1. She
is a low wage worker and most likely makes under $30,000 a year.
Your teacher
is paid anywhere from $5 to $7 per person for each student in class. Seattle
Yoga Arts pays at the high end of this pay scale. Chain yoga studios are known
to pay their beginning teachers as little as $15 per class! A struggling studio
in town pays $3 per student! Count the number of people in any yoga class,
multiply by those per person rates, and you'll have your teacher's income for
that class. Did you know that if you don’t
come to class, your teacher doesn’t
get paid?
Take a
moment to wonder: how can she live on this?
2. She
is highly educated. She is most likely a college graduate, and, if she is a
career yoga teacher, she has spent in the neighborhood of $10,000 to $20,000 on
yoga education.
At our
studio, we require 500 hours of training and our teachers are always continuing
their education. This includes
teacher training, advanced studies, taking yoga classes herself, traveling for
yoga education, and on-line courses. Yoga teaching is a profession in which,
unless you own a studio, and unless your classes routinely are full, you will
not make a living commensurate with your investment in your education.
What are
the certification requirements for teachers at your studio?
3. She
has no benefits and doesn't get sick pay or vacation pay. She does not receive
health insurance through her employer, and she is accruing no pension or
retirement benefits.
Her pay
is not guaranteed week to week, because her salary depends on how many students
come to class. Our studio was recently asked by the City of Seattle and by a
major university to offer discounts to their employees as part of their
wellness packages. I'm so glad these organizations are doing this! But we wrote
back saying it felt wrong to offer discounts to employees who made more than we
did, and who had better benefits!
What
health, sick and vacation benefits do you enjoy?
4. She
is being exploited.
Sounds a
little harsh, and I'm sorry to have to break the news to you, but, because yoga
students will pay only so much for a yoga class, teacher pay is limited. At our studio we recently raised our
drop-in price to $18, but with various package pricings, you can pay as little
as $12 per class. And prices are even lower at some studios around town.
Take a
moment to reflect: what is the value of yoga to your life?
5. She
is a one person philanthropy program.
Others
see the benefit of yoga and ask a financially strapped teacher to contribute
more. She is regularly asked to
donate her time, money and energy to various very worthy causes that ask for
her support. She almost always says yes! She gives away gift certificates and
free classes, she teaches for free to underprivileged populations, and she
donates her time and energy to fund raisers for disease research and treatment.
How do
you donate to the common good?
