Hiring an assistant instructor question.

[BasFan]

Hello,

I was wondering if those that run a martial art school/business could give me some advice. I'm wondering how much assistant instructors should get paid roughly? Do you pay them by the class? By the hour? I know that geographically pay scale will vary but I'd like to get a general idea of what I should be looking at. Ideally I'm looking for roughly what an assistant instructor should be getting paid to teach 90% of the classes in a martial art business in California.

Thanks for the help.

[wmks shogun]

Well, 90% of how many classes? The big things to consider are 1) why are you hiring an 'assistant' instructor if they are going to take over the majority of the classes? 2) If you were coming into this position, how much would you want to be paid? Be honest on that, because if you go cheap on it, you will likely get someone who will run your school into the ground. 3) What rank are you looking to hire? Usually, with higher rank from an employee possibly SHOULD come higher wages. (More education = higher proficiency and then they should be able to expect higher pay).

[BasFan]

Well there is class M-F 6 times a day. That is both kids and adults. There are 2 adult morning classes on Sat. So about 25 classes out of 32. So about 100 classes per month. I would say at least a 2nd degree BB.

Thanks to any who reply.

[wmks shogun]

Personally, I would suggest no less $10 an hour. At 25 classes a week (averaging 45 min per class) it comes to about $750 a month. Honestly, $12-15 would probably be better due to the amount of training that had to go into them getting to at least 2nd Dan (in most styles). A lot of it depends on how much you can afford also.
That is my $.02 worth on it though.

[disgruntled]

Originally Posted by wmks shogun

Personally, I would suggest no less $10 an hour. At 25 classes a week (averaging 45 min per class) it comes to about $750 a month. Honestly, $12-15 would probably be better due to the amount of training that had to go into them getting to at least 2nd Dan (in most styles). A lot of it depends on how much you can afford also.
That is my $.02 worth on it though.

yikes! granted i do not know what the market is like where they would be teaching, but 750 a month!!!! that barely covers my rent. and if they are teaching like 90% of the time, they are pretty much running the school. they should definately be making more money than the owner. and with 6 classes a day, it should be enough that they do not need another job to survive

[wmks shogun]

I said at the lowest. You have to consider, I am saying at 18 hours a week. I also live in an area that is medium low as far as cost of living.

[BasFan]

The classes range from 10am to 9pm. Some classes follow consecutively right after the other but early afternoon there is a 2 hour (roughly) break. Adult classes range from 1 hour to an hour and a half. Kids classes are 45 minutes long. Actual class time total would be about 6 hours a day. Factor in 15 minutes before and after the non-consecutive classes to open and close the school as well as general upkeep of the school should be roughly 7-8 hours a day M-F. With another 2 on Saturday. So it wouldn't be only 18 hours a week more like a full time job of 40 or so hours if it was 100% of classes.

We have roughly 110 students (roughly half adults/half children). Adults pay $100/month for unlimited classes, kids $50/month. 2 bedroom apartment in my area is $1000 and gas is $3.61/gallon to give you an idea of the cost of living.

I really appreciate everyone's help. I'm trying to figure out what's FAIR.

[disgruntled]

Originally Posted by BasFan

We have roughly 110 students (roughly half adults/half children). Adults pay $100/month for unlimited classes, kids $50/month. 2 bedroom apartment in my area is $1000 and gas is $3.61/gallon to give you an idea of the cost of living.

hmmm... what is the cost of the up keep for the school? including rent advertising equipment, savings for the future etc.?

[Chapel]

My advice is to seek not to hire outside your school. You won't know their quality as well as you would know the quality of your students. Likewise they would not know the individual customs of your school. (Hell, I'm not even sure what style you are looking for.) Best bet is to take some of your more advanced students who have been with you for a while and start to 'test' them on how well they can teach the basics to beginner students. Make this a requirement for earning a black belt. For a while you would have to observe them and comment on their teaching, but eventually you will be able to turn them lose as teachers of their own classes with only occasional observing by yourself. In return, you could offer free training to that student, maybe waive a testing fee for their next belt (or offer it at a reduced fee) and possibly offer them a small stipend. Your main target here will be high school and undergraduate college students who really have nothing better to do with their time but have no money.

[wmks shogun]

I tend to agree with Chapel on the hiring in-house. Also, I take back my earlier figure. Much too small. If they are pulling 40 hours a week, I would say at least 30K a year (about 3.5X what I stated earlier). Plus, add in an option that for anyone they sign up, they get commission on it. That should help bring things up to snuff.

[disgruntled]

Originally Posted by wmks shogun

I tend to agree with Chapel on the hiring in-house. Also, I take back my earlier figure. Much too small. If they are pulling 40 hours a week, I would say at least 30K a year (about 3.5X what I stated earlier). Plus, add in an option that for anyone they sign up, they get commission on it. That should help bring things up to snuff.

yeah i think that sounds good. i would take the job

[BasFan]

Thanks a lot for the info. It was very helpful.