had no response other than from existing customers asking if that was us on the radio. An
expensive lesson. Gill says that she tried paid advertising, but it was a waste of money.
2 - Building a regular clientele. If they like you, what you do, how you do it, and how much
you charge, they’ll come back.
No magic formula here. We would suggest that honesty and openness will boost their
confidence in you as a person. Be free with your knowledge and skills - after all they are
coming to you to learn stuff. Admit mistakes and holes in your knowledge/skills but say you
will get answers - and actually deliver the answers. And smile.
Pitch your classes at the right level for the student, with progress and development as they
improve. Make sure they know that the class is not a one-off and that there is more on offer -
make sure you have dates so they can book ahead. And charge a fair price - look at your
demographics. Are they coming from social housing, or are they better off with more free time
and disposable income?
3 - A fair price. The national living wage (for over 25s as from April 2019) is £8.21 per hour. I
don’t know of many arty-crafty people who achieve that. Not when you consider …
How long you spend designing, practising, perfecting your class. How much preparation,
planning and arranging the event is needed, the cost of supplies (paint, brushes, surfaces,
baby wipes, kitchen roll, et al), time travelling to the event, setting up, actually teaching, clean
up and taking down, and travelling home. Then of course you need to unload the car and put
everything back in its place.
That said, the usual charge for a half-day class/workshop would be from £15 to £35, a whole
day, £35 - £80. It would depend on how complicated the piece, and how much media it
consumes. And, to a certain extent, the reputation of the teacher. Only by trial and error will
you find the balance between what the students are willing to pay, and what you want or
need to charge to make it worth your while.
As an example Gill charges £20 for 2.5-3 hours for a beginners class, and £5 for make-n-
takes at shows. Her more experienced students pay less as they have their own painting kits,
and pay extra for their blanks as they go. She uses her own studio so doesn’t have the extra
cost of hiring.
Don’t sell yourself cheap - sometimes potential customers can be put off by under-pricing,
with comments like ‘if it’s that cheap, it can’t be much good.’
So … the answer is, we don’t know. Each teacher/class/venue/student combo will be
different, some better attended than others. But be bold, be positive, smile, and give it a go.
Once you’ve done it once you will know what you could change for the next time - continuous
development.
Good luck, and let us know how you get on.
Email Gill ([email protected]) or me ([email protected]) if you need more info
on the above - or if you have another question.
Ask away!