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I may become a crochet instructor!!!! UPDATE on post 22!


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I talked to the manager of our local Hobby Lobby and he told me that he hasn't had anyone offer to teach crochet yet! He said that basically you put your "advertizment" on one of the easels when you walk in the store and have sign up sheets there. They only ask that everyone uses products that they sell there (obviously) and they'll do like Michaels where everyone who takes the class gets 10% off their supplies. The instructor takes all the instruction money! (At our local Michaels it isn't that way. The instructors get paid an hourly rate for teaching and that's all)

 

So, I am going to go in there and speak with him in person tonite. Just wanted some suggestions as to what kinds of things I should put for my advertisment and such. I don't know if they set up how much the class is or if I do. What is a reasonable fee? I was thinking $10...

 

Any suggestions would be so greatly appreciated!!!!!

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How many classes is it? Is it a one time affair, or do you have a project and they come in and work on it for like 6 weeks? I took a knitting class at a yarn store 30 miles away from me, and it was 8 weeks long, every Tuesday, and I think it was $45.00 here in Kansas.

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Hmm, I hadn't even thought about that. I know at Michaels the lady just does a basic "learn to" class that is a one time only thing. They always do granny squares. Yuck! I think I would want to teach something a little "hipper" than that to attract customers. Something simple that everyone can learn.. Maybe dishcloths or something?

 

Maybe I could do a class that is so many weeks. Thanks for the suggestion! That's why I posted this question. The more ideas the better and a little extra pocket money for me!

 

Now, the other thing is that I work 6 days a week but get off early on Saturdays. I would have to teach the class Sat evenings after 4pm. Since HL isn't open on Sundays that's my only option unless I do a weeknight thing. When do you think I should offer the class?

 

I was thinking maybe 4-6pm on Saturdays or something like that? I just don't know if this is a good time for most people or not. So many things to think about!!!

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Maybe a weeknight class would attract students who can't do daytime or weekend classes. Or who want an evening out when their partner can watch the kids. When I was a single mom of two special needs kids, a friend pushed me to take a night cake decorating class and she watched my kids one night a week, it was a sanity saver.

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I think 4-6 pm is a good time on Saturdays but on weeknights people aren't off work yet. Be sure to have copies of a stitch go-by so they can take this home with them. Or maybe H-L sells this. I have an old stitch guide I got out of a 1973 Woman's Day magazine and it has explanations on how to make the stitches and drawings too. It's a lifesaver when I get stuck on certain stitches I haven't done for awhile.

Good luck on your classes, Teach!

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It's a shame you don't have time to offer both a weekend and a mid week class. I would think Wednesday evening from 6-8 would be nice. There are a lot of people out there that work weekends and are off in the middle of the week. Especially medical people! lol!:lol

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Just something to remember, is that there are going to be those people who are not able to pick up enough about the stitches in 2 hours to be left completely to their own devices to finish a dishcloth. I mean you would have to teach them, to chain, single crochet, turning chain, fasten off and weave ends, all in a 2 hour window, which for alot of true beginners isn't feasible.

 

Maybe a better plan would be to have a weekly get together for beginners where you would spend the first 1/2 hour getting any new beginners started on chains. Medium beginners you could work on the turning and counting and even gauge. The the final beginners could be taught fasten off and weaving ends nearer the end of the class. That would keep bringing them back and you could have a few simple projects for them to choose from, scarf, headband, dishcloth, etc, and they are welcome to come back as many times as they want to finish projects. It would take some planning, but the more experienced could be working on their individual projects while you are helping the newer students with the beginning steps.

 

There are alot of people out there, that don't feel comfortable with the chain process, until they have done it several hundreds of times. And then there are others who catch on right away. By allowing them to keep coming back until they are comfortable with their finished project, you will build a returning clientele. If they are able to finish the project all in one class great, but otherwise, you encourage them to keep returning, until they are comfortable tackling something on their own. The bonus is you are not locking anyone into a 3 or more week course, it is completely up to them and they can miss a week without missing the instruction.

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Hi Donna,

 

I am an instructor for crochet/knit classes at Michael's Craft Store and I have to say I don't like the way their policy is set up, but I do get my yarn at 25% :hook . So I can't knock it too much. I would rather teach someone at Starbucks or someplace and be able to collect all the $$ instead of Michael's getting 90% of the fee.

