If you are a yoga instructor who is just starting out, it is usually difficult to find your first group class or first student outside of your own family and friends. When you look at opportunities to teach, start identifying teaching opportunities that already exist. It is far easier to look for opportunities in companies and institutions that are already looking for a yoga instructor rather than convince organisations that do not offer yoga to create an opportunity for you.
Start researching and make a list of yoga studios, gyms etc. that already offer yoga to their clients. Apart from yoga studios and gyms, yoga is also taught at corporate companies, temple trusts and institutions, hospitals, old age homes, high end residential enclaves and many other places. Keep a list of places that offer yoga classes in your city. Check out our own careers page here – https://www.wellintra.com/careers/ – to know how to apply for yoga teaching positions with us. Networking is also a great option to learn more about teaching opportunities. Always keep in touch with your fellow students from your yoga teacher training course apart from other well known yoga teachers and students.
Create a Professional Resume
Always make a good resume that mentions your name, contact information and yoga credentials so that organisations like us who may not have an opportunity currently can file it and contact you later if the opportunity arises. As a new yoga teacher, you may have little to zero teaching experience. Volunteering to teach in a NGO or a community center can give you the much-required teaching practise and also help to improve your resume. There are lots of trusts and Governmental organisations such as the Police Departments and Civic Bodies who require Volunteer Yoga teachers. You must always volunteer for such gigs. Try and do a class that is low on stress and appreciative of your efforts.
Of course if you are a smart, intelligent and business-savvy person you can always create yoga teaching opportunities. If you like teaching yoga to children, you can contact schools, day care centers, gymkhanas, sports centres etc. where children can be found. If on then other hand you like teaching gentle and therapeutic yoga you could contact nursing homes, hospitals, retirement homes and other places where senior citizens can be found. This approach will require more work, diligence and effort from your side because you are trying to persuade organisations to start yoga classes and with it come financial, administrative and logistical challenges.
How to Charge for Your Classes
There are two basic ways that Yoga teachers are paid. If you are employed by a organization you will be paid a set fee per class. Before you begin job hunting, do find out what is the per hour rate that other yoga teachers charge in your community. The rates that different employers pay will be varied. Fitness clubs and Yoga studios have set rates that are decided and fixed by the owners. Corporate companies however may be willing to pay you more per class. As a rule, do not set your fees so low that you will over time start cribbing over the fact that you are spending a lot of time and money just traveling to the class with the result that you dont have much in your hand at the end of the month. The difference between say 500 bucks per class to 700 bucks per class may not mean much to companies but it may make a big difference to you. As a rule we like to pay our trainers well and depending on your professionalism, dedication and feedback from clients fees are increased steadily over a period of time.
The second way that you can charge is by the student. But this can only happen if you are running your own classes. The stability factor may not be there but you will definitely be earning more. Since you will be paying rent, you will have to charge each student accordingly. There are also hybrid payment modules that you can discuss with an employer.
a. You get paid a set fee by the yoga studio or fitness center and a bonus for every extra student over the base number of students in your class.
b. You get paid a fixed fee by your employer for every student who attends your group class – for example 200 rupees per student per class.
Remember your negotiation powers will increase in your favour the higher up you climb up the yoga ladder. And when we mean higher up, we mean not just in terms of years of experience but also your own fitness levels and physique, your special techniques, your communication skills and your marketing skills. In the next article we will cover the topics of ‘How to Develop a Speciality’ and ‘How to Enhance your Professionalism’. Till then remember every yoga instructor has to find his / her own path and you have to find yours!
About Author
Dhara is a dedicated and highly passionate yoga instructor from Mumbai who trains our clients personally as well as in group classes. Dhara also helps conduct yoga classes and sessions for kids (Age groups 5-9 and 9-14) which include Asanas, meditation, breathing, basic and simple yogic concepts to help them grow into beautiful adults. Dhara is also an avid practitioner of Reiki, The Art of Living & Vipasana Meditation apart from Crystal Healing & Meditation techniques and incorporates all of her multifaceted skills into her yoga classes and sessions as and when required. And she also takes time out to write for the Wellintra Fitness Blog whenever she can!
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