Trying my hand at instructing. Need advice

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  • sajidakh

    Active Member
    Dec 28, 2010
    981
    #1: I'm based out of Tampa, FL.

    Looking to get into a side hustle that actually means something to me. I know the shooting instruction market is inundated with choices, but so is every other market. I enjoy teaching, believe I'm good at it and love shooting.

    Not trying to get into a creds war but i shoot competitive from time to time, have spent thousands in courses with all the big fancy names you can think of. Basic to advanced pistol/rifle, low light, night vision, DMR, shotgun and one offs throughout the years. Ex Scout Platoon Leader (19D) in the Army. My hope is to break into a new target market of new shooters, immigrants and minorities. Its a space I fit into well and would try and focus on basic familiarization and marksmanship courses.

    I am planning on a social media presence, youtube, facebook etc. Potentially my own website and starting instruction just by referral. Major issues including finding a place to shoot and adjusting for those fees as well as dealing with the high cost of shooting in today's market. I know they're a lot of great instructors out there today. But not a huge market for people dropping 500 + ammo for a 2 day course in the sticks. I know nothing about the insurance side of this, but really am committed to giving this a go.

    I've learned a lot on this forum over the years and know many of you do this for a living in austere places. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks all!
     

    Roksfr

    Ardent Safety Training
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Oct 14, 2020
    349
    Southern AA
    Take an NRA instructor course, from there you can start learning about insurance and other issues that you will need to deal with. If you have a good instructor they can point out pitfalls and their experience.
     

    Topher

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 8, 2008
    4,817
    Fredneck
    Learn your audience.
    Intro shooters are very different than advanced shooters.
    Adapt what you do to what your students need.

    Make things easy for new students.
    Standardize as much as you can. Provide firearms, targets, PPE, lunch, as much as you can for new shooters.
    For the intro and the intermediate shooters, look at becoming an NRA Instructor. You will have a proven curriculum and training reputation to work with.
    Get insurance.

    FYI... Part-time instruction, unless you have a dedicated range and classroom, is really difficult to make profitable.
    The overhead of range time and classroom space gets costly.
    Make sure you value your time accordingly.
     

    Bullfrog

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 8, 2009
    15,156
    Carroll County
    I think in the current market, potential students are going to have issues with finding ammo. Most people are either unable (time constraints) or unwilling to lurk at Bass Pro & other big box stores waiting for the doors to open, or sit on a web site poised to click 'Add to cart'.

    If you could manage to locate & purchase a decent quantity of ammo and work the cost into the course, you might be able to entice more students, especially new buyers that have nothing to practice with.

    I have no training or retail experience to base this suggestion on, just a thought given the continuing scarcity of ammo and number of new people who probably need & want training and have no personal ammo stash to speak of.
     

    Alea Jacta Est

    Extinguished member
    MDS Supporter
    Analyze. Design. Develop. Implement. Evaluate. It’s the instructional systems design cycle.

    I’d also strongly advise having ammo available for your trainees. That may be the short pole in your tent.

    Word of mouth and repeat business are your best bets.

    Good luck.
     

    miles71

    Ultimate Member
    Industry Partner
    Jul 19, 2009
    2,522
    Belcamp, Md.
    Find a professional educator whom is willing to help you with the "teacher" stuff. Many instructors can shoot and have volumes of drills, but many cannot teach.

    TD
     

    Mark75H

    MD Wear&Carry Instructor
    Industry Partner
    MDS Supporter
    Sep 25, 2011
    17,173
    Outside the Gates
    Take an NRA instructor course, from there you can start learning about insurance and other issues that you will need to deal with. If you have a good instructor they can point out pitfalls and their experience.

    I agree, this is the best starting point. Consider going up the chain to Training Counselor. If you poke around at the local community college, there may also be classes about instructing/teaching.

    Instructing is like anything else, the more you do, the better you will become at it.
     

    brianns

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 29, 2015
    3,559
    Montgomery County
    Look into the NRA instructor classes as mentioned before. They actually go over some of the details You need to consider regarding setting up training and the logistics of it.

    You want to be able to be authorized to give people certifications they may need to get licences where required by law. So a recognized certification is something you want to be able to offer. Or they might just look elsewhere.
     

    Johnconlee

    Ultimate Member
    Mar 8, 2019
    1,149
    Mechanicsville
    If you have never dealt with the public before that will be the hardest part in my opinion. When your in business dealing with all the crazies and well meaning long winded potential customers is downright exhausting. Some people just can't handle it.
     
