Wanting to start my own school

[chiliphil1]

Congrats on the point that your at. It is a difficult decision to make if your going to open your own school or a branch dojo of your current school.

If it is just a branch dojo then you will have access to help from the Hombu Dojo. But not as much if opening your own stand-a-lone school.

But I have never heard the rule of you having to be a 3rd Dan to be considered a CI before. But I do know many schools that have been opened when the CI has been at least 3rd Dan. BUT I do have friends who run schools and they are either 1st or 2nd Dan and they are the CI.

Personally I believe it is the amount of experience that you have and not the number of Dan Grades you hold.

Thank you for the reply. I agree with you on the experience. If I had not been self studying for years I would not be confident in doing this. My rank could be 3rd or 4th dan IF I had stayed with the school I was with before but I branched out on my own and thus gave up advancement.

The main reason that I want to open a subsidiary is because it would give me a few things, one I would be able to attend and have my students attend functions with the parent school, such as testing and tournaments. Two, I would have a very experienced and knowledgeable instructor to oversee things and bounce ideas off of and also he would be willing to help me in any way possible when I needed it. Plus there is an umbrella that I would be under and could use his resources, such as vendors, other instructors, etc..

I am not afraid of going it alone but I need the sanctioning body otherwise any rank which I award would be useless.. I do not want to start my own style or organization.

Having the subsidiary is a good idea because you can at least have that assistance with teaching and training to feel ready.

What if you had your own dojo but it was in partnership with your old dojo (if you and your old sensei are on good terms) so you could allow the student to train at both and potentially be graded at the other dojo if you felt like you weren't happy on running your gradings yourself?

I can understand that you would require state or national accreditation with the governing body to aid in support, insurance and opportunities to become available for you and students. What is your current rank if i may ask?

I just looked up the Australian Karate Federation website in regards to membership and they request that you hold a 3rd Dan in your style and that all your instructors hold a Dan Grading. Although many clubs that I have spoken to have opted to only go for the state membership until they reach such a grading.

This is exactly what I was hoping for. I think it would benefit everyone if I could do this. I really want to be able to have my old CI in my loop, I think that it would only help my success and my students.. I am hoping this will work out.

I am a black belt.. In my system you get black belt, then 1st dan, and onward.. I think the highest person in my entire organization is a 7th dan. This is why I was thinking in the beginning that I could get one of the 3rd or 4th dans which I am still on good terms with to come in and be my CI. I would still own and operate the school but I would have them to oversee things while I work up to the appropriate rank. The main reason I am looking to do this now is because I am going to have the money to do it.. Down the road I may not.. If I could be the owner and an instructor I would be fine with that.. I don't mind a higher rank in my school, I am not looking to be "in charge" in all aspects I just want to teach MA. I know about 3-4 3rd and ups who I am sure I could get in at least a couple of days a week..

As far as the certification goes, I don't have to have anything on the state or federal level, again my organization is small so I would just need the blessing of the founder who I know fairly well, I spoke with him last week when we both sat on a testing board. Unfortunately I did not get the time to speak with him in regard to the school idea, it was a fairly hectic day.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Congrats on the point that your at. It is a difficult decision to make if your going to open your own school or a branch dojo of your current school.

If it is just a branch dojo then you will have access to help from the Hombu Dojo. But not as much if opening your own stand-a-lone school.

But I have never heard the rule of you having to be a 3rd Dan to be considered a CI before. But I do know many schools that have been opened when the CI has been at least 3rd Dan. BUT I do have friends who run schools and they are either 1st or 2nd Dan and they are the CI.

Personally I believe it is the amount of experience that you have and not the number of Dan Grades you hold.

Thank you for the reply. I agree with you on the experience. If I had not been self studying for years I would not be confident in doing this. My rank could be 3rd or 4th dan IF I had stayed with the school I was with before but I branched out on my own and thus gave up advancement.

The main reason that I want to open a subsidiary is because it would give me a few things, one I would be able to attend and have my students attend functions with the parent school, such as testing and tournaments. Two, I would have a very experienced and knowledgeable instructor to oversee things and bounce ideas off of and also he would be willing to help me in any way possible when I needed it. Plus there is an umbrella that I would be under and could use his resources, such as vendors, other instructors, etc..

I am not afraid of going it alone but I need the sanctioning body otherwise any rank which I award would be useless.. I do not want to start my own style or organization.

Having the subsidiary is a good idea because you can at least have that assistance with teaching and training to feel ready.

What if you had your own dojo but it was in partnership with your old dojo (if you and your old sensei are on good terms) so you could allow the student to train at both and potentially be graded at the other dojo if you felt like you weren't happy on running your gradings yourself?

I can understand that you would require state or national accreditation with the governing body to aid in support, insurance and opportunities to become available for you and students. What is your current rank if i may ask?

I just looked up the Australian Karate Federation website in regards to membership and they request that you hold a 3rd Dan in your style and that all your instructors hold a Dan Grading. Although many clubs that I have spoken to have opted to only go for the state membership until they reach such a grading.

