I'm not officially an Arthur Murray instructor, but I used to be. I still conduct staff traiing once a week at my original Arthur Murray studio, so I'm up on their procedures.

You can expect to receive some training before you start, but you probably won't feel fully prepared by the time you teach your first lesson. Actually, no matter how much training you receive, you'll never totally feel prepared. There's always more to learn, and you should expect to pursue your dance training throughout your entire career.

Every situation is slightly different, but you will probably be teaching within just a few months. The actual length of time depends on the quality of training, your ability to learn, and probably most importantly... how desperate they are for teachers. All of these factors mean that it could take you anywhere from a couple of weeks to about 6 months before you start actually teaching.

Nobody is required to compete, but many teachers do. If competition is not your thing, you can still pursue your dancing in other ways. Competition is, however, one of the better ways to improve your dancing as quickly as possible. And it's fun, too. At any rate, that's not something you need to think about right away, so take your time and concentrate on your studio activities for now.

Chain schools provide new teachers with a good opportunity to get their foot in the door. Once there, it is up to the teacher to decide for himself (or herself) what career path makes the most sense. Some teachers stay in the same position throughout their entire career. Others use the chain school as a stepping stone to management positions within the corporation, or for independent teaching.

So is an Arthur Murray or a Fred Astaire a good thing for a dance teacher? Absolutely. Will you stay there forever? Maybe, maybe not. But even if you don't, it's a good way to get started.

Regards,
Jonathan Atkinson
www.ballroomdancers.com

Well I started finally, and I am happy. but admittedly I am very frustrated, and at a stage where I wonder what I got myself into, the lessons are fairly frequent but alot of learning is done on my own as the instrctors are busy. They are very hard working inspiring people to be around however though I realize I need to really pick up fast and constantly keep my eyes and ears open for info and RETAIN it which has been a lifelong struggle for me. Thank you so much for responding. I am giving this 100% and hoping for the best, I see the rewards can be great and the staff training is marvelous off the dancefloor so keep up the good work!

To HappyGirl:

Can you share a little more info on your training? I am considering interviewing at an Arthur Murray and I am wondering if the training is in a group setting or if it is one on one? Any information about the process based on your own experience would be greatly appreciated!

Congratulations on your dancing career!

I would not recommend Arthur Murray. I was a teacher there, and my experience was that the main thing on everyone's mind was money. I got screwed time and time again, I never received the training I was promised, I saw a lot of older people who had saved up money get bilked out of it... it wasn't pleasant.

On the bright side, they almost always are in breach of contract, so you don't have to complete your contract if you take good notes. If they ever pay you late or if you document that you didn't receive much training, you can easily get out of the contract.

Hopefully, there are good Arthur Murray's out there, but at mine, the dollar bill came before anything or anyone else's needs.

I am presently a student at a local Arthur Murrays. I feel like the instructors are part of a "cult". They are very evasive, there is a lot of flattery and I feel its all about Money. I have met other instructors that were are one time part of the Arthur Murray family and left, some because of the restrictions, some because of the push to sell more lessons. Some of these instructors have gone out on their own and doing well. From what I know the $126 you are paying for each private lesson, very little goes to the instructor. I suppose it all has to do with the owner of the franchise. In the studio where I go, the instructors are very young, in their 20's and I wonder how much training they had. They seem very impressionable and almost brainwashed. I am most likely going to another studio where I will not be a dollar sign. In fact I have tried two other studios while still dancing there.

My husband and I have been students at one Arthur Murray studio in Toronto, Ontario for three years and our experience has been fantastic. The instructors are all top notch, with a great focus on technique. Although a little pricey compared to other studios, we feel we get great value for our money. Perhaps most importantly, we have a great studio with lots of friends who are supportive of each other.

That being said, I think the atmosphere is created by the individual owner/franchisee rather than the chain. We lucked out! We have heard and seen other Arthur Murray studios who are much more focused on making money and selling endless lessons to students. Our advice whether teacher or student, check out the atmosphere in the studio: are students/teachers happy, what is there retention rate and what is the interest in improving the overall level of dancing (rather than selling lessons for just another showcase etc).

Hope this helps and happy dancing.

Hi HappyGirl,

Just wanted to let you know that I have been dancing at Arthur Murray as a student for over 6 years now and last month I was officially 'hired' by my studio to teach part time. I love Arthur Murray and to address the somewhat negative comment that was posted earlier let me just say that Arthur Murray may be a "chain" studio but that doesn't mean that every Arthur Murray studio is the same. It really does depend on who owns/runs the studio and how they choose to do so. I love my studio and would never consider going someplace else. If you would like to talk more about training and teaching feel free to email me at jlarochelle1@verizon.net. I hope I am not offending Art here by my comments. I understand that you had a bad experience with a studio and that it probably turned you off to Arthur Murray for the rest of your life. Just please know that not all Arthur Murray studios are cast in the same mold

I agree with jlarochelle in that not every chain school (or independent studio) is managed in the same way. I know people who have sworn off a particular chain, or ballroom altogether because of a bad experience. What interests me is what the ballroom industry thinks of these particular studios. Do they rally behind them because they are all in this industry together? Are they upset that these studios may be reflecting poorly on the industry as a whole? Or do they embrace such studios because, in comparison, their studio becomes more appealing.

Well, your new employer may be 'different' but that begs the question: is that because he is doing something DIFFERENT than al the other franchisees, or is he the only one doing it according to the rulebook.

Everyone knows that when you enter a McDonalds, that the burgers are standardized. And if franchisee #xxx decided to make them bigger, ir charge less or more, etc, they would be reprimanded or fined or have their franchise taken away. A franchise of any other business is operated the same way - the 'head office' determines policy.

We can extrapolate from that that the commonly derided 'franchise' problems (pressure to sign up studnts, 'closed' competition and syllabus, the 6 week wonder syndrome) are part of the rulebook. What is your new employer, the one you are now championing, doing differently from all other Arthur Murray's studios? And, do they know about this?

We already know that he 'tows the line' about the famed 6 week teacher course...

IMO, the fastest way to advance is to win competitions. When you make a name for yourself, then you can try to work as an independent instructor -- you find your own students and charge $60 to $70 per hour and pay a "floor fee" to the studio (around $12?).

Also, Arthur Murray probably teaches you american style dances. However, you may want to evaluate the pros and cons of american versus international style. Many instructors is expert in one style but can teach both styles.