June 5 2012
My two bits on swimming lessons
Group lessons:
(this is a low-end pay rate example but can be used as a guide when figuring out what you are really paying for any group lesson)
-A 30 minute lesson at $27 for 6 classes with six kids in the class means you are paying for 6 classes with 5 minutes of individual instruction per class.
-Another aspect is some places aren't dedicated to using the same teacher for the entire session which shaves about 2 minute of personal instruction per lesson (because the teacher has no idea what skills your child already has... ) so essentially you would be paying $27 for 15 minutes of individualized instruction, over the span of 6 lessons.
That means a session costs $108.00 for one hour of individual instruction.
-A group class kids means can learn from, and be motivated by peers... Which means they can also learn the wrong way to do things and be discouraged by peers as well.
-They do encourage a fun atmosphere and a comfortable aquatic experience.
Private lessons:
(again, prices vary but there is no mathematical figuring involved)
-$80 for 2 hours of instruction. Which means $40 for one hour of individual instruction.
-Your non-swimmer could be back-floating, survival floating and even crudely swimming by the time the lesson is over. If your child has a deeper fear of water or drowning they will need more than one, so keep that in mind.
-Your mediocre swimmer could be doing four to six different strokes and learn techniques to stay in deep water for longer periods of time. They could also learn basic life saving techniques.
-Your "little fishey" could refine strokes, and gain skills they would have with them the rest of their lives, Possibly put down roots in the healthiest sport and form of over-all exercise.
Most private lessons are per lesson which means you pay each time and it is the same teacher for the entire chunk. Some teachers make arrangements with the parents and split it into smaller chunks of time. But if a child is making good progress you don't want a clock to interfere with their learning.
-a side note... If you know someone is a qualified teacher or if you have a group lesson teacher you loved, it's ok to ask them if they'd do a private lesson on their own time. You can offer them the same as the aquatic center price but the money will all go to them instead of it being broken up and shared with "the man", or just ask what they would charge. Way back when I taught I charged $100 on the for 4, 45 min lessons in private pools.
Semi-private:
Set up the same way as private but geared towards siblings or friends who want to take classes together.
$60 per person for 2 hours. (again, prices are approximate) $60 for one hour of individualized instruction isn't terrible. You can learn a lot in one hour.
So, knowing that, before you sign up for lessons, ask yourself:
Do I want my kid(s) to learn how to swim? Or just keep afloat so not to drown. Either are fine.
-also-
Do you want to make smaller payments over a longer period of time that end up being a much bigger payment with a drawn-out result? Or a bigger immediate payment with an instant result? (sounds like a mortgage!)
Anyway. I was a swim teacher for a little while and my favorite lessons were the private ones. I loved seeing my hard work pay off.
My two bits on swimming lessons
Group lessons:
(this is a low-end pay rate example but can be used as a guide when figuring out what you are really paying for any group lesson)
-A 30 minute lesson at $27 for 6 classes with six kids in the class means you are paying for 6 classes with 5 minutes of individual instruction per class.
-Another aspect is some places aren't dedicated to using the same teacher for the entire session which shaves about 2 minute of personal instruction per lesson (because the teacher has no idea what skills your child already has... ) so essentially you would be paying $27 for 15 minutes of individualized instruction, over the span of 6 lessons.
That means a session costs $108.00 for one hour of individual instruction.
-A group class kids means can learn from, and be motivated by peers... Which means they can also learn the wrong way to do things and be discouraged by peers as well.
-They do encourage a fun atmosphere and a comfortable aquatic experience.
Private lessons:
(again, prices vary but there is no mathematical figuring involved)
-$80 for 2 hours of instruction. Which means $40 for one hour of individual instruction.
-Your non-swimmer could be back-floating, survival floating and even crudely swimming by the time the lesson is over. If your child has a deeper fear of water or drowning they will need more than one, so keep that in mind.
-Your mediocre swimmer could be doing four to six different strokes and learn techniques to stay in deep water for longer periods of time. They could also learn basic life saving techniques.
-Your "little fishey" could refine strokes, and gain skills they would have with them the rest of their lives, Possibly put down roots in the healthiest sport and form of over-all exercise.
Most private lessons are per lesson which means you pay each time and it is the same teacher for the entire chunk. Some teachers make arrangements with the parents and split it into smaller chunks of time. But if a child is making good progress you don't want a clock to interfere with their learning.
-a side note... If you know someone is a qualified teacher or if you have a group lesson teacher you loved, it's ok to ask them if they'd do a private lesson on their own time. You can offer them the same as the aquatic center price but the money will all go to them instead of it being broken up and shared with "the man", or just ask what they would charge. Way back when I taught I charged $100 on the for 4, 45 min lessons in private pools.
Semi-private:
Set up the same way as private but geared towards siblings or friends who want to take classes together.
$60 per person for 2 hours. (again, prices are approximate) $60 for one hour of individualized instruction isn't terrible. You can learn a lot in one hour.
So, knowing that, before you sign up for lessons, ask yourself:
Do I want my kid(s) to learn how to swim? Or just keep afloat so not to drown. Either are fine.
-also-
Do you want to make smaller payments over a longer period of time that end up being a much bigger payment with a drawn-out result? Or a bigger immediate payment with an instant result? (sounds like a mortgage!)
Anyway. I was a swim teacher for a little while and my favorite lessons were the private ones. I loved seeing my hard work pay off.
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