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 Questions for all yoga teachersModerators: Moderators Jump to page : 1 Now viewing page 1 [25 messages per page] | View previous thread :: View next thread |
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| kulkarnn |
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| patient@44 |
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| i agree with what others have said, and i also add to this that you'll want to look at the time that you have. a lot of people decide that because they love yoga so much, they want to teach. nothing wrong with that, but what happens is that they practice 2-3 times a week and that's the whole of their practice. then, they start teaching when they are available, and that tends to be the same 2-3 times a week and practice goes bye-bye. and then, they eithr find more time for yoga in their schedule, or stop teaching, or practice 1-2 times a week and teach 2-3 times a week--and at that rate, it takes quite a while for you to earn back what you paid for the training anyway. so, i would really think about it all pretty carefully.  but, i'll also answer your questions, just for fun, and add a few other things that may or may not be interesting to you. How do you find jobs as a yoga teacher? first, by hitting the pavement. resume and certificate (photocopies) in hand, i went to every gym, wellness center, studio, senior center, and blah blah blah that was within a certain radius of my house. i would ask to talk to whomever runs the group fitness program at that place, and i wouldn't leave until i had either a phone number or appointment with hthat person. sometimes i'd get to talk to them right away. i'd explain my desire, training, and process to them, and usually would have a job fairly quickly. second, through network connections. my teachers, my friends who are teachers, and just friends knew i was a teacher and so if they knew of a place looking for yoga teachers, they'd tell me about it and i would follow up within 24 hrs. third, simply starting to teach by renting space and creating a class. for example, my neighborhood has a club house that rents at $35 per time, but because i was willing to offer class for a discounted rate and use the space on an "odd time" and it was a low-risk/low-volume use, they only charged me $15 per time. so, that was sweet. On average, what hours of the day are your busiest and slowest? i tend to work 9-2 and 5-9. the middle of the day (11-4) tends to be the slowest times of day. also, i'm weekend mornings are a good time to work. and let me tell you, it's freakin' lonely, so you better be a loner. i am, so it works out for me, except when i feel really lonely and stir crazy because i feel like i haven't spoken aloud to anyone (other than teaching/calling poses) for WEEKS. and yes, sometimes i feel that way. anyway, what happens is this. i work nights and weekends mostly, and guess when friends and family work? you guessed it--9-5. so, when they're having happy hour and poker night and what have you, i'm working. sometimes, they're taking my classes, but more often than not, they're going to the movies without me. when i'm available for movies--say, between 11 and 4 on any given wednesday, where is everyone else? WORKING! and, do you like to travel on weekends? take workshops? go visit grandma? forget it. you aren't leaving town until after 12, at earliest, because your am class ends around 11 and by the time you've answered questions, done the money, cleaned the studio and gotten otu the door, you're hungry and THEN you can get on the road. and, you probably have to be back to teach the next morning, anyway, so no dice about going any real distance. no point in driving 3 hrs to stay 1 and drive back 3, so that you can get up early the next day to teach. and people say "but you set your own schedule!" which is true, but if i didn't work on weekends, i wouldn't earn much. i rent on weekends, and those classes are my bread and butter. i earn an average of $120-150 per class on those days, and if i decide not to teach on a weekend, then i LOOSE that money AND the rent that i paid (because i have to pay the rent whether i lead the class that day or cancel it or another teacher leads it). my sister's wedding, how tragic. My whole week's income lost because of her shennanigans. I tend to work Tues-Sun, and i earn a good deal in that time. I mean, i currently only teaching 6 classes (you know, because of the baby that i had and what not. LOL), and i earn about $600 per week. So, i lost $600 when i went to my sister's show, and on top of that had to buy the stupid dress, pay for the hotel, and blah-dee-blah, which cost me another $1200 at least, and so the whole month of my income was spent on her anyway. and my student loans. lucky i have a husband.  so, it's not all sunshine and rainbows out the upper end of downward dog if you know what i mean. Do you find it difficult to find work? no, it's easy to find work if you're industrious. and, if you show your value and create a good reputation. i'm offered about 2-3 jobs a week right now, which i pass on to other teachers (whom i train), because i can't add more to my plate that this point. i would LOVE to add about 4-10 more classes to my schedule, but i'm not sure that i can handle it with the baby. i'm not sure that i want to rent more from this one place where i currently rent, and the studio where i also rent (it's a coop) doesn't have any more openings for me until July when one of our gals moves (so sad!). and, i'm not sure if they want me to take over her classes anyway. man, it would be sweet though. but then, i'd be teaching more classes there than any other teacher, including the owner--teaching 7 instead of 3, and the owner teaches 6. i don't know if that's a bad thing, it might just be weird. i feel most comfortable teaching around 18 classes, with a max of 24. the most i've ever taught per week is 35 and that was too many. 18-24 (without a baby) is good. with a baby, i just add a class and see how it feels. then add one, and see how it feels, and then add one, and see how it feels. i really, really, want to add at least two more. so, who knows? What are some of the pros and cons of this profession and industry? well, it's great work if you're passionate about it. it's lonely either way--just see above. like any industry, there are jerks and super cool folks. and, you have to work hard no matter what. How do you charge your clients? (hourly, per head, per class etc.) for private lessons, it's by hour and then in packages. for private parties (groups of people who want to practice together), it's a flat rate depending upon the size (if it's a group larger than 4, then it's $110 per lesson, and most groups split the cost per hr for the flat rate, and this excludes IF i have to find and rent studio space for them). for studios, gyms, etc, it's whatever they pay or we agree to. when i'm renting space, it depends because the coop charges $13 per person and $11 if they buy a class card, so i take that, UNLESS it's my month to do thrifty thursday (which i started, so it doesn't bug me, but all of us rotate it on thursdays to boost our class sizes), in which case it's $7 per person on that day. I take home whatever comes in. The other place where i rent, it's $5 per person per class. that class is HUGE right now, with an average of 17 people. On average, how much money do you make a year? on average, before taxes and after expenses, about $15k. What would you have wanted to know about the profession before becoming a yoga teacher? end of the day, i was made to do this. doing anything else makes me crazy. if i were smarter about my business and worked harder, i would earn more. i skate because i can. i look forward to having my own studio, skating less, and earning more. but i have to do this. i mean, i have a law degree and i had a number of job offers after law shcool but i hated it. i wanted to do this, so i do this. my husband supports me in every way, so i can skate. but this year, i resolve not to skate, and so far, it's making a HUGE difference financially, personally, and otherwise. aside from this, and i tell this to ALL of my apprentices: this job isn't for everyone. so, before you spend a lot of money on training, think long and hard about what you want from it, what you want to do. it's not an easy job. i think it demands a lot of passion, hard work, focus, self reliance, and a lot of other skills. it's hard work. and some days, it really SUCKS (you know, like the day that some random student completely bitches you out because they had a bad day and you happened to quote something that they didn't like while the class was doing a pose that they dont' find restful, and then your boss at the studio bitches you out again because that student got angry, and then you are like WTF is going on with these people and realize it's all an illusion anyway. . . | |||
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| roypotter |
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Regular Posts: 89 Location: Montana, US | |||
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