Do instructors pay for classes?

SBN Doug · KF VIP

Ours is pretty much by school owner. My last dojang, they had discounts for instructors that taught at least two classes a week. At my current one, I don't pay anything.
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Kuk Sool Won - 4th dan
Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.

BlueDragon1981 · Red Belt

Black Belts dont pay for class in my school

taebot · Yellow Belt

One of my instructors, a very successful businessman as well as large school owner does it like this. You pay for training. You get paid to teach. His viewpoint being that when teaching and lessons are linked, if you need to fire an instructor, you're basically firing a student, too.

On the other hand, none of our black belts pay doodly-squat. We do tend to treat first degrees as indentured servants though

!
_________________
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." George Orwell

taebot · Yellow Belt

PS - Keep in mind, he's a millionaire and I'm not

!
_________________
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." George Orwell

taebot · Yellow Belt

[quote="KickChick"]"Should instructors also be training as consistently as they teach?" Is it necessary?
I say so!![/quote]

The teaching, at the first dan level, is the training, IMHO.

Our advanced ranks just join in class and concentrate on themselves and their technique. Rank is acquired through time and group consensus more than jumping through hoops and mastering even yet more arcane techniques.
_________________
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." George Orwell

DeeperMeaning · White Belt

I teach my mixed-style but still attend to my Shihan's (in Karate) dojo to train and I pay nothing - but maybe it'z coz we ended up as friends

renketsu · Orange Belt

To train with one of my seniors I pay because it's a smaller class and the sensei needs it to pay for the hall hire. To train with the other senior, I teach for him when asked and as his class is big enough to pay for itself I do not have to pay.

At my own classes, I used to pay as a student to make sure that the club had enough money to pay for the hall hire and now that the class is big enough consistently to pay for itself any blackbelt who trains with me can do so for free as long as they will assist with teaching if/when asked (if an instructor).

I think it is a good idea to be able to "thank" your senior students/assistant instructors by letting them train for free if you are planning on having them help you to teach part or all of a lesson.
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Andy Wilkinson (Sandan)
Renketsu Karate Club Senior Instructor
(http://www.renketsu.org.uk)

shortstick · Yellow Belt

As you can see there is no steady rule. It may come down to are you "Training" to be an instructor, do you run classes consistantly without problems. Are you helping to put money in the owner's pocket. If you are at the point where the owner has given you the keys, and is not even around when you are running the classes, then in his mind you know what you are doing , and he trust your abilities, and judgment. If you feel you are at that point then you may be in the position to negotiate your fees. At the very least, there is nothing wrong with asking for a meeting to discuss the subject of fees and your working as an instructor. Perhaps you will set up some defined time line or level of instruction for you to reach, that will in turn stop your monthly fees or testing fees. Its all up for grabs, depending on how much value the owner sees you contribute to his school. At my old dojang we had an "Instructors program" You were a slave for a total of 500 hours of instructing. 200 hours of study and assistant instructorship, showdowing a ranking instructor to earn a red stripe on your gi. This ment you could get paid! another 300 hours of instructing classes on your own, or with an assistant to earn your black stripe on your gi . If you made it that far then your fees were waved. All instructors were required to train for themselves at least 2 times per week, as well as attend all training classes for learning to teach. From there I ended up teaching full time for almost 7 years, a dream i had since i was 13 "To be a martial arts teacher". It is what you make of it!

good luck
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"The more we change, the more we stay the same"

KoreanTiger30 · Orange Belt

At my school you have to take an assistant instructor test and once you pass that you get paid to teach the classes and tuition is free and even for multiple styles in the school.
_________________
Choi, Ji Hoon Instructor-
3rd Dan-Tae Kwon Do
3rd Dan Hapkido
International Haedong Gumdo Federation
Kyuk Too Ki (Korean Kickboxing/Streetfighting)

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