Comments on: Artist Teaching: Experience vs. Pay Scale

By: Alyson Stanfield

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 16:03:33 +0000

Marj: I’m planning on teaching a teleseminar or webinar on this topic – coming up in June 2012. Thank you for your questions. Let me know if you have more!

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By: Marj

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:48:54 +0000

I am totally interested in teaching art workshops, been a school teacher for years, and have a ‘few’ questions, LOL! This column was great, learned a lot…can you teach in a public park without permits, etc.? If you begin with a simple class, what price range can you hope to receive from students, low to high? How can you realistically make a living with art workshops and how many do you need in a given week? Thanks!

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By: Artist Teaching: Experience vs. Pay Scale | davetboise

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 09:59:19 +0000

[…] Source: https://aaartbizold.wpengine.com/2011/01/teaching-experience.html […]

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By: Beth

Mon, 31 Jan 2011 06:46:25 +0000

From the POV of a painting student, I just want to say that I feel my instructor undercharges us and I’m grateful that he does. I don’t think I could afford to study with him if he charged what his time is worth. There are painting students who will appreciate the value of their lessons even if they aren’t being charged a lot for them.

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By: Alyson Stanfield

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 16:23:41 +0000

In reply to Marsha Savage.

Marsha: It’s fine to look at what others are charging and start there, but you should also be crunching the numbers and making sure that you’re making money and not losing money. And by making money, I mean seeing a profit — earning a living.
Don’t blame it on the economy. Get out there and pound the pavement. There are students to who need you. Find them.

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By: Marsha Savage

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 13:56:10 +0000

This is a very timely post and conversation. The economy has taken its toll on students taking classes and workshops. So, how do we deal with that aspect also? I have not raised my rates for workshops in about three or four years. But, the number of students has dropped also.
For classes I have decided to only teach out of my home an open session type of class — more along a mentoring situation rather than a class with a specific plan, and I paint also with the students. Though, I do still teach workshops in other locations — Florida, Colorado, etc.
Coming up with a reasonable rate — value for instruction received — is still difficult. Reading the post above where all the factors are used to come up with a fee, just boggles my mind. Mostly I look at other instructors, what they charge, what their level of expertise is, how long they have been teaching, etc. …. and then I try to situate my class or workshop where I think it fits. I do try to make money above the cost of the venue, travel, etc. … but those other factors, are so hard to figure out. I know you think we should be able to do that … sit down and figure it out. I’ll try to be better.
Thanks for this post and all the information from the comments!

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By: Marsha Savage

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 13:48:28 +0000

In reply to Alyson Stanfield.

Alyson (and Susanne),
Regarding liability insurance: my husband and I decided since I had occasional students in my home for private or semi-private lessons, we needed an “umbrella” insurance policy. I also teach workshops at my second home and this would cover that location also. It is another expense, but well worth it. Anyone teaching or doing something out of their home should check into insurance in case someone were to slip and fall, etc. Good peace of mind.

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By: Franziska San Pedro

Sat, 22 Jan 2011 04:07:38 +0000

In reply to Alyson Stanfield.

Thank you for responding!
I agree with you and that’s what I meant to say: it’s always depending at what stage you are but you still have a value when you are just starting, the value will go up over time because of your experience and expertise.
I’ve made the experience that many take advantage of people who just started out (“this would be such a great experience for you to expose yourself and meet high-profile people…” and similar) that I decided to turn down some offers. But also, I took offers that were payed low when I had the impression that there was some synergy and I could get more in future classes. And in this case, they always went up with my pay after they have seen me at a class teaching.
Good to read all the different experiences in negotiating,
Franziska San Pedro

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By: Lori Woodward

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:32:42 +0000

In reply to Alyson Stanfield.

Alyson, thanks for your reply. good questions to consider!
I get $100/day per student at my workshops. If they’re held at a workshop business/facility, it’s closer to $600 for a 5 day workshop.
Your post here got me thinking, and I put the question out to some of the folks who’ve ordered the first tutorial. I’m glad I did because they gave me rave reviews and said that $20 was a bargain. The consensus is that $30 is still a great value for what I offered, and one said I could easily charge $40 or $50, but I don’t want to go that high.
The plan after doing some research is to have a pre-production price of $20 and a regular price of $30. One artist said she pays that for a tank of gas and that the tutorial will do more for her than that.
So, I’m happy now and feeling secure with the $30 🙂
thanks Alyson for asking.

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By: Alyson Stanfield

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 22:18:54 +0000

In reply to Bonnie Hamlin.

Bonnie: It’s good to see your face here! It sounds like you have lots of experience with this. I’m sure we’ll learn from what you’ve written here. Thanks!

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