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Recruiting additional teachers

Found in: Studio Setup

Mandy H., Virginia

Those of you who have recruited multiple teachers for your studios – did you pay for their SMP training, or did you have them pay and just handle the administrative stuff? And what is your cut? I’m driving to lessons all over Northern Virginia, and in each area, I’m adding new students just by word of mouth. Unfortunately, traffic here is killing me. It could take 10 minutes to drive 5 miles or 30, which affects all the lessons that come afterward, even though I have tried to schedule them all strategically. I need some help.

Joy O., Alabama

I would say start with the possibility of teaching at a central location, and let parents deal with traffic.

Mandy H., Virginia

I don’t have a studio to teach in. I do want other teachers on my team, and I see that people have. I just don’t know who else to ask since this method requires training that’s a little pricey for most teachers.

Laurie Richards, Nebraska

I have had a commercial studio with employed teachers in the past. It doesn’t sound like an ideal way to handle your current situation, though. Without a common space to share, you would have to put a LOT of trust in those new teachers representing your business well. Actually they would probably be paid as contractors rather than employees. I’m not saying it couldn’t work that way, just that I think it would be challenging.

Here are a few other options you might also consider:

  1. Recruit teachers around your area (it helps everyone), and come up with an agreement for a referral fee to be paid to you when your referrals enroll in their studios. You deserve some compensation for the time and money you have already invested to get those inquiries that you pass along.
  2. Consider providing online lessons from your home. I recently put together a document about this option, which should be available in the Teacher Library soon.
  3. Find a public location where you could provide lessons; the students then travel to your location. You can check out churches, community buildings, dance studios, or really any business that has the space and can offer an acceptable solution for you. It might take some leg work on your part to find a place.