A bit of extra income for the summer holidays

[Copy-editor]

Hi,


I hope I'm not breaking any rules with this post, but I thought it might be useful for those with a good knowledge of English who need a little temporary extra income. If I'm committing a great sin then I apologise. If I'm not then splendid. Either way I won't make a similar offer again.


I remember, from my time as an English teacher many moons ago, that the arrival of the summer holidays can signal a marked drop in income for many EFL teachers. The months of July and August can be tough for those without a healthy bank balance to lean on.

I am in need of people who have a good grasp of English, can work meticulously, and who themselves are in need of a small additional income.

I am co-owner of a business called Freelancealot.co.uk. We have been operating since 2001 and currently have a glut of work for our transcription service. This is not a ‘get rich quick’ scheme, nor even a ‘get rich’ scheme, but it is a way of earning a little extra income when times are lean.

I am wondering whether this might be appealing to English teachers who are abroad and who have a few hours a week to spare. All that is needed for someone to undertake this work is a computer, email address, and Internet access; the necessary software can be downloaded without cost.

The process is simple. We send an audio file to an email address, someone transcribes the recording (accurately) in Word and returns the .doc file to us by email. The turnaround time for each recording varies, but is generally between two days and a week. We pay by the audio minute, so how much someone earns by the hour depends on how quickly they type. I was a one-finger ‘typer’ when I started and made about £10 per hour. Now that I’m becoming a typist I’m earning £15–£20 per hour, depending on the recorded material.


Should you happen to know any teachers who are looking for some extra income, would you please let them know of this opportunity?

Please send me a PM if you're interested or contact me through my site.

Cheers

[kaybelle]

Hello

How do I apply?

Kaybelle

[Unknowncaller]

Hi there! I am interested in making a bit of money. I live in Spain but i´ll probably spend three or four weeks in my favourite city (London) in September. I´ll take a course in the mornings, but I would like to have an odd job afterwards. I hope that being Spanish is not a problem... How can I contact you to get more info about the job??
Thanks!!

[sthomasa]

I am an Esol teacher and would be very interested in the job. How do you apply?
Thanks Sandra

[Teaching English Games]

HI there,

There is also a website called Elance | Hire experts to do your work: outsource to companies, consultants and freelance professionals. which has a section for writers and translators.

I don't believe that it does any harm to sign up to several of these sites.

It can be hard to compete on these sites if you live in western Europe where the cost of living is high as you are competing with people from around the world.

Another excellent way to make money during the holidays is through organising English Clubs over a week or two and also with private lessons.

I used to do this with great success, running courses for several weeks for the summer. Parents are pleased to be able to drop their children off for some constructive learning time, which is also fun.

At the end of the week we put on a show to parents to show them what we had been up to - this consisted of songs, plays and language games, plus just a few arts and crafts type things, or baking.

If you don't have a place to do that you can do it at a school in their gym or playground.

For private lessons make them fun - check out the video here for one to one teaching that is effective, but more like playing to the child:

Home English Teacher

And for your summer clubs check out:
Teaching English Games

All the best

Shelley