Teaching Conundrum: Torn Ego

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Okay, I work for a mom-n-pop studio (A) that I really like and respect the owner.

I have a class at 9:15 on Wednesday. I asked to have this class and gave up a strong class to have it, when all was said an done, the owner off-handedly said: “Good, your teaching might help the numbers.” The next week, with no advertising, when I came, no students showed-up. The following week, after I extensively promoted the class 8 people showed-up, 5 of which were my regulars.

So, at another studio where I currently am hired only as a sub, I have been offered a 10:15 class on the same day. A little background, this club (B) gave me a very harsh time once when I was late to teaching a class because I confused start times. Not a habit by any means.

I asked Studio A if she would consider changing my class at 8:45 so that I could accommodate both classes. She offered to ask members what they would like, but I haven’t heard anything yet.

Studio A had also said that if this class isn’t going by the end of the year, she would cancel it.

Club B has really great students, but I am not as crazy about mgmt. My direct supervisor is fine, just not the higher ups.

Should I not push the whole thing with studio A?
But, if the class grows, it is due to my talents, and feel I can likely grow it at 8:45 as easily as 9:15. But it takes away from the balance of the week (MWF 9:15)
Should I let go of Club B, but my ego really wants to work there because, the members are great and it’s the largest center in my town. Also, they are starting to suggest that I would lose my free membership if I don’t have a permanent class. Totally mixed emotions.

I feel I could really push Studio A to go with my idea, but I don’t want to manipulate someone into doing something - even though she is a very independent woman and makes her own decisions.

Here’s the Yogic Part:
Ugh… I have to make a decision very soon (action versus inaction) and I don’t feel this is something I can follow: “If it’s meant to be…”,
I also need to set my intentions, and I don’t know what they should be. I feel my intention is to get both classes to work, but I don’t know if that’s the smart thing to do.

HELP! I am so confused!

#2

My answer is only the answer for me, not for you.

While I may want to teach at another place, either instead of or in addition to my current schedule, I am committed elsewhere at a time that prevents me from doing so. For me this is pretty clear. At Yoga Centers, where I train, study, and teach we operate on a quarterly system. As such, every three months the term is over and teaching faculty are free to add/subtract from their schedule as they see fit. Until then…stability, stability, stability.

#3

I have been in a similar types of situation with scheduling conflicts, but luckily I’ve been blessed with some very accommodating employers! Some yoga studio employers are used to the fact that most yoga teachers are freelancers, so teachers need to juggle between studios to make a living. But I guess not all studio owners are like this…

It sounds to me that being employed by studio B might be quite lucrative to you. Studio A sounds great, but I have taught at a studio before that does zero promoting etc, and I know how much it can suck. Often times those types of businesses are not very successful because the people running them are not very business-minded, even though they might have great intentions. Studio B sounds like they know how to run a business, though they can be dinks sometimes. But Studio B also sounds more promising and consistent in the long run.

I think you should talk to Studio A about the possibility of either changing time slots or leaving the class, and ask how much notice they need to make those scheduling changes. They might want to wait until their new spring schedule is out, or they might be able to make changes in a couple of weeks.

Once you find out your answer there, let Studio B know how soon you can come teach there. They might say forget about it for now, or ok, they’ll work with you depending on Studio A’s answer. With those bits of information you can probably put together a good scheduling conclusion for yourself.

Just be open and honest. I’m sure everything will be ok!