5 Tips on Finding Your First Clients

Whether you are a Starter teacher on your first year or an experienced instructor who just moved to a new place, the song remains the same: Landing your first clients. We need to get students, not only that, we need to get dedicated students. These are people who will make that long commute to go to your classes. Individuals who will pay your monthly fees and not just single classes. These clients will make time and make your classes a part of their fixed expenses. When we book these practitioners, we gain financial stability.

We need to get students, not only that, we need to get dedicated students.

My first year teaching I tried many things to gain my first clients by taking guidance from Google. A few worked but most did not. It was a long process of trial and error for me. A passage I hope you could avoid by reading this article. These have personally worked for me in gaining my first groups and private pupils. 

1. Look for locations nearby

Let’s start with the basics by searching for yoga studios near your vicinity and branch out from there. you can either search for established studios or better yet new studios that are most likely hiring. If this doesn’t pan out, the next step is to find a space. This could be anything from a function room, a dance studio that needs some hours filled or a park. Use the location of your choice to market the type of classes that you create. For example: a class in the park is very casual with cheaper rates because you have no rent to pay. So you could create a yoga class by donation. Whereas a function room or studio will usually charge room rental by the hour or the function room will take a percentage of your earnings every month ( usually 40%). If you want to branch out of your neighbourhood make your calculations to see how many students or classes you’ll need to make to cover travel and other expenses. Again, whether you are a new teacher or not, knowing your worth is an essential step to your career. let your lifestyle be your guide in determining that. 

2. Use global and local platforms to make your ads.

When I was looking for my first students, I concentrated on finding private classes more than anything because they were easier to prepare and your dynamic transforms into a kind of professional friendship. So I felt that forming myself as a teacher this way would be a smoother transition into bigger groups. I was right. Posting my services on local classified ad sites turned out so well. I charged more and people were willing to pay. Today, applying my old process 2018 technology is like a brand new world. New platforms have emerged on a global scale, online classes are much more accessible, more importantly, live streaming has reached an optimum level where we are able to produce quality videos from home office grade devices. So let’s use that! Offer yoga classes via Skype or use Superprof a platform specifically created for connecting teachers to students who want private classes. With a bit of creativity, and investing in a good hd webcam, you end up with another avenue to work with. Check out the local stuff in your city. Whether you feel like you this venture is for you or not, the option is readily available. 

3. Create a presence

These days, this phrase gets thrown around a lot especially alongside the title “your brand story”. It can be overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. Remember, creating a presence isn’t just about that grand image. It could mean commenting on a thread, joining a conversation, liking a photo, little things that add up to you as a whole. Soon people will talk about you as long as you’re active. Hopefully we acquire students via referrals. By joining a community both local and global on Facebook you become a source of experience for others. Find Facebook groups that are just for teachers so you could have your space for peer talk, then find a local and global community for practitioners where they allow you to post your workshops and classes even if it's just once a week. Another way to generate buzz for your name is to make a group of your own. It’s a great way to start a dialogue while you haven’t found the time to make your website yet. Believe me, you have much to say and many who will listen. eventually your people will seek you out. 

4. Create Short Workshops

Workshops are a win-win for all. It’s like a first date. non committal and best foot forward.The studio doesn’t need to hire you, you can charge more since the session is longer and more intense. In turn, the students get bang for their buck without having to attend a full month. If all goes well, they come back for more, then you find a venue elsewhere. If everything goes fantastically well, the studio hires you. If they don’t, oh well there are plenty of other places to try. Who knows maybe the life of a nomadic teacher is for you. 

5. Plan Specialized Classes

Living in a country where I had to learn the language, I had to look for a way to make my stand as a teacher in a country who spoke 100 times better than me. To do this, I played to my strengths. I was a certified aerial yoga teacher so I gave these classes in English. I targeted the foreigners living in my city with a trending movement in the evolution of yoga. Within the announcement of my classes on the local yoga Facebook group (Yogis in Madrid), I filled my class to maximum capacity. No matter what level of experience you have as a teacher, you as a unique individual can set your classes apart from others.

To sum up

We have the most traditional way by setting up interviews or looking for your place in the sun (sometimes literally). Next, we need to connect our potential clients to us via local and global means. Using platforms to expand our reach as well as our services. Another step is to join communities between peer or practitioner even taking to the next level by make our own groups. Which breeds opportunities for referrals. Aside from online resources, we could also create workshops which can catapult our careers by providing a good introduction. Finally, by making specialized classes we can showcase our unique talents within the scope of yoga.

Sometimes the steps we take in finding our kindred also ends up paving a way to the type of teacher we become. With these suggestions I am sure you’ll find your students in little or no time at all but they could also lead you to other career paths that might surprise you. Good luck in your endeavours yoga teachers.