What should I consider when offering to teach art lessons?

I have seen ads where artists take an apprentice and get paid for it, that could be another option.

You could print fliers and pin them to bulletins in grocery stores and community/church boards. Craigslist is a decent option, but you should consider your target market when going the online route. I don’t know how craigslist responders are in your area, but I wouldn’t trust them in mine.

You also want to make sure that you have a business license and file your taxes accordingly so you don’t get in any trouble, especially if you’ll be advertising yourself. And look into art teaching licensing- I don’t know if you need a license to teach art. Maybe you know better, but if you have any doubts, you should look into it to make sure you get what you need.

If you do an ad or fliers, be sure to put how long you have been an artist, where your work has been featured, what styles you intend to teach, any formal education you have, and a brief explanation of what you may expect from your students.

A great polace to get fine artists is at schools. you could meet students after or before school starts and give 30 minute lessons. also offer weekends. Im sure you’ll have some turn out

Advertise at schools and colleges (depending on age group you want to teach). Places that age group hangs out as well.

Say you are willing to teach if they bring their own supplies, be sure to list an approximate cost of supplies in your ad. Perhaps the first class you could make your own easels as they are really quite expensive. You could also offer to give a teaching discount to those who bring additional art supplies as someone may have some good access to them.

I’m not sure what the pitfalls could be. Teaching is emotionally burdensome and tiring. So that is a pitfall. It is also time consuming because you absolutely must plan ahead. Other than that teaching is a great experience. I think you might have fun trying it out. Perhaps you could volunteer teach a class before you invest in teaching one where you charge. Many support groups would love to have some art therapy. You don’t have to do actual therapy but moreso art that allows them to be expressive of their emotions.

@ubersiren has good information about getting a business license but you may not need one especially if it’ll be a small class, I’d look into that more if I were you.

Contact your community education director. Provide suggestions for media, age groups, sites, and maximum class size. They will do the advertising and already have an audience. If your class does not fill, you have only lost a little planning time.

I would contact your local art stores – like Michaels, or AC Moore and see if they can offer any suggestions… the locations by me offer classes and have instructors, so maybe one by you would be hiring. Also, I think craigslist is a good idea as well as posting flyers around your neighborhood. Maybe do birthday parties for little kids – and get together some creative, season themed projects for them to do. Another idea as iRemi said, is to target art students…. you can have a lot of fun with this. good luck!

Thank you all for the awesome input! I really appreciate it.

Hola Chupacabra! :)

1. Decide the type of class you want to teach (drawing, painting, oil painting, watercolors, etc.)

2. Find a place to hold the classes that will be free or charge you a minimum fee (which you can pay when you get the students to pay.) Try: community centers, churches (good time to join one if you don’t go to one), schools, gymnasiums. art centers, Hispanic/African/Native American and any other ethnic centers…and if that doesn’t work. You can meet outside in a park! That won’t cost and you can get people to draw and paint things outside! Or meet in a covered area in a park (in case of rain).

3. People/Places to approach: Advertise on Craigslist for classes, put up flyers, advertise in the Penny Saver. But guess what? A great, great place to get a class going is to approach RETIREMENT HOMES…especially the Jewish homes, the Christian Science homes, the Baptist homes, the private assisted living homes where retirees still can get around and have their own apartments. The budgets on some of these places are HUGE and they like to have people come in and teach art. You can also approach schools to do after-school programs. But most community centers have classes and you just sign-up to teach there!

4. Network! Tell everyone you meet that you are teaching.

Make sure that you research the going rate for classes, too, and charge accordingly (but don’t undersell yourself). And be organized (if you can) students like to have some sort of routine. You want them to tell everyone else..so that you can build a following as an instructor.

Hope some of these ideas helped…and I wish you all the best of luck and prosperity with your venture!

Do you want to teach classes or apprentices?

If you have an online portfolio, I would be sure to include a link of that on your flyers so people can research you. These other suggestions sound pretty good. Also, those people that have previously asked you about teaching, I would contact them. Even if they are no longer interested, they may know someone who is. Good luck!

I highly suggest teaching high school students. The school district pays for all of the supplies the class needs and high school kids are some of the most aspiring ones out there. Especially seniors who don’t know what they want to do when they get to college. I took an art class my senior year and I was amazed by how many really talented students there were. We did everything from watercolors, acrylics, gesture sketching, oils, and a lot more. I think you’d really have fun with it.

Ah.. and this is what inspired me to go into product design and development. I’m a marketing student at my college. I graduate next semester! =D

Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. :-P

Hey @silverfly Nice slam.

Obviously the economy has not had an effect on your work and I congratulate you for sustaining yourself wholly on your art without seeking other more practical work to ensure a steady income.

Unfortunately for me the declining economy has had a marked effect on my career. Dozens of brick-and-mortar art galleries have gone out of business. Much of my national client base has suffered as some are unemployed and others struggling. Some are still buying on payment but most simply cannot afford the luxury of an original oil painting when their mortgage payment is on the line.

So I want to point out in response to your quip that teaching does NOT mean I lack talent or ability. I have won numerous international awards and my art hangs in large collections. I have work licensed to international companies for posters and fine art reproductions. I also have work on jigsaw puzzles and greeting cards and a line of holiday cards.

Thus I can assure you that I “can” paint.

@chupacabra I didn’t mean it directly towards you although I can see how it came out that way. My apologies. <hugs>

@silverfly….How exactly was that not to be interpreted as a slam?

You know, teaching is one of the most thankless jobs on the planet. And yet, everyone needs teachers. I was lucky to have some of the most inspired teachers in my life and I am grateful for them. And you know what? Creative people need to have a source of income to supplement their work. That’s just the way it is in today’s world. Unless you are a big celebrity/star or a Picasso…this isn’t medieval England where someone is your sponsor and pays for you to paint all day.

My daughter graduated from Oxford and chose to teach because it afforded her the freedom to write. She CHOSE to do that and just won a major prize for poetry and is about to publish a novel. Hmmm…I suppose she can’t either? Oh…yes, she can. And her students are lining up to take her classes because not only is she a great writer, she is a great teacher.

I saw your work. You are talented. If someone said this to you…once…it’s not worth repeating, really, is it? Perhaps you have the deep pockets not to have to supplement our income. Well, good for you. Many other artists do not have that luxury.

I think what you said…that “saying” about teachers is just cruel. There are teachers out there who probably teach because there is nothing else they could do. But most teachers go in because they genuinely want to work with kids.

Don’t toss off a comment that inflammatory and not expect a reaction. Chupacabra asked a question in good faith.

@DarlingRhadamanthus I said it just as a sarcastic joke. I said my apologies. There isn’t much else I can do. This is getting off topic, so let’s just leave it at that.

@silverfly,....Yes let’s.