Giving private lessons

Sassypants started this discussion · 8/12/2013

I posted an ad on my school's classified board for private pole lessons. I am not a certified instructor but I believe I am capable enough to teach beginners to intermediate. I'm wondering if any of you ladies have done this? Is it better to teach out of your home, or should I rent a dance room from a studio? What should I charge? Are there confidentiality issues? What hourly rates would be reasonable? I'm not trying to make this an official business or anything, but I thought I could bring in some pocket money by giving lessons here and there. I got my first prospective client email today. Any advice is welcome.

29 replies

Krista Bocko · 8/12/2013
I would highly recommend NOT teaching out of your home, for liability reasons. You will need instructor insurance--make SURE it's specific to pole. You'll also need a waiver for students to sign. Can you find a place to teach in that won't cost so much (ie-in hourly rent of the space) as to make you just barely break even when said and done? As far as what to charge...what will the market bear? IE-what market are you targeting? Personally, I charge $45 +. If I have to go somewhere and set up a pole, I have to factor that in. I'll see if I can think of more.
Krista Bocko · 8/12/2013
Edit: I mean, if I was teaching private lessons outside of the studio, I'd charge $45+, but I only teach them in the studio.
Sassypants · 8/12/2013
Thanks, Krista. Is that insurance absolutely necessary? How expensive would it be? There is a dance studio I can rent for $7/hour, so that's reasonable. There is no one else around teaching pole so I guess I can charge what I want, but I'm aiming at college girls so cheaper is better. I was thinking $25-30/hr but that was before considering the possible expense of insurance.
Krista Bocko · 8/12/2013
I would say...yes..it's necessary. Others can chime in. I believe the cost is just under $300 (for one year). I would think studios would require you to have it? Their insurance would not cover you in case of an incident.
BeccaBuck · 8/12/2013
$25-$30 an hour is incredibly low for private sessions. I charge twice that. You can find ways to make it more affordable for people, without devaluing your services. Offer buddy sessions, where two people can split the cost (ie, $60 an hour for a private, $80 an hour for a shared private, then each student only pays $40). Or offer 30 min sessions, that way you can keep it in the $20-$30 range. Insurance and waivers are a must. A lawsuit can ruin your life, and pole is a very strenuous, high risk activity.
BeccaBuck · 8/12/2013
Also, pole is an athletic activity. Get some basic knowledge of health and fitness before teaching. Learn about proper warmup/cool down technique, learn about biomechanics, and basic exercise science. Simply being good at pole, really isn't enough to teach (IMHO). I get a little irritated with the lack of fitness/exercise knowledge a lot of instructors seem to have. AFFA and ACE have books you can study. (This isn't meant to come across harshly, I just think that in general the community of pole instructors needs to take this a little more seriously). I do wish you all the best!
Sassypants · 8/12/2013
Pokeyd-- My inexperience with athletic training is exactly why I'm not trying to promote this as a real business, but more along the lines of babysitting service in terms of officialness or what have you. I don't know body mechanics but all my friends I've taught have said I am a great teacher, so I thought why not bring the joy of pole to more girls by teaching a few spins and climbs. I doubt I would ever teach any advanced moves.
BeccaBuck · 8/12/2013
If you're not ready to do it for real, and the right way, I wouldn't do it at all. The simple act of accepting money in exchange for services, is by definition taking it to another level, regardless of how low the price is. And if someone gets hurt, they will have a case against you. think of it like the person who starts an at home "daycare". it doesn't matter if there are only 2-3 kids there, and they are charging super low prices. if one of those kids gets hurt, there will be hell to pay. this is all just my opinion, YMMV!! happy poling, whatever you decide to do!
Sassypants · 8/12/2013
Well, I definitely don't want to half-ass it. My thinking was, I don't have the time, business ability, or money to promote this as a full-fledged business. If I could promote myself as a legitimate instructor who just lacked a home studio, I would love to do that. I will look into the insurance because that seems to be the greatest barrier and legal encumbrance.
Kobajo84 · 8/12/2013
Being an instructor is a huge undertaking. I know it sounds like fun and you're not planning on teaching advanced moves, however what many people fail to realize is that even the basic beginner moves can cause serious injuries. More specifically shoulder injuries which can last a lifetime. It's really important like pokeyd said, that the pole industry start taking education more seriously. This is crucial to the growth and continued success of the community. Instructors need to be knowledgeable about what they are teaching. This isn't something that happens overnight. Instructors need to constantly learn and seek out educational opportunities from as many resources as possible. This is very time consuming and requires a lot of dedication both personally and financially. I encourage pole instructors to obtain their Discoveries Dance pole fitness instructor certification. It