what do you charge for beginner flameworking lessons?

[uglyglass]

borosilicate - I've been picking up more private lesson custies lately and not quite sure what a fair charge is. I've been saying 50 an hr, of which I cut 15 to the shop I work at. I also supply the materials for the very beginning lessons. Is this fair? Am I charging too much? too little? People seem to be happy with it. Also, what do you do when people want private lessons for more than one person at a time, like a couple or something? Charge more I'm assuming, but how much more?

I had a group of 4 ask me what I'd charge them for 1 beginner lesson and I said 100 an hr with a minimum of 4 hrs. haha, Obviously I have no idea what I'm doing and can use some advice. Thanks.:puzzled:

[michaeL25]

whatever you can sell and feel is fair.

you have to look at volume too. I honestly don't think a couple of hours is enough time to convey all the basics to someone. When I started I was paying $110 for 8 hours on the instructors equipment/gas/glass. this teacher didn't go into anything beyond the basics, but it was a good start for me.

Now that I've developed quite a bit, I have a damn good glassworker with 7 years of experience coming to my shop in a few weeks and he's charging $250 for an ~8 hour day (he's gotta drive over an hour each way to get to me too). He also leaves all the finished products of the demo's he gives during the session. This is what he was asking and i'm sure there will be room for a little negotiation/trades/etc in the future, but I think that's a good price for advanced lessons.

[lucidvisions]

It's gonna be different for everyone IMO.

What is your time worth when making product?

Is your time worth more when teaching?
Coming from me I feel you should get paid more to deal with beginners than others with experience. You constantly have to be over beginner's shoulders rather than showing a technique and then letting them loose.
How much gas will the class be using?

How much glass will the class be using.

How much is insurance for liability? (if no insurance, you better at least have a wavier) Note:A waiver won't help you too much if someone really wants to sue you, but is a necessity.

Are you teaching on a day that is normally a day you or other's don't usually work? Then add in how much electricity you'll be adding to your bills (kiln usage and lights, ect.)

When we taught beginners we charged $350 for two six hour sessions and we had to have a minimum of 4 people enrolled for us to teach. That came out to 1400 for the weekend for us and made it worth it. But shit, we had to stop doing it because we just got tired of constantly babysitting for a whole weekend and it was hard to get 4 people in a class on the same weekend around here.

Just my .02, hope it helps a bit. Just do your numbers so you KNOW it's worth it and it makes you $$$$$$$$$$$$, or don't do it.

Good luck!

Josh

[uglyglass]

thanks... Bulk rates are probably a good idea. But 110 for an 8 hr day which includes materials seems pretty damn cheap to me. That being said, I'd also like to operate on a sliding scale cause I would hate to tell someone "no" that really has an interest but not enough money. I'm trying to supplement the income I make from cheap production with private lessons and classes, just not feeling the production work right now.

I find 4 hr time slots to be perfect for me. I don't think I have the temperament for more than that. I get impatient with people, and 4 hrs is enough time for them to decide whether they want to continue lessons with me or not. I geuss I'll just get a feel for what's fair to charge as I hopefully pick up more students. Once again, thanks.

[petto]

How much money do you need to make in a day? Say you need to make $200 a day (for example) to operate your shop and pay bills, overhead, payroll etc. . You should charge that same amount for a 1 day class, half that for a half day. Just because you are teaching doesn't mean it's not a work day. You still need to make the same amount of money as any other day.

[Zed]

I disagree, I think you need to charge MORE then your used to making in a day. If a good day of work for you = $200, try to get $350 for teaching. Your only creating more competition in a field that has become super saturated anyways, if your going to show someone how you make your money so they can compete with you, you should at least get paid right.

[Kool]

When I have taught beginner, one-on-one private lessons in the past, I charged $40 and hour. That included supplies, etc....and I let the student keep anything I made as part of a demo.

I currently have a long-term student. I gave him a better hourly deal for committing to a large block of hours, but I also keep everything I make when I demo anything for him.

