Best of luck to you! You sound like you really love dancing *and* have a good head on your shoulders. And never forget that you have people here at ballroomdancers.com you can ask when you have questions or just want a different opinion.

At a minimum, I don't think any amateur should even contemplate turning pro until they've studied with a number of different teachers in different settings, including at least a handfull of sessions with world-ranked authorities. Studios are their own little corner of a very large world, and it would be a shame to make a nearly permanent decision without first getting a sense of the larger picture. I suppose it's not impossible that someone could grow from beginner to competing pro all within the confines of their original studio absent any outside experience, but I'd rate it extremely unlikley.

Hello, I'm a dancing teacher from germany, so at first sorry for my english. I'm employed on a regular basis in a dancing school. One of my colleagues, he is still on-the-job training, is only 20 years old and he is doing a very, very good job. In my opinion a good dancing teacher surly has to dance very good, but even more importand is that he can explain it excellent and that he can tread people very good.
But I think in germany we have a different system of dancing schools than you have in America. We have one big association of dancing teachers. And if you want to be a member of this association you have to do an education over three years. Including a pratical education in a dancing school where you learn all about the daily business. After one year you get your own little classes, for example Hustle-classes. But no beginner-classes. Teaching beginners you need a lot practice, because theire fun in dancing and theire dancing style is hinging on your teaching methods.
The education includes also a theoretical education. You go to a special scool in the morning where you train your own dancing. Mainly the five Latin dances (Rumba, ChaChaCha, Jive, Samba, Paso Doble), based on the technique by Walter Laird and the five "smooth" dances (Waltz, Quickstep, Foxtrott, Tango, Vienne Waltz), based on the technique by Alex Moore respectively the revised technique by "ISTD". You also work out the techniques in a only theoretical way. Which meens you have to learn the Alignments, Footpositions, amounts of turn, etc.
If you go through this education you are allowed, as a member of the association, to teach. But you are only allowed to teach "Hobby-dancers". If some of your pupils want to dance tournaments you have to send them to a dancing club. This is a deal between dancing schools and dancing clubs in Germany. The schools are not allowed to send theire couples to tournaments and on the other hand the clubs are not allowed to teach beginners. If you want to train tournament couples you have to do an advanced education.

Back to the main theme. I think if someone starts to teach at a very young age he can become a good dancing teacher. In this job you grow with your experiances in teaching. But if you want to become a trainer , you have to do your own tournament experiances as an amateur also as an professionel. But most importand is that you know WHY you want to become a dancing teacher. Okay you like dancing, but do you love to work with people? Can you imagine to explain the same step over and over again? Can you imagine to work everytime when everybodyelse with a "normal job" has free? Can you imagine to dance every dancingstyle never mind if you like it or not? (for example: we have some Hip Hop classes, and I'm not really keen on Hip Hop, but I have to learn the basics, just to know how it works)
So, you know your school. Watch the daily business not only in the classes also in the office, etc. and than ask yourself: Can I do this a lifetime?

Greatings from Germany
P.S.: I love my job. It's the best you can do, if you love it!!!

Silke. I found the part on how the clubs are in control of the competition side of dancing very interesting. My question is do the Amatuers run the clubs, employing Professional teachers on a contract bases ?. I take it that the dance schools are owned and run by anybody who wants to start a school. Here in Australia there is nothing stopping a person from opening a Dance Studio without having passed any dance teaching exams. We call them unqualified or back yard mechanics. They do serve a purpose and cater for people who only wish is to walk around the floor without any particular technique, and there are many of them. For any person wishing to compete they would need to go to a qualified teachers who have passed their teaching exams. Having said that there are many who have competed at a high level who could make good teachers. Another side is a competing Professional, they not have to pass any teaching exam. They are a competing Professional, they do not have to run or own a dance studio. There are not many in that category in this country. Most of our competing Professionals are attached to a registered dance studio. There is a clause here and that is under certain conditions an amateur can teach in a studio if they have on the premises a qualified professional. Anyway I will repeat my first question. Are your clubs that produce competitors and run competitions owned by the amateurs ?.The system you work under sounds like a much better system than the one we have here. And with dancing being so popular in Germany it obviously works. I hate to admitt this but competition dancing is falling apart here. Another comp. cancelled this week and one last week through lack of interest. The number of registered, ( you have to be registered to be eligible to compete ), has fallen this year as it did the previous year. Very nice to read your comments.

If you just want a job, why don't you see if they'll hire you as a receptionist or something? That would still be better than BK, you'd get discounted or free lessons, and you can keep your amateur status! You've already gotten some great advice and it sounds like you're going to make the right decision.

what i can summerize from your message was that you feel you were taken advantaged of by Arthur Murray in regards to money and quality of teaching? in response i would like to say: 1) Arthur Murray has been around for almost 100 years, so they are doing something right 2) they are a business ONLY funded by their students and founded ONLY on the love for movement and sharing that with others-they don't recieve outside help. which in turn just like other business's that you may be a consumer of, you have the right to take your business elsewhere w/o slandering them on a forum. 4) who is to measure who is qualified to do what? no offense, but not you. unless you are a certified dance examiner, which by the way AM directors are and no teacher will be allowed to teach unless professionally examined. i am a student of many things including ballroom dance..if i want to learn how to play tennis does my instructor have to have had competed professionally in order to have enough life/tennis experience to teach me? if you want to a realtor to show you a house and give you advice are they only applicable to do so if they own a home up to those same standards? lastly, i have a college degree, but i am not a professional in my field yet, i am i going to go slander my college and say i have to "relearn" everything they taught me because i feel they were an untrained institution...no i have to take responsibility to improve myself not blame others and close my heart to what they have to teach me based on the ASSUMPTION that i understand how they work. i trust others even if i may not understand their methods. celebrate this life. don't be bitter and ruin it for others. be well. nameste

thank you Twiggy :)

Thnks all of you for your opinions. but I started this post to learn the rules. I didn't mean that somebody isn't a professional unless they've competed, or however you took it Twiggy. In fact my teacher is awesome, a great professional dancer, and has never competed with a pro partner. I just started this post to be sure that, if and when I start teaching, I won't be able to compete as an amatuer anymore. Because I do want to have a few years of competing with an amatuer partner before I go professional. I fully understand the rules now, and everyone who has posted has helped me a great deal. By your post, twiggy, you seemed offended or something. If I offended you in any way I'm sorry, but I don't think I meant what you thought I did.

No tangoteen, i wasn;t replying to you or any of your posts to be honest i can't locate the name of the message i was replying to. my response was ment for the person who began message with "let me growl for a minute" so i wanted to "growl" back for a minute:) i am sorry if you felt like my negativity was directed to you. i don't want to direct negativity towards anyone i just don't think that this forum should slander any particular dance studio, especially if that person didn't do their research. all it does is make people like me feel discouraged and lose faith in human nature. lets keep are advice to new comers positive, and if a franchaised studio didn't work out for one person lets talk about it constructively. i feel like there are some business left in this country that are founded on good intentions and want to give the love of dance to others. i don't know. i guess i'm in the wrong too for taking my dance discouragement/learning block out on the forum. the me in me dances with the you in you and excuse my rants:)

Oh! I understand now, and I totally agree with you also. Just because one studio doesnt work for someone doesn't mean that they're all bad. Have fun and keep dancing!