In HIGHLY SCRIPTED settings one can probably replace a highly experienced teacher with a newly trained teacher and get comparable results over the SHORT TERM especially if the newly trained teacher is highly motivated and the setting is highly controlled.

Some students can benefit for a short time from highly controlled settings.

And should part-time work pay more than a full-time job? No. or Yes. or maybe. Just like all work part-time jobs are subject to the laws of supply and demand. Probably even more so.

The paradox may actually be that in a global economy, teachers may have to become even more localized to ward off these challenges to their bottom line. Of course I've been making this argument for years, right Kirsten?

Kay I understand your thinking. And I can’t offer any guarantees about how the future will come together. My crystal ball stop working about the time Kirsten started her blog so everything I now write is without the benefit of any mystical support

But here are my reasons for teachers to stay local (and maybe postpone running for the hills).

1. To be successful locally requires that you quickly become extremely knowledgeable (read expert) about the local market. According to my model this knowledge will steadily lead the teacher in the direction of specialization. Specialization is the trump card when it comes to fighting the generalist platforms that tout low prices. Of course not every student will require this specialization so a teacher needs to discover how to use their hard won “specialist knowledge” in general learning situations. To give you one example, Chinese students are generally poor at listening. I ALWAYS use this to my advantage.

2. Local teachers will find it is much easier to use the single most powerful force in advertising- word of mouth advertising (W.O.M). Research shows that word of mouth is more persuasive than any other form of advertising. And not by small amounts but by EXTRAODINARY LARGE AMOUNTS. It behooves teachers to learn everything they can about W.O.M. advertising and its jujitsu like powers.

3. Going local doesn't mean you should ignore on-line instruction. Usually what it means is that a teacher will add on-line instruction to the mix of services they offer. Flexibility is key. Online instruction can be combined with face to face instruction. Thanks to Kirsten for teaching me this!

4. Make sure that you offer group classes. Any resistance on price can be countered by putting students together in groups. That means teachers need to become much better at harnessing the power of small groups. In fact, students (in China) often report more satisfaction studying in groups.

5. And remember the old joke. Two hunters are running away from a lion. The first turns to the second and says, “we have to run faster or the lion will catch us.” The second, with a faint smile on his face, turns to the first and says, “I don’t need to outrun the lion, I only need to outrun you”.

Finally, I apologize to all you local teachers for reveling these secrets. It is almost sacrilegious to do so but I wanted to staunch all his gloom and doom talk for now.

Michel equating lower price with lesser quality is mistaken and will take you down a very slippery slope. Where does it end? Are the best teachers those that charge the highest prices?

Take your example about doctors for example. I have been told by an American doctor in the know that many Chinese surgeons are better than their American counterparts (at 1/8 the price). Why? Because they do many, many more surgeries every month. Practice, in other words, makes perfect. I see no value in simply assuming a better pay package translates into better doctors or teachers.