Last week I talked about schools and music stores as potential places to teach music lessons. So this week I’m going to tackle online referral services and going it alone.
I should start by saying I have never worked for an online service. The services that I am talking about here are where you work for an online company that matches teachers and students. The students pay the online service, and the teacher then gets a paycheck from the online service. I’m basing my assessment here on the experience of others and my own research. I’m not going to name any names, but based on all I’ve learned, I am not a fan.
The only “pro’s” I’ve been able to identify with these is that they handle all payments from students and to teachers, and they refer students to you. If you are in a major metropolitan area or new to the business, this may be an okay way to break in.
The “cons” are big as far as I’m concerned. Once you are conditionally hired, you may be charged fees to have a background check or for other “paperwork” they have to do to get you on their service. Sometimes the fees are annual! Just for the privilege of being listed on their service. After all of that, you aren’t guaranteed any referrals. If you do get any students, you may be paid just a small fraction of what the student is paying the service (and you’re not supposed to ask them what they are paying). Oh, and you may be a contractor, so you’re playing self-employment tax on your small share of the fees. Not to mention, you will be required to either drive to students’ homes, or provide studio space, and you’ll be required to cover your own expenses on that front as well.
I’m sure there are some folks out there that have had a good experience working with an operation like this, and as a business model, it’s genius! There aren’t a lot of products out there that you make money coming and going, with such a big profit margin. That said, I don’t think these services offer enough value to the student to justify the mark-up they pay for the lessons, nor do they provide enough value in the form of referrals for what you lose in lesson fees. That is why I have chosen to stay away from them. I’d love to hear from anyone that has had a good experience!
So let’s move on to “Going it alone.” In every city, town, and village throughout the country, there are all nature of private music teachers teaching out of their home or their car or a rented space. There are a lot of benefits to starting your own music teaching business. You decide your own schedule. You set your own fees (which you get to keep!). You choose your students. You decide lesson policies. You are your own boss. The drawbacks are that you also assume all the risk and expense. If you hate dealing with money, are very disorganized, and shy away from confrontation, you may not thrive on your own.
I’ve maintained some form of independent teaching studio since college, and while I’ve struggled at times, it has been a great experience. My business is self-determined, so I am able to balance my teaching with performing and with my family and personal life. It feeds both my need to be teaching and involved in music, and my entrepreneurial spirit to feel like I’m building something uniquely my own.
So if you are looking to break into music teaching, hopefully I’ve given you some ideas of what’s out there. I’ll be talking more in future weeks about managing your own studio. There are so many things to think about, from organizing as a business, marketing yourself, designing policies. That’s all before you even teach a lesson! Talk to you next time!
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