Top Teacher Awards

[debmc]

A pro's compensation may be structured in such a way that $4k of it is associated with 2h (or 1d) of work, but it's not as if every 2h (or 1d) of that pro's time is compensated with $4k, 8h/d, 5d/w, 50w/y. Honestly, let's not speak as if pros typically make $4k/d == $20k/w == $1M/y (with a 5d week and 50w year).

BTW, my salaried employment comes with medical benefits, 401(k) plan (and match), and other compensation perqs. Not so for most pros, as I understand things.

Sure, I know that isn't the average pro's salary. I was just referencing the 400 heat per comp pros returns for the purpose of this top teacher thread.

 

[debmc]

What I find comical is that everyone is screaming for transparency!! And yet here is a situation where you say "I understand that you get a bonus but "I Don't Wanna Have To See It... put that ceremony somewhere else so we don't have to look at!"

Can you imagine how people would howl if they never saw a top teacher award.... then found out the organizer slipped their teacher a $2k check in the back hallway!!! OMGosh

Totally true..but I don't think the discussion was about hiding top teacher awards as much as the OP's original post as to the relevance of these awards in the first place and if/ how it changes the dynamic.

 

[jump'n'jive]

The only way 400 heats over 4 days ( or 100 heats per day) adds up to $1000 per day is if you are charging $10 per heat to compete, which would be significantly below the current norm.

Most pros also have hotel and air expenses covered so no cost there.

I can't include your lost lesson cost because you are making money at a comp. I would assume when you are teaching lessons you don't account for lost comp time costs. Income is income, whether it is from lessons or a comp.

Dog boarding costs? I'm not sure I know of any profession that covers that!

I believe you should charge what you feel you are worth and if your students can afford it, that's great, but I just wanted to clearly state what the fees are of the average 100 heat per day pro is. It's a nice amount of money! It's not to say you shouldn't get it...it's just to say what it is.

Pleas tell me more about my profession...... Go on.

 

[Joe]

400 heats is spread out over 3-4 days. That's roughly $1000 per day and then over 12 hours per day. That factors out to be $83 per hour.

Not quite.

The 400 heats was already suggested to be 4 days, 100 heats/day @ $40/heat = $4000/day. If you're saying that it's not 4 days, or 100 heats/day, or $40/heat, I'm sure we're all ears.

Out of that $4,000 subtract what we lose not teaching. I average 6 lessons a day at $90 per lesson. Factor in that I have expenses to go to a comp. 4 days of dog boarding, 4 days of our nanny and her expenses if she come with, dry cleaning and tailoring etc. oh yeah and I'm going to need costumes to wear with you while I'm there.

How do you get to "subtract what we lose not teaching" when you're already charging a per heat fee? Isn't that the entire purpose of the heat fee--to offset what you lose not teaching? Do other professionals (docs, accountants, etc.) get to charge their clients for dogsitting and babysitting while they're at work, or for their clothes?

 

[debmc]

Pleas tell me more about my profession...... Go on.

See Joe's post above...

 

[DerekWeb]

Its not what they do, its what they know. Physicians get how much to diagnose a sore throat in 5 minutes? How many years did they train?

This thread is starting to sound like the Soviet Commissars wanting to regulate everything. Red guard?

 

[JudeMorrigan]

*pokes thread with stick*

*backs away slowly*

 

[jump'n'jive]

I guess I'll have to list wear and tear on my body from holding you up and making you look good on my itemized sheet for people.

Insurance for a possible torn rotator cuff and knee problems.


And yes I will bill my students whatever expenses I may incur while going to compete with them. Believe it or not competing isn't the bulk of our business. It's an elective and not mandatory. I'm certainly not going to spend my own money so you can go have a good time. Do we have fun, sure we do

 

[jump'n'jive]

When I leave my studio shuts down. Group classes don't run, dance parties don't happen, I could be missing out on potential walk ins.

Why shouldn't we charge for dance costumes? Doctors lawyers mechanics all charge for expenses. This is just another expense.

People get so caught up on this dance fantasy. How we have it easy. We dance all day it's so fun. Your hobby is my profession and I will be compensated for it and I will not be made to feel guilty what we charge. If you can't understand that or don't want to pay for it don't compete.

 

[jump'n'jive]

Also I don't need to explain all my expenses to you or anyone else how I price my time. Everyone gets so hung up when I say dog boarding. I don't list it on the spreadsheet. That falls under teacher expenses. I'm certainly not going to factor that into what it costs me to go away with you.

