25 CHF? Have fun! Teaching is not just the time you're sitting there in front of your student. It's the time spend commuting, preparing your lesson and correcting their homework, plus answering their emails and rescheduling appointments whenever they can't make it. So in the end, you'll be earning 25 CHF for three hours of work. Enjoy! Then also count all the times when they go on holiday and they don't take lessons for weeks...

There are dozens of language schools teaching English in the Zurich region, and English, together with French and Italian, is one of the "cheaper" languages. So that few people are ready to take a private course. Comes to this that there are thousands of Swiss students who have the Cambridge Proficiency Certificate and are ready to work as private teachers for CHF 20 per hour. Your argument that their English most likely is inferior to yours is not worth as much as you may think.

That's not the normal going rate.
Probably the cleaner is required to speak English, or is hired through a cleaning agent who gets a commission.

As a tip, if you look for a cleaner, ask around in your neighborhood if one of the housewives is looking for some extra hours to work while the kids are in kindergarten/school.

Similar approach if you want to hire an English teacher.

Some of the quoted rates here are way off.
I think the CHF 25 are a realistic expectation for a native speaker with one year teaching experience, and who has to build up its client base.

This Thread is about English teaching not cleaning - but if you are looking for a cleaner among your neighbours, check on insurance and the like too or you may both find yourselves in trouble.

OK - back to teaching English please.

Hi,

I think that 25CHF is too low. Give a higher quote and then you could negotiate with the client. You have to factor in travel time and preparation.

Good Luck as there are masses of teachers out there.

Great! I have a feeling I'll end up pennyless with no savings after about a year If only my boyfriend studied in a city that wasn't so expensive...

It looks like I'll end up being a Nanny at this rate just to earn some cash!

Not that there is anything wrong with being a Nanny of course, it's just not what I'm trained to do. Although it may pay more anyway :P

While I think it's nobody's biz how much private tutors work for and people should do their own pricing policy, going for extremely low rate just to build up clientele can seriously backfire. Not only here but elsewhere, too. I don't think you can build up your number of students by completely under valuating your work. 25fr are the rates for a sitter where we live.

If one is going to start teaching for half the going rate or even a third, it might be too hard to make it anywhere near decent rate even if you become very good and your work is worth more money. To triple your income in 5 years? I am not so sure. I wouldn't also expect all clients want to pay little, 25fr an hour will get a tutor a few young kids or students who are preparing for matura, some devoirs surveillés, etc.

If OP wants to progress, say in 5 years teach more financially interesting clients, I wouldn't start so low, that's just shooting onself in a foot. If you desperately need clients, offer something others don't. Interesting add, times, group settings, activities, list your skills and strong points, remember what your students valued about your work, work on yourself and enroll in ESL forums, get into online pedagogical courses to give your work more credit than just one year of teaching experience. I'd say being 30% cheaper than competition can make you already very interesting (especially here, where after xmas sales are 30% unlike the rest of the world ). But of course, freelancing is lovely, nobody will be ordering you how much to charge, completely up to you.

__________________
"L'homme ne peut pas remplacer son coeur avec sa tete, ni sa tete avec ses mains." J.H. Pestalozzi

“The only difference between a rut and a grave is a matter of depth.” S.P. Cadman

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." A. Einstein

Probably not if you're not trained to look after children!