I do demos on Saturdays from 12 to 3pm and if a customer stops and has a question about the class, I let them know that I am available at 3:30 after my demo to do a class and that seems to catch them right away to take a 2 hr class.

Michaels does charge $20 for 2 hrs and BenFranklin up the road charges $40 for 2 hrs.

I personally would like to do a 1 hr class at a time, 2 hrs ends up being too long, especially if they are first learning to knit or crochet.

If I were teaching them to make a project, I would spread it out for several weeks and give them a discount if they sign up and pay in full for the length of time it would take to finish the project.

Hope this helps. :hook

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Hi Donna: How awesome to be able to teach a class, and get paid for it! If this helps you at all, here is a little info about my own first crochet class (held at our local Michael's)....

 

When I took my first crochet class about four years ago, I paid $15.00 for the class, and had to purchase my own supplies. The class was two hours long, and we each made a dishcloth. From my own experience, I think that actually completing something in only two hours made the class much more enjoyable - the fact that I had something to show for my effort in such a short time also got me more excited to continue crochet. I think that if your students are going to have to purchase their own materials, I would keep the class enrollment fee between $10.00-$15.00. Otherwise, it may be a bit steep for someone who doesn't want to invest alot of money in something that they aren't sure they will even use after only one class. The instructor also gave us printed handouts of different crochet website and book references, and these were really helpful. If you can, look over what books this Hobby Lobby has on the shelves, and recommend one of those that your students can just grab while on their way out of the class. One of those Leisure Arts Dishcloths leaflet books would be a good one to start with, as I see these in just about every craft store, and it is a great introduction to different stitch patterns. Finally, one of the best things that our instructor did was that she brought in samples of her own work, showing us both the simple single-stitch that we were learning, but also showing other stitches worked in combination with the single-stitch. These other stitches were basically double-stitch, which was also something that we learned during those two hours. I would have to say that this is what really impressed and inspired me the most....to see her beautiful projects up close, and to see that the stitch patterns used in her projects were not that difficult. Hope that helps, and good luck with the teaching - let us know how it goes!

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hi donna, i teach at joanns and our policy is for most classes is 40.00 for 2 / 2 hour classes, usually a week or two apart. i sometimes do a one time class of 2 hours for 20.00 or 30 for a 3 hour class. i recieve 75% of the class fees, i hardly ever just have one student though cause when it works out, for a 40 dollar class is just minimum wage and hardly pays my gas to get there. so i most of the time only will do it for 3 or more people. figure it at 10.00 a hour. thats what ours is. i know michaels is a bit different, but to me is justnot work only getting less than 20 for 2 / 2 hour class. is just not worth doing. we also have a guide line as far as what we make on some of our classes, but often we can make our own project as long as they can buy the stuff in the store., we also are having once a week a crochet party. 2 hours for 15.00, you bring your own project that you are working on and we hang out and crochet, and then if you have a problem the crochet instructor is there to help you out. good luck, if ya have anymore questions pm me good luck hon:hug :hug

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Thanks everyone for your wonderful advice!!!

 

Ok, I stopped by HL after work and spoke to the manager in person about this. I think we're going to stick with the Saturday 4-6pm class for right now as there are no other classes scheduled at that time.

 

I definately want to do something outside the realm of "grannies" for this.

 

I like the suggestion about leaving with a completed object. I know that if I were paying money for something I would want it finished when I went home!

 

My old church had this get together a few times a year for the ladies where we would pay a fee, get together and make a particular craft. Well the one year it was really expensive (like $35) and we didn't even leave with a finished project. I was honestly quite turned off by it and never went to another one of these things. And the instructions were so quickly wizzed by that we didn't all understand what we were doing.

 

Ok, I have 2 thoughts.

 

First I like the idea of teaching how to make a simple dishcloth.

 

Second I like the idea of possibly teaching a "felting" project for those who already know the "basics" but really haven't done more than a granny or anything felted... I am actually in the process of making a small felted tote which I thought maybe I could teach... It's all SC and HDC and it wouldn't be too difficult. I definately want to grab peoples attention so that they'll want to make what I'm offering.

 

The manager told me to stop by on Saturday after I get off work and put up my "display" and try and get people to sign up as they come in.

