| Hi sunshine,
I don't know about normal. (I've heard people talk about normal, but they were not very convincing and I didn't think that they were "normal" anyway.)
If you still want to work there, accept that their deal was you work for free during the trial period and get on with your life and your class.
If you don't want to work there any more, sue them for breach of contract, assuming you can prove that you had a contract and exactly what that contract specified. Since your lawyer's fees will be more than the pay, I would just chalk it up to experience and either get everything in writing up front or trust people and accept what happens.
Right now as a beginning yoga teacher, the most important thing for you is experience. Use this job as an opportunity to expand your teaching experience and your growth as a yoga teacher. If you are doing a good job, word will get out and other teaching opportunities will come your way. At that point, you can decide whether you want to continue with this particular venue or not.
Time will tell whether your employer is not very good at communicating or a bit of a crook. (Since they are offering you a pretty high pay rate for a gym, they may be thinking that they are not charging the students for the introductory classes and should therefore not pay the instructor either.)
Hope that this does not rain on your sunshine,
jimg |
| it is important to get clear contracts before starting work and most gyms and facilities offer this. it can be as simple as a single statement or a complex multi-page document, but it's important to get them.
i do a lot of work on oral agreements, of course, between friends, but most of my work is done via contract. it just helps to keep things clear.
now, your situation is kind of peculiar. most gyms that have an established group fitness program simply treat yoga like another aerobics class. therefore, no matter how many students you have (or don't have) you get paid the same amount as any other group fitness teachers. typically, in order to keep the class in the schedule, you have to have a student minimum, though. and, you're paid from the very first class whether you have students or not as the class gets established.
there are some places that create a class independent of their typical group classes. i would say that your situation falls closer to this, because you talk about a per-student payment system. in general, for these sorts of systems you get paid the minimum no matter what either from the start or once you get a student or two coming. then, once you hit a certain number of students, you get the per-student payment. for example, a yoga studio near here starts at $35 per class for the first 10 students, and then for 11-15 students you get $5, then for 16-20 students, you get $5, and then for 21-25 students you get $10, and for 25-30 students you get $10. any students over thirty, there is no more payment. one studio room fits 45 students, the other fits 35. so, the top that you can get paid is $65.
anyway, some gyms will offer classes in addition to the group fitness where the client pays extra. in order to build the class and not loose any money, they usually ask the teacher to teach for free until a certain minimum is met (so that they have enough to pay you). so, if your minimum pay is $15 and they charge $15 per student, then they may want one or two students per class to pay you, and if you have fewer than that, then you do not get paid. if they charge $7 for members and $10 for nonmembers, then you might require three members or two non-members before they pay you. and then from there, you might get the added money ($5 per student).
so, it does happen--i don't know how common it is, though.
but the main thing is to get contracts so that you know what to expect and everyone is happy! |
need advice
