Monday, May 21, 2018

168 hours: how do you spend your week?


So, I want to teach online. Goodbye, waiting tables. Some similar skills- but now, instead of bacon and waffles, delicious sentences. Similar connection by way of personal presence, yes. But now, it's all about a love of English- of communication.

So, I plan to apply with two companies who specialize in teaching early English to Chinese students. That one, generally, requires an opening around 6-10:10 pm to take on, in that time, a couple of hours of four classes. $8, before bonus. MOnthly schedules and pay.
You have many more weekend hours open, also.

Now, Cambly, on the other hand, is a conversational partner gig. That's 17 cents/ min. Does pay weekly!

Either of those will place similar demands- so how do I fit the rest of my life together in a way that doesn't short change any of it?



I came to this with magazine assignments already in place. Stay ahead of deadline, and you can take more, even history book assignments, short story sales, games...
But wait! What's all this freedom really for? I'm here to see Mom, so 6 hours or so a week for her. And over twice that for whatever my wife might like to do.

There will be lots of overlaps.
It's not a strict program.
But I took my 168 hours, set aside 68 of those for rest. Sleep, obviously- but yoga, walking, reading, errands, meetings, socializing. Kinda slim, but I am mostly in the mode to establish my online biz and write my novel!

Novel, she gets 28 hours.
ESL, combined teaching and learning, 25 hours a week. Continue trying to build this clientele, up to 24 hours max.
I want to learn another new skill- audio engineering- for music, cartoons, podcasts, and especially, a day job on a movie.
But making that a paying proposition means, by all means, gain experience, but expect about another year before you're expert enough to be paid- if then. Try to gain experience- with local film makers, musicians, and with direct contact with software.
So keep up to ten hours open for that, every week. Editing the podcast, helping on a location, assisting- a role that might grow with opportunity.
I continued in this method, including my Spanish lessons and creating ranges for some activities. Then I tried out a sample day, like for a five day work week. I might move a Cambly session or two over to a sixth day to get some breathing room and take only one day off from being online, we'll see. I have spent days thinking what I will say on my Cambly interview recording. Now, I have a basic idea of goals for the job from the start.

Cambly Tutoring May 22nd- June 19th 7-9 pm midnight to 1:30 am 3 -5 am

5.5 hrs available per day, 5 days / wk. (up to 24 hours) - until I have more than 10 ESL hours

Goal 3.5 hrs available per day, 5 days/ wk. -after at least 10 hours of ESL lessons are booked.
9-17 Hours of Cambly/ wk. Available for 40 hours of online tutoring & learning (combined total/wk)

So! I hope to be a conversational partner, for around 9 hours minimum as soon as I can build up that many appointments. On average, 13 hours of Cambly, and 15 hours of say, DaDaABC, at their two rates. 9 hours of the lower paying job to go with 19 of the better paying job, with ongoing magazine interviews- a pretty effective goal for a week's income. Then, Chyrsalis of the Butterfly gets the kind of attention an entire part time job might. Let's hope that's plenty for carrying the book forward as I keep writing this year.

Music, I can play more on my two off days, or accordingly. Right now, it's about preparing the book to absorb the new atmosphere, and preparing the vehicle and funds to afford to live in that new atmosphere! I've been researching our proposed next city, and you'll see, so exciting. Music will naturally unpack after that- drawing, too, I think. I don't know what I'll put away, time-wise, or what I'll be tempted to add! But this is a helpful way of thinking about things, the commitment to one's goals, a bit of benign self-control that is not Procrustean (nice myth, that one), but rather, opens a more detailed way of examining the flow. Which, right now, even including the learning curb, which has eaten many happy hours, includes all things I want, or plan to attract!

No plans to write a lot more Be chill, Cease ill, but if you enjoyed this one, awesome. It might be cool documenting this whole transition, some of who I meet, how it all works together. I will say, it took me a week to figure out which five companies I'd consider and study their materials, at least on the preliminary level. I intend to spend three days straight preparing for the next step of the ESL companies, each, and then consider italki if Cambly isn't already providing the answer.

See? Connecting with your entire life and fashioning a new version of a couple of old jobs you know (tutoring w/ online performance)- piece of cake!

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