Mslexia

Mslexia, the magazine for women who write | www.mslexia.co.uk

Essentials

Q: How do I cost teaching time?

A:

◊ Tutoring jobs are useful for gaining experience, getting known on the ‘circuit’ and supporting your writing work. Rates of pay for part-time tutoring may seem generous – £35 per contact hour at some universities; around £20 at Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) at www.wea.org.uk, and further education colleges. But before you book your holiday in the Seychelles, it’s worth calculating the real rate for the job.

◊ If preparation, marking, meetings and dealing with students are taken into consideration, some part-time tutors put in more than 20 hours for every hour of teaching, and earn far less than the minimum wage! The average workload is about three-and-a-half hours plus the teaching hour, making a real rate of pay of between £4.50 and £7.50.

◊ In calculating time outside the classroom, consider 1) preparation – background reading and research, devising the course, familiarising yourself with premises; 2) admin – course guide, help with publicity, staff meetings, student feedback forms, photocopying, accounts; 3) travel; 4) advising students outside the class 5) assessment – marking and grading, end-of-module reports.

◊ In calculating costs, consider travel to and from the class (ask about mileage or fare allowances; the WEA doesn’t pay for the first 15 miles of travel – and if delivering a course more than 10 miles away, travel costs can mount up); emailing and phoning the institution and students; photocopying, stationery and postage.

◊ If teaching is to support your own writing, don’t let it take over – ring-fence your writing days. Also, be strict about how much work you are happy to assess outside the class (if any): set a word limit, and, if possible, don’t let students have your contact details.

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