Teacher FAQ & Tips on How-to-Make Money
- How can I promote my services through the Musika website?
- How do I get new students?
- When should I call a new student lead?
- What should I do if a new lead isn't getting back to me?
- Can I remove leads/students from Musika and teach them on the side?
- A Musika client referred me to a friend/family member, what should I do?
- How does the trial lesson work?
- I taught a trial lesson, now what?
- How often are lessons?
- Can I accept money directly from students?
- How do I get paid?
- What do I say if a student asks me the lesson price?
- What is the same-day cancellation policy?
- What do I do if a student wants to terminate lessons?
- I do not plan on renewing my contract when it end, what should I do?
- Does Musika offer student recitals?
- What other tips do you have for making money as a teacher?
-
How can I promote my services through the Musika website?
First, creating/updating your profile at http://www.musikalessons.com/login. Profiles with quality content attract 10 times as many direct requests from clients. The second way is by writing articles for our blog. Send blog articles to musika@musikalessons.com The more articles you submit, the more web traffic you will get to your profile on our site, resulting in students for you. Anything related to music is acceptable: reviews of albums, practice tips, guitar tabs of popular songs, even subjects as detailed as how to do vibrato. The options are endless. Note: Due to Google guidelines, if you wish to submit an article that you already published on another site/blog you will need to reword the article in its entirety. Word-for-word duplicate text will not be indexed by Google.
How do I get new students?
If a Musika lead didn't request a teacher specifically from a profile or blog article they liked on our site, you will receive an email about the new student lead. Always review the student's schedule and location to see if it fits your availability and travel range. If all looks good, request the student. We suggest being very quick and maintaining a high level of reliability, as only one teacher will ultimately get the lead each time. Lastly, teachers can go to system.musikalessons.com/prospectives.php to find a repository of unplaced leads.
When should I call a new student lead?
Tip: we strongly recommend calling the student immediately. The student will be expecting your phone call. Sales studies show that delays of even a few hours can cause leads to "go cold," resulting in the client looking elsewhere for lessons. We also highly suggest sending a follow-up email with a link to your teacher profile mentioning you left a phone message. To find your profile URL, go to http://www.musikalessons.com/teachers/search and search for your instrument and zipcode. Once you locate your profile you can copy the url from your web browser into your email. A high-quality profile will often prompt a lead to call you back.
What should I do if a new lead isn't getting back to me?
We recommend a follow-up call 24-36 hours later if you didn't reach them on the first attempt.
Can I remove leads/students from Musika and teach them on the side?
No (as per contract), this is a serious offense. On a daily basis our full-time tracking department investigates all leads that never registered and all registered students that drop out, to find all violations. Teachers caught removing lead/student(s) for the purpose of teaching them outside of Musika will be subject to legal action for breach of contract at a rate of $5,000 per stolen lead/student.
A Musika client referred me to a friend/family member, what should I do?
Referrals from Musika clients (ie: friends and family) can increase your student base. Such referrals must come through Musika, (as per contract). Log on to your discrectionary invoicing account at system.musikalessons.com/teachers and click "Tell Musika about a student referral."
How does the trial lesson work?
We recommend scheduling the trial lesson sooner rather than later. Scheduling a lesson weeks down the road gives the student lead an opportunity to find a different teacher before meeting you. All trial lessons are 30 minutes. If the student registers after the trial with you, they pay Musika for that 30-minute lesson and you will be paid by Musika. The lesson is ONLY free for the student if they do not register with you, in which case you are not compensated (as per your contract with Musika).
I taught a trial lesson, now what?
Let us know this right away by logging onto your complimentary invoicing account at system.musikalessons.com/teachers Click the link "click here to tell Musika you met a new student" and submit. Musika will then reach out to student to register.
How often are lessons?
Industry standards are one lesson per week per student, while some teachers and student arrange for two lessons per week. We recommend the industry standard at the minimum to ensure regular progress and continuity. Student who take lessons every other week may tend to lose interest and drop-out.
Can I accept money directly from students?
No (as per contract). Always direct them back to Musika at 877-687-4524. We handle all billing.
How do I get paid?
Log into your complimentary invoicing account at system.musikalessons.com/teachers, and click on "click here to submit a new entry" You will then be paid by Musika on the 14th of each month for all the lessons you logged in the previous month.
What do I say if a student asks me the lesson price?
Have them call us at 877-687-4524. We have a variety of discount prices and promotions. We handle the billing so you can focus on teaching.
What is the same-day cancellation policy?
Lessons cancelled less than 24 hours in advance (or if the student does not show up/is not home) are considered same-day cancellations. Select the option "student cancelled on same day of regularly scheduled lesson" when you enter the lesson at your complimentary invoicing account system.musikalessons.com/teachers The student will be charged for the lesson, and you will be compensated.
What do I do if a student wants to terminate lessons?
Log into your complimentary invoicing account at system.musikalessons.com/teachers and click "click here to indicate a student is requesting termination of lessons." You may also call Musika at 877-687-4524 to let us know.
I do not plan on renewing my contract when it end, what should I do?
Instructors must notify Musika 60 days in advance of the end of their contract. Please do not inform any of your students of this until you let Musika know first. We will need to find your students a replacement teacher and have that arranged before you let them know you are leaving Musika.
Does Musika offer student recitals?
Yes. They happen in May-June and are optional for both teachers and students. Info is sent in April each year regarding locations and dates.
What other tips do you have for making money as a teacher?
Maintain a High Retention Rate
Keeping students engaged, learning and progressing week after week is the ultimate goal. New student leads always select teachers that have a high retention rate.
Keep Cancellations to a Minimum
Create a teaching environment where students know/feel that cancelling lessons should be kept to a minimum. Industry standard is no more than 2 cancellations every 4 months (not including major holidays). Lead by example by not canceling a lesson unless it's absolutely necessary.
Make-Up Cancelled Lessons
The more lessons you teach, the more money you make. If you are having trouble finding a time to make up a cancelled lesson, you can often extend a normally scheduled lesson to cover the missed time. There are options to input longer lessons lengths at your invoicing account found at system.musikalessons.com/teachers
Go for It!
Musika receives numerous requests every day. We can never determine where the students will come from. The most successful teachers, particularly those who have many students, have built up their student base one student at a time. Once you start getting students in a certain area, if you continue to request students in that area you hopefully will be able to build up a healthy schedule of back-to-back students. Good luck!
Disclaimer: The contents of this page are to be used as a guide and resource for instructors to help them succeed as music teachers in general, as well as an independent contractor with Musika. The tips contained in this document should not be taken as strict rules (with the exception of contractual obligations), but rather as recommendations/tips based on industry standards.