This is exactly what I was hoping for. I think it would benefit everyone if I could do this. I really want to be able to have my old CI in my loop, I think that it would only help my success and my students.. I am hoping this will work out.

I am a black belt.. In my system you get black belt, then 1st dan, and onward.. I think the highest person in my entire organization is a 7th dan. This is why I was thinking in the beginning that I could get one of the 3rd or 4th dans which I am still on good terms with to come in and be my CI. I would still own and operate the school but I would have them to oversee things while I work up to the appropriate rank. The main reason I am looking to do this now is because I am going to have the money to do it.. Down the road I may not.. If I could be the owner and an instructor I would be fine with that.. I don't mind a higher rank in my school, I am not looking to be "in charge" in all aspects I just want to teach MA. I know about 3-4 3rd and ups who I am sure I could get in at least a couple of days a week..

As far as the certification goes, I don't have to have anything on the state or federal level, again my organization is small so I would just need the blessing of the founder who I know fairly well, I spoke with him last week when we both sat on a testing board. Unfortunately I did not get the time to speak with him in regard to the school idea, it was a fairly hectic day.

The bold type is the same at my school as it was the same at my old dojo.

If you can get assistance from then that will be great as you can look to them for that guidance.

I may not be that much of a higher up in the organisation but still a senior instructor. But when you mentioned that you didn't want to be 'in charge' of all aspects, i feel like you need to be that person to be in charge. Because I think if you aren't in charge of everything then you go and have a tiff with the instructor then there will be some in fighting (not in the kumite sense).

Let me clarify, because to me a CI has the final say on curriculum and whether people pass/fail tests + gradings. Whilst the Owner primarily is behind the scenes. So that is why i see many people who run schools are both the CI + Owner.

But if you want them as the CI you should put into place what roles said person can have in charge of but the owner has the final say.

[chiliphil1]

Congrats on the point that your at. It is a difficult decision to make if your going to open your own school or a branch dojo of your current school.

If it is just a branch dojo then you will have access to help from the Hombu Dojo. But not as much if opening your own stand-a-lone school.

But I have never heard the rule of you having to be a 3rd Dan to be considered a CI before. But I do know many schools that have been opened when the CI has been at least 3rd Dan. BUT I do have friends who run schools and they are either 1st or 2nd Dan and they are the CI.

Personally I believe it is the amount of experience that you have and not the number of Dan Grades you hold.

Thank you for the reply. I agree with you on the experience. If I had not been self studying for years I would not be confident in doing this. My rank could be 3rd or 4th dan IF I had stayed with the school I was with before but I branched out on my own and thus gave up advancement.

The main reason that I want to open a subsidiary is because it would give me a few things, one I would be able to attend and have my students attend functions with the parent school, such as testing and tournaments. Two, I would have a very experienced and knowledgeable instructor to oversee things and bounce ideas off of and also he would be willing to help me in any way possible when I needed it. Plus there is an umbrella that I would be under and could use his resources, such as vendors, other instructors, etc..

I am not afraid of going it alone but I need the sanctioning body otherwise any rank which I award would be useless.. I do not want to start my own style or organization.

Having the subsidiary is a good idea because you can at least have that assistance with teaching and training to feel ready.

What if you had your own dojo but it was in partnership with your old dojo (if you and your old sensei are on good terms) so you could allow the student to train at both and potentially be graded at the other dojo if you felt like you weren't happy on running your gradings yourself?

I can understand that you would require state or national accreditation with the governing body to aid in support, insurance and opportunities to become available for you and students. What is your current rank if i may ask?

I just looked up the Australian Karate Federation website in regards to membership and they request that you hold a 3rd Dan in your style and that all your instructors hold a Dan Grading. Although many clubs that I have spoken to have opted to only go for the state membership until they reach such a grading.

This is exactly what I was hoping for. I think it would benefit everyone if I could do this. I really want to be able to have my old CI in my loop, I think that it would only help my success and my students.. I am hoping this will work out.

I am a black belt.. In my system you get black belt, then 1st dan, and onward.. I think the highest person in my entire organization is a 7th dan. This is why I was thinking in the beginning that I could get one of the 3rd or 4th dans which I am still on good terms with to come in and be my CI. I would still own and operate the school but I would have them to oversee things while I work up to the appropriate rank. The main reason I am looking to do this now is because I am going to have the money to do it.. Down the road I may not.. If I could be the owner and an instructor I would be fine with that.. I don't mind a higher rank in my school, I am not looking to be "in charge" in all aspects I just want to teach MA. I know about 3-4 3rd and ups who I am sure I could get in at least a couple of days a week..

As far as the certification goes, I don't have to have anything on the state or federal level, again my organization is small so I would just need the blessing of the founder who I know fairly well, I spoke with him last week when we both sat on a testing board. Unfortunately I did not get the time to speak with him in regard to the school idea, it was a fairly hectic day.

The bold type is the same at my school as it was the same at my old dojo.

