Hiring An Instructor

[sensei8]

For those who are fortunate enough to own a school of the MA, this topic might be for you.

Providing ones student body is at a point where one can warrant more instructor(s); it's the hiring of that instructor that must be carefully weighed and not made so lightly.

Two hiring phases exist: The Floor Test and The Criminal Background Check

These two phases, imho, are paramount over any other phase that might exist. Can the instructor teach and does the instructor possess a criminal record? I look at these two phases before I entertain any other phase. Can't pass the first phase, then there's no need for the second phase.

The Floor Test: All of the platitudes and all of the affiliations and listing all of the famous names you've trained with/under/for just don't do anything for me. As a matter of fact, the longer ones MA resume is, the more I'm uninterested because it's not a popularity contest.

Anything and everything I need to know can only be found on the floor. For me, that's all I really and truly need to know. But not just on an empty floor, but on the floor with students made up of differing classes, and in that, no less than 10 classes under the very watchful eye of Greg and myself.

The Criminal Background Check: I'm very fortunate to have the access of our Legal Team for this portion. The cost of a background check are quite nominal across the board. However, the quality and the quantity of the information varies from agency to agency. Not all information is attainable to the general public, and in that, only Law Enforcement Agencies can obtain the most sensitive information. In that, some information is classified for whatever reason(s), and not all reason(s) are criminal.

During this phase, our Hombu heavily relies a great deal on our Legal Team in order for them to give us a green light or a red light on any prospective instructor candidate. Crime convictions against moral turpitude automatically disqualifies said instructor candidate. See this link for what our Hombu considers Moral Turpitude, and our Hombu agrees...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_turpitude

Misdemeanors are reviewed per case basis, and not all misdemeanors are an automatic disqualification for said instructor candidate. Again, Greg and I truly depend on our Legal Team to interpret any and all information that they have obtained.

After an instructor passes these two phases, then the rest are more formalities for Greg and I. By this moment, we've already made our decision one way or another.

Any thoughts...let the discussion begin.

[DWx]

Great post Bob. In the UK we have one government agency for background checks, the Criminal Records Bureau. At £26 for a standard check and £44 for an enhanced one, there's really no excuse no to have had one if you're teaching. Definitely for TKD you'll never get your BTC teaching license without having a CRB check. And of course your other criteria of actually being able teach should come into it when recruiting new instructors. But maybe I'm a bit naive because I don't run a school but how often are you recruiting people you haven't trained with and haven't seen firsthand?

[sensei8]

Great post Bob. In the UK we have one government agency for background checks, the Criminal Records Bureau. At £26 for a standard check and £44 for an enhanced one, there's really no excuse no to have had one if you're teaching. Definitely for TKD you'll never get your BTC teaching license without having a CRB check. And of course your other criteria of actually being able teach should come into it when recruiting new instructors. But maybe I'm a bit naive because I don't run a school but how often are you recruiting people you haven't trained with and haven't seen firsthand?

Not often, but the Hombu doesn't only teach Shindokan. We've added other disciplines/practices that compliment Shindokan. From within, instructor candidates must still pass the Floor Test as well as the Criminal Background once considered; it's the formalities that must be exacted.