    I agree about getting credentials that are widely recognized. Your idea of teaching to niche markets is very marketable, assuming the market is there.
    I work PT at a gun shop in Pikesville MD. Our population has a very high Jewish presence. An Orthodox Jewish woman customer recently became an NRA pistol instructor. She wants to tap into the untouched market of fellow Orthodox Jewish women. Their religious beliefs widely prevent women being instructed by men- especially contact training.
    The above being said, I'm not aware of where you were born and raised, but recall your professional and well stated debates defending Islam on this forum. If your locale has a significant Muslim population, or immigrants whose native language is also spoken by you, there is a very good potential for you to tap into a niche market. Surely enough to make for a good PT gig.
    Best of luck; keep us abreast of the journey.
     

    MaxVO2

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    #1: I'm based out of Tampa, FL.

    Looking to get into a side hustle that actually means something to me. I know the shooting instruction market is inundated with choices, but so is every other market. I enjoy teaching, believe I'm good at it and love shooting.

    Not trying to get into a creds war but i shoot competitive from time to time, have spent thousands in courses with all the big fancy names you can think of. Basic to advanced pistol/rifle, low light, night vision, DMR, shotgun and one offs throughout the years. Ex Scout Platoon Leader (19D) in the Army. My hope is to break into a new target market of new shooters, immigrants and minorities. Its a space I fit into well and would try and focus on basic familiarization and marksmanship courses.

    I am planning on a social media presence, youtube, facebook etc. Potentially my own website and starting instruction just by referral. Major issues including finding a place to shoot and adjusting for those fees as well as dealing with the high cost of shooting in today's market. I know they're a lot of great instructors out there today. But not a huge market for people dropping 500 + ammo for a 2 day course in the sticks. I know nothing about the insurance side of this, but really am committed to giving this a go.

    I've learned a lot on this forum over the years and know many of you do this for a living in austere places. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks all!

    *****I'm a certified NRA Instructor and teach several hundred students a year: mostly Basic Pistol, Basic Rifle, Personal Protection in the Home, and Range Safety Officer using NRA materials. It's a good idea to spend the time getting the NRA Instructor credential regardless of your background and other non-NRA type training. Most everyone knows what the NRA is and they have a good teaching course program and some great materials to use in classes, and it's easy enough to order more materials at a very reasonable cost per student.

    Others have mentioned more business oriented information which is nice, but one thing you may wish to consider is working under another more experienced instructor for awhile as you will learn a lot that you may not have picked up on being a student.

    People learn in different ways and a decent instructor can adapt and explain things in such a way so that it "clicks" with as many people as possible. It is *very* helpful to start out teaching a chapter or section of a course versus teaching the entire course. Being responsible for one section of a course (shooting positions, safety, scoring targets, different firearm mechanisms, etc..) *really* allows you to focus on learning your part well and allows you to better judge what you did well and what may need improvement.

    Working with the public is different from an instructors point of view than being a student and there are a lot of little things you really only learn by teaching, making mistakes, etc.. Working under someone more experienced for a bit can really allow you to reach your potential as an instructor before you are responsible for the entire class.

    Anyway, just some things to consider before researching insurance, liability, and other mundane business aspects of your business. IME, a good instructor will self generate business from referrals. It's best to hit the ground running from the get go by delivering an awesome experience from the first time you are responsible for an entire class, and this is more likely if you have experience working parts of a class for awhile.

    Good luck to you.
     

    sajidakh

    Active Member
    Dec 28, 2010
    981
    *****I'm a certified NRA Instructor and teach several hundred students a year: mostly Basic Pistol, Basic Rifle, Personal Protection in the Home, and Range Safety Officer using NRA materials. It's a good idea to spend the time getting the NRA Instructor credential regardless of your background and other non-NRA type training. Most everyone knows what the NRA is and they have a good teaching course program and some great materials to use in classes, and it's easy enough to order more materials at a very reasonable cost per student.

    Others have mentioned more business oriented information which is nice, but one thing you may wish to consider is working under another more experienced instructor for awhile as you will learn a lot that you may not have picked up on being a student.

    People learn in different ways and a decent instructor can adapt and explain things in such a way so that it "clicks" with as many people as possible. It is *very* helpful to start out teaching a chapter or section of a course versus teaching the entire course. Being responsible for one section of a course (shooting positions, safety, scoring targets, different firearm mechanisms, etc..) *really* allows you to focus on learning your part well and allows you to better judge what you did well and what may need improvement.

