Staying "at home" vs. opening a school.

[Carol]

Recently I was in a serious discussion with a friend about MA training. I mentioned the name of a teacher and was told that he looking for students to learn his system, and then open up schools under the same umbrella. I was left with the impression that if you didn't have a desire to open a school, then you weren't considered to be serious in this person's eyes.

I'm several years away from having any kind of teaching rank but it made me wonder....

How important is the desire to open up a school and teach on your own?

Is there anything amiss if one choses to stay at one's home school...supporting your instructor and his teaching efforts instead of striking out alone?

 

[Gordon Nore]

I was left with the impression that if you didn't have a desire to open a school, then you weren't considered to be serious in this person's eyes...

I'm several years away from having any kind of teaching rank but it made me wonder....

How important is the desire to open up a school and teach on your own?

Is there anything amiss if one choses to stay at one's home school...supporting your instructor and his teaching efforts instead of striking out alone?

Clearly, the individual you're describing doesn't want people to strike out on their own -- he wants them to build his franchise. I'm going to take a wild shot in the dark and assume there's money involved.

I don't think there's anything wrong with sticking with your school. If you don't want to operate a school of your own, you shouldn't have to. An instructor who looks at me as someone to expand his empire is not someone I would choose to train with.

On the other hand, if a senior student were to open a school of his or her own, if would be preferable to have Sensei's blessing.

It all seems a bit awkward to me. Training unfolds one lesson at a time -- I don't know how a teacher sees a student and envisions a new franchise.

 

[Rich Parsons]

Recently I was in a serious discussion with a friend about MA training. I mentioned the name of a teacher and was told that he looking for students to learn his system, and then open up schools under the same umbrella. I was left with the impression that if you didn't have a desire to open a school, then you weren't considered to be serious in this person's eyes.

I'm several years away from having any kind of teaching rank but it made me wonder....

How important is the desire to open up a school and teach on your own?

Is there anything amiss if one choses to stay at one's home school...supporting your instructor and his teaching efforts instead of striking out alone?

I believe that teaching is a very important part of learning as well.

I teach privates out of my home and at a co-op for matt time and class atmosphere as well. My Balintawak instructor taught out of his basement. I have had some of the best training in parking lots, hotel rooms and lobbies and in people's homes.

I have seen some who want to teach/own a school try to train and get frustrated when they do not learn fast enough. They are not in it for the learning or the teaching or preserving an art but into the ego and or the financial gains.

Some wish to teach and this is good. Some wish to open schools and this is good.

I think teaching is good as I stated above. I also think that to get students who only want to open schools will limit your selection. Now if the training is one on one and the time is limited then picking this type of person would help to spread the art.

 

[Steel Tiger]

How important is the desire to open up a school and teach on your own?

Like Rich, I think that teaching is an important part of learning. But if there is no desire to teach on your own there are other avenues.

Is there anything amiss if one choses to stay at one's home school...supporting your instructor and his teaching efforts instead of striking out alone?

I don't think there is anything wrong with this attitude at all. It shows loyalty which is sadly lacking in the world today. You never know it may be through staying at your teacher's school and instructing that you develop a desire to impart something or you own knowledge and experience to others.

The suggestion that if you don't have a school you aren't much chop is kinda ludicrous. The vast majority of old Chinese masters did not have schools. They taught who they wanted when they wanted. Highly skilled and very effective, I would have to take them seriously.

 

[Kacey]

Teaching - either independently or assisting your instructor - is, IMHO, a big part of learning; after all, what better way to check your understanding than to explain to someone else? My students teach each other all the time.

As far as being required to start a school or not be considered "serious"... I don't think I agree with that. Not everyone can be a school or club owner, for reasons related to their life circumstances.

I started instructing because I felt it was the only way I could repay my sahbum for the time and effort he put into teaching me - I continued teaching because I greatly enjoy it. When I decided I wanted to instruct, I talked to my sahbum about it, and he sat down with me and discussed the pros and cons, and made damn sure I knew what I was getting into - not because he wanted to dissuade me, but because he wanted to be sure I had a realistic understanding of what becoming an instructor meant, that I understood the responsibility I was taking on.

