Private Tutoring

[Orwell20]

I have been toying with the idea of setting up as a private tutor. I have an MA in literature and a BA in history. With literature and history, I could probably offer private tutoring from GCSE up to undergraduate level, with maybe French to GCSE level as well. My SA is a strange beast. There is no way I could work in an office, or stand up in front of a class of teenagers, yet one to one (or one to two or three) I'm fine. It's the only job I can think of that would enable me to make use of my MA and get a little social interaction. I'm also wondering whether I could combine it with a bit of freelance writing. The two together could perhaps bring in a living wage Right now I'm working in a warehouse, which is killing me. Has anyone else tried either private tutoring or freelance writing? Anything so long as I don't have to work in an office, shop or warehouse.

[limey123]

When I lived in Germany I gave some private, one-to-one English lessons, that's the nearest I've got. But it was a bit of a hassle to be honest and not very lucrative.

Freelance writing I daresay is not the easiest to get into and make your mark in, partly because the competition is so fierce. But if you can make a living from it I bet it beats busting your arse in a warehouse.

My MA is in Scandinavian Studies, so I wouldn't stand much chance of making a living tutoring from it

[Marco]

I tried my hand at tutoring chemistry and maths many years ago, but I found the experience to be much the same as limey's and not very rewarding.

[Aelwyn]

I did a bit of private tutoring, I agree with the others, it's hard to make any kind of living that way. Unfortunately most of the things we think we can cope with with the SA tend to be low level and badly paid ...

[limey123]

Originally Posted by Aelwyn

Unfortunately most of the things we think we can cope with with the SA tend to be low level and badly paid ...

Translation (I do this) is actually not badly paid, depending though on the circumstances...

[Jen.]

I know a couple of people who do a bit of it on the side of other work, but it seems to be irregular, unsocial hours and based mostly around exam periods, so it puts me off bothering since it sounds like too much messing about. I did do English tutoring for a while when I lived in Spain but that was part of a university program and probably not really comparable to doing it as a real job.

[Orwell20]

Originally Posted by Aelwyn

Unfortunately most of the things we think we can cope with with the SA tend to be low level and badly paid ...

...sigh, so true Aelwyn. Work is SUCH a ****ing pain in the ****. I have zero interest in a career. For most people, it's everything to them - an ego boost, a source of self-esteem, etc. It drives me mad. I just cannot stand having to work with other people. It's hell for me. It isn't just the SA, it's being trapped with random strangers. I'm happy to work, want to pay taxes and contribute, etc, but I wish I could do so without being trapped. I'd stuff paper into envelopes all day if I could earn a reasonable wage and do it in a coffee shop, or at home.

[Marco]

Jimmy, I think you should give tutoring and freelance writing a go. Just see where it takes you. You never know...You've certainly got the skills and ability in abundance.

[Formershyguy]

If you feel comfortable doing it then why not!

[Moksha]

Like you I have an MA (psychology and literature), so could probably offer tutoring/mentoring to undergrad level. Freelance writing is always an option. You could buy The Artists and Writers Yearbook 2020 , which lists every publication in the UK, and send out a few pitches. See how you get on. The reality, unfortunately, is that

1) The competition is fierce (everyone thinks they can write)
2) The pay is horrendous (average is about £10,000 a year - less than a cleaner)
3) It's hard, thankless, and never ending (you always feel like you ought to be writing, and you'll probably end up doing so all day every day)

There is a site called Constant Content, where you sign up, post articles and, if someone likes them, receive payment into your paypal account. I have done it on and off for years. Sometimes, you will get a client ask you to write for them exclusively. I spent two years supplying articles to a health and pop psychology website called 'HealthGuidance'. But even then I was only earning about £7,000 a year.

Proofreading, writing, private tutoring, etc could all be combined, I guess. You could even supplement them with something extra, like taxi driving or shelf stacking. Private tutoring is a good idea, and something I have also considered. But you have to be realistic. Let's say you put an advert up and get five kids a week, each at £25. That's £125 a week - £6,500 a year. Say you manage to bulk that out with other things - taxi driving, a few writing jobs here and there, it's still much less than a trainee postman or nurse. Plus, of course, you have to get to their house, which means fighting through the UK's horrific traffic, plus petrol costs.

A lot depends on your life situation. If you have a big mortgage on a nice semi, plus two young children to support, tutoring and freelance writing just won't be enough. But, if your grandparents left you enough to buy a small flat, and you are single and childless, you could probably scrape by.

[Orwell20]

Originally Posted by Moksha

Proofreading, writing, private tutoring, etc could all be combined, I guess. You could even supplement them with something extra, like taxi driving or shelf stacking. Private tutoring is a good idea, and something I have also considered. But you have to be realistic.