If you can get assistance from then that will be great as you can look to them for that guidance.

I may not be that much of a higher up in the organisation but still a senior instructor. But when you mentioned that you didn't want to be 'in charge' of all aspects, i feel like you need to be that person to be in charge. Because I think if you aren't in charge of everything then you go and have a tiff with the instructor then there will be some in fighting (not in the kumite sense).

Let me clarify, because to me a CI has the final say on curriculum and whether people pass/fail tests + gradings. Whilst the Owner primarily is behind the scenes. So that is why i see many people who run schools are both the CI + Owner.

But if you want them as the CI you should put into place what roles said person can have in charge of but the owner has the final say.

Yes, that's what I am hinting towards. I would hire a "teacher" so to speak and I would be the "principal" if you looked at it that way. I will say this, I do plan to be "in charge" but I don't mind handing the oversight of teaching to someone else, all of the people that I know have the utmost of my respect so I would not be in any competition with them if they told me "you should teach this way" These people are either those who taught me when I was coming up or they came up with me but stayed with the same organization. I am doing this to both meet requirements of the organization (if they don't allow me on my own) and to provide the best instruction for my students. I don't feel that I would be lacking BUT these other people have more experience than me and one of the people I have in mind is a former school owner/chief instructor himself.

I want to say again, thank you for all the input it is really helping me piece all of this together..

Oh, I think I mentioned this before but once I am back in the organization I could be a 2nd dan in 2-3 years, I am eligible to test for 1st as soon as I walk in the door, if I can get myself prepared I could probably do that at the next test in 6 months.. I think 1st to 2nd is 2 years, so I could own the school with a CI in place, once I make the rank he could either stay on or step away, it would be up to him. I just want to go ahead and get the ball rolling now, even if that means letting someone else drive the training part.. It would be like having a store manager and an owner, same principal..

In the beginning though I am going to follow advice given here and train on my own at local venues until I have a student base and then move into the school, that's when I would have to be concerned with the CI issue.

[The Pred]

Personally If I were you I would be the CI and owner. All your new students will start off as white belts anyhow. Furthermore, depending on how often you do promotions, by the time your students are at brown, you might already be a 2nd or 3rd dan.

[Spartacus Maximus]

Personally I consider a branch dojo easier and more advantageous to start than a completely independent one. Especially if one is at a lower Dan grade. In either case the instructor must continue training in parallel to teaching.

As a branch dojo belonging to an association, the new instructor already has a network of peers and seniors to call on for support, advice and training. It also makes it possible to exchange ideas for everyone's benefit.

With few exceptions, the chief instructor of an independent dojo must take the time to find resources to pursue personal training or advice. This can be very time consuming and frustrating for someone trying to establish a brand new school.

[chiliphil1]

Personally If I were you I would be the CI and owner. All your new students will start off as white belts anyhow. Furthermore, depending on how often you do promotions, by the time your students are at brown, you might already be a 2nd or 3rd dan.

This is what I am thinking, my hang up on rank is because I want to be able to promote under the organization in which I hold my BB, if they won't sign off on me running a school then I have no authority to grant rank.

[chiliphil1]

Personally I consider a branch dojo easier and more advantageous to start than a completely independent one. Especially if one is at a lower Dan grade. In either case the instructor must continue training in parallel to teaching.

As a branch dojo belonging to an association, the new instructor already has a network of peers and seniors to call on for support, advice and training. It also makes it possible to exchange ideas for everyone's benefit.

With few exceptions, the chief instructor of an independent dojo must take the time to find resources to pursue personal training or advice. This can be very time consuming and frustrating for someone trying to establish a brand new school.

Agreed 100% This is why I am going to press as hard as I can to get my old school on board with me. To let me have a "franchise" so to speak. I am willing as I said before to even hire a higher rank to run the training if needed, anything I can do to make it happen. I think it would be good for everyone if I could have a veteran instructor/school owner behind me on this.

[Spartacus Maximus]

From a prospective student's perspective it adds a boost of credibility if the chief instructor is also an active student under an instructor of his own within a recognized association. There is of course the opportunity to have the chief instructor's sensei or seniors coming in to do a special lesson or seminar. I hope it works well for your plan because I may well be in your shoes in the near future

[chiliphil1]

From a prospective student's perspective it adds a boost of credibility if the chief instructor is also an active student under an instructor of his own within a recognized association. There is of course the opportunity to have the chief instructor's sensei or seniors coming in to do a special lesson or seminar. I hope it works well for your plan because I may well be in your shoes in the near future

Thank you, I also truly hope it works for you as well, there is nothing I like seeing more than someone who puts in hard work having success.

[Spartacus Maximus]

Even with all the support it can be an intimidating role to take. Almost from the beginning, my sensei has expressed his hopes that I will take his karate style and school to a new area. Although it can be a motivating thought, these high expectations sometimes give me pressure and doubt as to whether or not I can ever meet them. Knowing these expectations, his approval of any improvement I make is more important than anything else.