$35 per hour

It is 1 pm in the noon. I am going to see my student one hour late in a nearby coffee house. I am feeling so nervous now. This is my first time to tutor a stranger. I don’t the person’s gender, race, personalities, or any other information. What I know is that he or she is a college student who is going to go to China next month. For this reason, he or she asks me to tutor him/her Chinese.

He or she will pay $35 per hour although I can only get 60% of the amount. I usually earn the minimum wage in this country, and I am really not used to such a high pay. I wonder how much effort I must offer in order to balance the whole event.

I complained this to my mother when I called her a few days ago. Why those tutors in that tutoring site raise tutoring price in such a high level? Don’t they understand high price implies high quality and responsibility? In my opinion, $12-15 is reasonable price.

However, my mother disagreed with my opinion. She thought I should not look down myself. “You should have the confidence that you work is worth 35 dollars.” Woo, how can I have such a kind of confidence if I have been continuing to struggle for a living many years. I have worked for a wage as lower as $4 per hour and kept working for the wage of $5 per hour many months. Is it reasonable asking me to feel comfortable and easy to take a $35 per hour job? I have not a princess, and never.

When after my tutoring, I’ll come back to tell you how things going on. Bye, Pink Tear!

Three hours later…

I finished my tutoring and came back home now. The guy came half hour late, but I don’t blame him for that. I stay at the nearby coffee house, paying no transportation fee and time, but he drove to come to me. He is a nice guy. What he wants is to focus on conversations of daily life. I think he was satisfied by today’s tutoring and the place I chose. We made the deal to go on to meet next Monday and Thursday. I really earned a salary rate as $35/hour. It is amazing.