 

Maybe I should offer 2 classes in one maybe?

 

For the beginner learn the basics and go home with a completed dishcloth.

For the beginner/average crocheter, come to the class over a 2 week period to learn how to make the felted tote...

 

$15 for one class where you learn how to make a dishcloth and maybe $25 for those who want to come 2 saturdays in a row to learn how to make the tote?

 

What do you think? I keep 100% of the class money so even if just 3 people sign up it would definately be worth my while (especially since I have to drive by HL to get home anyway!)

 

Again, these ideas are all up in the air right now. I don't have to have anything nailed down til Saturday when I go in to put up my display...

 

Thanks again for all your suggestions and encouraging words. I was so excited driving home tonite! I really want to share my love of crochet with others! Oh, how much fun this will be if I can get it going!!! :cheer:cheer:cheer:cheer:cheer

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sharoninseattle, I would check that 90% to Michael's out at your store. I am an instructor for them also. They give us 90% of the fee. They don't get it. We charge 15.00 for a 2 hour class. I feel it should be a series of classes. The 2 hour class is not enough to learn crochet. People have a hard enough time getting past the chain, let alone get stitches down.

Please check that fee out or call corporate.

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Hey Donna, I'll be paying attention to this thread and following your adventure in teaching. The yarn council has a course for teaching and their website has a tip sheet on what makes a successful class (have samples, if you're teaching a brand new crocheter, have the chain started for them and have them work on the next row first, then after they master that, go back and teach them the chain stitch - which I have to say was the best advice I've ever heard because I followed that when I taught a cousin of mine to crochet this past spring...she's now going like a house a fire and has already made 2 afghans and a scarf...wow- and other things like that...)

 

Good luck Donna, keep us posted...

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Oh and although you've spoke to the manager again for the one class...in the future, I'd see about a series of classes...like maybe 4 sessions...(or the first class more focus on beginner, 2nd class, intermediate, 3rd and so on...) and I definately like the idea of a finished project at class end.

 

When I was home last fall (Washington state) I did a "crochet bee" with my cousins and I think we were together about 4 hours (the time flew by in a heartbeat) and although we didn't have a finished project at the end of the 4 hours, all my cousins went home with a better understanding of the craft and more enthusiam too. Since then they have all just gone like gangbusters with their crocheting. I'm planning a 2nd crochet bee for when I go home in a couple of months for a visit.

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One more...

 

Here's the link for the Yarn Council on teaching...scroll down about 1/2 way to find the Top Ten Tips for Teaching from the Pros...really good information here:

 

http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/teach.html

 

Edited to add: The tips pertain to teaching children, but I believe these same tips work well when teaching adults...

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Thanks so much for the suggestion and the link!!!

 

I think every Michaels is different. I know that the Wilton instructor was paid an hourly wage no matter how many people were in the class, she definately didn't get 90% of the fee. Also, Judy who teaches the crochet and knitter classes also only gets her hourly wage. That's the main reason I didn't even bother to teach classes there. I remember one week they wanted me to do the Friday night crop party and when I found out that I would only get my hourly wage I told them forget it.

 

Well I talked to the Manager about doing 2 classes over 2 weeks. I explained that if I taught a felted bag for instance that there was no way to do that all in one night. He agreed that he likes the idea of me teaching something "hip". He was also interested when I told him I used to work at Michaels.

 

I think I'm going to stick with the dishcloth/felted tote idea and see what happens. If nobody signs up I'll know it wasn't the right thing... I'm just not positive about the pricing aspect. I want to make sure people do sign up and don't want to make it too expensive. (For example, because the Bob Ross classes are so expensive it took me months before I could take one as I didn't just have $50 plus supplies lying around the house.)

 

What a great idea about starting the chain for them. Maybe I'll even work the first row? IMO when I started that was the most frustrating thing. I could never work into the chain without it twisting and turning. I'm going to check out that link today!!!!

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Ok, so what do ya'll think about me buying the supplies for the class and putting that into the price of the class so they don't need to buy anything?

 

For the "discloth" one I would maybe increase the price by $5 to cover the costs of the hook and cotton.

 

For the "tote" one that would be a little more pricey as wook isn't cheap. I think they sell the Lion Brand Prints Wool for like $5 a skein...

