Should I charge for a test run / "soft open" art class?
April 14, 2024 7:36 AM Subscribe
I've been invited to teach a two-day art class in June and need to work through my pacing, make sure instructions are clear, etc., so I'm planning to put out a call on Facebook for friends to help me with a practice run. Of course, there's a plate of beans involved:
I was thinking about charging a small fee, around $35, to cover materials and lunch on both days. My true cost outlays will probably be closer to $60/person, so profit isn't a motive here. Mainly I'd like for people to feel like they have some skin in the game so I don't end up with last-minute cancellations. My husband said that felt kind of icky to him - the idea of charging one's friends for something.
To his point, I acknowledge that these students would be doing me a favor in providing feedback and helping me feel more confident about the real class. Also, some folks might be traveling ~90 miles (I moved recently and most of my social group is back in the old place), so they'll have gas costs as well as travel time. On the other-other hand, they're getting a free art class and it's going to cost me a couple hundred dollars.
What do you think I should do?
And, one other tangential question I'd welcome you weighing in on: I've thought about trying to condense the two-day class into one longer day for the practice run (for the sake of peoples' schedules), in which case I could get my instruction down but would have less sense of pacing. Pros/cons from a teaching perspective?
Thank you!
I was thinking about charging a small fee, around $35, to cover materials and lunch on both days. My true cost outlays will probably be closer to $60/person, so profit isn't a motive here. Mainly I'd like for people to feel like they have some skin in the game so I don't end up with last-minute cancellations. My husband said that felt kind of icky to him - the idea of charging one's friends for something.
To his point, I acknowledge that these students would be doing me a favor in providing feedback and helping me feel more confident about the real class. Also, some folks might be traveling ~90 miles (I moved recently and most of my social group is back in the old place), so they'll have gas costs as well as travel time. On the other-other hand, they're getting a free art class and it's going to cost me a couple hundred dollars.
What do you think I should do?
And, one other tangential question I'd welcome you weighing in on: I've thought about trying to condense the two-day class into one longer day for the practice run (for the sake of peoples' schedules), in which case I could get my instruction down but would have less sense of pacing. Pros/cons from a teaching perspective?
Thank you!
As someone who was invited to help out a friend I would be very put off by them asking me to pay for the privilege.
If it was a question of helping to pay for the supplies I might be willing to chip in, but even then I would expect that to be an optional thing.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:04 AM on April 14 [2 favorites]
If it was a question of helping to pay for the supplies I might be willing to chip in, but even then I would expect that to be an optional thing.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:04 AM on April 14 [2 favorites]
I think you're right here, especially if you're talking about friends. Your husband's position doesn't really make sense to me- it's a no-brainer to support my friends' creative or professional endeavors financially, and it's not like I'm some wealthy patron (far from it). I have a friend in a play in a couple weeks; you can bet that I bought a ticket to the show without a second thought. Friends who offer professional services, I pay. If a friend were teaching a class and asked for a reduced fee to cover materials, I would not bat an eye. And payment does tend to increase people's sense of investment, which also reduces the chance of flaking and not showing up.
Re: your other questions, I would condense. Two days is a lot to ask of people who are showing up in part to support you. With teaching and facilitation, I find so much of it is learning as you go and it's always good to have flexibility built into your plan anyway. If this were me I'd focus on the segments where I most wanted to be sure that instructions were clear/see if any unexpected challenges arose for participants, and then do my best to frame out the pacing. If it's not just a one-off you'll hone it over time; if it is, it doesn't have to be perfect to be good and worthwhile.
posted by wormtales at 8:05 AM on April 14 [1 favorite]
Re: your other questions, I would condense. Two days is a lot to ask of people who are showing up in part to support you. With teaching and facilitation, I find so much of it is learning as you go and it's always good to have flexibility built into your plan anyway. If this were me I'd focus on the segments where I most wanted to be sure that instructions were clear/see if any unexpected challenges arose for participants, and then do my best to frame out the pacing. If it's not just a one-off you'll hone it over time; if it is, it doesn't have to be perfect to be good and worthwhile.
posted by wormtales at 8:05 AM on April 14 [1 favorite]
If I was a friend, paying for materials would feel totally normal, but paying for lunch would feel weird to me actually. I never enjoy being charged for lunch that I may not particularly want, but I might not feel like I could say no if it was bundled into the material cost. If you just said how much the materials cost was and gave me a PayPal/etc link I would prefer that over being directly charged.
posted by JZig at 8:06 AM on April 14 [4 favorites]
posted by JZig at 8:06 AM on April 14 [4 favorites]
I think it;s fine to charge a materials cost and ask people to bring their own lunches. I would do one day; two is really going to cut your audience.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:25 AM on April 14 [7 favorites]
posted by DarlingBri at 8:25 AM on April 14 [7 favorites]
So this trial class is not going to be of interest to people who would not normally be interested in doing two day art classes. Nobody is going to have/ be willing to dedicate two full days of spare time, especially if they have to travel and potentially stay over. The people who would be interested, would know that two day art classes cost money. By all means make it clear you are trialling a class concept and people will get your time and expertise for free but they will need to pay x for materials.