I was once offered a job with a local mcdojo chain; the owner of the chain showed up at a teachers' job fair I was attending 13 or 14 years ago. He had a contract-for-rank system - pay $X/month for Y months, show up Y times/month, and you are guaranteed Z rank - and somehow (according to what he told me that day) this system wasn't generating students who made good instructors (go figure, right? :idunno: - :lol, so he decided to hire teachers (who, presumably, already knew how to teach - although as a school teacher I will say that, while there are similarities, there are also some major differences), pay them ~50% over minimum wage to train in TKD and/or Karate 30 hours/week for 3 months, test them at the end of that time, assign them a rank - anywhere from green to black - and help them set up a franchise in his chain, which would pay salary + commission, commission to be based on the number of paying students and the length of the contract. He was quite excited to hear I was already a black belt in TKD... but I couldn't go through with the interview; I called and canceled, because my personal integrity wouldn't let me get into that type of situation.

 

[jks9199]

Shortly after I got my black belt, I tried to start a class of my own. I'll openly admit I didn't do much to market it or recruit people; that's not my talent. It wasn't really successful. I think there're a lot of reasons... some of them simply being wrong place/wrong time.

I also continued to attend the class I was brought up in, and to train with my teacher. I was very fortunate; I got a chance to learn some things that very few people in the country got a chance at. Over time, more and more of the teaching burden shifted to me and my partner; we eventually ended up assuming the mantle for running the class, and we still run it today.

All of this is a roundabout way of pointing out that not everybody is suited to running a school or class, for lots of reasons. EVERY advanced student should be helping to instruct -- but many are not going to be able to run a school, for lots of reasons. If YOU are the man, then you HAVE to be there each class. You can occasionally arrange a sub, but if you're doing too much of that, you can't really say that you're teaching, can you? (Yeah, that's an issue I have with some commercial schools; the name over the door pulls students in, but you rarely see that person teaching.)

Starting to teach a class on your own is something that you may or may not do; it's not -- or it shouldn't be -- a measure of your dedication. That said -- it sounds like the guy Carol was talking to had a particular goal. I can understand his view; he's trying to spread his style, and he needs people to do that. To reach his goal, he doesn't want me wandering in to train for a few weeks or years; he wants me to come in, learn his system and move out! Personally, I think he'd be better off concentating on simply teaching, and encouraging students who are ready AND interested in starting their own schools. It's a difference in emphasis...

 

[Xue Sheng]

Is there anything amiss if one choses to stay at one's home school...supporting your instructor and his teaching efforts instead of striking out alone?

No

Yin Fu (Founder of Yin style Bagua) stayed and trained with his teacher Dong Haichuan (the founder of Bagua) for 20 years... he was the only one of Dong Haichuan's student to stay that long.

I have been with my Yang Sifu for over 12 years and I have no plans to leave yet, still WAY too much to learn.

I may open a school someday but it is no longer as important as it once was. I want to understand the art and try and get close to a level of understanding to that of my sifu. I also want to get as close as I can to his level of skill, both of those are rather lofty goals actually, he has trained Taiji and only Taiji for (I recently found out) over 50 years.

 

[Hawke]

An interesting article about Morihiro Saito
http://www.aikidojournal.com/article?articleID=210

Hope this helps.

 

[MarkBarlow]

Not everyone wants to run their own school. Not everyone has the right mental/emotional/psychological mix to manage a school. For a few, it's a financial windfall, for many it's an ego boost, for most it's a financial black hole as well as a drain of time and energy with an occasional positive feedback when you see a student succeed beyond their expectations.

I've got students who have trained for 20 years under me and have no desire to leave the security of the dojo and teach on their own. They are a tremendous asset to the group and unselfishly share their experience and insight. There is no pressure for them to leave. On the other hand, I've had a few students who walk in the door wanting to know when they can open their own school. Most never make it past the first year of training. After 5 years, I started my own dojo but for the next 15 years, I still trained twice a week with my sensei. The 20 years I studied with him were the best investment I could have made in my martial arts career.

If a student does want to teach and is qualified, we bust our fannies to help them in any way we can. I've loaned tatami, helped paint and plaster, taught for free and been uke so that a new instructor could get his feet wet and be prepared to deal with the problems (and trust me, there are plenty) associated with the day to day running of a dojo.

Follow your heart and your head when it comes to teaching. If you trust your instructor (and I can't imagine training with someone I don't trust) listen to their opinion on your abilities and readiness. Don't be pushed into something you know you're not capable of but don't be afraid to try something new if it appeals to you.

