First student

[KarateGeorge]

So, in the past I've always taught as an assistant instructor at my karate school, but I was talking with someone last night and it looks like I may actually have a student of my very own, not through the school. It's a friend of mine who recently started taking karate at a different school, but due to some conflicts between college classes and their karate school's class times this next semester, its going to be difficult for them to keep going there.

We still have a few things to figure out, such as figuring out where to train. Since this will be my own student, I'll be doing it outside the karate school. We're thinking of working out at the gymnasium at my church. There's a couple of other logistics to get this started as well, but nothing that's probably too difficult, so it's not definite yet, but if everything works out, I may have my first student of my very own starting in a couple of weeks.

[Adam_XKT]

I had talked to my instructors about the possibility of giving private lessons to an autistic student when I was an ikkyu. Both of them shied away from it for insurance purposes and advised me not to do it.

I'm not saying to not do this, but that's something to think about.

When you come across something you don't know how to teach, ask an instructor of yours. I do this all the time, and it's always nice to have somebody to verify something with. Of course it's always best to do it in the class, but since that doesn't look like it's possible, make a mental note or write it down.

[KarateGeorge]

Hmmm, yeah, good points. The initial glee of being asked to give private lessons, caused me to jump past some of those other important considerations.

Thanks for the reality check.

I'll have to give this a little more consideration before I definitely commit to this. I won't rule it out just yet, as I do enjoy teaching in the classes at the karate school I attend, but before commiting I need to do some more work to make sure this is the right thing to do.

[Montana]

From and instructors (since 1978) perspective, if I'd heard one of my students was starting to teach somebody outside of class, I'd be more than a little miffed.

Depending on your instructor and the organization he represents, you might want to consider these factors:

1. You PAY your instructor to teach you...and yet you're going to give this knowledge away to someone else without consideration to your instructor in this area.

2. Are you under contract to your instructor? If so, you might want to read that contract because there could possibly be a clause in there about you NOT teaching until such time as your instructor deems you able to do so. If you are found not honoring your part of the contract, you could face legal litigation if the instructor wanted to pursue it.

3. Are you qualified to teach others? Since you didnj't mention your belt level, nor experience in the arts, are you a low/mid level kyu belt, or a dan rank? There's a big difference between those ranks when it comes to teaching.

4. You, yourself, could be possibly opening yourself up for a lawsuit if you accidently hurt your new student. People with little experience teaching, but think they know what they're doing, can easily hurt someone else while attempting to teach them a technique that they themselves aren't really that good at. You say he's your friend...well, friends are one thing, hurting that friend through negligence and he comes after you with a lawsuit is quite another.

5. As an instructor, I'd be angry at one of my students that was teaching others and didn't come to me first and ask permission. Angry enough to dismiss the student? Possibly.

[KarateGeorge]

From and instructors (since 1978) perspective, if I'd heard one of my students was starting to teach somebody outside of class, I'd be more than a little miffed.

Depending on your instructor and the organization he represents, you might want to consider these factors:

1. You PAY your instructor to teach you...and yet you're going to give this knowledge away to someone else without consideration to your instructor in this area.

2. Are you under contract to your instructor? If so, you might want to read that contract because there could possibly be a clause in there about you NOT teaching until such time as your instructor deems you able to do so. If you are found not honoring your part of the contract, you could face legal litigation if the instructor wanted to pursue it.

3. Are you qualified to teach others? Since you didnj't mention your belt level, nor experience in the arts, are you a low/mid level kyu belt, or a dan rank? There's a big difference between those ranks when it comes to teaching.

4. You, yourself, could be possibly opening yourself up for a lawsuit if you accidently hurt your new student. People with little experience teaching, but think they know what they're doing, can easily hurt someone else while attempting to teach them a technique that they themselves aren't really that good at. You say he's your friend...well, friends are one thing, hurting that friend through negligence and he comes after you with a lawsuit is quite another.

5. As an instructor, I'd be angry at one of my students that was teaching others and didn't come to me first and ask permission. Angry enough to dismiss the student? Possibly.

Sorry, I should have put some clarifications and qualifications.

My instructor's now basically retired from full-time teaching. He closed his school down about a year ago, and only trains with select students out of the small dojo he built out of the basement of his home. His school was part of a loosely connected group of "independent" Shuri-te Karate schools in the area. He's always encouraged his black belts to step out and teach classes if they want to pass their knowledge on, and now that he's closed his school, I'm no longer under any contracts with him. He's been teaching for close to 20 years, and he's always supported any of his students who want to start their own classes. So I'm not worried about that part of the equation.

As for my background, yes, I do have a Dan rank. I've been involved in martial arts for 5 years, and have been teaching as an assistant instructor under my Shi-Han for about 2 years. No, I don't have 20 years teaching experience behind me, but I would feel more than qualified to teach a white belt, and all instructors have to start somewhere.

My biggest concern, like you said, is the whole lawsuit thing. Though this person is a friend, that wouldn't necessarily mean there couldn't be a risk for a lawsuit if something were to happen. The whole liability insurance, was the main thing I didn't consider when they first approached me.

