How to Start Teaching Craft Classes (Part 1)
June 30th, 2009 by miabiIn the last seven years I have taught many, many community craft classes to adults, teens and children. I have taught beaded jewellery classes, general sewing classes, tote bag making classes, mother & daughter jewellery classes (they were wonderful), christmas baubles etc. Of course, having a teaching background has helped me a lot, but there is not reason why anyone with the desire can’t teach these classes for extra cash and for pleasure.
At the moment I have no time to run more classes as my life has gotten a whole lot busier, but I really enjoyed the classes I did run. I learnt a lot and used some of my classes as test groups for the crafts included in my first book. Now I will share with you what I learnt about getting started teaching craft.
- Choose your subject. Craft classes include everything from sewing classes to glass slumping, pottery to beading, silversmithing to painting. In which area do your skills lie? Are you a great sewer who knows the ins and out of sewing? Have you been making beaded jewellery for years and know a lot about this subject? Are you a long-time soft toy maker who would love to pass on your knowledge? My advice is to make sure that you know your subject thoroughly. Your subject can be specific. For example, when I was teaching jewellery making at the Canning Arts Group, a lady was teaching teenagers how to make dreamcatchers. She was very gifted at this and her classes were informative and popular.
- Make sure you are an expert in your subject. What do I mean by expert? Make sure that you know your subject through and through. It will be really difficult to teach a class on sewing tote bags if you have only ever sewn one and you started sewing three months ago. Remember, that if you have a class of eight, each person may ask ten or more questions during a two-hour workshop. If you don’t have all the skills you need at the moment, take this as an opportunity to learn them. Take some classes yourself, look at all the lessons available on-line, ask a friend for tips and equip yourself with the knowledge you will need.
- Where can I run classes? Your first step is to complete enough research to be able to make the most informed choice. Craft classes can be run at libraries, community arts groups, fetes, TAFE centres, markets, PCYC halls, school art rooms, even in your own workshop if it is big enough. Many schools and community groups run classes each day in the school holidays/vacation and they may also run classes in the evenings during the term or even weekend workshops (my very favourite!)
To save time do an internet search in your area and find out what is already available. Your easiest solution will be to slot in with programs which are already running, rather than starting your own. Starting your own classes will mean that you need to do all your own publicity and to build a client base which takes time and costs money. Once you have completed your internet search you can make a few phone calls to some of the centres in your area and ask for more information if you need it. - How to get a spot running a class in an established community centre. If you find that classes are already running at a community centre, make a time to go and visit the person who coordinates the classes (phone calls are never as succesful as face-to-face meetings). Treat this meeting as a job interview and be willing to sell yourself. Take examples of the work that you do to show the coordinator. Take an outline of the class you would like to run with an example of the finished product. Don’t forget a copy of your updated CV also.
- Ask Questions. This is a very important part of the whole deal. Apart from selling yourself, you must also make sure that these classes suit your needs. I have had some bad experiences. A few years ago I taught a beaded necklace class at a community centre. I was very excited about the class. On the brochure the class limit was 12 which is a do-able number of participants. A day before the class, the co-ordinator called me to tell me there were now 35 participants in the class. I reminded her of the class limit and her answer was, “Well, we run as a community class and we need the revenue”. If I had my time again I would have said, “No. But I taught 35 people instead of 12 for the same hourly rate. The class was a complete nightmare. I had 35 people asking me questions and it was a very long two hours with customers left unsatisfied because I could not get to answer all of their questions. At the same centre I also taught a class for 12-15 year old girls. On the day of the class, the coordinator told me that there was a 8 year old girl joining us. I was really annoyed because, being a teacher, I knew that she would not have either the dexterity or the fine motor skills needed to complete the intricate beaded necklace. Sure enough, the little girl became very upset during the class and I ended up making the necklace for her. She still went home crying. My point is that many community groups are poorly administrated and run and you will have to be very assertive the classes you run.
Questions to Ask the Coordinator:
- How many people will be enrolled in this course? (also state your preference emphatically, giving your reasons). I have found that a sewing class with more than eight participants is very hard but a jewelllery class can have up to 15 people, if you have written instructions and make up packs with all the materials they need.
- What is the hourly rate I will be paid? Will this change according to the number of participants who enrol? Of course, this is extremely important! If you are happy to volunteer your time, then do, but if not, make sure you are being paid a good hourly rate for your hard work.
- Do I need to get a Police Clearance or Working With Children Check? The answer is YES YES YES if you are in Australia and you will be working with minors. I am not sure about other countries, but I am very glad about the laws in Australia which are very strict about those people who can and cannot work with children. Ask the coordinator how you can obtain these checks.
- Who will pay for the materials? Will you be paying for them yourself, saving receipts and being reimbursed? Do they have materials that you can already use? Do you have a budget? Are you able to buy things wholesale if they are registered as a not-for-profit organisation? Just make sure that the cost of materials is not coming out of your own pocket!
- What about insurance? For example, if you are using sewing machines, what happens if someone sews through a finger? (It happens to even the best of us
). Does the centre have insurance that will also cover you so that you are not personally liable for any injuries or accidents? Make sure they do!!
If you are happy and they are happy then you may find yourself embarking on a fun journey, teaching what you love, meeting new people and making a little extra dosh.
Part 2 of this post (Still to come) will be about The Mechanics of Teaching Craft Classes.
Good Luck!
Mia xx
PS I also wanted to let you know that Emma Mill and our friend Rachael Barkess will be teaching classes at the Tresillian Centre, Nedlands during these school holidays. Here are the details:
Learn a simple process of printing on fabric, and coating
and stretching your fabric over a canvas to create your
own masterpiece! Cost $62 & Material Fee $30
Starts 14 July for 3 Sessions
Sew print Play Tote Bag Emma Mill & Rachael Barkess
Sew your own fully reversible tote bag (2 bags in 1) from
a beautiful kit. Absolute beginners welcome.
Cost $62 & Material Fee $25
Starts 7 July for 3 Sessions
