Care to Share - #2
In the last issue we asked what you would teach as your first lesson.
From our potential teachers we got that it would probably be students who they knew, so
would start with something comfortable to teach - something where you could get to know
them in the new environment, and something that was fun.
A great way to start with complete beginners - including first-time teachers - would be
something like FolkIt’s dotting class. This is easy to teach, fun to learn, gets a finished project
in one sitting, and gets a successful lesson under your belt to build your teaching confidence.
You don’t have to spend out on a commercial package like FolkIt, you can design your own
dotty classes - but be aware of copyright rules, and don’t copy someone else’s design.
Our already-teaching teachers thought that a dotty class would be good for newbies, too. It
would give them the opportunity to see how skilled their new students were, how far along
their creative journey they had come, and be able to judge where to take them next.
Many teachers will have found their own best starting point. Some like to get skills like how to
load a brush, and how to apply paint as a theoretical lesson, done first. Others like to get
practical with a simple project. Some have even asked the student what they want to know,
and started from there.
And a question …
I am about to jump in at the deep end and run a painting morning for beginners at our village
hall in October. It is daunting prospect, but oddly the thing that worries me most is that no-
one will come. I would like to know how established teachers advertise themselves and how
do they build up a regular clientele?
Also, how much to charge? is there a magic formula for working out an hourly rate?
…oooOOOooo…
OK, here are our answers - other teachers are welcome to make suggestions as well. The
idea here is to share.
1 - Advertising. Useful places would be the local parish magazine, shop window, and the
notice board at the village hall. You mentioned social media, so if you have followers that are
‘within range’ (likely to travel) then that is another good medium to use. Possibly your best
friend is word-of-mouth. A personal recommendation works wonders.
Most of Gill’s new students come through personal contact. By taking a table at local craft
and wellbeing events she gets to promote her self. By selling make-n-take sessions at the
event she covers the cost of the table.
A leaflet drop is a possibility but bear in mind that the response rate to leaflets is typically 1%
or less. So for every 1000 leaflets delivered you may get 10 enquiries - and not all enquiries
are converted to customers. Personally, I don’t think it would be worth the cost, or the effort.
Contrary to what advertising agencies tell you, big advertising is expensive, and not very
effective for our market sector. We tried a 30 second advert for our shop, on local radio and