Why do you charge more than other teachers?

I get this question very often when schools contact me for collaboration or when individuals ask me for one-to-one lessons. In this post, I take you through my qualifications and what goes into my lessons.

International Qualifications

DELTA: The Cambridge DELTA Diploma is a professional qualification at level 7 as regulated by the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) on the Qualifications and Credit Framework and given premium product endorsement by NEAS in Australia.

It is a postgraduate level that has worldwide recognition.

CELTA: (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) is an internationally recognized teacher training and certification program at level 5 moderated and accredited by Cambridge Assessment English (UK). For over 30 years, it has been offered worldwide in over 60 countries by over 300 schools and with over 12,000 graduates per year.

TKT (1, 2, 3, YL): Teaching Knowledge Test is an exam for teachers and classroom assistants who want to provide evidence on the following:

- Background knowledge of language learning and teaching.

- Lesson planning and use of resources for language teaching.

- Managing the teaching and learning process.

- Background knowledge of principles of teaching English to young learners, planning lessons, and managing young learners.

Train the Trainer: this qualification is at Proficient to Expert level according to Cambridge qualifications. It develops the knowledge and skills needed to train English language teachers working in primary and secondary schools. It covers the following: running training sessions, observing teachers and giving feedback.

Teachers who successfully complete the Train the Trainer course are qualified to train teachers on the CELT-P and CELT-S courses.

Such qualifications aren't merely theories about teaching and learning. The CELTA and DELTA for example are courses that include teaching practice: 12 hours of assessed teaching, plus over 20 hours of observing other teachers. My lessons were assessed by 5 different trainers, one of whom was a Cambridge assessor.

What goes into my lessons

My work doesn't start when the learner shows up at the lesson. I never skip lesson planning: all my lessons are thoroughly thought of with my target learners/teachers in mind. Not only that, I respect my students' time and I usually check their homework on my own time, not at the time of the lesson. Before each course, I make an analysis of my learners' needs and wants. I keep a record of my learners' expectations, demands and linguistic abilities. I monitor their progress attentively and alter/adjust the course many times over the period of study. I don't take pre-constructed courses and use them with all my learners: I always try to select materials, plan lessons, design materials and supplement with other published materials.

I know there are many other teachers out there who charge four times less than me. I'm not going to question their integrity and professionalism but I guarantee you one thing: a person who's taken up developmental courses/exams to prove their competence and a person who regards their work as serious as this by spending a hell of money on his development will never ever underestimate their work/time or the value they bring into the lessons.