy, motivated souls, but if you do get
a boring or obnoxious one it can be very hard work.
Private lessons sometimes resemble counselling sessions as students
inevitably let off steam and talk about their day-to-day lives.
Now, if you know that you’re not the type to put on a smile and feign interest
when you’re bored witless, be a bit wary of this line of work.
The most successful one-to-one teachers like making other people feel good
about themselves. A nice thing about the job is that one-to-one teachers often
learn something too. People often pass on information about their specialisms
and particular interests, not to mention their culture and traditions.
