Petr’s email said he needed help.
He had problem.
The problem was called “English.”
We met, and here’s the story he told me.
He just had a job interview.
The interview was in English.
And it didn’t go well.
His current job was as a programmer for a local Czech company.
The job he didn’t get was for a manager at an international company.
I asked him how much he makes as a programmer.
It was about 60,000 kc a month.
I asked him how much a manager makes.
This was a few years ago, so I don’t remember the exact number, but I do remember it was at least double.
That’s a difference of $28,769 a year
$2,397 a month
$79 every day.
“How much do you charge?”
Students often want to know how much lessons cost.
I guess they want to save money.
That’s normal.
But they never ask, How much money am I losing every day that I don’t improve my English?
I did some research online, and according to a 2010 survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, “immigrants who are fluent in speaking English earn around 32% more than people who are not fully fluent.”
The average annual immigrant wage is $47,503.
32% more is $69,754
That’s $22,251 a year.
$1,854 a month.
$61 every day.
That’s what I call, “The Bad English Tax.”
Yesterday, I asked you the question, “When your English is better, how much more money do you think you’ll make every year?”
The results:
0-$1,000: 21.4%
$1,000 -$5,000: 23.5%
$5,000+: 55.1%
Something to think about…