    Working with the public is different from an instructors point of view than being a student and there are a lot of little things you really only learn by teaching, making mistakes, etc.. Working under someone more experienced for a bit can really allow you to reach your potential as an instructor before you are responsible for the entire class.

    Anyway, just some things to consider before researching insurance, liability, and other mundane business aspects of your business. IME, a good instructor will self generate business from referrals. It's best to hit the ground running from the get go by delivering an awesome experience from the first time you are responsible for an entire class, and this is more likely if you have experience working parts of a class for awhile.

    Good luck to you.

    Very good advice Max. Was thinking on just working weekends at a range and trying to see if I could get in on this. Maybe start by just working their ccw class. Thanks for the input.
     

    dgapilot

    Active Member
    May 13, 2013
    704
    Frederick County
    So first and foremost, it’s a business, so develop a business plan! The plan will take a lot of market research for marketing, total market, anticipated market share, pricing, space rental . . . Based on the plan, does it make sense? If the plan doesn’t make sense (a profit), then either change the plan, or consider that this would be something you do for the joy of it, but don’t have a profit motive.

    Based on you business plan, obtain the necessary credentials to perform the functions the plan identifies. Next, develop or buy the necessary training materials - texts, videos, tests . . . Outlined in the plan. Do the marketing outlined in the plan. I wouldn’t count on social media. All the big players (Facebook, Twitter) are all blatantly anti gun of any kind.

    Anything with business, establish a plan, execute the plan, evaluate the results, adjust the plan, execute the plan, repeat!

    Good luck, hope it works!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     

    wabbit

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 29, 2010
    5,205
    Here's my opinion and it's worth what you paid for it.

    There is some good advice in the other posts and I would suggest you seriously take the NRA instructor courses.

    As a student, I would like to know the training course is suited to what I am trying to learn, so you would have to make clear what your course will teach and how it will be taught. I'm not new to guns and have shot IPSC in the US and overseas, so I don't want to waste time and money on a course teaching me how to line up the sights or operate the safety on the gun.

    Also, I want a course that is practical, not one of those armchair rambo courses for overweight guys who want to be taught single envelopment and double envelopment tactics so they can feel like they're special operators. Courses that would be right for someone like me are courses on home defense with pistol, rifle, and shotgun, how to defend oneself and family in a public setting like a shopping mall or restaurant should a blm-antifa mob comes by and attacks us, or how to defend yourself in a regular passenger vehicle in a urban environment when attacked by multiple attackers. I drive in an armored vehicle regularly in my work and don't need anyone to show me how to shoot someone through a shooting port, since that's useless in the US. Also, the legal aspects of self defense is very important and I feel is overlooked in many training courses.

    Just my opinions.
     

    KiloTango

    Member
    Mar 11, 2021
    23
    The instructor path will add to your credentials. Word-of-mouth advertising is also valuable. A recommendation from a knowledgeable and trusted friend can hold a lot of weight.
     

    miles71

    Ultimate Member
    Industry Partner
    Jul 19, 2009
    2,522
    Belcamp, Md.
    Here's my opinion and it's worth what you paid for it.

    There is some good advice in the other posts and I would suggest you seriously take the NRA instructor courses.

    As a student, I would like to know the training course is suited to what I am trying to learn, so you would have to make clear what your course will teach and how it will be taught. I'm not new to guns and have shot IPSC in the US and overseas, so I don't want to waste time and money on a course teaching me how to line up the sights or operate the safety on the gun.

    Also, I want a course that is practical, not one of those armchair rambo courses for overweight guys who want to be taught single envelopment and double envelopment tactics so they can feel like they're special operators. Courses that would be right for someone like me are courses on home defense with pistol, rifle, and shotgun, how to defend oneself and family in a public setting like a shopping mall or restaurant should a blm-antifa mob comes by and attacks us, or how to defend yourself in a regular passenger vehicle in a urban environment when attacked by multiple attackers. I drive in an armored vehicle regularly in my work and don't need anyone to show me how to shoot someone through a shooting port, since that's useless in the US. Also, the legal aspects of self defense is very important and I feel is overlooked in many training courses.

    Just my opinions.
    This is a good post. I often feel like I am going over basics in courses no matter the level. One reason is the curriculum requires it, but another is I find some who say they know things do not necessarily. Sound like with your experience you don't need to be taught how to align sights, but the guy next to you might.

    The big message I get, and other should, is instructors should have clear objectives and be able to explain what students will get in their classes. Students should also do research and talk to intructors before taking the class.

    TD
     

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