In a foreign country, your native language is a potential source of income for students
At first glance, becoming a tutor in Germany is not difficult at all: you just need to register on one of the specialized websites where university students offer their help (Studentische Nachhilfe) in various subjects.
Martin Genin, a chemistry student at the University of Hamburg, finds most of his students online. "Another option is to put up flyers, for example, at the university," he says. "Just make sure that posting private ads is allowed there. Otherwise they'll be taken down."
Martin moved to Germany from Ukraine with his family, and he has been working as a tutor for over eight years. "I had a decent level of English, and I was offered to give private lessons. That's how it all started. Now I offer lessons in chemistry, English, German, and Russian." However, in all that time, Martin has only once taught Russian. "The mother of a boy who was studying Russian at school contacted me," he recalls. "We studied for four months, but he still struggled with the language. In the end, the parents decided to stop the lessons."
It's really not easy to find people willing to study Russian on your own, shares Evgenia, a tutor from Cologne. "Six months ago, I decided to try earning some extra money – I posted an ad online that I was ready to give lessons in person or via Skype," the girl says. "I got only about ten responses, and in the end, only one of those who showed interest became my student. There were strange people who just wanted to meet a Russian girl. There were also cases where we agreed on a lesson, but the person simply didn't show up."
In Germany, of course, there are people who would like to study Russian, but often they simply don't know where to turn. "Twice a year, I hold a two-week intensive Russian language course at the University of Hamburg," says teacher Petr Klass. "I won't say there are a lot of takers, but a group of 12 people always forms."
Most often, people start learning the language for personal reasons, says the teacher: "A Russian wife, girlfriend, or boyfriend – that's the strongest motivation. Few learn Russian to improve their career prospects. There are students who are going to Russia on an exchange. There are also students who just want to fulfill a strange, purely German dream – to travel by train along the Trans-Siberian Railway."
Petr Klass himself came to Germany from Kemerovo with his family, and he has traveled along the famous Trans-Siberian many times. However, as a professional teacher, he never worked as a Russian tutor even during his studies. "All my side jobs were not related to teaching or my native language," he recalls. "And even after graduating, I taught German. Now I collaborate with the Hamburg Adult Education Centre (Hamburger Volkshochschule) as a freelancer (Freiberufler). People who want to learn the language contact the school and through it they come to me."
Collaborating with a school is another way to find students, although, of course, it's not as easy as posting an ad online. Anna Chistyakova came to Germany from St. Petersburg through the Pedagogical Exchange Service (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst), which is aimed at German studies students and future German teachers.
"I worked as a Russian language teacher assistant at St. Olga Gymnasium in Stuttgart," recalls Anna. "In addition, I worked as a Russian tutor. Students were referred to me from the school. I taught teenagers aged 14 to 19. Most of them were children of immigrants; they would come and say, 'I want to understand grandma and grandpa.'"
As experienced tutors admit, if the side job doesn't take much time and doesn't bring in a lot of money, nobody usually registers this activity officially. However, to avoid problems with a visa that limits students' work activities, it's better to consult the local foreigner's office.
For example, in Hamburg, at the Welcome Center for foreigners, all necessary questions can be clarified at the registration desk. As explained to a DW correspondent, to get official permission to work as a tutor, a student must confirm that this work will not affect their academic performance. As proof, a letter from a university representative – a professor or program director – written in free form will suffice.
On average, you can charge about 10-15 euros per hour for tutoring. "Of course, you can hardly make a living from it, because there is no stability in such work," shares Martin Genin's experience. "My side job brings me between 100 and 400 euros a month. If you teach only one subject, you'll earn even less. But I think that for a student, this kind of work is still more beneficial than washing dishes in a restaurant. On the one hand, it's an opportunity to improve your own knowledge. On the other hand, it's an opportunity to help others. For me, the best motivation is to hear from a student: 'Thank you, Martin! I passed that exam.'"