is an amazing program that sets an instructor up in the mindset for teaching safely and organizing their curriculum. I took things a step further and obtained my AFAA Primary Group Fitness Certification and AFAA Yoga Instructor Training. I also have a back ground in the medical field with 12 years of experience in nursing. I'm constantly learning and finding opportunities to learn more. To start, if you're really wanting to start teaching, you should visit as many studios as possible to learn from other instructors and how they all teach. I did this before I started teaching. In my situation, there weren't any studios around either and I paid a lot of money to do this as I traveled all over the U.S. to make this possible. As far as it being a business, if you are charging for services in regards to fitness activities that have liabilities, you are a business. Being an instructor has a lot of responsibilities and obtaining appropriate insurance coverage, licensing, and education are just the tip of the iceberg. It's very involved and a very serious responsibility that if you're not willing to fully commit, then don't bother going down that road to begin with. Not trying to sound harsh either, just trying to prepare you for the seriousness of the role of a pole dancing instructor. 🙂
chemgoddess1 · 8/12/2013
There are numerous threads on here about becoming an instructor and teaching out of your house. First I will start that even simple spins are NOT in any way shape or form simple and you can do damage to your hands, shoulders and wrists if not taught properly. If you are not warmed up properly you can do even more damage. If you are doing anything that involves transfer of money from your home your home is open to being taken in a lawsuit. And I can guarantee you that your home owners insurance will not cover anyone getting hurt from you conducting what by all definitions is a business. This is a good thread: https://www.studioveena.com/forums/view/2136 And quite honestly being in the MidWest you have one of the best sources of information which is Mary Ellyn Weissman from Empowerment Through Exotic Dance. https://www.studioveena.com/users/view/bc950dd0-d89d-11df-ab19-12313b090e12 If anyone can give you advice on all of the legalities of teaching she would be the person to talk to.
Sassypants · 8/12/2013
Thanks, Chem!
kasanya · 8/12/2013
For reference, I have a partially separated shoulder thanks to being improperly taught spins in a level 1 class at a studio. That is a life-long injury. The only way to fix it is surgery. I wouldn't skimp on insurance.
Sassypants · 8/12/2013
Ouch. Did you sue, kasanya?
BeccaBuck · 8/12/2013
I think the biggest lesson to learn from Kansanya's story, is not the necessity of insurance, but to get properly educated on exercise and fitness before teaching. Your students are trusting you with their bodies, and their health. Do your due diligence and learn more about general exercise and fitness guidelines and proper body mechanics before teaching. If you're not ready to do that, than you're not ready to teach. No matter how informally you are looking at it, you could inadvertently hurt someone. No one wants that, I'm sure least of all you! Knowing how to pole isn't enough, or even how to break down moves, just isn't enough. Even beginner level moves are quite intense, especially for the general, sedentary, population.
kasanya · 8/12/2013
I didn't actually realize the injury was that bad until 3 years later, when I finally went to see a physiotherapist for shoulder issues that kept flaring up every time I started hitting intermediate-advanced level pole tricks. If I had gone to a doctor in the first place, I probably would have seriously considered suing. And yes, pokeyd is right. Education is definitely important and probably would have prevented my injury. But accidents can happen, so insurance is also important.
Krista Bocko · 8/12/2013
I was just coming on here to add add'l thoughts, but mostly it's been covered. :) I would consider WHY you want to teach. After all, once you add up insurance, research, education (ongoing and continuous!), equipment, lesson planning, your time and effort, gas, rent, etc etc...at the end of the day you really have to WANT to teach and have that passion for it.
Quirkygrl16 · 8/12/2013
This is a really good discussion. I have a friend of mine doing private instruction at her own home when she is still a beginner herself. Makes me concerned for her
chemgoddess1 · 8/12/2013
I have taught. It was not easy. While I do not have a fitness certification I have a very good understanding of the human body and also have all of the books to take the certification. I also would never teach without having a basic first aid class and CPR training. So many people who started years ago are suffering now due to improper technique. I remember split grip holds years ago and people just coming onto forums and telling people to just push through the pain, it will get easier over time. You can talk to just about anyone who has been at this for over 5 years and ask about how things used to be done. It is really no different than going to the gym and having someone show you improper form for lifting or using any of the equipment. I think it is a testament here though that we all realize that there is so much more to pole than just setting up a piece of steel in your home and going at it. I even know a few strip clubs that are hiring instructors at their clubs because they want their girls not only to make money but to also not get themselves hurt!
