Thread: Negotiating w/ a studio

Ok, after a brief hiatus I'm getting back into teaching...
I interviewed and auditioned at a studio this afternoon, and they liked me well enough to ask if I would be available to begin teaching mid Feb vs March as discussed early on in the interview.

Problem is - I would be teaching their students as well as bring/developing my own student base. How do I negotiate split for these students (theirs) as some have uber discounted rates for attending other classes or just being among members of same family getting group rate for their little group of people.

~ Chandra ~

how about a minimum flat rate per class + $x per student? 6 months from now you don't want to arguing about whether you or they brought a student into the studio.

or can you just rent the room for the hours of your class and take the profits?

I have registration form that every student signs when they take their first class w/ me. It includes two elements - a yes/no as to if they are currently a student at that studio, and question as to how they heard about my classes...
So they'll be no dispute as to where they came from.

If you will have mixed classes with both your students and their students and need a split to be workable for all, I would suggest one of the following:

1. A minimum $ per student regardless of their origin. For example, if you have 5 students who are paying $15, $15, $10, $9, and $8, you can have your minimum per student as $7.50. That gives the studio a 50/50 split on a student you bring in, but a lower % for anyone they have discounted. (You: $37.50, Studio: $19.50)
2. A minimum payment per class regardless of student payments. For example, using the same numbers as above, charging $40 per class with the studio keeping the remainder of the students' payments. (You: $40, Studio: $17)
3. A flat percentage per student. For example 50%. Using the example above (You: $28.50, Studio: $28.50)

My personal preference in that case is to have a class minimum or one of the other ones - whichever is higher. So you would receive a minimum $40 per class (just as an example), but would receive a 50/50 split if that is higher.

The easiest way to go about it all is to rent studio space and then you only have to worry about your own costs and cash flow.

Good luck!

If the studio is giving students discounts, they should be taking the hit, not you. As a studio owner, thats what I do. I don't penalize teachers for discounts I give to students. My teachers get a percentage of class revenue. If I've given a student a discount, I calculate teacher pay based on the full value of what that student *would* have paid, not what they actually paid.

Work from the value of your teaching, not the value of the student to the studio, thats their issue, not yours. You are worth $x regardless of how much the student paid.

Originally Posted by elljay

If the studio is giving students discounts, they should be taking the hit, not you. As a studio owner, thats what I do. I don't penalize teachers for discounts I give to students. My teachers get a percentage of class revenue. If I've given a student a discount, I calculate teacher pay based on the full value of what that student *would* have paid, not what they actually paid.

Work from the value of your teaching, not the value of the student to the studio, thats their issue, not yours. You are worth regardless of how much the student paid.

My way of thinking exactly. Mabruk! for respecting the value of teachers and their teachings.


Khalida

What Sabrina said.

I think the venue should subsidize any discounts they offer to their students.

When someone teaches at my studio, we split 60/40. Lots of my students are getting a multiple-class discount, but I pay the instructor 60% of the UNDISCOUNTED rate, not the rate the student actually paid. So if the full price of the class is $10/week, the instructor gets $6/week per student, regardless of how much they're actually paying me.

I assume that any discounts, coupons, Paypal processing fees, etc. come out of MY share. I do keep track of all those costs, of course, and the calculations go into the 'is this class profitable for me' equation that I evaluate from time to time.

YMMV, of course, with a different studio owner.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

YMMV, of course, with a different studio owner.

This is the truth. That's why I prefer renting space these days. Each studio will have their accounting system set up differently.