 

[rels77]

yeah, not sure how or why it's morphing into a comment on whether pros deserve to make what they make - of course they do! those pros who who do a million heats, get top teacher, etc. etc., they are often some of the best pros around, not some 19 year old who's only certified to teach bronze. you wanna learn to play cello with yo-yo ma? you're going to pay for it. Because part of the reason I think doing pro-am is so great, is there aren't a ton of activities like this where you get to learn regularly, through your teacher, visiting coaching, watching pros on the floor at a comp, etc. with some of the best professionals around. you can't regularly go play basketball in a pick up game with michael jordan, but you can learn regularly from the Paramonovs, or Emmanuel Pierre Antoine, etc. And on down the professional line. What you're paying for is that your pro had to work for 20 years to know what they know and pass it on to you. I know full well that if I was dancing with another amateur, I wouldn't be learning nearly as much or as quickly as with my pro. What a cool opportunity.

Plus, no way in hell could I put up with all the personalities that pros do - especially a ton of high strung, competitive women doing comps year round... that is a whole other art in and of itself!

Again, for me, this thread is more about the fact that the pros here often refer to comps and pricing etc, as wholesale (which is fine with me, I guess). So why do we celebrate the wholesaler (using the same analogy) and the function for the end consumer.

 

[debmc]

I guess I'll have to list wear and tear on my body from holding you up and making you look good on my itemized sheet for people.

Insurance for a possible torn rotator cuff and knee problems.


And yes I will bill my students whatever expenses I may incur while going to compete with them. Believe it or not competing isn't the bulk of our business. It's an elective and not mandatory. I'm certainly not going to spend my own money so you can go have a good time. Do we have fun, sure we do

I can see that you're getting upset but I tried to state several times that I DO think you should charge whatever you want and your students are willing to pay.

 

[debmc]

When I leave my studio shuts down. Group classes don't run, dance parties don't happen, I could be missing out on potential walk ins.

Why shouldn't we charge for dance costumes? Doctors lawyers mechanics all charge for expenses. This is just another expense.

People get so caught up on this dance fantasy. How we have it easy. We dance all day it's so fun. Your hobby is my profession and I will be compensated for it and I will not be made to feel guilty what we charge. If you can't understand that or don't want to pay for it don't compete.

I am not trying to make you feel guilty. I totally get that you should charge whatever you feel you are worth and whatever your students will pay. No one said it was easy. No one said it was fun.

Hey, we all work for a living! We all get it. We all have to cover what we are required to wear to work, we all have uncompensated work time, many of us have jobs that expose us to physical risks... Honestly we all get it. I know what a 12 hour work day feels like.. I know what a 16 hour work day feels like!

 

[IndyLady]

Here, however, the person who writes the check is often not the one with any power. They are beholden to an increasingly antiquated system where the pros are the ones who hold the keys to everything: communication, the information, etc. Which might have worked in a land before the internet, but is increasing harder to explain now. (that's a whole other thread) So the people who write the check are often not given the opportunity to utilize the power that the consumer will often have in contractor situations because it's a captive market.

Great insight. I think this is indeed a large part of what is driving these strong emotions. Hard to think of many other situations where the person writing the check (esp a large one) is made to feel like they have no right to scrutinize or understand where the money is going.

Teachers as go-betweens feels like a dying paradigm and the top teacher stuff feels a bit to me like part of it.

This. Definitely. As well as rels77's comment that "this might have worked in a land before the internet".

What I find comical is that everyone is screaming for transparency!! And yet here is a situation where you say "I understand that you get a bonus but "I Don't Wanna Have To See It... put that ceremony somewhere else so we don't have to look at!"

Can you imagine how people would howl if they never saw a top teacher award.... then found out the organizer slipped their teacher a $2k check in the back hallway!!! OMGosh

In my utopia, there wouldn't be "Top Teacher" or "Top Student" awards. It would be strictly a performance competition. And comp results would never boil down to things like, the student isn't groomed perfectly, or ultimately it's your pro (and his/her status) rather than strictly the quality of your dancing that influences placement, or any other political or arbitrary criteria. Yes, I am aware this doesn't *always* happen but it's not unheard of either, and yes that is my fantasy as I am sure there are a myriad of reasons why those are not realistic expectations.

However, if those awards are going to exist, name them what they are, "Most Entries Award". Criteria clearly stated in programs or whatever documentation is received and available to all pros and students (b/c honestly, I don't think I've ever actually seen the literal criteria in writing for these awards). And don't give me the side-eye if I elect not to clap or holler if they are publicly bestowed.

 

[jump'n'jive]