What does it take to become an instructor and possibly a school owner other than :certification, credentials, sound knowledge and martial arts experience?
This might be not what you expect, but you need nothing of the kind to become an instructor… all you need is people willing to learn from you… whether you have anything genuine to teach or not. Just look at examples like Ashida Kim, or Frank Dux… these people made up completely fabricated "arts" with completely fabricated histories, and completely fabricated ranks, but still get students. They only needed to convince people that they were giving something of value… often by playing to people's fantasies… no certification, credentials, knowledge (sound or otherwise), experience, training, or anything else required.
And, as far as being a school owner, all you need there is to be able to afford to own a school.
Here's the thing… there is no such thing as a requirement (across all martial arts) to be a teacher. Some systems and organisations will have some… others will have different ones (such as some Japanese systems only having one instructor per generation, others not considering you a teacher until you're at least 5th Dan, some BJJ schools are run by people with as low a rank as blue belt, and so on)… and some won't really have anything formally at all.
I have had the itch to seek an instructorship at my school for several years. I decided I must understand and agree with the mission of my school. Also, that I must strive to know and understand my style as well as to find where I fit within that style.
Then the only answer is to ask within your style and organisation, and ask them what they require.
I am good personal friends with all leadership in my style and the head of the style has let me know that he wishes me to gain title as an instructor.
"Instructor" isn't a title… it's a role. It's important to remember the distinction.
My perspective is that if I choose to follow that path, to strengthen and build up others as has been done to me, I must dedicate myself to a deeper knowledge, understanding and passion of the martial arts. In that pursuit, I would like to inquire of those already dedicated and more experienced than myself. Looking down the road, if I am going to do this I want to do this right.
Look, all of that is quite laudable… but it's also highlighting that you're focused on a romanticised ideal, rather than looking at the realities involved.
There are a few home truths that might be important to consider when it comes to teaching… the first can be quite heartbreaking:
Students do not share your values. Dedicating yourself to some ideal for the benefit of your students, honestly, is the very definition of a fruitless endeavour. I know, it's kinda the opposite to what you'd expect… but it leads you to losing the reason for your training in the first place.
Students don't share your commitment. Don't expect that, just because you see the value in your classes, and wouldn't dream of missing even a single training session, that your students will be the same. They won't be. They'll be flaky… they'll be inconsistent… they'll simply stop turning up one day, and never let you know why… there'll be changes in their lives, and you (and your classes) won't be their priority.
Student's will want to see you as a substitute parent figure. They'll expect you to provide for them, selflessly, the way a parent would if you let them. You have to maintain a healthy distance from them in order to avoid this (and the pitfalls of the previous two points, actually).
You have to teach and train for one person, and one person only: yourself. Make the classes the best you can, but remember that it's your class, your offering… if it appeals to the students, they'll attend, if not, changing for them won't help anything.
There's a lot more, obviously, but the major upshot is that, as Paul (and others) have said, you have to figure out your motivation for teaching, and what you're hoping to get out of it. You're also going to have to come to terms with reality… class planning, skill development structure, grading methods and implementation, personal training and keeping your skills sharp, and far more. The actual classes themselves are, when all's said and done, the easy part.
I will offer one more piece of advice, though. Find a mentor. Find someone who has been teaching for a while already, someone who you'd aspire to be like, and learn from them. Ask them questions, become their shadow, gain everything you can. But be prepared for your ideas of what teaching is really like to not match up to the reality… it never does.
It is not quite for personal satisfaction, I do believe in a calling placed on one's shoulders. on the other hand, I have been wanting a career change. I currently work in construction but I am considering ,in time, to create a profession from my martial arts training and understanding.
Then I wish you all the luck you will definitely need… making a living is really far from an easy task. You'll be in a better position with some arts than others… but that's about it.
perhaps an additional question is required, what separates instructors into the average, the good and the great?
That, really, is a matter of perspective. Some perspectives have been given already (and I have mine, obviously), but in the end, it's up to you the way you wish to interpret it.
They don't pay, they don't stay.
That's how they often treat school teachers. There is a difference though, when you're with children for just an hour or two a day vs. being with them all day, as school teachers are.
If I felt a child student didn't want to be there I would ask them if they really want to do this or if they're being made to do it by parents, ect. If its the latter than I would talk to the parents about taking the child elsewhere and pursuing something else.
I wouldn't take students that young.
If they don't take it seriously I would ask them to leave.
The world isn't that black and white… this hardline approach smacks to me of a real lack of experience in, well, dealing with people.
Then you are not a business owner, and I gather you understand and are comfortable with that. That's perfectly fine, but you are running a club, not a business. For someone looking to own a business saying that you can manage without business skills is very poor advice. I do make a living teaching and owning a school, it is my full time job.
So lets clarify, if you want to own a school and operate it full time you need business knowledge. If you instead want to teach a small group a couple nights a week, things are much simpler. Simply by existing most schools should be able to grow to 35-50 members... but thats not going to pay the bills and to get beyond that you need a little business sense.
When did Paul say anything about running a full time dojo?
Here's the thing, Andrew… there are many, many models of "running a school"… my set-ups are closer to Paul's than yours are, or, I'd suggest, the OP's idea of "running a school"… but that doesn't make Paul's (or my) structure any less of running a school. Frankly, the idea of mass teaching, full time centres etc are rather antithetical to what we do… it's kinda the opposite of how we prefer to do things.
How long have you been running your dojo, or are you just guessing?