Yeah, this is a good point. I believe it's called "skill stacking", or something like that. SA is strange, and manifests in different ways. My absolute nightmare would be a big estate agents - a manager, "team building exercises", obnoxious young reps in Burton suits, all that cr*p. I can't bear being in an enclosed space working for others. So, for example, I could never work in McDonalds. Yet I COULD sell burgers from the side of the road. It's so bizarre. I could chat to hundreds of different lorry drivers and builders, etc, over the course of the day and thoroughly enjoy it. Yet put me in McDonalds, doing exactly the same thing (selling burgers for a profit), and I'd be vomitting in the toilets or fainting. I guess it's got something to do with control? Or maybe it's the feeling of being scrutinized/judged?

A new idea has occurred to me today. I was chatting to someone online about finding work and she wrote that for a year or two, when she had her kids, she worked part-time as a sports and remedial injury therapist (after a two month course). She did it from home and said she was amazed by how many customers she got. She has gone back to her old job now, but she reckons that, had she wanted to, she could have gone full time. Maybe I could combine that with private tutoring. (Just thinking out loud here)

[Moksha]

^^ I should just add a thing or two about writing as a job. Like I said, for a couple of years I supplied articles to a website called "Healthguidance," and I must have written over 500, on everything from alcoholism to the benefits of jogging. In some ways I loved it. I got to choose my topics (and so naturally wrote on things that interested me), and it's always a pleasure to be creative.

But... First of all, it was laughably bad pay. I earned less than a part time cleaner.
Second, even I found it lonely and isolating (and I'm about as introverted as you can be).
Third, sitting in front of a screen all day is SO bad for your mental health, especially when you are alone. The temptation to go on chat forums, etc, is overwhelming. Inevitably, you end up arguing with people, or receive abusive replies, and that can massively impact your mood. All day I was either writing, or checking the news (which is, of course, all negative and scary), or drifting onto social media. I tried working in coffee shops and libraries, but it was hopeless.
Fourth, the work literally never ends. It consumed me. No matter what time of day it was, I felt I ought to be writing. In the end, I was writing pretty much all day every day. Another problem is that I'm a total technophobe. When someone talks to me about "software" or "coding" or any other technical term, I stare at them like a thawed out Homo Erectus. I never felt comfortable, and I lived in fear of my boss asking me to do X or Y technical thing when I next sent my articles. I was also incredibly slow, mainly because I would re-write them (I could probably have earned twice as much if I hadn't been such a perfectionist).
Finally, you get zero feedback or encouragement. No one ever says well done, just "this needs changing" etc.

I understand what you mean about hating office work. The key is some kind of compromise - a job in which you have some social contact, but on your terms.

[Moksha]

Originally Posted by Jimmy77

A new idea has occurred to me today. I was chatting to someone online about finding work and she wrote that for a year or two, when she had her kids, she worked part-time as a sports and remedial injury therapist (after a two month course). She did it from home and said she was amazed by how many customers she got. She has gone back to her old job now, but she reckons that, had she wanted to, she could have gone full time. Maybe I could combine that with private tutoring. (Just thinking out loud here)

Not a bad idea. This is exactly the kind of thing I could imagine doing. In fact, it would be ideal - you'd get social contact, but, like I wrote, it would be on your terms. Same is true of taxi driving, running a market stall, running a burger van, private tutoring, and so on. I really think that's the key - a job that gets you out of the house, or at least brings people into your house, but avoids office work.

[Tom1985]

Originally Posted by Jimmy77

I have been toying with the idea of setting up as a private tutor. I have an MA in literature and a BA in history. With literature and history, I could probably offer private tutoring from GCSE up to undergraduate level, with maybe French to GCSE level as well. My SA is a strange beast. There is no way I could work in an office, or stand up in front of a class of teenagers, yet one to one (or one to two or three) I'm fine. It's the only job I can think of that would enable me to make use of my MA and get a little social interaction. I'm also wondering whether I could combine it with a bit of freelance writing. The two together could perhaps bring in a living wage Right now I'm working in a warehouse, which is killing me. Has anyone else tried either private tutoring or freelance writing? Anything so long as I don't have to work in an office, shop or warehouse.

Just curious, what sort of work did you intend to go into after doing your BA and masters?

[Orwell20]

Originally Posted by Moksha

Proofreading, writing, private tutoring, etc could all be combined, I guess. You could even supplement them with something extra, like taxi driving or shelf stacking. Private tutoring is a good idea, and something I have also considered. But you have to be realistic. Let's say you put an advert up and get five kids a week, each at £25. That's £125 a week - £6,500 a year. Say you manage to bulk that out with other things - taxi driving, a few writing jobs here and there, it's still much less than a trainee postman or nurse. Plus, of course, you have to get to their house, which means fighting through the UK's horrific traffic, plus petrol costs.

