This is not limited to native English speakers, or even those who want to teach English. I have a few friends in Japan who teach French.

I receive a very comfortable income as an eikaiwa instructor. Though, my conscious is getting the better of me as I can see more clearly now than ever, it IS an extremely slimy industry. I would like to wean myself from the corporate tit and focus more on just privates. I am trying to develop a strategy that will get me 80 students a month at 3,000 yen per lesson because, I believe, if I am an effective teacher, no student should have to see me more than once per month.

What have you found to be the most effective method for reaching students in Japan?

bodhisamaya Wrote:I believe, if I am an effective teacher, no student should have to see me more than once per month.

I don't understand, you want to get away from a slimy business by creating one of your own?
You can't get good at a language with one lesson per month, thats a fact I hope we don't have to discuss. If you envision yourself as the one that will teach them techniques on self-studying, you're a consultant not a teacher. After 2-3 meetings you've taught them everything they should know and they don't need you anymore (thats the scamming part). But even if you managed to somehow make it work they still don't get what they pay for: speaking to a native a LOT...

All this assumes that Japanese people studying English have enough persistence to work on their own which is a complete opposite of what I heard/observed about this industry and its customers (eikawa business exists because there is demand for it).

80 students is really unlikely, especially with what you plan on offering (it's not in demand which is why it's not offered). The vast majority of students are extremely casual and won't do any study outside of the lessons. They just want conversation and that's not useful when it's only once a month.

80 lessons is easily doable though (20 weekly students). I do about 40 lessons per month on top of my salaryman job.

Doing conversation practice and related stuff (most of my students write diaries which I correct and explain mistakes) is not scamming the students, and it's not stuff they could do on their own with your "teach a man to fish" approach.

bodhisamaya Wrote:I would like to wean myself from the corporate tit and focus more on just privates.

Freudian slip?

I would in fact like to create a lesson plan that gives advice on self study, gives feedback of progress and offers practice in output with correction. I project that at one lesson per month.

教えるべきは知識ではない。知識を得る方法だ。

I do occasionally give advice on study techniques using my own Japanese study as an example, but no one wants to hear it. There is no demand for teaching adults how to seriously study.

English is entertainment.

The eikaiwa I work for is focused on the entertainment factor and so enthusiastic instructors with horrible grammar get rich while fundamentally sound instructors without the gift of gab wipe away cobwebs in their cubicle. Of course, if one wants a career as a private instructor, a little Barnum and Bailey factor is required.

Jarvik7 Wrote:I do occasionally give advice on study techniques using my own Japanese study as an example, but no one wants to hear it. There is no demand for teaching adults how to seriously study.

English is entertainment.

Yep. All of my students start out saying things like they want to be fluent in a year, but then when I tell them it won't be possible with our lessons alone (which would amount to 104 hours of English exposure) they lose interest real fast. Only one of my students does anything related to English on his own and he says he studies about 2 hours a week. And I think he may even be fudging that a bit.

Best of luck with your plans to teach privately. i went through a stage of about two years of only doing private lessons and i gave up in the end. I think the problem was half me and half the general situation.
To get a decent number of students you have to be a good salesmen, this is obvious. During the first lesson, you have to sell yourself and a lot of people will do a great deal of cheesy bs during this process. i however can't do that. i got away from the eikaiwa world because of all the bs attached to the sales techniques. Even in private lessons, you have to impress from the start. A prospective stdent may have a few other teachers lined up that week to choose from.
The other half of the problem is the number of people offering lessons for very low prices. I am talking about Kyoto city here where the problem is very bad. in Kyoto. there are a lot of students or other people who teach english when they are not native speakers. They offer a very low price and to a Japanese student they "look like" an english teacher (but let's not get into that debate). i therefore found very feww students willing to pay 3,000 per lesson. I found some that did and I was lucky to find a few students who were.
if you have a large number of students who can book lessons when they want, you will end up becoming their slave. You will be running around after them. When this mad situation starts, the students will just expect it from you.
I found that a mix of private lessons and some classes at community centres is better. by this I mean the English circles that you get around the suburbs. These classes can be very dull but very easy.
Sorry to sound so negative but ultimately, it is Kyoto that is the problem. I wouldn't live anywhere else in Japan but the work situation is one of the trickiest in the whole country.

I love Kyoto also. I cringe when I think about it, but I may have to focus on Osaka.

bodhisamaya Wrote:practice in output with correction.

Wouldn't students want more than one hour a month of this?

The main errors by students are prepositions, articles, plural noun forms, present progressive verb tense, and third person verb forms. I have homework prepared ahead of time to work on in my absence if they fall into one of these categories.

3000Y is above the market rate for everywhere except Tokyo. 2500Y is more common everywhere else although some places are even 2000Y.

When I do a trial lesson with a perspective new student I don't do anything special, I just chat. The ability to smalltalk is the only real requirement to get and keep a student. Your English ability will affect how much they learn but it won't lose you a student.

I only accept intermediate->advanced students though..

With a little Japanese under your belt, low levels are the easiest to teach. A little boring maybe, but easy. Two or three simple phrases used in various contexts is all that is needed.

thistime Wrote:

bodhisamaya Wrote:practice in output with correction.

Wouldn't students want more than one hour a month of this?

Correction with notes is all that is needed in one month. Output goes in with the advice factor. Never date anyone (sorry to be so unromantic) who doesn't speak the language you are trying to master as their native tongue.

The fact that it's boring and needs prep is exactly why I don't take beginners.

thistime Wrote:

bodhisamaya Wrote:practice in output with correction.

Wouldn't students want more than one hour a month of this?

I wonder if there should be a lower rate for just shooting the breeze at a local bar. Maybe just, "Buy all my drinks and I will talk to you and correct your mistakes verbally"?

Yeah, I guess I should start doing the private eikaiwa more. I have a group of about 6 old people and I meet once a week for about 2 hours each time. I get about 200 a month which isn't a ton, but since its a group rate it works out well.

How do you advertise yourself? Do you just make signs and post them around town? is there a website that you list yourself on? Tips?

A Day In The Life - English Conversation School In Japan

The part where the guy said he didn't want to go to America because he didn't like guns totally reminded me of one of my high school students who wanted to go overseas for college. He said he didn't want to go to America and when I asked him why, he said, "Because I'll get shot." Then (biting my tongue) when I asked him where he did want to study he said, "Hawaii". Ah, such memories, such memories.