Chiaki
职业教师
Is it better to start low price and raise later?

Hello! I am newbie here, and I would like to know what is the best way to get new students.

Yesterday I got some quality advice to get students and yet I am wondering if it's really the best for future.

It was about set low price first and build number of sessions first, then bring the price up later.

I truly understand that cheaper is better, I am sure students search teachers by the price.

However if I was a student and I like the teacher a lot but if she or he started changing the price later, I will be disappointed.

In real life I teach English to kids and I charge $20 for 45min session, I do not expect to charge the same here.

Thank you for taking your time to read this!

I truly appreciate your advice!


2018年7月20日 06:13
评论 · 11
3
All you have to do is look at the profiles and charges for other teachers with your English teaching qualifications.  You will see some with great feedback who have taught many lessons. What do they charge? Over time the closer your profile gets to theirs, the more likely it is that students will be willing to pay that rate. Your charges could increase over time as your profile strengthens. A novice would really need to have excellent teaching qualifications to consider charging above average rates without a good lesson and feedback history
2018年7月20日
2
The problem is that your prices are very high compared to those of other Japanese community tutors on this platform. Some professional Japanese teachers charge roughly the same as you, but most charge less. On this platform, $25/hr is a premium price (at least for Japanese). So, students willing to pay that sort of money have lots and lots of teachers to choose from, and they're more likely to choose a professional teacher with a lot of experience and a lot of positive feedback. 
2018年7月20日
2


2018年7月20日
2

Hi

Generally I agree that you need to set a lower price at times (when you first start off, or after a break from teaching online) in order to attract customers.

I can understand students being upset if prices then go up later. There are two ways to manage this sense of disappointment:


1. Explain clearly that prices are temporarily lower. Describe your lessons as a special 3 month introductory price. You might still lose students when you put prices up, but they can hardly complain that it was a surprise to them.

or...

2. When you raise the price, do so only for new students. Offer your existing students a discount to reward them for their loyalty and past custom, so that the price does not go up for them.


Chris


PS. Someone asked what is the minimum price teachers can charge = $1 



2018年7月20日
2
Maurice has written pretty much what I wanted to say. :) Look around, do the research and see what price is appropriate to ask for your teaching level.

I recommend against setting a very low price, just to "attract students". Students here will pay for quality, and a low price might make your lessons seem low-quality. Also, decide for yourself at what point a price isn't worth your time. Keep in mind the commissions taken by italki and your payment system (eg. Paypal) so you know what you'll really get per lesson.

One more thing: stay patient. Some new teachers get students immediately, while others have to wait for a few weeks for their first student. Don't doubt yourself if students aren't rushing to book lessons. Just build it up gradually and surely.

Welcome to italki teaching, and good luck!
2018年7月20日
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