Teaching a friend German... for money

[Neftom]

Recently an online friend of mine said he would like to learn German. He's a fan of the culture and figured I, as the only native German he knows, could teach him.

Sure I am generally interested and care more about linguistics than most people I know, but...

I can't do it for free as it takes time away from other paying hobbies. How much pay could I realistically ask for?

More importantly, how difficult is it for me with no prior teaching experience? Should I even do this?

[missbookworm]

Since you are a native German speaker, I think you are truly eligible to teach your friend the German language. And yes, I think it's only fair that you ask payment for your service. He may be your friend, but teaching could be a time-consuming work, and you deserve to be rewarded for that.

[humanoid]

As a native speaker, you're more than qualified. To get an idea of the rates you could charge, why not take a look at what professional tutors charge per hour. You can usually find this information on line or in the classified section of your local newspaper.

As for how to start, why not take a subject that your friend is interested in and work from there.

[kurdapia]

Being a native speaker does not make anyone a qualified teacher of the language. When I say qualified you know the grammar rules not just the day to day conversation to help a foreign guy get by. There is some money involved here so better teach your friend using the right methods. Start with a guide book so that you have a lesson each day.

[lushlala]

I agree with kurdapia; in my humble opinion, being a native speaker stands you in good stead, but it doesn't necessarily make you a good teacher. It's not a dig, just making a point. But since your friend has taken you on fully knowing this, it's ok. I also think you're within your rights to charge a fee, as long as you're transparent about your skill level. You could go online and see what people charge and decide on your rate based on your situation.

I'd urge you to find out what level your friend's at and maybe invest in a text book at that level. You could even find one free online. This should give you an indication as to what types of stuff to focus on. Your friend should also be able to contribute in determining what the focus of his lessons should be. I hope it works out for the both of you

[Neftom]

Thank you all for the feedback!

I have now done German tutoring for about 10 weeks. I'm teaching 2 students, an American and a Briton. We're working towards the A1 level since they're both beginners with only basic knowledge of another foreign language.

Every weekend I give them (separately) a private 90-120 minute lesson over VoIP (Skype/Mumble) and use Google Docs. On top of that I'm monitoring their Duolingo progress and answering any questions that may come up during the week.

Duolingo is great for learning some vocabulary and basic sentence structure but it isn't amazing at teaching grammar, practical phrases, or pronunciation. That's what I've been focusing on. Texts are customized based on the students' interests.

The test run has been a great success! But I agree it's not enough to be a native speaker. I have had to invest a lot of time in research as well as preparing the documents and exercises. Still I didn't want to waste their time so I worked at a from what I can tell minimal rate of 10€ per 60 minutes of lesson. It can't stay that low in the long run...

Having a curriculum and regular schedule is very important. You should also never overwhelm your student - something we learned quite quickly - so it's fine to stop an ambitious lesson a bit early. I like having easy German Youtube videos ready for when that happens. Keep involving your students, ask them if they have questions and if they want to move on. Teaching dry grammar rules is necessary but it's best to do piecemeal.

I have many more basic teaching principles to learn but I've enjoyed it so far!

[czarina84]

Since you have so many students, I would keep abreast of any grammatical changes.  Keep your eye on different German grammar sites.  I'm not sure if they have them, but I know they exist for English grammar, so I'm assuming other languages have them.  Also, we have had words added to our dictionary, so keep your eye on that, too.  I'm so glad you found something you love to do.  I wish you so much good luck!

[reverserewind]

Payment is ok. Especially, if this is a thing you do for a living. Your friend has to understand that. I hope he's cool with that.

[lingvo]

I think that, in fact, they appreciate the effort you're putting in delivering quality time for your services. Also you're not charging too harshly. I hope this end up providing you good feedback too.  

[LeesaJohnson]

It is fine if you are charging a fee from your friend for teaching him and it's also good for your friend because you can teach him more perfectly than any other tutor because you both are friends and you help him in every step. You should ask a normal fee as you both are friends.

[sillylucy]

It sounds like you are putting a lot of time and effort into your lessons! You should be proud of the work that you are doing and not feel bad for charging a fee. Your time is worth it! Never doubt that you are contributing something that others want. They want your knowledge and are willing to pay for your help. You might want to use the same method with other students. It sounds like you can have a great side business here.

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