Anyone here teach for free in Birmingham? Dedicated student here. Just need a mentor. Very low on income but love the arts.
Get a job is the simple solution - the other option is a quid pro quo Asking someone to teach for free means you dont value what they offer
Ive got two jobs my brother. And I am a student. Just the cost of living is on the rise....very hard supporting a family. My dedication I would have hoped would be enough to show value.
Don't ignore his quid pro quo alternative. I teach the kids, so I don't have to pay. Now, teaching obviously isn't something for the beginning, but cleaning the dojo and other things might.
So I'm first going to say welcome to MAP and I hope we can help you my friend. But then I'm going to say Hannibal is blunt but makes a point; just as you need to put food on the table for your family, so does your teacher, and cost of living is rising for all of us. If you can find someone teaching in their garage or garden, who pays for your insurance, and pays their PI insurance, and pays for any equipment used, then teaches for free and they happen to be good, then more power to you and I wish you well But I pay to hire a hall. I pay to be insured so my family won't be left homeless by a spurious lawsuit against me. I actually often pay so my students are insured against each other. I pay for pads and other equipment. And then I have the time away from my own family to think of, the years I've spent training and developing my knowledge and teaching skills, the hours it takes to plan a lesson that takes only one hour to deliver. People who teach MA are like swans. On the surface we're gliding along being professional teachers, but underneath the waterline we're paddling like mad just to share our passion without jeopardising our own families. And if the person teaching you doesn't have all those things in place, how serious are they and how safe are you? Mitch
To expand on what mitch put if they teach you for free (for the family people out there ) They might ask you pay for your insurance/licence and equipment. So if you do legitimately find someone to teach you for free keep in mind that might be your expenses. (that and a lot of people are part of a over seeing orginzation as well, so it might not be that negotiable) Also, i have not seen a actual "dojo", like a dedicated one, not been in one and not seen one. (in person i mean)
This is the most profound and accurate quote related to teaching I've ever seen. I've been running my own Karate club for 2 years now and never appreciated how hard it was before then (even through a shed load more years spent teaching and assisting at honbu). Anyways besides that mate, you're talking about Birmingham, it's not exactly the cheapest place to go looking for martial arts anyways. Anyone who is teaching in and around Brum is gonna be paying a premium for the rent of space (and a hell of a lot more if they're running an actual business), that cost is going to be reflected in their prices. Short and long of it is that saying you're dedicated and being dedicated are two different things. When I was much earlier on in my karate journey I did whatever I had to do in order to pay for lessons, insurance, and gear. I put untold hours into odd jobs and I scrimped and saved because of my strong passion and desire for karate. That dedication paid off later when real life hit, I was much older, and things went sideways for me. When I couldn't pay I was allowed to train in exchange for helping coach and set up the dojo. When my gi was wrecked after too many years abuse and I couldn't afford a new one, my instructor went out and bought me one, all as a way of repaying the years I'd invested (and the years I'll carry on to invest). Now I'm even older. I run my own club and I try to pay forward the same kindness I was showed. I train and teach at my honbu and put a lot of work into my Karate (even when life is busy, and expensive thanks to being a dad). Dedication isn't something you say you are, it's just something you are. If you want something bad enough you will find a way. I hope you find a way.
My Kung Fu classes are in Wythall, not far from Brum at all (I live in Solihull) The classes are £6 for 2 hours which, for Birmingham and the surrounding area, is outstandingly cheap.
£6 four two hours is fantastic value . I effectively teach for free but I could not afford to teach for nothing. I only just cover my overheads for hall hire and insurance of around £150 a month. I charge my students £5 an hour.
