The Price of Free
And I'm going to disappoint them, by charging for classes. Understand -- as someone who's run classes at Pennsic for years now, there's few people who are a stronger booster of the ideals of SCA teaching. The tradition of giving selflessly to others so they might learn your trade is a powerful concept.
The issue I take with it, is simply that I wish to teach for a cadre of folks who want to be deeply, and passionately, involved in the dance. And to ensure this occurs, this takes charging a fee.
Seth Godin has the right of it, indeed:
My friend Joel dropped me a note and asked why I was asking people to post a deposit (to be returned at the end of the summer). It felt wrong to him. I wrote back,When I do a non profit seminar (they're always free), the number of people who say, "yes I'm coming" and the number of people who come is not the same.
So, if I have room for ten, do I do a seminar for eight, or do I book 12 seats and play airline seat manager for the day?
I have no doubt, none, that if it were free, at least one person wouldn't show.
That got me thinking about free music, free samples and other free interactions. They're different. Paying a dollar for a song isn't expensive to anyone who pays $3 for a cup of coffee. The dollar isn't about expense, it's about selection and choice and commitment.
There is no commitment, one way or the other, for free. If applying to college were free, the number of schools people would apply to would approach infinity--yet the cost of the application is trivial compared to the cost of tuition.
Free costs. If people aren't committing something -- energy, time, money -- they tend to stray. I can't ask for a deposit (not giving it back would do even more damage to my rep), so I'm simply going to charge a fair, non-undercutting fee. The nay-sayers will balk, yet I'll get the students, and the class, that will be awesome!
What say you? I know "don't teach for free" is the Conventional Wisdom, but do you find it to be true? Is there another approach you think might work better for me?
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I think a fee is totally reasonable.
I have been doing free blacksmithing demos for a couple of years. Every day of demos I run costs approximately 50 dollars not including gas, food, event fees, and lodging.
My goal is to formalize the classes and charge 5$ an item so people can make an item and walk away with an item off the demo menu.
This will tick off some people.
I know some parents will be upset that their free babysitter is gone.
But frankly I can't afford to keep giving away steel and propane.
In your situation you have been asked to teach a series of classes or a single class. This will cost you personally both financially and time wise. I think it is reasonable to charge when your entire reason for being there is filling the needs of these individuals. It is a means of shared expense.
The SCA as a whole has no concept what it costs to make something. We have scribes who produce scrolls that would cost over a hundred dollars each given out at events, feasts and lodging that in general are better than I get at cons I pay much more for, and a volunteer infrastructure that gets taken for granted. People gripe and moan when an event costs more than 15$ and then stay in hotel rooms that cost 115 a night!!
That turned into a bit of a rant. But you get my point.
I used to teach a free belly dance class during our weekly fighter practice, but I stopped once I started teaching at a local dance studio. I will still teach free classes at Collegium or war, but that's only a couple of times a year.
I assume you'll be offering your fee class outside the context of an SCA event, in which case it's entirely appropriate to charge for your time and effort. Especially if your students can afford to pay. Otherwise, it's not a service, it's charity.
I agree with this concept of charging, even if it's nominal. The dedicated will respond.
I am running into the same thing in the pagan community - the things I do need reciprocal energy given back, and that energy can come in so many forms - including 'greenbacks' (because YOU used energy to get that green stuff, right?).
Some folks of the community think that divination, energy work and some others should be free. I strongly disagree, and can argue the point.
I always ask for something when I teach too - it takes serious effort to put together something I think they will like, and if I'm giving them something to take home (handout, take away project) I want something back for that effort.