I'm actually at the tail end of my teaching "career" of about 6-ish years right now.
The most I ever had was between 30-40 students and that was while I was still gigging 3 nights a week, before I got divorced and still actually had money.
I think all the other guys here did a great job obviously with the basic plan you need to make a living teaching.
I'll touch on the buisness end a bit, at least what worked for me.
I worked out of a local music store about 25 miles from my house.
The upstairs of the store was the studio/learning center.
We all made our own schedules and set our own rates.
The store never even charged us rent.
The other teacher, Dave Reed (
www.myspace.com/davereedmusic), who had been there for the better part of the previous decade took me under his wing and taught me all the ins & outs of the buisness, which he still runs today and is successfull as ever.
He has roughly about 75 students per week.
1st thing the student/parent signs is a contract where you lay out all your policies in writing, in advance. Which is handy to have in the event of a bad check or non-payment.
Every student pays a minimum of 4 lessons in advance, no exceptions.
$12 per 1/2 hour lesson.
If Dave cancels the lesson there is no charge to the student, however if the student cancels for any reason they are billed for it.
He says in the contract he will do what he can to get a make up lesson in, but no make up is guaranteed.
If you show up with no $$$ on payday, no lesson until the next 4 lessons are paid in advance.
No exceptions.
I followed this to a tee the entire time I was a teacher and it worked great.
However I'm easily a push over and more often then not I allowed people to "just get me next week" which almost always ended with me getting owed money in the end.
: - {
I thought over all it was a rewarding experience.
Inevitably you are gonna get kids that don't give a ****, but the ones who became good guitar players even if it's in a small way because of me I take a ton of pride in.
Some who aren't quite there yet, at least I know I've passed on my love for music and for performing.
Some just needed someone to listen to when their parents wouldn't.
And having an adult they thought was "cool" who acted like a friend and maybe was a positive influence in their life was probably the most common role I had.
Plus it teaches you alot about yourself as a musician and a guitar player.
I know my game improved immensely from teaching.
Plus teaching right next to a world class teacher like Dave 3 days a week & learning on the job was probably not a bad situation either...
However when Green Day was HUGE a few years ago, I could have done without the hundred plus times I taught "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"....
Over all though, it's a great way to get paid for doing something you love doing..