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Giving guitar lessons is a great way to share your knowledge and passion and generate income. What could be better than earning money for doing something you love, like playing guitar?
There is just one thorny issue: how do you find pupils for your guitar lessons? All teachers quickly encounter this problem. This is the main obstacle that you will have to overcome, but it is worth the effort!
Do not give up: here is a complete overview of the different methods you can use to find students for private guitar lessons, whether they are in person or guitar lessons online.
The students and the types of lessons you should provide can span from beginner guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, blues guitar, music theory and of course, above all, beginner guitar lessons.
Balancing Your Offer with the Demand
In the field of private tutoring of music, especially guitar, the principle of supply and demand applies. Many people of all ages want to learn the guitar with a private tutor. The demand is clearly there. Sorted, right?
Some aspiring private teachers fall into the trap of thinking that students will be crowding their doorstep from the start, but it is more complicated. There is no shortage of tutors offering guitar lessons - after all, the only alternative jobs for teachers of classical guitar is to perform themselves.
You are far from being the only one.
You probably already have friends who play guitar and who have considered giving private tutoring a go. There is a huge supply of guitar tutors out there, and as there is no degree requirement for this kind of work, pretty much anyone can start. Finding students can therefore be a real mission. The question is: how do you corner the market?
Find students through your contacts, or by word of mouth
Most people have dreamt of being a musician at one point in their life, to impress their friends, to dance or simply from a vague love of music. There is a good chance that someone in your circle is interested in your music lessons. You can reach out to friends and family, but also their friends and families.
One person could have a network of thousands if you go to people just one or two person removed from you: friends of friends of friends, for example.
You know what you have to do to reach your extended circle:
- Contact all your friends, classmates, colleagues, and family members. You can even talk to people you meet at random if you get on well.
- Ask these people to pass on the message to their own friends and family.
The disadvantage of this method, which is often very effective, is that the circle of your close relations is narrow and that the more distant relations (second and third circle) may be harder to contact. Not everyone has access to a large extended family.
Find Students on Social Networks
Another option is to turn to social networks. The development of social media is a serious boon for you. It is the newest and most effective channel for contacting students. Facebook, Twitter, etc. are ideal places to post your ads and find students.
Discover also how easy it could be to give guitar lessons online!
Do not hesitate to regularly post ads on your news feed. Twitter is especially suited to this. Enjoy it, and take care with your choice of hashtags.
These hashtags will allow you to reach complete strangers in search of a guitar teacher in their area.The main problem with social networks - and there are a few - is that news feeds update quickly and posts soon get lost in the noise. This uninterrupted flow of information is both the beauty and the weakness of these channels.
Advertising by Flyers or on Store Notice Boards
This method takes relatively little time - you could start today - although it takes a little more effort than posting on social networks. Writing and printing a small ad will take you two hours at most. Remember to mention all the important elements, namely:
- Your offer: a private guitar lesson (specifying your style and the level taught: beginners, experts, etc., and the location of lessons: Local, at home ...).
- A quick description of your skills (number of years of guitar experience). You have to show off as much as possible, while remaining honest.
- Your name.
- Your contact details: phone + email if possible.
Then, go to as many stores as possible. Some may refuse, but most accept in general (if you are polite and cheerful). Target local stores and the store owners you know well and, if necessary, go a little further afield.
The downside to this method: small ads printed on black and white paper sometimes lack credibility. If you have a bit of money to play with you could design a fancier flyer. It will look more professional. If you don't have access to funds, try this last technique.
Post an Ad on a Private Tutoring Platform
This more modern technique is increasingly used by people looking for students for private lessons (music or tutoring). The internet is completely unavoidable as a means of communication today. This method is therefore strongly recommended.
You will have no trouble finding online classifieds sites (there are dozens online). The problem is distinguishing between the efficient platforms and the performance-poor platforms. While platforms have generally improved in recent years, some are lagging behind, and some are paid-only.
Superprof is a linking platform that puts you in touch with people searching for private guitar lessons. A great bonus is that the platform is free for tutors, and has a growing number of users. Do not hesitate to register on our platform to find students quickly.
Also learn how to give private guitar lessons!
How Price Impacts Your Ability to Find Students
You must adapt the hourly rate of your private lessons to market prices to find pupils. It's a basic law of economics: if your rates are too high, students will turn to other providers. Therefore it is crucial to give your pricing careful consideration.
Here are the three criteria that you must consider to determine the fair price of guitar lessons:
- The geographical area (city or region) where you give classes: the prices of guitar lessons in a city are higher than in the suburbs for example. They also differ from one city to another.
- Your experience and skills: the more experience you have the higher your hourly rate might be. Logically, guitar lessons for beginners who want to learn guitar are charged at a cheaper rate than guitar lessons for students with some experience.
- The level of guitar lessons you give must be correlated with your skills.
So, now you know where to direct your research.
This process is open to everyone and often quick to carry out (posting an ad on a platform like Superprof takes only a few minutes).
Do not get discouraged; if you do it right, you could be heading off to meet your first students in a few days.
The platform that connects tutors and students
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