The Mystification of the Yoga Business - Yoga Teacher Class Rates (Part 2)

Not too long ago, I fell in love with my yoga practice and began daydreaming about how beautiful life would be as an instructor, everyday sharing with others a heaping dose of light and love through soothing adjustments, a welcoming smile, and a gentle voice. Years later, I've left my job to find that the dream is pretty darn close to real life. Life as a yoga teacher is incredible. I love planning sequences, reading texts in search of inspiring class themes, and finding myself constantly surrounded by people actively working to be happier, healthier, and more present.

So why don't more yogis leave behind the stressful nine-to-five and dive into the beauty of a boss-less, cubicle-less, dress code-less existence? One simple and not surprising answer: the money. In general, yoga teachers do not make even a modest salary and therefore need to be motivated, creative, and unrelenting in their artha (trans. the pursuit of prosperity, including material prosperity).

In this posting, I'll specifically discuss yoga teacher class rates, which are structured in several different ways. Below, I have listed the structures which I have encountered.

• Base rate plus $X per student for each student over X.
• Flat rate.
• $X per student.
• X% of total income earned from students attending class.

I have read on Yoga Journal (http://yogajournal.com/lifestyle/1857) that teachers should seek to diversify the structure of their class rates to ensure optimal income and minimal risk. While this may make sense for some, each situation is quite unique and it would be difficult to say which structure is best without knowing more about the studio (e.g. typical attendance, future marketing endeavors, intentions to grow, etc.). Further, most studios, health clubs, etc. already have a pay structure in place, so if you want to work at a certain location, you'll likely have to be amenable to their current set-up. There's always room for negotiation; however, owners won't likely stray far from status quo (e.g. moving from a flat rate to $X per student) unless you are a well-established teacher with a strong following.

Specifics
Here is a run down of my current and past class locations, pay rates, and length of classes. Please keep in mind that I teach in a densely populated city:

• Studio A - $35/class + $3/head over 10 students (e.g. 11 students = $38)
• 1.25 hours
  
• Studio B - $35
• 1 hour class
  
• Studio C - $35/class + $2/head over 8 students (e.g. 11 students = $41)
• 1.5 hours
  
• Studio D - Flat rate $30/class
• 1.5 hours
  
• Corporation - $50/class
• 1 hour
  
• 24 Hour Fitness - $25/class
• 1 hour
  
• Country Club - $45/class
• 1.5 hours
  
• Health Club - $30/class
• 1 hour

My corporate class is generally the best paying, though at times my classes at Studio A will be quite large bringing in upwards of $65 per class. Unfortunately, attendance is extremely variable there; thus, my salary fluctuates as well. You also need to consider that some studios require their teachers to register students, which means arriving to class at least 15 minutes early. The time for your commute as well as the distance of the drive (as relates to the cost of gas) should also be factored into your salary analysis.

As a brand new teacher, I was thrilled to simply be hired at studios and didn't do much haggling over pay. In the past few months, I have learned that pay rates are actually uniform at all but one of my studios and even in that last studio, there isn't much difference between pay for new teachers versus seasoned teachers.

With 10 classes per week and an occasional substituting gig, I make on average $1,700 per month ($20,400 per year). Please keep in mind that this figure is pre-tax (deduct 15.3% for the IRS's self-employment tax) and does not factor in holidays or sick days. As you can see, a yoga teacher's job cannot end with classes unless he or she has married well!

QUESTIONS
Are your class rates very different from mine? If so, what are they; what city/state do you work in; and what is the class location?
Have you found certain pay structures to be better than others?
Do you have other "lessons learned" on class pay rates?
Have you attempted to negotiate with a studio owner over pay? If so, how did it go?