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American Sign Language: Tutoring

In a message dated 1/15/2006 5:04:44 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, lwilt@ .net writes:
Hi, Bill - I haven't asked for your help in awhile, not that I don't have questions but I don't want to bug you!  Thank you for the help you've given in the past.  Now - my story - I originally became involved in sign language because my 29 yr. old daughter has been interested for years and signed up for ASL 1 at the local community college - I took it with her so we could practice together - not knowing that it would lead me to a wonderful, close friendship with the deaf instructor.  For the past year I have studied on my own, reading about deaf culture, increasing vocabulary, watching videos, so that I can communicate more fluently without Karen having to always and only read my lips - and I've come a long way, we're almost at a normal pace of conversation, yay!  Not ASL, but our own conversational style.  Anyway, my daughter in interested in becoming an interpreter, but the nearest school is Gallaudet, about 70 miles from here.  Since she works full time I thought of asking Karen to give her private lessons until she can arrange to go to D.C. for their Summer/Saturday program.  I went on the internet looking  to find what a reasonable hourly rate would be to pay for private lessons.  It turned out that the answers I found were written by YOU.  Not the hourly rate, but your idea that it's not necessary to go for credit classes as long as she can pass the certification exam.  So now I'm thinking she can do allot of the work right here, with Karen, and become involved with some of the deaf population here and maybe that will all work out.  We don't have any certified terps here, but we do have a handful of uncertified ones.  Anyway, now my question is - do you have a feel for what the hourly rate would be?  I don't want to underpay her.  She has a masters degree in social work with focus on ADA policy.... unfortunately there are no jobs for her here unless she drives to D. C. and she has 2 babies now... so teaching is perfect for her.  I was thinking around $25/hr. but gosh, the voice teachers around here get $30/half hour...  Have you had experience with private lessons?
 
Sorry this is so long...smile...take your time answering...
I hope you and your family are well...
 
Linda Beth Wilt
 

Hello Linda,
I can see how you are concerned that since you and Karen are friends she might feel unduly influenced to say yes to a rate of pay that is less than what she feels she is worth.

If it were me I'd simply approach your friend with a question:  "Karen, I'm looking for an ASL tutor for my daughter. I'm wondering if you know anyone in the area and have any idea of how much they might charge?"

Then if Karen were even remotely interested she would likely volunteer herself and suggest a rate of pay with which she was comfortable.

There are many factors that influence how much you should pay an ASL tutor.
I'll list off some things to consider:

1.  Does the tutor have to commute?  If it takes the tutor a half-hour to drive to your house then a so-called one-hour tutoring session will take 2 and a half hours of the tutor's time.  (1/2 hour driving there, 1/2 hour driving back, few minutes filling up gas, an hour of tutoring, a few minutes getting dressed to go out side, 15 to 20 minutes preparing the lesson, etc.)  So, paying a commuting tutor $25 an hour is actually only paying them $10 an hour since it takes two and a half hours out of their day that they could be doing something else.

2.  Who is prepping the curriculum?  Have you bought a book for yourself and one for the tutor.  The tutor needs access to whatever curriculum you are going to use.  If you are relying on the tutor to provide the curriculum that puts an additional time burden on the tutor.  Tutors that already have a curriculum ready to go are more valuable than tutors who show up at your door and ask you, "so, what do you want to know?"

3.  Are you willing to commit to a series of sessions?
You should get a price break if you sign a contract for a bunch of tutoring sessions instead of just piecemeal.


4.  Are you willing to pay in advance? 
Back when I did tutoring I required people to write me sign up for multiple tutoring sessions and write me two checks.  The first check was for half the total cost of the tutoring and was payable immediately.   The second check was for the other half of the payment and was postdated to the day of our last scheduled tutoring session.  Both checks were given to me prior to my doing any tutoring.
 
5.  Are you willing to forfeit the session if you are sick or busy and can't make it?  
What I used to do was set up a ten-session contract.  I informed the student that they could miss one session and I'd let them reschedule it.  If they missed any additional sessions, they would forfeit (lose) that session and I would be paid the same.  If I missed one session we would simply add an additional session to our schedule.  If I missed more than one session I would owe the student DOUBLE time to make up for each additional session missed.  That was fair.  If the student flaked out more than once, he lost money.  If I flaked out more than once, I lost time and effort.  Such a policy helped to make sure that both of us consistently showed up when we said we would.
 
6.  Get creative.  How about instead of hiring the person as a tutor, you instead ask the ASL tutor to let you buy them a series of regularly scheduled dinners (or breakfasts).  For example, I regularly host an ASL breakfast at the local Denny's. (near Cal State Sacramento) I go there almost every-Saturday at 7:45 a.m.  I chat with whatever students or Deaf people show up.  It gives students an opportunity pick my brain for free.  I've done this for well over a year now.
 