[CripSkillz]

i have givin a few lessons for free well only 2 but, it was only like 1hr and tehy brought the beer, so more like letting my friends fuck off with tips..

i cant see how i can charge anybody anything when i am still learning my self.. its just fun watching em mess that clear up hehehehehhe and get all frustrated cuz they knew what they wanted to make and i told em aint gona happen, but they thought it would..

so i guess a few free lessons now validated my prices for pieces to a few of my friends, they now know how easy it is to make a mess..

LOL

[K-Dog]

if i was going to start teaching beginner classes i'd probably charge $400 for a 9 hour day. for one person or a group of 4 - 6,same price for all.

one hour discussion on safety and equipment
four hour Visual lesson
four hour hands on/ over the shoulder instruction

Glass/gas included

Works out to be $45 an hour

[Mr. Wonka]

The problem with new students is that many of them would like to try working with glass, but few will stick with it. We offer an introductory class (frit pendants) in which we have 2 students for 2 hours, and the charge is $45.00 per person.

If they like it and wish to continue learning, I explain how glass classes are like piano lessons… A lesson is a waste of time and money and will do you no good if you don’t have a piano at home to practice.

If they are serious and purchase the necessary tools, I offer private lessons at $30.00 an hour, and teach them basic exercises to practice at home. I encourage them to bring in all of their practice pieces when they come back for another lesson so I can critique their work and explain what they are doing consistently right, as well as consistently wrong.

I find that this is an effective method of teaching with a combination of hands on training, personal practice and experimentation, and professional critique. The student gets a chance to work in a professional environment (here) as well as a personal environment (home studio).

I also stress the need for further study, and always recommend Contemporary Lampworking (Bandhu Dunham) as reading material, Lewis C. Wilson / Crystal Myths videos for viewing, and the GLDG for networking with other lampworkers… as well as picking up a wealth of information from a broad spectrum of glass workers.

Another thing to consider is that Elaine and I live in a rural area of western Pennsylvania, where the wages and cost of living is much lower than (as a for instance) NYC or Cali, and prices / cost per hour can (and should) vary according to location.

*I went a little more in depth with methods than I did with pricing, and I hope that helps you out... T

[Samson]

I charge $275.00 for a 4 hour class, everything included, they bring nothing. I've taught well over 40 people and I've never once had a student diss the class for any reason. I've let a couple go only because after talking to them before the class because we found out together it wasn't for them, or they were wanting to learn something I couldn't teach. After the first class I charge $50 a technique ... never had anyone balk at that either ... This is for a 101 lampworking class ... 2 hours at the table learning safety,equipment, who to buy from, glass composition and flame characteristics , etc .... it's a deep class and after giving so many I have it down to a complete A - Z class. It works for me and I'm sure I could give more if I lowered it but it works and I'm getting more and more students interested. GL and always charge what you think is fair. The students leave with a huge handout that covers everything we go over, they keep all work done including mine and know that I'm only a phone call/email away when it comes to asking questions or getting advice. I only do classes one on one with the exeption of them being best friends, relatives or couples. They just seem to learn more together and they thrive off of each other when they venture out on their own.

It would seem the avg. out there is around $180 bucks ... but thats with 8-10 students and one teacher ... they just aren't going to learn whats needed, imho, and some will never come back to glass. I bet that 1/3 of my students had already had a class and the things that some who think they can teach is just wrong. I've had a couple students that took a class elsewhere only to leave molten glass because after going to the torch using what they had been taught they only became frustrated and had crap said to them that only caused all their beads / pendants crack. If I could just have a dollar for the ones that said my last teacher said I didn't need a kiln, verm in a crockpot was all I needed along of course with annealing in the back of the flame. Bah! I could name some names but I'll pass 8)

~peace

[JANKYglass]

i do the occasional beginers class.i do a 2 day super informational,hands on class.starting with safety,products available(glass,tools,supplier info),marbles and pendants,then simple hollow,and basic assembly of pieces(welds/attachments),and different tube pull methods. my classes are 1on1 unless students are friends and want to take the class together to save (-$50 each).12 hours each day minimum(with minimum of 8 hours a day hands on instruction and 4 hours of open torch).$350.never had any complaints from students but i have had refferals.