tacha666 · 8/13/2013
Hi! Maybe you should have a look at a teacher training program like XPert or discoveries dance! I would also love to teach one day so I took the XPert course and I can tell you, it was really good! I learned a lot, especially about spotting and educational technique plus had a lot of fun and made some new friends 🌸
Koidragon · 8/13/2013
There are so many good responses here so I won't go too far into it but yes, you NEED insurance, CPS training, first aid certification etc. I was taught the improper technique by a school that was filled with fitness instructors who weren't specific pole instructors, and have tendonitis in my wrists as a result. I am a fitness instructor, have studied physio therapy and have been a martial arts instructor for years, and I didn't realise I was doing things wrong at the time because it was a different type of specialisation. There is so much more to teaching than knowing how to put your own body into the moves - you also have to be able to see where someone else in engaging wrong as soon as they do it. I was strong enough physically to do a lot of things with the wrong engagement, and thus am now paying for it.
kasanya · 8/13/2013
Koidragon said: "I was strong enough physically to do a lot of things with the wrong engagement, and thus am now paying for it." That is exactly what happened with me. All the other girls in my class just slid down the pole when our instructor told us to do a particular move, but I was in the military and had the strength to brute force it even though I had the mechanics all wrong. End result = major injury (and not wanting to go see the military doctor, because I would have had to explain exactly what I was doing that resulted in said injury).
portableninja · 8/13/2013
Same as Koidragon and kasanya, I came into pole with quite a bit of existing strength, and it was enough to cover up for bad body mechanics. Luckily I didn't experience any major injuries, but I worsened some existing ones and I experienced the "split grip pain" that so many people get. Getting the details right is so important. Now when people tell me I should teach pole, I try to explain that I'm not qualified or ready yet. It's fun, but also seriously dangerous and potentially life altering stuff. At the very least, you need insurance.
Koidragon · 8/13/2013
I guess part of the point is, that none of the people who taught those of us (myself, portable ninja, kasanya etc) meant us any harm, nor did they believe they were teaching anything wrong - however, by not having the right experience, or enough experience, and pole specific expertise, they did not see, and in fact could not see, how we were being taught wrongly. I am sure they are still teaching, and there will be many other people out there with similar stories. I have also been asked to teach pole, and there is no way, absolutely no way, I would risk damaging someone else by lack of knowledge the way I have been. I hope to teach one day, but not until I am absolutely sure I have the utmost safety of my students in my control. I was fortunate, I went to a studio where I was seen by a 7-year competition winning instructor, who took one look at my poling and told me to go back and start at the very beginning again. Trust me, I wasn't happy to hear it at the time, but I am grateful now :)
aliceBheartless · 8/14/2013
To be a bit of a devil's advocate here, even the best teachers have students who injure themselves in their class. A teacher, even the best of the best, can't control the student entirely. (This is why insurance is a good thing, and typically, teaching out of your house incurs a certain amount of liability which your homeowners will not usually cover.) But good teachers definitely have the awareness to nip bad technique in the bud, keep safety first, and bring the right learning attitude to the class. I can't tell you how many times I have seen students push the no pain no gain attitude, but they can't recognize the difference in the pain of effort vs the pain of injury. It's a sticky situation, to be teaching. To some degree, you protect yourself with getting insurance, setting up an LLC or company, getting a certificate etc. etc. But by the time you have done all of that you are behind money and time-wise. Plus other things can come up, ie, I can't teach out of my apartment, running a business there is a violation of the lease terms. So I would either have to do it under the table, or find a studio. Good studios will require a certain amount of training, likely won't have prime times available to you, and might need you to function as a subcontractor (more paperwork) so they can cover their asses. If someone just lets you walk right in and teach with no effort on their part, they probably aren't running a tight ship. Which isn't a problem usually, until something bad happens. Pretty much none of it is a problem, until something bad happens. Suddenly, a few lessons on the side for pocket money become you losing money and time. I would agree with some of the other posters, if you just want a little pocket money, it would be really hard to do with teaching pole if you want to jump through all the hoops to do it right and make the time commitment. If it's a passion for you, go for it. If you just want to trade some time for working out pole with a friend for something they have, I wouldn't go crazy. But since you are advertising teaching pole, make sure you are capable of doing so, and doing so safely.

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