• a schedule book
  
• file folders for each student/class you'll teach
  
• to become persuasive and friendly on the phone (if you already aren't)
  
• to learn the different transportation routes to where you'll meet students (if you don't already know)
  
• needless to say.....teaching materials of some kind
  

If you don't want someone in particular to know you're listed with us you may also need:

• a PHS/keitai phone with a private number
  
• a Hotmail or other anonymous email address
  

You'll need a good generic first lesson for a few different levels of students to help convince the student that your worth returning to for more lessons. In addition, you may want to have some business cards printed for a more professional look. For those of you teaching at your homes, you may want to clean your place up a little.

How/What should I teach?
Teach however you feel comfortable. Some teachers prefer professionally published textbooks, some use materials they've made, some teachers use different copies from different books each class. Using professionally published textbooks seems to be most common. To request a catalogue from some of the major ESL Publishers in Japan please visit our Teacher Resources Page.

How can I monitor my performance?
In the Record Control Center each teacher is able to view the number of times their record has been viewed and number of times it has been requested (paid for) by students. When a teacher's contact information is requested, that teacher is sent an email informing you that a prospective student may be contacting you soon.

How should I schedule students?
Again...it's up to you. You can give students a fixed time each week or let them choose the next time to study at the end of each lesson. Letting students decide their next lesson time at the end of each lesson keeps things flexible. It works well with privates and less well as the number of students in the group increases. With classes of 3 or more, it may be best to make the classes on more of a fixed schedule - or you'll spend the last 10 minutes of each class exasperated as you watch several people flip through their schedule books trying to find a time convenient for all of them.

How do I get paid?
Getting payment from students is up to you. If you're not used to asking people for money the first few times to ask for payment can be stressful.

The "4 times pre-paid" system works well (6 times is OK too). It's flexible, protects the teacher and motivates the student to come to each lesson. In contrast, the "pay-after-each-lesson-at-the-end-of-lesson" system can occasionally cause problems, particularly when a student cancels on the same day.

Of course, sometimes there is good reason for same day cancellations - illness, death in the family, delayed train, etc. But some cancellations are for ridiculous things like "it's too windy outside", "I couldn't wake up" or "I have to go to a party". In any case, the prepay system helps assure that you get paid for the time that was scheduled and that students come on their reserved time (even if the wind is howling!). Then again, some teachers don't mind at all if a student cancels on the same day.

For the first lesson explain (for example), "Todays lesson is 3500 yen and, if you continue, the next time is 3500 yen pre-paid for the next 4 weeks - or 14,000 yen". In later lessons when its time to ask for payment, a couple of successful indirect asking-for-money approaches are, "Would you like to pay now or next time?" or "Can you pay today?" .

Keep track of who has paid/for how many times. Try to note it in 2 places - otherwise, you may forget and accidentally over or undercharge a student.

DO's/DON'T's
Don't double schedule people (it's embarrassing)

Don't blow your top if the student calls to cancel on the same day. One teacher claims to have done this once after traveling 45 minutes to meet the student. That student never came to another lesson. Requiring prepayment should prevent this.

Don't freak out if a seasoned student doesn't have the $ to prepay on the scheduled pay-day. They'll be back. It's very rare to have to "hunt down" disappearing students to get cash.

Don't lose your cool if students don't come back after the initial lesson. Coming to 1 lesson doesn't mean they are YOUR student. Many of them are "browsing" to see who's available and they've come to you in their "narrowing down" of choices. If you give them what they consider a good lesson, they'll probably come back. If they don't come back you'll probably never know why - but you shouldn't get upset and take it personally. You'll probably never know what a non-returning student considers 'good' or what they are actually looking for in a teacher.

Don't go nuts if a student tells you they will not be coming to your lesson anymore (for whatever reason). Instead, you might want to: keep your composure, smile, mention that you'll keep their file for them in case they decide to come back at some point, make mention of any progress made while in your class, give some brief advice as to how they might want to continue studying, and wish them luck.

Try to resist the temptation to clean your (class)room, cook a meal for yourself, yawn, or talk to a friend/prospective student on the telephone during a lesson. Understandably, students really don't like any of these behaviors

Do keep files of old students because sometimes after they stop coming (or 'disappear' - for whatever reason) they may call again out of the blue to continue their lessons and it helps to know where you left off.


Need More Help? See:

Help - Handling Calls (bilingual)
Help - During the First Meeting/Lesson (bilingual)