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:31 AM on April 14 [3 favorites]
posted by koahiatamadl at 8:31 AM on April 14 [3 favorites]
Some things to consider:
and it's going to cost me a couple hundred dollars
If you're going to be earning a fair amount from the actual class, and/or from future business that might result from it, you might look at that as an investment or the cost of doing business.
If you mean a literal couple of hundred, then at ~60/person that works out to three or four friends. If that's the case, then (especially if they know each other) that could itself be a factor in reducing flakiness: it's one thing to flake if you know a lot of other people are coming, but if it's a really small group you know it'll have more impact. Especially if you as host go out of your way to emphasize how much this will help you and what a small group you are.
Finally, what's your financial situation like in comparison to your friends', and is $35+trip costs definitely a small amount to all of them?
(A friend who is in the 99.something percent recently set out a virtual tip jar for some creative endeavor for which the primary audience is his friends, and... that's weird.)
Anyway, I agree with everyone else not to charge for food or any other refreshments. This is a work/creative thing, but it's also a friends thing for which you're the host.
posted by trig at 8:39 AM on April 14 [3 favorites]
and it's going to cost me a couple hundred dollars
If you're going to be earning a fair amount from the actual class, and/or from future business that might result from it, you might look at that as an investment or the cost of doing business.
If you mean a literal couple of hundred, then at ~60/person that works out to three or four friends. If that's the case, then (especially if they know each other) that could itself be a factor in reducing flakiness: it's one thing to flake if you know a lot of other people are coming, but if it's a really small group you know it'll have more impact. Especially if you as host go out of your way to emphasize how much this will help you and what a small group you are.
Finally, what's your financial situation like in comparison to your friends', and is $35+trip costs definitely a small amount to all of them?
(A friend who is in the 99.something percent recently set out a virtual tip jar for some creative endeavor for which the primary audience is his friends, and... that's weird.)
Anyway, I agree with everyone else not to charge for food or any other refreshments. This is a work/creative thing, but it's also a friends thing for which you're the host.
posted by trig at 8:39 AM on April 14 [3 favorites]
I think there are two different ways to frame this, and the answer depends on which framing you use:
Option 1: "This weekend, I need to do a practice run of a class I'll be teaching in the future, and am looking for some friends to help me prepare. Come to the practice run of the class, and in exchange for your time and feedback, you get free instruction and free lunch."
Option 2: "This weekend, I'm teaching a class in my area of expertise. Because this is my first time doing the class in this format, I'm offering a discount—the class will be [small number of dollars] instead of the usual [larger number of dollars]."
If you're asking people to do you a favor, then it feels off to charge them, even to cover the cost of materials—you need to offer them incentive to help you out. But if you think of this as a class you're offering that is just a bit less polished than the normal class, then it makes sense to offer it at a reduced price, the way a Broadway show might offer cheaper tickets for previews. And I think either approach is OK! You just have to choose one or the other.
posted by Mender at 8:42 AM on April 14 [21 favorites]
Option 1: "This weekend, I need to do a practice run of a class I'll be teaching in the future, and am looking for some friends to help me prepare. Come to the practice run of the class, and in exchange for your time and feedback, you get free instruction and free lunch."
Option 2: "This weekend, I'm teaching a class in my area of expertise. Because this is my first time doing the class in this format, I'm offering a discount—the class will be [small number of dollars] instead of the usual [larger number of dollars]."
If you're asking people to do you a favor, then it feels off to charge them, even to cover the cost of materials—you need to offer them incentive to help you out. But if you think of this as a class you're offering that is just a bit less polished than the normal class, then it makes sense to offer it at a reduced price, the way a Broadway show might offer cheaper tickets for previews. And I think either approach is OK! You just have to choose one or the other.
posted by Mender at 8:42 AM on April 14 [21 favorites]
The cost depends on the enthusiasm level for your audience.
If they are approaching this as a "Ooh, a chance to hang out with friends for a day at an art class!" then basically asking them to pay for their own materials seems fine. (I would frame it that way--you'll pick up the materials for everyone but it'll cost about $35, rather than saying it's a class fee. It's like collecting money for pizza at game night.)
OTOH if someone is thinking they might do this but mostly as a favor to you, then being asked to pay is between awkward and off-putting. Add in the commute time and it's doubly so. I'd err on the side of not charging unless you have a good read on people.
I'd keep it one day. If this were me doing (non-art) presentation prep, I'd condense it by cutting things out rather than rushing, and that would still give me a pretty good idea what takes longer than expected, what works, what confuses people, etc.
posted by mark k at 8:50 AM on April 14 [3 favorites]
If they are approaching this as a "Ooh, a chance to hang out with friends for a day at an art class!" then basically asking them to pay for their own materials seems fine. (I would frame it that way--you'll pick up the materials for everyone but it'll cost about $35, rather than saying it's a class fee. It's like collecting money for pizza at game night.)
OTOH if someone is thinking they might do this but mostly as a favor to you, then being asked to pay is between awkward and off-putting. Add in the commute time and it's doubly so. I'd err on the side of not charging unless you have a good read on people.
