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New studio – salary question !
Hey I was hoping everyone could help me!
I am apart of a new studio opening in Kingston,ON , Canada.
I will be negotiating how much I should make an hour to instruct.
I am PFIC certified – thanks to the owner
How much to make an hour to assist in a class (meaning there is Someone else who is instructing )
If I should be paid before class when I am checking poles, bottles, Ect. As well as after class to clean up.In the beginning we are looking at starting with 3 classes a night 4 nights a week.
I’d love some advice ! Please!
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5 Replies
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That’s not an easy question to answer. First of all it depends, are you an independent contractor? Here an IC rents space and runs their own classes/schedules/curriculum, and pay their own insurances. They charge according to their expenses, the studio/studio owner can not tell them how do do things, and can not be involved with their classes including collecting fees from the IC students. They are under self employment. On the other hand, I own my business and have my own studio.
I hire employees. Now, as far as what I offer them for a wage is based on all my expenses of running the business, rent, utilities, licencing, water, sewage, garbage, office supplies, classroom supplies, cleaning supplies, cost of equipment(mats, poles,etc.), liability teaching insurance, commercial property insurance, unemployment insurance premiums, workers comp premiums, etc. After all the expenses of running the business are totaled, that helps determine what hourly wage I pay them. They either accept and work, or they decline and go elsewhere. I provide insurance for all my employees, and ongoing training.
The pay scale depends on their experience and amount of training, and which level of pole they are teaching. I’m afraid I’m not much help. Every area is different due to cost of living, demographics, etc. 🙂
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Thank you for your input, it is helpful to see how other people run their studios aswell. I know money doesn’t grow on trees and it’s good to see and understand all the expenses.
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Something else that’s important is the distinction between independent contractor and employee. Just because you are called an independent contractor, doesn’t actually mean you are one! It really comes down to the way you are actually treated. For example, I have a friend who teaches pole and the owner of the studio where she teaches says she is an independent contractor. But technically, according to the law, the responsibilities that my friend has makes her an employee. So the studio owner is actually not treating her properly.
If you want more info about that distinction, I can find a great link that my boyfriend once sent me (he’s in labour and employment law).Note for anyone else following this thread: what I said pertains to Canada, not sure if it is similar elsewhere
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I just opened my studio and I finally was able to hire an assistant….studios here pay between $20-25 per class, I’m paying $35 per class since I’m just starting and I only have 1 person working for me….my hubby decided to pay a bit more since my studio is home based and we have no other expenses at this time, but once we find a place, we will pay a base salary plus incentives to our instructors. This way we can show them job stability.
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LolaSlaytor, it is that way here where I live in the states. Sadly a lot of people don’t know that. Anyone working in a gym or fitness center in particular needs to know their state labor/wage laws. Here to be considered an Independent Contractor, the person has to meet 21 points of definition, or the person is to be considered an employee.
I made sure when I started my studio that I was clear as an employer. Since I provide training, curriculum, insurance, a set schedule, etc. I have employees and pay not only their wages but taxes as well. Yes, it is really important to know if you are going to work for someone, and they call you an independent contractor, that you know what that is, and what your rights are.
We have gyms here that hire for example group fitness instructors, but tell them they are not an employee, yet they schedule and collect the money for the classes, pay them, and don’t pay workers comp, their employer matched taxes, nor unemployment insurance, so they can save money. That is ILLEGAL, but as I stated, there are way too many people that don’t know this, so they don’t question the practice.
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