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Giving private lessons
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I didn't actually realize the injury was that bad until 3 years later, when I finally went to see a physiotherapist for shoulder issues that kept flaring up every time I started hitting intermediate-advanced level pole tricks. If I had gone to a doctor in the first place, I probably would have seriously considered suing.
And yes, pokeyd is right. Education is definitely important and probably would have prevented my injury. But accidents can happen, so insurance is also important.
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I was just coming on here to add add'l thoughts, but mostly it's been covered. 🙂
I would consider WHY you want to teach. After all, once you add up insurance, research, education (ongoing and continuous!), equipment, lesson planning, your time and effort, gas, rent, etc etc…at the end of the day you really have to WANT to teach and have that passion for it.
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This is a really good discussion. I have a friend of mine doing private instruction at her own home when she is still a beginner herself. Makes me concerned for her
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I have taught. It was not easy. While I do not have a fitness certification I have a very good understanding of the human body and also have all of the books to take the certification. I also would never teach without having a basic first aid class and CPR training. So many people who started years ago are suffering now due to improper technique. I remember split grip holds years ago and people just coming onto forums and telling people to just push through the pain, it will get easier over time. You can talk to just about anyone who has been at this for over 5 years and ask about how things used to be done. It is really no different than going to the gym and having someone show you improper form for lifting or using any of the equipment. I think it is a testament here though that we all realize that there is so much more to pole than just setting up a piece of steel in your home and going at it. I even know a few strip clubs that are hiring instructors at their clubs because they want their girls not only to make money but to also not get themselves hurt!
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Hi!
Maybe you should have a look at a teacher training program like XPert or discoveries dance!
I would also love to teach one day so I took the XPert course and I can tell you, it was really good! I learned a lot, especially about spotting and educational technique plus had a lot of fun and made some new friends https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif
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There are so many good responses here so I won't go too far into it but yes, you NEED insurance, CPS training, first aid certification etc. I was taught the improper technique by a school that was filled with fitness instructors who weren't specific pole instructors, and have tendonitis in my wrists as a result. I am a fitness instructor, have studied physio therapy and have been a martial arts instructor for years, and I didn't realise I was doing things wrong at the time because it was a different type of specialisation. There is so much more to teaching than knowing how to put your own body into the moves – you also have to be able to see where someone else in engaging wrong as soon as they do it. I was strong enough physically to do a lot of things with the wrong engagement, and thus am now paying for it.
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Koidragon said: "I was strong enough physically to do a lot of things with the wrong engagement, and thus am now paying for it."
That is exactly what happened with me. All the other girls in my class just slid down the pole when our instructor told us to do a particular move, but I was in the military and had the strength to brute force it even though I had the mechanics all wrong. End result = major injury (and not wanting to go see the military doctor, because I would have had to explain exactly what I was doing that resulted in said injury).
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Same as Koidragon and kasanya, I came into pole with quite a bit of existing strength, and it was enough to cover up for bad body mechanics. Luckily I didn't experience any major injuries, but I worsened some existing ones and I experienced the "split grip pain" that so many people get. Getting the details right is so important. Now when people tell me I should teach pole, I try to explain that I'm not qualified or ready yet. It's fun, but also seriously dangerous and potentially life altering stuff. At the very least, you need insurance.
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I guess part of the point is, that none of the people who taught those of us (myself, portable ninja, kasanya etc) meant us any harm, nor did they believe they were teaching anything wrong – however, by not having the right experience, or enough experience, and pole specific expertise, they did not see, and in fact could not see, how we were being taught wrongly. I am sure they are still teaching, and there will be many other people out there with similar stories. I have also been asked to teach pole, and there is no way, absolutely no way, I would risk damaging someone else by lack of knowledge the way I have been. I hope to teach one day, but not until I am absolutely sure I have the utmost safety of my students in my control.
I was fortunate, I went to a studio where I was seen by a 7-year competition winning instructor, who took one look at my poling and told me to go back and start at the very beginning again. Trust me, I wasn't happy to hear it at the time, but I am grateful now 🙂
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To be a bit of a devil's advocate here, even the best teachers have students who injure themselves in their class. A teacher, even the best of the best, can't control the student entirely. (This is why insurance is a good thing, and typically, teaching out of your house incurs a certain amount of liability which your homeowners will not usually cover.) But good teachers definitely have the awareness to nip bad technique in the bud, keep safety first, and bring the right learning attitude to the class. I can't tell you how many times I have seen students push the no pain no gain attitude, but they can't recognize the difference in the pain of effort vs the pain of injury.
It's a sticky situation, to be teaching. To some degree, you protect yourself with getting insurance, setting up an LLC or company, getting a certificate etc. etc. But by the time you have done all of that you are behind money and time-wise. Plus other things can come up, ie, I can't teach out of my apartment, running a business there is a violation of the lease terms. So I would either have to do it under the table, or find a studio. Good studios will require a certain amount of training, likely won't have prime times available to you, and might need you to function as a subcontractor (more paperwork) so they can cover their asses. If someone just lets you walk right in and teach with no effort on their part, they probably aren't running a tight ship. Which isn't a problem usually, until something bad happens. Pretty much none of it is a problem, until something bad happens.
Suddenly, a few lessons on the side for pocket money become you losing money and time. I would agree with some of the other posters, if you just want a little pocket money, it would be really hard to do with teaching pole if you want to jump through all the hoops to do it right and make the time commitment. If it's a passion for you, go for it. If you just want to trade some time for working out pole with a friend for something they have, I wouldn't go crazy. But since you are advertising teaching pole, make sure you are capable of doing so, and doing so safely.
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Thank you Corby, that was a very helpful and realistic post. The number one rule is definitely to listen to your own body.
You've all given me a lot to think about. Thanks for the input!
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I do agree with you Corby, even the best teachers can have students who have injuries – especially from those of us who do tend to go for the 'no pain, no gain' aspect 🙂 I guess though what I am saying is the likelyhood of a student getting injured will be much higher from someone who doesn't have the years of experience.
Another point I agree with – if you are passionate about it, you should definitely go for it! But then, do it wholeheartedly and go the whole hog. Going through a studio is a good idea, but I don't know if that is available to Sassypants? I personally have no issue with someone teaching under the table – in a lot of ways, it is a great way to build a student base. But, that person teaching under the table I would hope would still be giving me the same level of instruction and expertise as I would expect anywhere else, especially if money is involved, and I would definitely want to know they are insured.
Ha, the studio owners and private teachers I know aren't exactly rolling in money, they definitely do it for the love of it 🙂
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I know it can all be kind of crazy. I think the part that most blows my mind is how 'easy' it is to do if you keep everything under the radar. Once a person tries to stay on the up and up, it's like it never ends. If I decide to get insurance, then it starts to make sense to distance your personal assets from that liability, so create a company to do so. Once you have created a company, you've kind of made operating it on the down low technically harder to do, especially on paper (and the paperwork!). Violating the lease isn't a problem until one of my neighbors thinks the music is too loud and reports me. It just goes on and on.
Many many studios operate very loosely, because there isn't a lot of money in operating a studio, and conforming to all the laws just on the business side of things, not to mention the rent, equipment, teachers, and marketing, etc can really demolish the start up fund.
Teaching under the table isn't the worst that could happen. Someone really hurting themselves (big problem), and their insurance company digging into things can become a problem. Liability would be my biggest concern. I guess I wouldn't expect that teaching under the table would consist of things like insurance, appropriate technique or safety knowledge, or necessarily good instruction. It could, but I personally wouldn't bank on it. Same goes for studios, actually.
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Also, let it be known: I am a pessimist. Don't take me too seriously. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif
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