Here’s a list of the most commonly used locations for tutoring sessions. This list is by no means exhaustive.
1. Tutor’s home
2. Tutor’s office
3. Student’s home
4. Student’s office
5. School libraries
6. Public libraries
7. Senior centers
8. Community centers
9. Coffee shops
10. Recreation centers
Do you know of any other locations good for teaching private ESL students? If so, please share them with us. Thank you.
Andrea from the U.S. writes:
Hello! I am a college student majoring in TESOL. I'd like to do private tutoring out of my home after I graduate in December. Do you have any good advice for someone who is interested in doing this? I've been doing an internship in a high school and will be going overseas for student teaching in the summer. I've found I am better at one-on-one instruction. Anyway, I'll be visiting this site more often, as it seems very helpful!
Hi Andrea,
I'm not sure if you were looking at ESL Tutor or Teaching ESL to Adults . On the ESL Tutor site, you can look at the list or Article Topics for things like "self-employment" or "meeting locations," etc. Incidentally, I don't recommend teaching out of your home; too many horror stories. Check out the Article Topics list and if you have any specific questions, please feel free to write again.
Good luck,
Debra
I've had a few ESL students who are reluctant to leave voicemails. For some, they think that their English isn't good enough. For some of us who are old enough, we can probably remember back to when it was just plain awkward to leave telephone messages on answering machines. So maybe we can appreciate our students', or other ESL speakers', reluctance to leave voicemails.
The only time that I insist that students call me (and possibly have to leave a voicemail) is when they are potential new students who I haven't met or who haven't been referred to me. This is just for the sake of safety. It helps me to get a little bit of a feel for the person I may be meeting. I meet my students in a public space, so I have less of a safety issue than someone who meets new students in a private location.
This is just one of those safety tips I want to mention for private ESL tutors.
I previously wrote about possible locations to meet ESL or EFL students for lessons. I gave a partial list of possible places for private tutoring (coffee shops, libraries, the tutor’s home or office, the student’s home or office, senior centers, and community centers, etc.). After hearing a sad story today, I’d like to encourage you to only meet your students in public places.
I met with a Japanese conversation student today. I asked him to tell me about the top news in Japan. I was saddened to learn that a young British woman teaching English in Japan was recently murdered. She was only 22-years-old. My ESL student told me that the teacher’s body was found in the apartment of a man who was likely her private English student.
This very sad situation is a reminder that it is best to meet students for private lessons in public places, especially when you are first meeting your student, but it’s probably safest to keep the English lessons in a public space at all times.
I have one-to-one tutoring sessions in a very public coffee shop. Many students have asked to meet me in my home or in theirs. They tell me that they are concerned about the noise in a public location. This is a legitimate concern, however, I always insist on a public location.
It’s tempting when you are first starting your tutoring practice and trying to get new students to agree to the wishes of your potential student. Encourage them to try the public location and if they refuse, then I would reject the potential student. Another student will come along. The risks are just too high.
As a private ESL tutor, I get to choose the location to meet my students and hold my lessons. I have been meeting my students at a local café for over two years. On any given day, I may teach ESL lessons for up to 4 ½ hours. Fortunately, the café owners and workers don’t mind my holding a table for so long. Of course, I buy something every couple of hours, and most of my students also buy drinks.
This particular café is close to a major university, so there are lots of other students who use this location to study for long periods of time. On a couple of occasions, I’ve noticed at least two or three other tutoring lessons going on (unfortunately, some tutors forget that they are talking to someone across the table and not to a large classroom!).
The café is located in a convenient location for most of my students. The biggest convenience is that it’s close to public transportation. This is especially helpful for my students without cars or for those students who live far away and prefer not to deal with traffic or parking. I have some learners who commute quite a distance for their English lessons.
Some potential students initially have concerns about the location and ask me to meet them somewhere else. They prefer a more quiet space, like a library or their home. While there is a library nearby, this particular library frowns upon private lessons in their space. I let the potential new student know that I understand their concerns and that it does, indeed, get loud sometimes (it’s also near a busy fire station!). But I let them know that I have been using the space for over two years and that it has worked for all of my students.
The café also has the advantage of simulating “real life.” The student has to be able to speak and listen to English under normal circumstances. It improves concentration and focus. A couple of students may have decided not to have lessons with me, but I really haven’t noticed any lack of students due to the location.
Here’s a partial list of possible locations for private English lessons: coffee shops, libraries, the tutor’s home or office, the student’s home or office, senior centers, and community centers.
It’s kind of fun to meet my students in a café. There’s always fresh coffee! I call it “my office.” Being self-employed has some disadvantages (no health insurance being the biggest disadvantage!), but it also has some perks. One of my favorite perks is that I get to decide where, and usually, when to work.
