New instructor
- Thread starter Alice.W
- Start date
Linda J Schlensker
New Member
I am a private instructor and I do decline students for various reasons. I think all instructors do. Sometimes we know that the personality fit is not right. If we really don't like each other, I am wasting that students money. I am short and would rather match a tall student with one of our taller instructors. I have declined students who I know are doing without health insurance so they can take dance lessons. I will also decline a student who doesn't do anything with their dancing between lessons and is just looking for a "dime a dance" lady. Sometimes, my schedule doesn't fit with when that student wants a private or I am fully booked. I'm not going to take on a student if I don't have adequate time or energy for them. My partner is very specialized. He teaches at an extremely advanced level and does not take social students. His interest is in competitors and coaching pro's. I teach beginners through advanced students and I have a love for the beginners who are delighted with every new thing they find in dancing. A friend of mine is slowly getting out of the dance business. She is continuing to teach her current students and cutting her hours as they move on, but she quit taking new students. There are many valid reasons why an instructor may not accept a new student. It is not something I would take as a personal cut.
fascination
Site Moderator
thank you Linda for sharing...I have also seen pros make decisions like this when their schedule varies...for a long while my current pro simply didn't have an opening unless someone cancelled...other pros I know of, if the flow of students was plentiful, would make it clear that they were only interested in competitive students...it just depends upon the pro...but it could be any number of innocous things
danceronice
Forum Master
IME, 99.9% of the time it's always one of the reasons Linda or Fasc mentioned. Heck, the only reason I'm with NP is I had a "referral" and a resume, so to speak, as he normally doesn't take new students. And even then the first lesson was more of a trial to see if we got on well enough he'd want to keep my as a regular student. I think especially with some of the more experienced (I'd say 'older' but that's not always the case) pros, they've done this for a long time, their business is well-established, and they've 'paid their dues' by working twelve hours a day teaching already and can pick and choose a little more. It's almost, that I've seen, never anything personal about the student.
musicchica86
Well-Known Member
Well, while I've never seen a pro refuse to take on a student just based on their personality, you'd be surprised how often pros will encourage students to move on to a different teacher or even flat-out dump them...
danceronice
Forum Master
I don't think any of us who've been taking lessons (or giving them) for a while would be at all surprised. Unless a teacher is desperate for business, any business, there's a cost-benefit analysis involved: is the money involved worth tolerating a personality conflict? If the answer is no, send them to someone else or tell them that the situation isn't working and they aren't going to teach them any more.
Linda J Schlensker
New Member
I missed something here. Two instructors already? Knowing too little at this point I would like to say:, ethical teachers do not "steal" students from one another. I will not take another teacher's student on unless I've talked to the current teachers. Too much different information coming from too many sources can confuse a student. I don't want to undercut another teacher. This whole response may be off base and I'm a little sleep dep... Unless the teachers are working together this is a whole different can of worms...
All said, I wish the absolute best for all involved.
Just to clarify things:
I am not having three instructors, just two! I was never rejected by an instructor, and I never said I was. But yes, I was in the process of enquiring about availability of my second instructor when I posted this thread, I was just curious how often rejections happen between teachers and students.
I am not having three instructors, just two! I was never rejected by an instructor, and I never said I was. But yes, I was in the process of enquiring about availability of my second instructor when I posted this thread, I was just curious how often rejections happen between teachers and students.
Linda J Schlensker
New Member
Thanks for the clarification. I think the quick answer is, "a lot more than people realize" often for fair and just reasons. And because teachers are human too, sometimes for unfair reasons. It has been a good discussion. All my best.