Thread: Where are the best places to teach?

Dance studios? Gyms? Community centers?

:)

All of the above! I find that teaching workshops at colleges tend to result in a fabulous paycheck. Colleges have large budgets than other places. In Dance studios, you will tend to get more serious dancers. At Gyms and fitness clubs, you will get a wide variety of people. Mostly people just looking for an extra spice to their fitness routine. So you may have to cater your teaching program to add a little bit more ommph for extra calorie burning. Park districts and rec centers are a bit of the same. You will get a wide variety of people who's interest in belly dance will also vary. I also teach at a pilates studio. I have serious dancers in there. That is where I can run a level 2 class. Less cardio. More thinking and lectures. I've taught at senior centers as well. Great energy. These people just want to have fun. I have taught at elementary schools to both teachers and little ones.

I suppose it depends on what kind of crowd you are looking for. There are a handful of places to teach at.

Nilaja

With the caveat that this may be specific to my area, I really like to teach for Park & Recs because a) you can't beat the advertising reach they have with their catalogues, b) they tend to give the instructor a lot of control over how the class is run/setup and c) they tend to pay pretty well, especially if you do a split per student.

The down sides are that the facilities are sometimes less than stellar (carpeted floors, no mirrors), and you tend to get a bigger variety of student type in regards to age and physical fitness level.

My experience has been really varied. I've taught for parks districts where my classes stayed full and everything ran smoothly and for parks districts where I had to bring in my own students, the room smelled of mold, and the staff never followed through on promises (making me look like an idiot over and over).

I've also had good, bad and ugly experiences working with dance studios. I've only taught for one health club, because they respect me and treat me well (it's definitely a 'learn to dance' class, not a fitness class) but I've negotiated with others and walked away.

I think it depends on the management of each individual place. It's really important to know what's critical to you and be sure to ask about those issues. (mirrors? flat rate vs. split? They advertise or you do? Who handles the registration? Registration available online/by phone or people have to stop by to register? What happens if your class doesn't make the minimum? Can you be on their insurance or do you need your own? Do they want a serious dance class or a fun workout?)

Before I set up a new class, I usually decide on my geographic market first (someplace not already saturated) and then talk to a variety of venues until I find one that is a good 'fit' with my class & business style.

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Before I set up a new class, I usually decide on my geographic market first (someplace not already saturated) and then talk to a variety of venues until I find one that is a good 'fit' with my class & business style.

I second this approach - find the area with the right demongraphic, then consider any advertising reach the venue already has, and check that you like the management.

I am personally averse to gyms, as locally they all seem to be run by incompetent idiots. OK, that's perhaps a bit of a generalisation, but I and many of my bellydancing friends have experienced many issues with gyms - not being paid on time, incorrect advertising, changing the room at the last minute, etc etc. You've also got the added difficulty of the drop-in nature of many gym classes, plus (at least here) gym instructors get paid a pittance and they expect to pay you the same.

Dance studios - I haven't tried this yet, but assuming the management are good, I would think they'd understand what's important to you - good, clean space, mirrors, non-casual classes, etc.

Community centres - this has worked well for me because there's a lot of people coming and going, the spaces are well looked after, they have some of their own advertising. I still prefer to just hire the space for a set fee and do all the bookings myself, so I can charge a decent price (community centre classes are too cheap otherwise), oversee appropriate marketing and answer all enquiries myself (because the staff aren't likely to understand or be able to explain bellydance).

The most reliable place seem to be Church Halls, but are blighted by no mirrors, and being a church hall - I've never one had a last minute re-shedule or cancellation from any church hall. Second are Gyms, but as someone else mentioned, management is a bit random, and you have to be totally on-top of them to get things organised (like I check the programme to see they haven't scheduled something ontop of me and do other crazy things to make sure I'm getting my room before turning up). Council run place - never tried them.

Originally Posted by jewelbellydance

I
I am personally averse to gyms, as locally they all seem to be run by incompetent idiots. OK, that's perhaps a bit of a generalisation, but I and many of my bellydancing friends have experienced many issues with gyms - not being paid on time, incorrect advertising, changing the room at the last minute, etc etc. You've also got the added difficulty of the drop-in nature of many gym classes, plus (at least here) gym instructors get paid a pittance and they expect to pay you the same.
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Community centres - this has worked well for me because there's a lot of people coming and going, the spaces are well looked after, they have some of their own advertising.

Here's a perfect example of why you can't generalize by type of venue in different areas. I teach for a gym that has near-perfect management, offered me a higher flat rate than I would have asked for, understood right away that I'm teaching a 'real' dance class and can't allow drop-ins, has paid me on time for years, and the manager gives me cinnamon bread for Christmas every year.

I teach at a community center in a nice city that's so filthy I've seen the same dead cricket on the floor for months in a row, the upholstery on the furniture is so stained we're afraid to sit on it, I have to bring my own boombox, and I have to nag them to pay me every session. ..cr.:

Originally Posted by Lauren_

Here's a perfect example of why you can't generalize by type of venue in different areas. I teach for a gym that has near-perfect management, offered me a higher flat rate than I would have asked for, understood right away that I'm teaching a 'real' dance class and can't allow drop-ins, has paid me on time for years, and the manager gives me cinnamon bread for Christmas every year.

I teach at a community center in a nice city that's so filthy I've seen the same dead cricket on the floor for months in a row, the upholstery on the furniture is so stained we're afraid to sit on it, I have to bring my own boombox, and I have to nag them to pay me every session. ..cr.:

Yes, good reminder not to generalise. I think, too, that sometimes you have to try a venue for a while and build up a relationship before it's all smooth sailing. I've often experienced a slightly 'prickly' relationship with venue mgt at the start - I guess you're invading their turf and they don't know if they can trust you straight off - but find that they relax and become more trusting and amenable over time. Once that's happened, it's far easier to get stuff done (like cleaning!). But it doesn't always work out...have you named the cricket? ..c::