I'd keep it one day. If this were me doing (non-art) presentation prep, I'd condense it by cutting things out rather than rushing, and that would still give me a pretty good idea what takes longer than expected, what works, what confuses people, etc.
posted by mark k at 8:50 AM on April 14 [3 favorites]
I think it’s reasonable to charge for the trial class but might be better to recruit your participants locally, through a neighborhood group or something.
If you really feel you need a runthrough with feedback from friends, don’t charge and invite people individually to come rather than a random open to all invite. Your class could be a combo of these things too.
posted by vunder at 9:43 AM on April 14 [2 favorites]
If you really feel you need a runthrough with feedback from friends, don’t charge and invite people individually to come rather than a random open to all invite. Your class could be a combo of these things too.
posted by vunder at 9:43 AM on April 14 [2 favorites]
If I was your friend, and you expected two days of my time and travel to help you get the best possible start on a business venture, I'd expect a free lunch at least. And where am I staying for these two days that I've traveled as much as 90 miles for? Am I expected to to go back and forth? Stay in a hotel?
If I was your friend, and you expected two days of my time and travel time and cash payment, we'd have words.
This is entirely for your benefit and already has a cost to your friends. Time is extremely valuable to most people. And if some of these friends are parents who will have to juggle child care....
posted by Lesser Shrew at 10:17 AM on April 14 [1 favorite]
If I was your friend, and you expected two days of my time and travel time and cash payment, we'd have words.
This is entirely for your benefit and already has a cost to your friends. Time is extremely valuable to most people. And if some of these friends are parents who will have to juggle child care....
posted by Lesser Shrew at 10:17 AM on April 14 [1 favorite]
Lots of these answers are weird. I teach workshops a lot and my expertise still has value even if the pedagogy needs some ironing out. I'd advertise for half off to cover materials costs and see who registers. If you need to reach out to specific friends to ask them to attend as a favor after advertising at half off, then you should offer it to them for free.
Condense into one day and make note of times where the pacing needs padding. You'll get enough of a sense of the pacing needs in a condensed day.
Good luck! It sounds fun.
posted by twelve cent archie at 10:33 AM on April 14 [3 favorites]
Condense into one day and make note of times where the pacing needs padding. You'll get enough of a sense of the pacing needs in a condensed day.
Good luck! It sounds fun.
posted by twelve cent archie at 10:33 AM on April 14 [3 favorites]
Honestly, I would drop the idea of it being for friends, and just do a test run at a cheaper price for anyone interested. And I wouldn't include lunch, and I'd be up front that this is your first time teaching. I'd give people options - a free version in which they provide their own supplies, and a low-cost version where you provide the supplies. Of course invite your friends, but I wouldn't expect anyone who isn't local to want to do this unless they are really keen to get an art lesson.
Or, make it over Zoom for your friends, keep whatever supplies they'd need to buy minimal.
posted by coffeecat at 10:36 AM on April 14 [2 favorites]
Or, make it over Zoom for your friends, keep whatever supplies they'd need to buy minimal.
posted by coffeecat at 10:36 AM on April 14 [2 favorites]
Honestly, I would drop the idea of it being for friends, and just do a test run at a cheaper price for anyone interested.
I really like this idea. Another idea would be to offer a cheaper price or some sort of discount in exchange for feedback.
I agree that this two day class is only going to really appeal to people who want to travel to you to take a two day art class, and I think this is the best way to get the two things you are hoping for: 1) the opportunity to work out your teaching style for a two day class AND 2) ensure that people actually show up who want to do art across two days, which is the best audience for point 1. Personally, I'd not shorten it to one day since your actual paying gig is for the two days and you could still use the overall experience to determine whether/how it could be condensed (or expanded). But if you aren't getting bites or people mention the duration as an issue, then I'd consider it.
You could also include some language around "if you'd like to support but not attend, here's how" which is the bucket some folks might fall into.
posted by sm1tten at 11:42 AM on April 14
I really like this idea. Another idea would be to offer a cheaper price or some sort of discount in exchange for feedback.
I agree that this two day class is only going to really appeal to people who want to travel to you to take a two day art class, and I think this is the best way to get the two things you are hoping for: 1) the opportunity to work out your teaching style for a two day class AND 2) ensure that people actually show up who want to do art across two days, which is the best audience for point 1. Personally, I'd not shorten it to one day since your actual paying gig is for the two days and you could still use the overall experience to determine whether/how it could be condensed (or expanded). But if you aren't getting bites or people mention the duration as an issue, then I'd consider it.
You could also include some language around "if you'd like to support but not attend, here's how" which is the bucket some folks might fall into.
posted by sm1tten at 11:42 AM on April 14
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If by friends you mean followers, an audience you’ve built up professionally, then offering a class at a discount seems ok.
I just did a 2-day online writing class that could have been one day and it kind of annoyed me and I won’t be signing up again. That’s partly where I am in my life; times at a premium. If your friends got in this category esp if they are driving so far, one day is good. If you’re talking early career or retirees, then the timing is different.
In short, consider your audience.
posted by warriorqueen at 8:02 AM on April 14 [3 favorites]