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| I was debating completing a teacher training course. For those of you that are teachers - is this something that you just ended up in, that is do you have a degree of some sort, work some other job, or was this something you geared yourself toward?
The reason why I ask is simply that I am curious as to my options for the future. I am a first year college student who's taken off a few semesters to work, and would like to continue my education toward psychology. I've been practicing yoga for a few years and feel that with the right training I would thoroughly enjoy teaching someday.
So, not that it's about this, but in so many words I'm asking about the salary, the time I'll have to do my thing and go to school, and the difficulty of finding work. Surely these are relative to the situation, but maybe you could share your story? It would be greatly appreciated. I'm walking in the dark here. |
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| i'm not entirely sure what you're asking. it's no problem to go to school and teach yoga, though it's not likely to be a "good" income overall if you're doing it part time (and student full time).
psychology and yoga go nicely together, and you might be interested in the graduate programs at a university like Naropa (naropa.edu) where they actually give degrees in these sorts of combinations. |
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| I suggest the following: Meet 10 different Yoga Teachers who have taught Yoga for 5 or more years in your possible neighbourhood. And, discuss this issue with them. Take notes and make a judgement.
Best Luck.
tjdaly36 - 2008-02-28 4:16 PM
I was debating completing a teacher training course. For those of you that are teachers - is this something that you just ended up in, that is do you have a degree of some sort, work some other job, or was this something you geared yourself toward?
The reason why I ask is simply that I am curious as to my options for the future. I am a first year college student who's taken off a few semesters to work, and would like to continue my education toward psychology. I've been practicing yoga for a few years and feel that with the right training I would thoroughly enjoy teaching someday.
So, not that it's about this, but in so many words I'm asking about the salary, the time I'll have to do my thing and go to school, and the difficulty of finding work. Surely these are relative to the situation, but maybe you could share your story? It would be greatly appreciated. I'm walking in the dark here. |
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| tjdaly36 - 2008-02-28 1:16 PM
is this something that you just ended up in, that is do you have a degree of some sort, work some other job, or was this something you geared yourself toward?
Just ended up in? No one just "ends up in " something. So no I did not just end up in it. I found something that resonated with me so deeply that I felt I might be able to share a sliver of it with others. So I explored teaching. Now I work to be the best teacher I can and the subject I have chosen is Yoga.
I have two degrees. A B.S. in Mass Communications and an M.S. in Kinesiology. I also have a two year certification from the College of Purna Yoga.
I hope to focus more of my life on yoga but in the meantime I work on Macs at Nintendo to pay the larger bills.
The reason why I ask is simply that I am curious as to my options for the future. I am a first year college student who's taken off a few semesters to work, and would like to continue my education toward psychology. I've been practicing yoga for a few years and feel that with the right training I would thoroughly enjoy teaching someday.
Your options are limitless. They are only constrained by your own thoughts. AS I mentioned on your post elsewhere teaching yoga is not so much something you do becasue YOU enjoy it - though a yoga teacher should enjoy teaching. With the right training you would thoroughly not hurt anyone. It has nothign to do with your joy or lack thereof.
So, not that it's about this, but in so many words I'm asking about the salary, the time I'll have to do my thing and go to school, and the difficulty of finding work. Surely these are relative to the situation, but maybe you could share your story? It would be greatly appreciated. I'm walking in the dark here.
Do not choose yoga for the money. You can but the lessons you garner coming from that paradigm may be very "challenging".
Edited by purnayoga 2008-02-28 8:52 PM
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| One way to keep the joy in teaching yoga (just one way - not saying others are wrong) is to teach part time and not have to rely on that income to pay the bills. If you are willing to lead a rather financially precarious lifestyle, constantly working nights and weekends and always having a chopped up schedule, it is ok. Yes, to answer your question about $ - I make about twice as much per hour teaching yoga as I do at my day job. But if I had to teach the hours to make up for my "regular" income, I would burn out pretty fast. |
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| Welcome Tim. Glad to see you're considering various paths for the future. As intoned, indeed explicitly stated here, your goals don't have to be mutually exclusive--practicing & teaching yoga can indeed be a full time job and you can survive financially but like Tourist mentioned, it can be a hectic schedule with short suspenses. Spectrum here in San Antonio for instance would schedule you at multiple locations on a varying daily schedule. I came to yoga late in life following a BA in poly sci, MS in public admin and PhD in IT and 30 years in the Air Force. Now I teach yoga part-time at a community college. Because I have formal education past a BA and a 200 RYT, I got that gig--and it's perfect for me. However, IF I wanted to become a full-time college yoga teacher, I'd have to have 18 credit hours in kinesilogy and then I'd have to teach things like nutrition, kickboxing, first aid, and things of that ilk. How about your own studio some day? That's a whole bunch of other considerations. Universally, the studio owners I know love that they have their own place BUT, they also need a reliable stable of teachers in order not to get burnt out. |
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| Most yoga teachers teach part-time and rely on another source of income (primary job, family fortune or spouse) to pay the mortgage etc. Although you can make a living only teaching yoga, it can be a very hectic lifestyle that is probably not very yogic. (Remember as a yoga teacher you usually have to pay self-employment taxes of 15.3% and don't get health insurance, paid holidays, sick time or vacation. In fact, you must work on those days.) Most people who want to make yoga their primary source of income become studio owners. Being a successful studio owner requires a completely different set of abilities than being a yoga teacher. Some people have these abilities and some don't. Owning a successful studio requires yoga teacher skill AND small business owner skills, not to mention a good measure of good luck (being in the right place at the right time). As a studio owner there is a lot of risk, but also much greater potential rewards. If you want to go in the studio owner direction, you should take business and accounting classes in addition to your yoga and psychology classes.
