Learning the piano offers numerous benefits and opens various new opportunities, such as becoming a professional pianist, joining a band, or even becoming a certified piano teacher. If you have mastered this instrument after years of study and practice and are looking to put it to good use, that last option is certainly one of the better choices you can easily get started with. If you want to become a professional piano teacher in Singapore, you can either teach in a school or become a private instructor. Below, we go over their benefits and shortcomings to better understand what each entail.
1. Earnings and incentives
As you may have already guessed, private piano instructors earn more than school teachers since all the fees go directly to you, with no other party taking a cut. The latter party is subject to lower earnings since the piano school or franchise takes a portion to pay for their operations. This means that by providing effective lessons and accruing more satisfied customers, you can expect more students to reach out to you for your services. The more students you have, the higher your income will be.
With that said, this also has its downside since there is no guarantee that you will see constant demand for your teaching. In some months, you may have students dropping their lessons while you gain more business in others. In short, fluctuations in your monthly income are to be expected as a private instructor. However, this is not the case if you teach at a school since you will be paid a monthly salary, regardless of the number of students you have.
On a related note, incentives, bonuses, and promotions are another benefit of being a music school teacher. By performing well, you will eventually climb in the ranks and receive a salary increment over time. Hitting certain goals and targets could also reward you with cash gifts and other goodies. There is none of this as a private instructor, but there is a silver lining to teaching independently, as tackled in the next section.
2. Credit
Private piano teachers get all the credit since their students are their results. Thus, any achievements your students may attain due to your teaching and dedication will bear your name as recognition of your efforts. And as mentioned previously, you will be directly compensated for your performance in the way of getting more students to sign up for your class.
This contrasts with working at a school where all the credit goes to the institution, meaning the student’s result stays with them even if they no longer work there. That said, teaching well does help get you a step closer to a promotion or an increased salary, but it is ultimately up to the school’s discretion.
3. Scheduling, location, and administrative work
Being a private piano teacher lends great freedom in how, where, and how much you want to work. Hence, you have full control and flexibility over your time and scheduling and can make teaching commitments that suit your lifestyle and preference. More importantly, you can focus solely on doing what is necessary to conduct your piano lessons and help your students’ progress.
Naturally, the same cannot be said when working for a music school as you’ll have a boss or manager who controls your time and work duties, which may include tasks other than teaching, such as answering customer queries, cold calling potential clients, and so on. However, being a music school teacher also has its perks in that everything is set for you, i.e. the teaching location, instruments, and other learning resources are all provided and ready for use. You won’t have to figure out these important requirements as the school takes care of them on your behalf.
4. Autonomy
If you dislike working under someone else or in a corporate structure, private teaching is the way to go since you are your own boss. You are in charge of creating your syllabus, lesson plan, and other relevant decisions. You are also free to partner with other private instructors, organise a music workshop together, and devise any plan you deem will benefit your students. Last but not least, you can decide how much your lessons will cost as your income depends on you and no one else.
Working for a music school means carrying out their established curriculum and making it work, regardless of if you agree or not. This may prove problematic and cause friction between you and the school if your manner of teaching does not align with theirs.
Conclusion
Becoming a piano teacher opens many opportunities to further polish your skills by placing you in your mentor’s shoes and overseeing students of your own. If you have yet to decide which option to go with, either teaching privately or at a school, you could always try out both and experience them for yourself, so you can better decide which one you wish to stick with for the long term.
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