 

Or maybe I could have 2 prices. One where you buy your own supplies and another where I provide them...

 

So many things to think about!

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Good luck with the new venture Donna! Please share with us how your first class goes too.

 

For the materials...I think 2 prices are a good idea. One with materials provided & one without. Some first timers may be intimidated by having to shop for the right hook, the right yarn etc. Those who do know a little about crochet may know what hook they want & what yarn to get.

 

That would mean making sure you have some new hooks & kitchen cotton on hand in a few different colors if you decide to do it that way. The fulling lesson I think I would find out in advance of class if they want you to provide supplies as wool is not as inexpensive ...unless you don't mind keeping it if it doesn't sell with the lesson which just means more wool to felt for you though!

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Donna, I am excited for you. But I think you might be making this more complicated than it should be. I would give a list of supplies needed. The store is actually hoping they buy their supplies there. So be sure you list things they have readily available. Try one class first. See if the interest is there for your other class. You'll know when you start talking to people. Remember to really listen to what they are saying. If you do that you will find out what they are looking for and then you can fill that need. It might just surprise you what they are wanting to accomplish in crochet.

If you buy all these supplies and it doesn't fly you will have to eat all your outlay. This way they get to choose their own colors and If they should happen to have a hook wont resent having to buy another just to take your class.

I wish you the best of luck. But keep it simple and straight forward. Once you have established a reputation then you can expand if you so desire.

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I loved taking classes where the supplies were well supplied (at least for the beginner classes I took for anything...) but after that a list of supplies would be good...so try it both ways if you can...like Katchkan says, listen to the students...they'll let you know...

 

What I did with my crochet bee since it was only for me and my cousins and there were only the 3 of them for this one session, was that I provided them with what I considered to be the basics and I provided them with a tote to keep everything in...this included hooks, scissors (small cheap ones) one small skein of yarn, pencil or pen, paper and a crochet magazine of some kind...one was a beginner-beginner and the other two were beginner to advance beginner and they all kind of had to start over anyway...I made them swear an oath to keep their supplies in the tote bag when not in use...

 

But that's my little crochet bee...if is was a class I'd probably do that a little different...

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Ok, so I have decided upon the following:

 

A beginner crochet class on making a felted Cell Phone Cozy. This will be a 2 session class. It will run from 4-6pm on the next 2 Saturday's. The cost will be $15 (you purchase your own supplies) or $25 for me to purchase supplies. You will learn the basic SC and HDC stitches and how to felt. I will supply one skein of Lion Brand Wool Yarn (the only 100% wool they have) which runs just under $6 a skein, one pair of scissors and an aluminum or plastic sized H crochet hook.

 

What do you all think??? I am working on my "poster board sign" and am going to put it up on Saturday after work. The wording on the sign will be a little different but that's the "jist" of it. Even though I can make several cell phone cozies in a 2 hour span, I know a beginner cannot, that's why I was thinking about making it a 2 week class. Those who are able to grasp everything don't have to come back if they don't want to, but giving a beginner a week with their new project and able to come back the following week with help I thought a good idea.

 

If you guys have any other suggestions, please let me know! THANKS a bunch!

 

I am now working on printing out "how to" pics for the stitches a such. Since I will be using an "original" pattern of my own I don't have to worry about copyright problems or anything, but I am hoping HL will have enough of those little "how to" booklets that are like $2 for me to get for each student.

 

Thanks again and I'll keep everyone posted...

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donna i would charge it as a 15.00 for one session, while offering them the next week for a additional 15.00, you are so underpricing yourself. for 4 hours work at 15.00 that comes to only 3.75 a hour. way to low, even in a distressed area, people should make enough to pay minimum wage, please reconsider and change the price.:eek :eek

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Pricing aside as Vickie makes a point, I love that you are providing the option of either the student getting their own supplies or you get the supplies and charge accordingly...

 

I think this a great beginner's project, small and can be done over the course of 2 classes...that's awesome...

 

Good luck Donna...look forward to a recap after the classes...

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See why I need you guys? I never would have thought I wasn't charging enough!! Ok, I'm going to work on the wordage of my "sign" and will probably be PMing a couple of you for your input. THANKS AGAIN for all your advice!!!

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