Teaching is without a doubt one of the most essential positions one can have in this world. The opportunities that language teachers provide their students are endless, whether they decide to pursue an education in the respective language after school or not.
The same is true for older learners who are often presented with greater prospects for employment and travel after improving their command of a foreign language. However, while it might sound rather wholesome and easy, teaching Portuguese at any level can often prove to be overwhelming for even the most competent of tutors.
One of the primary concerns of language tutors is knowing how to value their time and subsequently arriving at an appropriate fee for providing their services to students.
If you are a Portuguese tutor or you are considering providing your services in the near future then it should be no surprise that there is a growing demand for skilled teachers in today's world. Particularly those who are bilingual or multilingual!
With the acceleration of globalisation coupled with the advances in both capabilities and opportunities for travel over the past decade, there has never been a better time to teach a foreign language. Hence, it might be the perfect time for you to get your teaching career off the ground with some tutoring sessions.
When arriving at a price to charge your students it is important that you are first aware of the value of the skills that you poses. There is also a multitude of other considerations such as the respective market value for the country in which you operate and the length and frequency of your tutoring sessions.
Luckily in Ireland, there is a big market for learning foreign languages due to the travel and employment prospects associated with being an English-speaking country in the European Union. In this article, I will go into these factors in greater detail in order to better inform your pricing decisions.
How would you prepare for these Portuguese lessons?
Speaking Portuguese is a valuable asset!
Being bi- or multilingual boosts your cognitive ability, enables to you multitask better – or, conversely, enables better focus on the task at hand, and it provides a whole range of other mental and psychological benefits.
But that’s not what this article is all about. Today, your Superprof wants to help you make the most of your most marketable skill – your ability to speak Portuguese by giving some tips on how to set a schedule of fees for the lessons you are so eager to give.
Eager to give lessons, indeed! But not eager to give them away...
Now we look at some factors that will influence how to set your prices just right so that your students feel they get the best value for their money.
What Type of Courses Will You Teach?
Naturally, the answer to that is language courses, in Portuguese! But the question goes much deeper than that.
- Will you teach Brazilian Portuguese or European Portuguese? Both?
- Will you teach young students (under age 6), primary school-aged or older students – maybe even those at university?
- Might you specialise in test prep, tutoring students preparing to sit their Junior or Leaving cert exams?
- Will you teach adults?
- Will you teach Conversational Portuguese, for prospective holidaymakers?
- Will you teach Portuguese for Business?
As you can see from the sheer variety of courses you may offer, either as a native speaker of Portuguese or one who has mastered Portuguese through language studies, there must be a difference in pricing, from course to course.
Furthermore, the duration of lessons would be different: a four-year-old would not have the same attention span as an adult, and adults learning Portuguese conversation may not wholly benefit from a full hour of language instruction like a student preparing for an exam would.
Just make sure you have resources and learning materials for your students to revise between the sessions!
Location is Key in Setting Prices for Portuguese Lessons
There are three things that matter in property: location, location, location (incorrectly attributed to) Lord Harold Samuel.
Not only is that phrase often incorrectly attributed to our most famous real estate magnate, but it is also inaccurate that location only applies to property.
Where you give your lessons is an important determining factor in setting your prices for teaching Portuguese vocabulary and pronunciation.
Conversely, those who bring Brazilian culture to small towns such as Drogheda or Sligo may find themselves overwhelmed with requests for lessons – and may charge slightly higher fees, simply because there is little to no competition from other teachers in those regions.
However, if you offer Portuguese lessons online, you may find yourself setting prices for each hour of instruction far lower than if you taught in person, no matter where in the country you find yourself in.
Find out what qualifications you need to teach Portuguese online or in a classroom...
Finding students to teach Portuguese to
Now that you have a sense of how much you should be charging your students and valuing your time as a Portuguese tutor, you might be wondering where to find appropriate students. Checking out the different clubs and societies that operate within your local university is definitely something that would be worth your time.
Many students who are taking Portuguese at college turn to Clubs & Socs to learn the language through activities or in a social setting. Getting in contact with the local languages club or society might just result in a few new clients for you to teach Portuguese to.
This means that not only will you have a larger pool of students to provide your services to, but it will also help you to provide your services at a discounted price in an effort to secure more consistent and sustainable employment tutoring the language thereafter!
If you have a nearby university or college, I would certainly encourage you to check out the Portuguese society. Most universities will have some sort of language-related society if not, multiple different options may be available for you to find students.
What it All Boils Down To
If you are looking for language students to teach how to speak and write Portuguese in Ireland, there are a number of worthwhile considerations when selecting the right students. First of all, the proximity of the tutor is always a good place to start, particularly if you plan to meet multiple times a week.
Even a seemingly insignificant commute to your Portuguese lessons can take its toll on your study if you are traveling multiple times a week. Luckily, there are plenty of qualified tutors scattered around the country, so finding a suitable candidate to help take your skills in the language to the next level shouldn’t be too difficult!
How much should you charge for teaching people how to speak Portuguese? This depends on where you will teach Portuguese speaking – the town/city as well as whether you teach in a classroom environment or in your home.
It also depends on the level of language training you offer.
Beginners would probably pay less than intermediate-level students who, in turn, might find the financial burden of learning a new language less than someone who conjugates irregular verbs in Portuguese just for the fun of it.
And, our research shows that Portuguese for Business language classes cost significantly more than learning Portuguese conversation skills (€75 per hour versus €35!)
Now that you have a range of prices and factors to consider in setting your fees for language study, we leave you with a final tip: Don’t price yourself out of the market!
It might be tempting to set your prices low in order to attract more students – or high in order to generate enough revenue to subsist on, but beware: going to either extreme may send clients away!
Mid-range is the best pricing; the rest of your earning potential will be met by your teaching methods and enthusiasm!
Now follow this step-by-step guide to giving Portuguese lessons...
Offer your services on the Superprof platform!
Superprof is the best option out there for teachers that are looking to provide their services to students learning their subject of interest. The number of Portuguese tutors that list their services on the platform has been growing for some time now, as more and more students take up the subject for its associated career prospects.
The platform is here to help aspiring tutors accomplish just that! You even have the option to arrange a trial tutoring session with potential students free of charge. This will give you the opportunity to give the students a feel for how you orchestrate your classes and hopefully entice them to continue their lessons with you!
Superprof has 142 registered Portuguese tutors. Every one of them offers lessons online and most of them offer their first hour of lessons free!
Many of the Portuguese tutors that already occupy the platform have an array of qualifications and credentials that they leverage to arrive at their hourly rate.
The average price of a Portuguese lesson on Superprof is €14 per hour, irrespective of whether the help needed is for test prep or Portuguese pronunciation.
The tutoring sessions that you can expect to be given with Superprof are offered either in a classroom or in a one-to-one setting via webcam.
Superprof offers access to a growing pool of language students that you can offer your services. So sign up today and let us help you to make the ultimate career choice in your life!
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