A lot depends on your life situation. If you have a big mortgage on a nice semi, plus two young children to support, tutoring and freelance writing just won't be enough. But, if your grandparents left you enough to buy a small flat, and you are single and childless, you could probably scrape by.

I like the phrase "skill stacking". Basically, I'm prepared to consider anything that is low stress and keeps me out of offices, shops, warehouses, or anywhere else where I'm trapped with a manager and co-workers. I don't mind a bit of social contact, but I know my SA would be better if I was my own boss and if the social interaction was mostly one to one. Writers often have other jobs too, and I think that's true of counsellors/therapists as well. But, like you say, it depends how much money you need. I don't have big bills to pay, and I don't have kids, so could probably get by.

Has anyone else had experience of freelancing/skill stacking/working from home, etc? I do know people who work from home. My friend's brother works mostly from home, and so does his wife (she runs a beauty salon from her back garden). My friend is also home based (in publishing), and he often says that many of his various work contacts are now working remotely. Fingers crossed it seems to be the future, though most people I know are still based in some kind of office or building.

[Coffee]

Do it.

Any little sideline you can set up is a great idea. At the very least you'll learn a lot and build some confidence that might lead to other things down the line.

[Orwell20]

I was just looking through a job advertisement online. It's for a full time position as a 'content writer' at Web Design Business. The advert just goes on and on. Under a headline reading "we expect", they list all the things they expect of the applicant. I will "work above and beyond expectation", "be very proud to be a member of the team", "have a desire to look after clients", "welcome feedback", be "happy and positive throughout the day".

Is it just me or is that hideous and creepy? It's not enough that I turn up and work. No, I am expected (expected!) to be proud to join their crappy little start up (this isn't a ****ing hospital dedicated to curing breast cancer). And I can't just look after clients. That's not enough. I have to have a desire to do so! Oh yeah, because what else would someone want to do with their life but look after the clients at a web design business on an industrial estate! Hold me back, the desire is overwhelming. And I can't just do the work. I have to be happy while I do it. And I have to be "happy throughout the day" (can't I just be a little bored or depressed- maybe at lunchtime?). I honestly think some employers and managers feel like they own you when they pay you. What the **** has it got to do them whether I'm fit and healthy? Or whether I'm proud and happy to be there so long as I do the job to their satisfaction?
Ugghh, I have got to find something where I'm home based or working for myself.

[Aelwyn]

^

No it's not just you! I couldn't agree more. It makes me feel ill.

[Sisyphus]

^^ They "expect" you to "work above and beyond expectation"?

How is that even possible?

[limey123]

Originally Posted by Aelwyn

^

No it's not just you! I couldn't agree more. It makes me feel ill.

Ditto!

[Moksha]

Originally Posted by Jimmy77

I was just looking through a job advertisement online. It's for a full time position as a 'content writer' at Web Design Business. The advert just goes on and on. Under a headline reading "we expect", they list all the things they expect of the applicant. I will "work above and beyond expectation", "be very proud to be a member of the team", "have a desire to look after clients", "welcome feedback", be "happy and positive throughout the day".

Is it just me or is that hideous and creepy? It's not enough that I turn up and work. No, I am expected (expected!) to be proud to join their crappy little start up (this isn't a ****ing hospital dedicated to curing breast cancer). And I can't just look after clients. That's not enough. I have to have a desire to do so! Oh yeah, because what else would someone want to do with their life but look after the clients at a web design business on an industrial estate! Hold me back, the desire is overwhelming. And I can't just do the work. I have to be happy while I do it. And I have to be "happy throughout the day" (can't I just be a little bored or depressed- maybe at lunchtime?). I honestly think some employers and managers feel like they own you when they pay you. What the **** has it got to do them whether I'm fit and healthy? Or whether I'm proud and happy to be there so long as I do the job to their satisfaction?
Ugghh, I have got to find something where I'm home based or working for myself.

haha...no, it's not just you. I love that Betjeman poem about the hell of working in an office (he did have to work in offices after being expelled from Oxford, and described it as "torture"), where he calls for bombs to destroy the whole town:

And get that man with the double chin,
Who'll always cheat and always win,
And washes his repulsive skin
In women's tears.
And smash his desk of polished oak,
And smash his hands so used to stroke,
And stop his boring dirty joke
And make him yell!

Of course, a lot of people LOVE office work, especially when they get to give the orders. They love wearing their shiny Burton suit. They love all the drama and tension, the falling out and making up with colleagues. They love the competition, love climbing the career ladder, love having an office, love their meaningless job title (which they usually invent for themselves - "I'm the assistant sub-regional manager in charge of distribution and..." oh ****OFF). A lot of people, given the choice between earning £25,000 a year, with their own office and people they can order about, and, say, £28,000 a year working in isolation at home, would choose option one. The job title, the office, the sense of power, etc, is just as important as the money.