How to swap teachers...diplomatically?

I think that if you approached the franchisee/teacher A and said I am not happy with our lessons and was thinking about leaving the studio. When he starts to protest, hopefully in a begging tone, you might somehow suggest that you could have a go around with Instructor B. That way the franchisee will be glad he hasn't lost the business completely.

You could blame it on his lack of availability, i.e., you're so busy running your studio that you seem a bit distracted on our lessons.

Just one suggestion. I'm on the verge of another one, give me a little time and it will come to me.

Another one: The truth. Hey, Instructor A, dancing is really important to me and I want to get the most out of my lessons, do you think we could focus more on the physical part of dancing? I also don't like the comparisions between me and the other student.

Another one: When it comes time to rebook, call the front desk and book in with Instructor B. When Instructor A asks you about it, say that you wanted to try something new, say he's a better match for you height wise, etc.
 
Fretful_Porpentine said:
I've been having some problems with my instructor lately, and I want to switch to the other male instructor at my studio. Here's a quick outline of why:

My instructor regularly spends huge chunks of my lesson time (read: 20-30 minutes) regaling me with stories of his most advanced student/partner. If it were some other time, I'd be ok with it, but since I'm paying by the hour, I feel really cheated. Also, he's not really teaching me anything. He's spent the month or so "reviewing" for my impending and long-awaited graduation from Bronze 1 (I'm at an AM studio, so the levels are kind of different, I think). This is completely ridiculous since the other instructor, who, frankly, is much better, says that I've been dancing at a full bronze level for several weeks now and should've graduated from Bronze 1 back in September or October! So naturally I'm feeling very aggravated and like I'm not making progress.

However, I feel kind of bad asking to switch my instructor for several reasons: My instructor is really a very nice guy, and I don't like hurting nice people's feelings. Also, I'm not very confrontational. Also, my instructor is the franchisee of the studio. Also, I kind of get the impression that he's the sort of person who harbors grudges, and I don't want things to be weird between us. Nevertheless, I'm determined to switch instructors in exactly 18 days.

Sooooo....what should I do? How do I break the news?
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this reminds me alot of what I said to boy next door in another thread....and dont think for one minute that you might not also be getting exploited b/c young ladies your age are usually just what you are, too nice to lay it on the line...just do it...it is a business....resist the guilt
 
One of my buddies was having a similar issue in regards to the chatting and solved it in a way that didn't alienate the instructor but it might a bit forward for you. Simply determine how much it costs per minute and mention that.

For instance: "I enjoy learning more about your other student, but this is costing me a dollar twenty five a minute." If the guy is anywhere near as nice as you think he is he will apologize and not make the same mistake again. If he doesn't know it is an issue he might assume that it's fine with you. It could also be a misunderstanding, some people take dance classes to be more social and meet more people, for them I can see the socializing being an important part of the experience.

I wouldn't worry about him holding a grudge over you expressing that you came for lessons, anyone who would has a serious issue they need to resolve to remain professional.

In regards to being held back you may just want to ask what it is you need to do to progress to the next level and ask him how you can demonstrate that. If he skirts around the issue I wouldn't stick around, but he may have some actual reasons for keeping you in Bronze 1 that you are not aware of, or may simply be unaware of your goals.

Reading the issues at hand it is very easy to see him as taking advantage of you, and that is certainly the first impression I got - but more communication could show them as benign mistakes that are easily correctable.

And remember - this is a business for him, he is at work and you are paying for his services. If you were at work talking with your friends half the time and holding back a product from your employer and they called you on it you would have no right to hold a grudge or be angry - neither does he.
 
mamboqueen said:
Don't feel bad. The bottom line is it's your money and you're not paying to have a chat pal.
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I agree. If you are really do what to stay with this guy, them tell him that it is your time to learn to dance and you are paying for that time. If he wants to talk to you after a lesson about other couple that is fine, but make it clear it is not acceptable during the time that you are paying for. If that does not help, or you really just want to switch to the other guy, try taking a lesson with him and see how you like it. If you find it more suiting to what you want then, don't be afraid to change instructors.

I understand getting attached to one instructor, but at the end of the day, if you are not happy with the services you are paying for, or lack of the service you as a consumer have every right to chose someone who will provide what you want for the money you are willing to pay.
 
Why don't you say, "How about we talk about [insert other student's name] after my lesson is over?"
 
Joe said:
Why don't you say, "How about we talk about [insert other student's name] after my lesson is over?"
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exactly....at my studio , 20 minutes is about 30 bucks....I need to work on my spin trun man...ya know how many spin turns you can do in 20 minutes(too many:rolleyes: )
 
redhead said:
can you do spotting in standard?????
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I know it's the ballet training in me, but I spot every single turn I do, to some degree. Sometimes it's just the eyes that hold the spot as opposed to a full head turn, but it's just natural for me to do it.
 
"let's make a deal. i'll pay you 1.25 a minute (or whatever it is) to teach me my samba routine, and then after the lesson, YOU can pay ME 1.25 a minute to listen to stories about your other students! see that sounds PERFECTLY FAIR!"
 
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