I teach at a YMCA. I am employed as an independent contractor, and am required, as are all of their independent contractors, to carry my own insurance. They pay me a percentage of the dues collected from the students - also their policy with independent contractors, as that encourages people to find ways to make their classes grow, to the benefit of all.
Some things that have come up for me:
- make sure there is a secure place you can store any class equipment, or it may walk, or be used by other classes, often for unexpected purposes
- make sure than everyone who uses the same space that you do is aware of when your class is - there are two people who schedule classes in the room I'm in, and they don't always talk... so sometimes they schedule classes that overlap
- watch out for other employees who have 'experience' - the Y where I work hired a personal trainer who says he is a 5th Dan (I've never checked to see) and he kept trying to take over programs I've spent years putting in place - including trying to start a competing class even after being told that he couldn't
- make sure up front that it is clear whether or not non-facility members can be in the class. This has never been a problem for me at the Y, but I was an assistant instructor for another class that was at a health club, and that was a real sticking point.
Even with all that, howeve, there are some really good points to being in a recreational facility
- facility maintenance is not something I have to deal with
- they collect the dues, and get all the headaches that comes with that lovely chore
- there is a constant stream of new Y members who see and try the class, so I have new students on a regular basis, and some of them stay (yay!)
- advertising is provided through flyers and the programming guide, which, this being a Y, is mailed out to the entire neighborhood
Good luck to you!
