What is your school Model?

dhdye · White Belt

From what I have noticed most school models are a husband and wife team that instructs and manages together or a gentleman that runs the show with assistants. Does anyone out there have the model of a husband a wife team where the husband instructs and the wife takes care of all administrative/marketing/finance matters and does not teach?

If so - I would love some tips on how you take care of things!

DWx · Black Belt

Nidan Melbourne · KF Sempai

My School is only run by the husband, the wife is a stay at home mum until their child is old enough to attend school.

But then she wouldn't be assisting with the operations of the school unless she does help outside of the dojo.

My fiancee and I are going to open a school one day together. But we are going to do it all 50/50 where we both undertake equal amounts of admin and instruction. Although we are also looking at having an admin team that focus on behind the scenes.

sensei8 · KF Sensei

My wife and I did this while she was in college to become a school teacher. It was dynamic, to say the least. I ran the floor, and she ran the front. We did fine unless she tried to tell me how to teach...THAT WAS A NO NO!! Her advice wasn't wanted nor appreciated. Why? She's not my Sensei!! Know your role!!

In short time, she learned not to do that anymore. After that, we became that solid machine; doing our parts, and doing them well.

The most important thing that we learned right off the bat was...WE'RE A TEAM!! Separate at times, but a team, nonetheless!! We respected each others areas, and we learned to appreciate each others strengths.

When she graduated...she left to become a school teacher, and she's a GREAT teacher!!

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**Proof is on the floor!!!

advfhorn · Yellow Belt

Our Sensei runs the Dojo and has a STORM team of "teachers" (not all black belts) and he does the admin work for the Dojo. He does it full time doing a few odd jobs outside of the Dojo at times. His wife runs the Cardio business with the help of another instructor (she has a full time job outside of the dojo).

jaypo · Purple Belt

We have a Chief Instructor that handles about 75% of the classes (he has another full time job), and 1 4th Dan that teaches some of the classes. I do the administrative work and train, and I help with classes whenever needed.
_________________
Seek Perfection of Character
Be Faithful
Endeavor
Respect others
Refrain from violent behavior.

Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

With few exceptions, mixing close personal relationships with business of any sort is usually not a good idea. Wherever it happens at one point there will be a positive or negative bias.

RJCKarate · Orange Belt

Hello. I have the worst model of them all: I do everything myself. However, I do love it.

My dojo is a full-time centre, but I also maintain my day job. We're a registered not-for-profit association, and therefore are run with this in mind (many people interpret this as "doesn't make a profit", which is completely wrong, we're like every other business except I do not draw a wage from it).

This is our 8th year going, and from the start I have managed everything from the accounting, contracts, student enrollment, marketing, facility management and class teaching. I have up until recently been teaching 8 classes per week (4 juniors, 4 seniors) but have reassigned 1 of my juniors classes to a senior student who has taken an interest (and been trained) in teaching.

With this model, we have around 70-80 active students at one time, with everyone training at least twice (it's a requirement) per week, and many three times. We are, however, really at capacity with this model. This is mostly because our classes are full (usually around 25-30 kids with an instructor [me] and an assistant). So, we're focusing on trying to build some of our members into future instructors and to take on bigger roles in the dojo - but everyone is busy, and not as karate-crazy as me.

My partner (in life, not karate) does help with things when needed, especially around events, but doesn't play a role in managing the dojo.
_________________
Reece Cummings
Kodokan Cummings Karate Dojo
5th Dan, Matsubayashiryu (Shorinryu) Karatedo Kobujutsu
1st Dan, Yamaneryu Kobudo

singularity6 · Pre-Black Belt

Our school is quite small, and is run by the master instructor himself. He rents space for training (a church gym with a tile floor in Gladstone, MI and a basketball court in a rec house in Gwynn, MI.) Many of the students and their families are quite involved, so a fair amount of grunt-work gets done by volunteers.

He's not teaching martial arts to make money, however. He's doing it because he loves it, and he feels it's something people should learn because it will improve their lives on so many levels.
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5th Geup Jidokwan Tae Kwon Do/Hap Ki Do

(Never officially tested in aikido, iaido or kendo)

Lupin1 · Black Belt

Our school started out as a husband and wife team. They both had day jobs and taught in the evenings for fun. There are no financials to deal with-- everything is free. The program is run out of a youth club, so they've always let him use the space for free in exchange for teaching the club members as part of their membership. All youth students must be members of the club to join the class.

Eventually the wife decided to stop coming and the husband ran the program himself. Some of his students who had trained to the dan ranks began assisting him.

Now our founding instructor and his wife have moved away and two of their original students have taken over. One of them works at the club full time as their programs director. The martial arts program is now just one of the programs he manages and runs at the club.

When he retires, I hope to take over the program myself. Hopefully that won't be for a few more years yet (he's turning 60 this year, but he still competes in Iron Man competitions, so he's no feeble old dude). I still have a lot to learn before I'm ready to take over.

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