Top Tips For Teaching Yoga In Schools - Tip #18: What Do I Charge?
Welcome back to the blog!
This tip is one of my go to tips, because it helps to answer the question that everyone wants to know the answer to: what to charge schools for your program? And, while I wish I could give you a set number, I can’t. There is no magic number, but hopefully, this tip will help you figure out your own magic number.
Bookmark this page if you need to, or leave me a comment if you have further questions about what to charge, and I hope this helps you figure out the answer to this ever present, ever challenging question!
Tip #18: What Do I Charge?
So often, I hear people asking the same questions: What do I charge? They want people to give them an easy standard answer, but there isn’t one.
So, how DO you figure out what to charge? Well, you need to ask yourself two questions:
What is my time worth? This can, and will change as you get more experience. When I started out, I was willing to teach for pretty much anything. Now, I have a set price in my head, and if I get asked to teach a 60-minute class that pays less than that price, I say no. Why? Because my time is valuable. Because what I have to offer is valuable. And because if I don’t feel compensated appropriately, what I have to offer won’t be as good, and I won’t feel or be valued by the school or client.
What are other providers in similar positions in your area charging? I say in your area, because what someone charges in New York City can, and should, be different than what they charge in rural Maine, simply because of location and the economics of different areas. If you don’t know anyone else teaching yoga or mindfulness in your area, that’s okay. You can make comparisons to ANY outside providers: if there is a music teacher who comes in to teach lessons, how much do they charge? How much does an outside organization charge for each hour-long session of the afterschool program they run?
Tip Takeaway: Figure out what your time is worth, and the standard rate for outside providers or those in similar positions in your area, and go from there. Have a baseline number of what you need to make in order to make the opportunity worth your time, and then have a number that represents what you’d like to make.
Keep in mind there is no right answer, and no right price, and you may have to tweak as necessary, based on your own needs, and the needs of the school.