Now that I've had a day to give consideration to their request, and had the chance to put it on the sounding board here, even though I'd love to teach them, have the qualifications, and know my instructor would give me his blessings if I wanted to start my own classes, because of the liability concerns, I'll be telling them they should find a school that meets their schedule better. I'm not in a position to obtain a liability policy for just one single student. It was flattering to be asked, and the excitement got the best of me, but now that I've mulled it over, I realize it'd be wiser to direct them to an actual school.

Thanks for the words of advice!

[bushido_man96]

If you are worried about legal issues, seek legal advise.

Other than that, I'd be inclined to say congrats, and to enjoy. Yeah, you may not have much experience teaching, but you won't get any if you don't start sometime.

[RichardZ]

From and instructors (since 1978) perspective, if I'd heard one of my students was starting to teach somebody outside of class, I'd be more than a little miffed.

Depending on your instructor and the organization he represents, you might want to consider these factors:

1. You PAY your instructor to teach you...and yet you're going to give this knowledge away to someone else without consideration to your instructor in this area.

2. Are you under contract to your instructor? If so, you might want to read that contract because there could possibly be a clause in there about you NOT teaching until such time as your instructor deems you able to do so. If you are found not honoring your part of the contract, you could face legal litigation if the instructor wanted to pursue it.

3. Are you qualified to teach others? Since you didnj't mention your belt level, nor experience in the arts, are you a low/mid level kyu belt, or a dan rank? There's a big difference between those ranks when it comes to teaching.

4. You, yourself, could be possibly opening yourself up for a lawsuit if you accidently hurt your new student. People with little experience teaching, but think they know what they're doing, can easily hurt someone else while attempting to teach them a technique that they themselves aren't really that good at. You say he's your friend...well, friends are one thing, hurting that friend through negligence and he comes after you with a lawsuit is quite another.

5. As an instructor, I'd be angry at one of my students that was teaching others and didn't come to me first and ask permission. Angry enough to dismiss the student? Possibly.

Ok, I am going to respond, and I hope this doesnt come off condescending;

1.) Rather or not payment was made, no one has a corner patent or market to keep another from teaching. If I paid someone to teach me how to fix brakes on a car, then it is my choice if I decide to charge someone or not to fix their brakes or show them how. In short, any knowledge I obtained, could be so fit on how I should use it, in whatever form. After all, I paid for it, having certain privelege on what I shall do or not do with it.

2.) Contracts such as these in martial arts are not totally binding. I once worked for a engineering firm who had one like this. About not being able to work in the same field, within a certain radius. I had one simular with a martial art school. On actuality, from legal counsel, the only way any of these could proceed to a legal course would be, if I GOT PAID from them in the same instance as I went out. Once my ties were severed, so was any binding.

3.) I would think, anyone taking on the responsiblity of a student(s), would have considered themselves qualfied.

4.) No lawsuit could be honored from accidental inury once it has been established that there is a possibility from injury in said participation. The law is about a type of prominence. Contract law has a ventire called offer and acceptance. Sure, anyone can file suit against another for anything. I can file a suit at someone just for sneezing on me. The course of legal action is determined to the evidence and legal issue as per the situation, not upon what one would think should be a course of action. If there is verbal agreement, which is in best interest to be witnessed, terms are therefore understood and legal issues would weaken.

5.) Indeed, you could get upset with a student who went off on his own to teach. But do they actually need to obtain permission to do so? Especially if they had paid you for your services many years prior?

[KarateGeorge]

Well, I was talking to my own Sensei this morning, and they said I was welcome to come in and use the dojo he built at his home as long as we can work out an agreeable time for everyone involved, ie, myself, the person who wants me to teach them, and my instructor since the facility is at his home. He's confident in my abilities and won't be involved in the classes unless I need him for something, he'll just let us in the door. We'll need to sit down with all involved and figure out arrangements to see if this will work, but this may not be a dead idea just yet after all.

[RichardZ]

Great. I hope it all works out for you and the student.

[Scott Bolinger]

From and instructors (since 1978) perspective, if I'd heard one of my students was starting to teach somebody outside of class, I'd be more than a little miffed.

Depending on your instructor and the organization he represents, you might want to consider these factors:

1. You PAY your instructor to teach you...and yet you're going to give this knowledge away to someone else without consideration to your instructor in this area.

2. Are you under contract to your instructor? If so, you might want to read that contract because there could possibly be a clause in there about you NOT teaching until such time as your instructor deems you able to do so. If you are found not honoring your part of the contract, you could face legal litigation if the instructor wanted to pursue it.

3. Are you qualified to teach others? Since you didnj't mention your belt level, nor experience in the arts, are you a low/mid level kyu belt, or a dan rank? There's a big difference between those ranks when it comes to teaching.

4. You, yourself, could be possibly opening yourself up for a lawsuit if you accidently hurt your new student. People with little experience teaching, but think they know what they're doing, can easily hurt someone else while attempting to teach them a technique that they themselves aren't really that good at. You say he's your friend...well, friends are one thing, hurting that friend through negligence and he comes after you with a lawsuit is quite another.

5. As an instructor, I'd be angry at one of my students that was teaching others and didn't come to me first and ask permission. Angry enough to dismiss the student? Possibly.

well, we don't teach, to make sure our students are fallowers for the rest of there lives. I'f one of my students start teaching another class, i'd be happy for that person. But if your under contrat, your under contract. If you still want to teach, but your instructor worn't let you, you can always restructure your kata and training program and teach your own thing.