| Hello Online English Teachers! | | | | It's a balancing act! You want to find the most amount |
| The title of this article is a tough question. Why? There | | | | of students at the highest price possible. |
| are many things to consider when you are pricing your | | | | I used to sell my lessons based on a "point system." 2 |
| live online English lessons by using Skype. | | | | points would buy a student one conversation, and 2.5 |
| Are you only conducting English conversations (thus | | | | points would buy one "Power Lesson" which is |
| you don't have to prepare much)? Are you teaching | | | | everything else (vocabulary, American slang, grammar, |
| varying levels of grammar, vocabulary, and how much | | | | listening, pronunciation, or a specially designed lesson). |
| time did you put into making the lessons? How long | | | | The more points they bought at once, the better deal |
| are your sessions? Do you use a textbook? Do you | | | | they got. |
| give homework and grade it outside of your scheduled | | | | I believe 20 to 25 dollars for 50 minutes is a good price |
| English lessons? How much experience and | | | | to attract most countries, but for those countries who |
| certification do you have? Are you marketing to only | | | | are used to paying a truck-load (like 40 to 60 dollars |
| one specific country or to the world? | | | | an hour), I've done something kind of interesting. |
| It makes sense that the more time you put into the | | | | I priced my original amount between 40 to 50 dollars |
| preparation, the more you should charge for your | | | | per lesson, but then I heavily discounted it (by 50% or |
| online English lessons. So how much is too much? | | | | more). I did this so countries like Japan would see the |
| How much is too little? These two questions are darn | | | | original price and (perhaps subconsciously) attach value |
| near impossible to answer, especially when you teach | | | | to it because the price was "high and respectable." |
| on a global scale! | | | | Now when they see your discounted prices on your |
| Some countries will think 20 bucks an hour is | | | | online English school, they will feel like they're getting a |
| outrageous! How dare you teach English online for that | | | | bargain (they like to go bargain shopping...or as they |
| much! | | | | say in Japan, I go to shopping.). Also, since the prices |
| But then some countries will feel guilty because they | | | | are for a limited time, and they might go up soon, this |
| are taking advantage of your cheap prices. I actually | | | | puts a "sense of urgency" into their minds: "I must buy |
| had a student from a well-to-do country in Europe, and | | | | it now if I want that great deal. It will double in price |
| at one point she told me she felt guilty about paying so | | | | soon!" |
| little for a package she had bought (she paid 500 | | | | You should constantly experiment with prices every |
| dollars). She still bought it, but how many prospective | | | | two or three weeks to find the "sweet spot." Good |
| students from her country saw my prices and thought, | | | | luck! I hope this article helps you on how to teach |
| "Wow! Those are too cheap; there must be something | | | | English online and get money. |
| wrong. Those cheap prices are too good to be true." | | | | |