 

[Langenschwert]

How important is the desire to open up a school and teach on your own?

It's very important to me. One of my dreams is to open my own HES salle. Fortunately, my instructor is eager to have students who teach. He wants me to be teaching in some capacity by the new year, so I've been training like mad. I was very upfront about my intentions to have my own salle one day, and he was pleased with that, regardless of whether it's an affiliate of his school or not. I thought that was pretty cool.

Best regards,

-Mark

 

[Flying Crane]

I personally think that way too many people are way too eager to teach, way before they are even close to being ready. There should be NO RUSH to become a teacher, esp. out on your own. If you wish to teach, if your teacher believes you are capable, then you should begin by assisting in your teacher's school. I think to branch out and open your own affiliated school, too soon, is a disaster.

Be patient, not everyone wants to be a teacher, not everyone is capable of being a good teacher even if the desire is there.

If the desire AND the skills AND the teaching aptitude are all there, it will become apparent in good time. For most people in the martial arts, this will never be the case, and they should never teach, especially if it is just a business "expansion" project.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a student, continuing to train for yourself, and never being a teacher. For most people, this is what it will be.

 

[Blindside]

I have been perfectly happy being an assistant instructor at our school, I don't particularly want the headaches of being a head instructor. That said, when I move from my present locale I will be setting out my own shingle in some way or another. Why? Simply put, it is my responsibility as a teacher, one of the things we agree to when we become a BB at our school, BBs are instructors. And I must be willing to pass on the benefits of what I have learned to others, if I'm not doing it with my instructor, then I'll be doing on my own. It isn't a money thing, its about transmitting the art and its benefits.

Lamont

 

[Ninjamom]

Is there anything amiss if one choses to stay at one's home school...supporting your instructor and his teaching efforts instead of striking out alone?

I seriously hope not, because that is exactly what I want to do.

I've had a discussion with my Instructor about exactly this topic (the Instructor who is expanding, opening new schools, and looking for Instructors to branch out and run satellite schools). I am 47 yrs old. I have all the trophies, certificates, degrees, diplomas, work experience, and leadership roles I could ever want. I've pretty much run out of things to prove and people to impress. I am entirely content to play 'second fiddle' and help someone else succeed. In fact, I think that has become my new definitioin of 'success' at this point in my life.

Life's too short for added stress you don't need and don't want. There is a lot to be said for doing what you enjoy and what you are good at, rather than what has the most notoriety or money.

 

[kidswarrior]

I seriously hope not, because that is exactly what I want to do.

I've had a discussion with my Instructor about exactly this topic (the Instructor who is expanding, opening new schools, and looking for Instructors to branch out and run satellite schools). I am 47 yrs old. I have all the trophies, certificates, degrees, diplomas, work experience, and leadership roles I could ever want. I've pretty much run out of things to prove and people to impress. I am entirely content to play 'second fiddle' and help someone else succeed. In fact, I think that has become my new definitioin of 'success' at this point in my life.

Life's too short for added stress you don't need and don't want. There is a lot to be said for doing what you enjoy and what you are good at, rather than what has the most notoriety or money.

I see you've reached the point where wisdom and inspiration outweigh knowledge and aspiration. Feels pretty darn good, doesn't it?

 

[kidswarrior]

I'm several years away from having any kind of teaching rank but it made me wonder....

How important is the desire to open up a school and teach on your own?

There are two very, very different issues in play here. Opening a school is both a martial arts venture, and a business venture. One must be really good at both to succeed.

I've knocked around enough to see good businessmen who were lousy martial artists--regardless of the 8 stripes on their belts awarded by their mentor (boss and franchise owner, with a vested interest in their success). I've left studios for this reason (even if the local owner was good, many of his choices were dictated by others).

And I've seen great martial artists who were not very good at business, and who ended up losing their studios--the place where I had pictured myself staying for life.

So, one must be good at two diverse things, then add the constant PR, and then be ready to commit for as long as students want to keep coming--maybe decades. Anyway, that's how I see it.

So:

Is there anything amiss if one choses to stay at one's home school...supporting your instructor and his teaching efforts instead of striking out alone?

Not at all. As Kacey and maybe some others have said, every student ends up teaching--your training partner, junior students, and probably eventually, a class of your own, if you want it.