After 20+ years of hiring, training, and managing dance teachers I have a few tips and tricks. The first is to always be hiring, not all teachers will make the journey with you and having a “bench” of trained teachers can give you peace of mind and a new teacher in a pinch.
Lately, the majority of my dance teacher candidates come from paid dance teacher ads on Indeed. Sometimes an ad might not get much attention and it helps to remove the ad for a few days and then repost to “shuffle the deck” if you will. Reserve a set interview day and time so you are not going back and forth with each person about their availability.
I have a 3-step interview process. After I receive a dance teacher resume, the first step is scheduling the candidate for a phone call or zoom interview. I like to ask them about their availability, dance/teaching experience, and include a scenario based question.
1. Styles of dance they are comfortable teaching/what they have taught
2. Ages of dance they are comfortable teaching/what they have taught
3. Availability - most important
4. What do they think are the most important quality a dance teacher should possess
5. How do they handle a dancer that is acting out in class? (scenario based question)
6. What do they love about dance/teaching dance
7. Dance training they have received
The second step is having them meet me in person at the studio. I invite them to attend our weekly teacher meeting held every Tuesday. The third step is to invite them to a class observation. I have them co-teach with one of my instructors and then ask them to teach a 10-minute portion of the ballet section of a Twinkle Stars class. I tell them that I’m “not looking for content.”
When hiring dance teachers there are plenty of additional things to consider including compensation and motivation. I try to make my job offer a career dance teaching opportunity by offering full-time teaching hours (20+ hours per week), competitive hourly rates, Medical and Dental insurance, and a matching 401K program.
Check back next week for my tips about training the Super Teacher.
Learn more about Twinkle Star Dance and get your “Super Teachers” certified at Spark Chicago.
Meet Tiffany Henderson
Tiffany Henderson is an industry leader and dance business expert. Tiffany owns and operates multiple Tiffany's Dance Academy locations in Northern California. Her video-based teacher training system and curriculum, Twinkle Star Dance, is currently implemented in 300+ dance studios worldwide.