aefibird
Black Belt
Joined: 26 Oct 2003
Posts: 4416
Location: UK
Styles: Past and present: 2 styles of Karate, TKD, Aikido, Wing Chun, some Tai Chi
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 Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 6:39 am Post subject: |
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| karatekid1975 wrote: |
I get paid, but I'm not a black belt. I don't "technically" teach either. I kind of teach under supervision of my instructor. I can't become a full fledged instructor at my dojang till I reach BB. I'm basically there because I'm an adult (supervising kids in our after school program), helping out my instructor in beginner classes when needed, and doing some office stuff. But I plan on teaching for him for real when I reach black belt  So, this is good experience for me.
I do plan on openning my own branch of my school in the future, but not until I reach, at least, 3rd dan. |
My story is similar, although I don't get paid. However, my sensei does buy me a beer occasionally!! lol.
I teach the beginners at my dojo, under the careful supervision of my sensei. I enjoy it and see it as good practise for if I ever open my own club (in the very distant future!).
Regarding qualifications, in the organisation that I'm with (the FSK in England) you have to be a minimum of 2nd dan to be a registered instructor. To run your own club with the FSK you have to have an instructors licence and have been passed as fit to teach by the head of the organisation, Aidan Trimble. Just because someone is a second Dan doesn't necessarily make them a good instructor, however I think that the FSK system does at least cut down on the number of people running a dojo who haven't the first idea of how a club should be organised or how to teach.
I just wish that there was a governing body who examined potential instructors and made sure they were up to a certain standard before they were allowed to be unleashed on a paying public. In the UK I know of an organisation that will allow you to be an instructor (and have your own club!) with them from 3rd kyu. I think that is worrying, personally. I wouldn't want to train at a club where the club owner was a 3rd kyu! (Not that I'm dissin' 3rd kyu's, it's just that most 3rd kyu's would not be ready to run their own club) I'm a 1st kyu, taking my black belt in a couple of months time, and there is NO WAY I would want to run my own club at the moment and have people coming to me and thinking they were getting responsible karate instruction.
Sorry for the very long post  , this is one of my 'soapbox' issues in martial arts.
Right, I'll shut up now!! Bless you if you've stuck with my rant and read this far!!
A.~ 1st kyu Brown belt, Shotokan  |
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on the post.
