In the run up to exam time, I am putting together some intensive courses for students. I am hoping to run two groups of five students for three hours a week over the next three months (Phew!)
Similar courses by other schools are asking for 1600pln but I am going to way undercut the rate and ask for 800pln per student, to get my foot in the door.
I can do this and still make a healthy sum for myself thanks to one recently discovered fact- Classroom space is cheap.
Every state school in my local area seems to have far too many idle classrooms. One school in the big city will charge me as little as 10pln per lesson. With these rates it would be cost effective to run classes with one student!
I fell into the trap of listening to other teacher’s experiences when working abroad and I assumed any kind of space to rent for classes would be grossly out of my budget. I had a casual conversation last week with somebody who indicated schools where in the predicament of having loads of space available but no money and I decided to capitalize on this.
Now, my make shift language school has progressed from running its operations out of my living room into a classroom.
Move over Richard Branson, Britain’s got a new entrepreneur! or should I say Poland?
Cool idea! Well done for not listening to the status quo.
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Awesome dude, I never hire the rooms myselves but I gather there bloody expensive in th UK , my next is on Tuesday, 32 of the buggers for 6 hours
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the classrooms. I was definitely not so lucky when I was in Poland...
ReplyDeleteoh back then there were still plenty of empty classrooms, it was just impossible to find anyone willing to rent them out!!
But that WAS 475 year ago... ;o)
I have found out that quite a few businesses operate out of the dormant classrooms in local schools, the last school I visited had a driving school, haberdashery, I.T services, Website design company and a Geology school all operating out of the unused space.
ReplyDeleteWroclaw sucks over here. I was going to see to rent a place for my English School and they wanted 5,000 a month. Granted the space was 100m2 but DANG. I just go to people's home. It is easy.
ReplyDeleteBut great idea on renting a room out of a school. :) By the way, if you are in wroclaw and looking for an american teacher, hook me up ;)
I think I know which school your talking about Paul, is it the one near Yellow?
ReplyDeleteHi, SF, I've read your blog, very interesting, I'm gonna try and flash my British passport next time I'm on the ...
I don't have anything in Wrocław, and to be honest my language school is like a baby giraffe, wobbly! I wouldn't recommend it as a school to work for!
However, I have let the real brains of the operation (my wife) know your out there and she says she will be in touch ;)
Your right, It's not far from Yellow, tell the wife to add me to your list of teachers to give jobs to! I'm not a teacher as such but I can learn quick!
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