Next I would join a Music Teachers Association. It’s a wonderful network with other music teachers. They have monthly meetings & yearly conferences.
My next tip is to always interview potential new students. Every student that calls you for lessons may not be a perfect fit for you. In the interview read your policy letter word for word. Trust me parents take these home and never read them. Discuss with parents their expectations of their student. Have them play for you. Then decide if the student will work well in your studio. If not, refer them to other teachers in the area.
Finally, be firm. If you write something in your policy letter enforce it from the beginning.
Christina’s Advice:
Create a contract and make the student and his or her parent sign it… and stick to it! You will seem more organized and professional, and then you have all your policies in writing in case a situation arises. It’s also a good way to collect everyone’s contact information.
I learned this the hard way: Require tuition at the beginning of the month. Do not give refunds unless the student is absent for illness or emergency. However, be flexible and offer makeup times.
Make a big deal of recitals. Send invitations, provide refreshments, award certificates, etc. (I love organizing recitals!) It will encourage your students to prepare more if they know it is not just a performance but an “event.”
Make a big deal of your students! Attend their school plays, dance recitals, etc. I have a 6-year-old student who made me a “friendship pin” for Christmas, and I’ve worn it for all her lessons since. Her mother thinks that is the greatest gesture in the world, and it is such an easy thing to do!
Be forgiving. I had a student miss several lessons in a row, but I still kept in my studio. I later learned that her parents were in the middle of a divorce. When things settled down, she came back to lessons and recently received Student of the Month!
As best you can, keep your “studio” separate from your “home.” My music room is actually a bedroom. That way the goings on of our living room, etc., aren’t totally disrupted because a lesson is going on.
Tell your local music store you’re a teacher, and they will usually give a discount!”
It involves receiving dictation by tape, digital system or voice file, and using ear phones, a foot pedal for start-stop control and a word processing program. A variety of word-processing systems are used. It requires good listening and language skills, computer skills and knowledge of medical terms.” (from MT Daily)
If you have basic office experience, especially in the medical field it is a plus. There are several medical transcription companies you can work for online, but you have to take several tests first to see if you pass them. A lot of jobs are found by word of mouth, so network with other transcriptionists and see what they do. You also may want to just try it first, a lot of people think they would like to work at home, but with transcription it is really hard to do if there is background noise or little children around. I work from 4-7 a.m. or late at night. The work I receive also has to be returned in less than 24 hours, so it is stressful and not something you can procrastinate.“
2. Read on the Etsy forums. The forums are a wonderful way to connect with other sellers and learn things you didn’t even know to ask.
3. Scope out your competition – but don’t copy! It’s great to check out price points and styles, but copycats rarely find success. Find your own unique look, and you’ll stand out in the crowd.
4. Work on taking great photos. Pictures sell your product more than anything else. Make sure yours are topnotch.
5. Don’t get discouraged. Success on Etsy (or off!) rarely comes overnight. Be prepared to work hard and be patient.
6. Don’t wait for the buyers to find you – go find them! A great way to do this is through twitter, blogs and other social networking. If you build relationships with your target market, the sales will come.”
-Go to garage sells through-out the summer and the DI to find a lot of toys/manipulatives. You will need a lot of these and the price adds up, so go cheap!
-I bought all my furniture (tables, stools, rug) at IKEA. It was cheap but really cute.
-Dollar Tree has a whole section of teacher stuff.
-I did visit Kid 2 Kid a lot too. They always have good stuff.
To Advertise for the preschool I started in May. Most parents who are looking for preschools start around this time and even earlier.
Much of my advertising was word of mouth, but I also visited the…I visited the people in my neighborhood and told them i was starting one and to spread the word. I also delivered fliers around areas with lots of kids. I also listed myself on KSL. I also called the other preschools in my area and gave them my number to give to those people that were on their waiting lists or if they got any new people call after they were full. The first year is hardest to get students, but after that you can start building a waiting list with siblings or neighbors.”
Okay so here are my main tips:
- get a hostess that is organized or who you can guide as much as possible to be organized. The class will run so smooth if she knows what’s what.
- everyone must be on time. If they come late you can always tell them that they are welcome to come to another class, but they will be unable to finish the project in the time allotted. There are exceptions, but I tell the hostess this upfront.
- Everyone must prepay. If you don’t pay then you could just not come and I would be wasting my time and energy and money to front supplies. This helps with organization too.
- Limit your instructions. Ladies like to talk so be brief and know you are going to have to repeat yourself to almost everyone.
- Dealing with the non-crafty. There are TONS of people out there who don’t know how to craft and aren’t all that capable. Be specific with instructions, but also tell them that they can’t mess it up. Lots of people get hung up on making theirs perfect where it is all preference. I try to bring out the creativity in everyone by having them make it their own.
- Set a time limit for the class. Like I said, ladies like to talk, so if they know they only have 2 hours to finish a project you can just remind them of the time and get them to hurry up. Starting to clean up helps too.”
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Feel free to share your own ideas too!
Mariel
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Great ideas!!
I don’t know if medical transcription is still an option. My neighbor had a medical transcription company that contracted with IHC but they closed the company because with the new Healthcare plan, IHC sends everything to India to be transcribed (which I thought was absolute CRAZY!!. Now they don’t have any work and therefore, no company.
I have thought of doing Daycare in my home. This fall I will have both kids in school full time. I just might get bored.. I would love to do school teachers kids..To be off in the summer time…