Thread: Need Suggestions in Seeking out Teaching Jobs

Hello ~

After a long maternity break, I am ready to go back to teaching. I used to teach in my instructor's studio but she is no longer around. I have thought about calling some of the local gyms and see if they would be interested in hosting a "bellydance program".

What is the best way to go about this? Should I put together a packet of my experience and training? Should I mail it or call or knock on doors?

I am striking out to make my own opportunities. Let me know what you think :-)

Does anyone have some suggestions?? Thank you for looking :-)

Why not work for yourself? Rent a studio and advertise your own classes? Works great for me!

Approaching gyms in a good idea. Having members pave the way by writing comment cards to request a bellydance teacher is even better.

A gym is an ok idea, but the 2 problems I have run in to are, 1. they want you to be ace or (the other one cant remember the name) but it costs like $500 If I remember right, and 2. the students want more of a cardio class which could be fun but I like to teach orientale not shimmy the lbs off ya know

Adis Idea is good. I teach at both community centers where i am but wish there was a studio that i could rent and teach from...

I agree with Annwyn. Gyms can have pros and cons...I personally think the cons outweigh the pros. I teach at a community center. That's all I can handle at this moment. However, a great idea would be to start a beginner level (keep it very, very beginner) at your local community or rec center (they don't pay very well) and then after a few sessions, rent out studio space at a local dance studio in the vicinity...create a beginner level 2 - intro to veil and zills. Then filter your beginner students from the community center to the studio. Keeping the community center class open is a great way to get new beginners in.

Thank you all. One of the community centers here has a bellydance program but they only take 10 students and there is always a long waiting list. Another issue - they want a teacher that has over 1000 hours of teaching experience. What? Ok - I know a lot of amazing teachers that do not have that much time under their belt.

What I was going to do was get more time under my belt and then approach the community center. I figured if I took on a gym, I could collect up more hours. Right now, I have about 250 hours so I need a lot more to meet their requirements.

Should I call first? How do I approach a gym about a class?

Thank you.

Having friends that are members request a class in writing has gotten the best results for me. That way, the management is already thinking about it, because they DO read the comment cards. Otherwise, drop off a packet, request the managers number and email, call and email in a couple of days to set up an appointment to discuss the possibility of a class. Do this with at least 3 gyms.

That's my two cents...

awesome - thank you. what should I include in the packet? I have my dance resume completed along with my workshops, instructors, certification (Suhaila Level 1), and my references.

Should I include a pic?

yes, yes, and yes

I've had previous success getting bellydance started at gyms by sending them an info packet and then calling to discuss. I included a cover letter (what I'm proposing), benefits of bellydance in gyms (how it appeals to their target audience, health benefits), brief description of proposed class/program and some resume type info about me.

Perhaps you could also try the same with colleges or universities in your area, or any centre that offers short courses?

excellent! Thank you all!

I have had a lot of success in my area with Ballet Companies and Technical Colleges & Universities.

Ballet Company: A true working ballet company is a non-profit organization, they need funding. Ask to rent a studio and teach. I did this and had a great experience and people in the community already know where the space is. Don't be afraid to approach them because you might think they'll say no.
Drawbacks: The company here thinks that they are too serious to admit they offer bellydance. I was not allowed to advertise is a local paper. I got around this by advertising on my website and in the paper with just "Bellydance Class w/Ra'eesah call xxx-xxx-xxxx for info".

Technical College: My local tech school offers swing and shag but I still haven't gotten my foot in the with my classes. BUT, there is a Tech College 20 miles away (ok, you need to be willing to do the driving) that has an excellent community interest program. They are GREAT to work with. You can't beat college advertising, they send out flyers, programs, online listing, etc. My classes have usually 15-28 people in them every 4 weeks. And that's in just 1 class. They treat me like a pro and I can offer as many classes on as many topics as I like. I am an official employee of the college so they take out taxes and give me a check. Drawbacks: You may not get a dance room with mirrors, I have a normal classroom.

Universities: I recently sent out a generic "Want to offer classes at your school?" email to a major university just down the road from the Community College I teach at. They have so many departments and student organizations that could host a class. It ended up that they hired me to teach a 1 credit course!

So keep looking and don't think that you can't teach at X place. You may need to just tweak your classes to accomadate this or that. I too have a Suhaila certification (Level I, hopefully Level II this year). I know alot of dancers tell me that it's too expensive and not worth it. BUT, I feel that the certification has opened doors for me that I don't think I would normally have gotten. I think gyms are great, but I want to teach dance and not fitness.

Hope my rambling helps.

Originally Posted by ravenadesigns

Thank you all. One of the community centers here has a bellydance program but they only take 10 students and there is always a long waiting list. Another issue - they want a teacher that has over 1000 hours of teaching experience.

Yikes! At 4 hours a week, 40 class weeks a year, that means you would have to have 6 years and 3 months of teaching! Do they pay enough to attract a new teacher with both experience and a high success rate? With only 10 students, that could be tricky!

It might be worth talking to whomever does teach at the community center - see if they want a sub, or if they have any suggestions for other places that might accept a less experienced instructor. I would also consider calling the office, and ask the the same questions - let them know what experience you do have, in case they decide to offer a second class later, because of community demand. Be careful - approaching the office could tick off the resident dancer.

Also try your local school district to see if they offer an adult education program. That was my first teaching job. Heck, over 20 years ago that's how I found my first belly dance class as a beginning student! They tend to require some administrative stuff, such as turning in monthly attendance forms, which can be a little inconvenient. But it's an easy way to get started teaching. They market their classes well, and bring you a lot of students.

In California, the law required me to get fingerprinted and have a tuberculosis test because the adult ed classes were offered by the state of California dept of education, and when the legislators passed a law with the fingerprinting/tb requirements for K-12 students, they kind of failed to exclude adult ed teachers. Imagine that - being fingerprinted in order to teach belly dancing! All 10 fingers, too!

I know teachers with their own studios who also teach for one of these programs, the idea being that the adult education programs bring in the beginners, and then with luck those beginners will stick around to enroll in the privately-offered level 2 classes and upward.

Thank you all. I wanted to give an update. I have developed a packet which includes a 16 week syllabus, sample lessons plan, benefits of dance, and a few other goodies. I also developed a dance resume which includes all my experience, my Suhalia level 1 cert, and my training/continues ed.

I put this all together and started hitting the streets. I have followed up with all and two of the places (including the 1,000+ hour community center) is interested in discussing further.

I thank you all and I will continue on my path. I feel I am beginning on a journey that will be good for me.