What do you consider making a living? $25,000 per year? $50,000? $100,000? What is the cost of living where you live? What is the median price of a home? What kind of life-style do you want now? When you are 45? Do you plan on having a family?
Personally, I am the Finance Director of a large non-profit social service agency. I teach three to four yoga classes per week and am also a professional French horn player. I am also a husband, father and homeowner and cook gourmet meals for my family. You really don't have to limit yourself. If you are doing it right, your yoga becomes part of everything that you do, not just your asana practice or the classes that you teach or attend.
Edited by jimg 2008-02-29 12:45 PM
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| Jim--a pro French Horn player? Cool! That's always been my favorite instrument--record me some savasana music will ya? |
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| how passionate are you about yoga?
i was in my third year of college going nowhere, and my hours spent practicing yoga were quickly overtaking my hours spent on school work.
this was at 23 years old.
i proceeded to move to washington to deepen my practice, and started teaching a little over a year later.
i'd have to teach like ten plus classes (at least) to make a decent living, and ten plus classes a week is slightly ridiculous.
not impossible, just slightly ridiculous.
and it's not just something you can dive into. gotta make connections, develop as a teacher, have time for your own practice, and hold down a life and a job.
eventually (i hope) a person is able to be a full time yoga teacher.
provided the market is right.
and you're good enough.
go ahead and finish college if thats what you're doing.
yoga will still be there.
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| Dhanu: I am thinking of coming to Seattle at my own expenses, to meet you and your beautiful friend. Are you both ready to take a positive step in life? |
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| you trying to come up here and marry us, Neel?
...
always ready to take a positive step.
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| I'm about half way through my teacher training. I didn't "just end up" in it, but it was something that fell in place without constant searching. A "when the time is right, it will come" sort of thing. But I live my life in a fashion that enables that, so YMMV.
I got my degree in physics, and work as a software/systems engineer, though, and don't particularly plan to quit my day job any time soon. I might go back to school and become a physical therapist, but I don't think that relying upon your passion to be the only way you have to pay the bills is a recipe for maintaining that passion.  That's not to say not to go after it and try it - worst case, you'll have to find another way - but have a fall back plan, so you have another way if the worst case happens.
As for the specific questions, I don't have any answers. What I've learned from other teachers so far is that things vary *a lot* depending on where you live, so the advice to talk to people is possibly the best thing you could do.
And Seattle? Great place. If you come, you simply must take some time for a little walking meditation on the hiking trails of the Cascades! |
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| Yes. I shall travel at my cost and also shall marry both of you as a Yoga Priest at no cost. No confessions, nothing. Just marriage.
Let me know. I am available after 1st May.
dhanurasana - 2008-03-26 4:25 PM
you trying to come up here and marry us, Neel?
...
always ready to take a positive step.
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| I'm not a yoga teacher, just an enthusiast, but I am in my late 20s and I think I can relate to this question. It sounds like you're feeling out a couple of possibilities at the same time: 1) what kind of (enjoyable) work can I do to pay bills during college? and 2) could that work be in a field that I might enjoy pursuing after I finish my degree?
A lot of people (myself included) take random jobs during college (my job resume during my college years included filing papers at a legal office, housecleaning, working at a movie theater, and running errands for elderly people), which is fine, but to me it shows foresight on your part that you would already be considering ways to incorporate your personal interests into your working life, especially during your first year.
I know of a few people in my area (Vermont) who are in their early 20s, university students, and teach yoga part-time (and have completed teacher trainings). It doesn't seem like the best way to fully support yourself financially--if you are responsible for covering all your school/life expenses, you might be teaching yoga, working part-time elsewhere, AND trying to finish school. That can be tough to balance. You will have more options in the long run if you complete your degree.
On the other hand, if you can afford a teacher training, and you're curious to explore teaching yoga, maybe you should look into it. I have no idea if scholarships are available for this kind of thing--other forum members will know more about this. Maybe you will love teaching yoga it and it will be a good complement to your own practice and your studies in school. And/or a teacher training will deepen your personal practice, and that is part of what you are looking for.
My last couple things to add -- You wouldn't have commit to teaching yoga forever if you did complete a training. You could try it, teach for a few years, maybe teach on-and-off, maybe open your own studio one day. You won't know the answers to these questions right now. Perhaps you would even decide you didn't want to teach at all! And that's not even such a horrible scenario, provided that your teacher training doesn't put you in a financial hole, or make it too difficult to complete your degree.
I think it's good that you're asking these questions and would be interested to hear what kinds of conclusions you come to.
Best,
Lily
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