7.  Find out what the interpreters in your area are charging for a one-hour interpreting session.  That is a terrific yardstick for how much to pay an ASL tutor.  If the terps charge $50 for the first hour and $25 for each following hour of the same assignment, that gives you an good starting point to consider what to offer your tutor.  Such a rate card would indicate to me that $25 an hour is a fair amount to pay if the tutor doesn't have to commute or only has to commute a very short distance.

8.  Many ASL instructors earn between $25 and $100 an hour for teaching ASL classes.  Some of them teach many classes a week.  I remember back when I was young, wild, and crazy, I used to teach 13 classes per week.  After I got so busy teaching so many classes, the thought of teaching a single individual was ludicrous.  Think about it.  20 people paying me $5 each to participate in a "community ed" class totaled to $100 an hour.  Compare that with someone offering me $25 an hour to provide private tutoring!?! 

Note:  People look at the $100 an hour statement and think, my heck, he must be rich!  Hogwash.  Not all classes had 20 people in them.  Some only had a handful.  Even so, 13 classes a week, times a more realistic figure of  $50 per class comes to $650 a week -- but a third of that goes to pay business expenses (advertising, office supplies, teaching supplies, gas to drive to the teaching location, wear and tear on the car, nice clothes to teach in, oh and let's not forget such items as medical insurance. When you are an independent you foot the whole bill yourself.  Back when I lived in Layton, Utah I remember paying over $1,000 a month for medical insurance.  (Which was critical considering one of my four kids is a "special needs child.")  Overhead expenses are why auto mechanics and plumbers  charge so much.  It would be different if you were earning that much per hour 8 hours a day, 5 days a week.  But you are not. That's why plumbers charge so much. If you look at any established business person who provides personal, in-home services, he or she charges $45 to $150 an hour or more (plus parts).  If you don't charge that much, you simply can't afford to stay in business year after year and feed your family.
If you are teaching college classes, (adjunct -- which I was) that helps quite a bit since the pay is pretty good and you generally teach in blocks of time.  Now I teach full-time and it is so very much nicer.

9.  Perhaps "semi-private" instruction would be a better way to go than tutoring.  If there are two or three other "wannabe" interpreters in the area they might be interested in receiving semi-private instruction. Four people contributing $10 each for an hour of tutoring is much more financially rewarding for the tutor than 1 person paying $25 an hour.

10.  You mention that your friend has two babies and no local job prospects.  That would indicate to me that she would indeed be grateful for the income. I'm sure the vast majority of people would not be offended by being offered $25 an hour that they would otherwise not have the opportunity to earn.  She can always turn it down or negotiate for a higher amount. 
$250 for a ten hour contract over a period of five-weeks seems reasonable considering the situation.  But remember this--whatever happens--do not let any aspect of the money or the contract become a source of irritation that might harm your friendship. Your friendship is worth more than gold.  If Karen flakes out or under performs, just kiss your money goodbye and call it an "experiment" that didn't work out the way you planned but one from which you learned a great deal.

I hope this has been helpful.
If you have other "tutor-related" questions, feel free to ask.
Cordially,
Dr. Bill



In a message dated 10/31/2001 12:19:39 PM Central Standard Time, a student writes:

Hello Dr. Vicars,
Do you have any suggestions on how I may narrow my search for tutorial services in San Francisco? Any help to guide me is greatly appreciated!
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
Warm regards,
-- "Jane"


Dear "Jane,"
As far as finding a tutor, I suggest you track down an interpreter for the deaf. Then ask him or her where to find a deaf person who might be interested in tutoring you. The phone book might list interpreters in your area. Or you could call the state division of vocational rehabilitation services and ask them, (talk to a counselor who serves the deaf--the receptionist might have no clue.)
You might consider asking June Kailes for some advice on finding an ASL tutor. She is a Disability Consultant at the Independent Living Resource Center San Francisco, 70 10th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
415-863-0581, TTY 415-863-1367.
A sort of off the wall approach might be to contact the U.C.S.F. Center on Deafness -- a mental health facility. Outpatient Email uccd@itsa.ucsf.edu
Address 3333 California Street, Suite 10, San Francisco, CA 94143-1208
Phone (415) 476-7600 (TTY)  476-4980 (V) Fax (415) 476-7113
Location Served San Francisco Bay area Hours 8:30-5 Mon-Thurs

Who knows, they might let you come in and visit with the deaf patients?
They might even have a patient who would be willing to tutor you for free.

Plus you might contact the local colleges. Ask to speak to the disability services director. Ask him or her if there are any college students (deaf) who are good signers who would like to earn a few bucks doing some tutoring on the side.

Good luck on your studies and take care.

Bill Vicars