Welcome to the Craig Smith Music Tuition Agency Jobs page. Here you'll find all of the details you should need to help decide whether teaching music with us is the right path for you. Hopefully it is, in which case, you can use the Application Form or contact us by email or phone, to apply to be on our books.
VACANCY: Due to a massive increase in enquiries in piano and keyboard lessons on the Fylde, we urgently need a new teacher to cover the area. Interviews will be at the end of March.
Teachers chosen to work with the Craig Smith Music Tuition Agency will be freelance professional musicians, with suitable qualifications in both performance and music theory. A high level of performance ability is must, as is enthusiasm for both performing and teaching students of any age. The most organised and dedicated teachers are given first choice of potential new students, so such qualities will be a bonus. How do I apply?
About Craig Smith Music and the Tuition Agency [Top]
The tuition side of the business was originally set up as a means to help Craig to fund his degree at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA). It soon became apparent, though, that there was a demand for quality instrumental tuition taught by professional musicians that wasn't being provided by music schools (particularly those run by music shop chains) or part-time 'pocket-money' teachers. As a result, Craig quickly found his services to be overwhelmed with demand; he was teaching seven days a week, with only the odd morning or afternoon off, and had a waiting list of over 9 months for his services. Clients were traveling from as far away as West Yorkshire and Merseyside for his tuition.
Having provided one of, if not the, busiest privately-run professional music tuition services anywhere in the North West for a number of years, the service had built a fantastic reputation and large client base across a wide operating area, but the demands on Craig's time were unsustainable, and when he married in August 2010, the decision was made to expand with more teachers. This allowed Craig more family time, and to devote more time to his session and composition work.
And so, the Tuition Agency was born!
Initially, a couple of piano and keyboard teachers were added, but as the business grew, enquiries began to flood in for other instruments and from further afield, so more teachers came on board. We now cover the entire North West, from Blackpool & Fylde in the West to the Yorkshire border in the East, South Lakes in the north, and as far south as Salford and Merseyside.
Such is the popularity of the business, and the effectiveness of its marketing, that most of the teachers that come on board fill all of their available timetable with students in a matter of months. So, we're always on the lookout for more teachers.
How much do clients pay? [Top]
Since April 2010, Craig has priced 30 minutes one-to-one visit tuition at £16 and 60 minutes from £26. Lessons at his studios are priced at £12 per 30 minute slot. Teachers working with the Tuition Agency are self-employed so can set their own fees, be they higher or lower, but most choose to have Craig charge their students the same prices. In return for the work you will receive, and the time and money you will save through using our marketing, we will deduct a commission of around 20% of the fees we take from your students on your behalf.
Craig offers discounts of £1 for lessons finished before 3:30pm and for anyone able to book in long-term blocks of six months to pay by fixed standing order. You can opt in or out of either system.
Where would I teach? [Top]
Teachers on the books of the Tuition Agency can teach wherever they wish. They are free to accept and decline students offered to them in any location, and we will try to locate students in your area. However, small coverage areas obviously limit the number of potential clients, so we recommend that teachers don't limit their own availability too much.
Teachers are free to work from a teaching space / studio or to be mobile and visit students' homes. Many choose to do both.
Do I need qualifications? [Top]
The teachers within the agency are self-employed rather than employed by Craig Smith Music, but to work with our Tuition Agency, they all have to meet various criteria including but not limited to performance skills, teaching skills, CRB disclosures, and for those hosting lessons from home, an inspection of the teaching environment and instrument(s).
What are the benefits to the teachers? [Top]
We offer private music teachers various levels of support through our Tuition Agency. Some are simply happy to be associated with Craig Smith Music and its great reputation, and to help with students we can't place with Craig. For these, a key benefit is 'piggy backing' on our marketing, which in most cases means they have immediate access to page 1 of Google, often in the top three results, with no need to commission an expensive website and wait for the page to take its time to organically reach the higher rankings on search engines.
Others take advantage of the business' experience and expertise in music tuition and regularly sit in on or discuss lessons to improve their skills as instrumental teachers; this is not strictly 'training', more just a benefit of having such experienced teachers amongst their contacts. We also offer an administrative service in which Craig Smith Music deals with timetabling, fee collection and so on, saving the teacher time and effort and allowing them to do what they enjoy the most: teaching music. This is particularly useful to those teachers who have other jobs or bands to work with and don't want to spend their valuable evenings and weekends dealing with paperwork!
Vacant posts [Top]
Keyboard teachers wanted! Piano teachers wanted! Guitar teachers wanted! Drum teachers wanted! Singing teachers wanted! Woodwind teachers wanted!- PRESTON: Piano & keyboard teacher, woodwind teacher and singing teacher job vacancies
- BLACKPOOL & FYLDE: Piano & keyboard teacher, guitar teacher, woodwind teacher and singing teacher job vacancies
- BLACKBURN & DARWEN: Piano and keyboard teacher, guitar teacher and drum teacher job vacancies
- LEYLAND & CHORLEY: Piano & keyboard teache and guitar teacher job vacancies
- MANCHESTER: Guitar teacher and singing teacher job vacancies
- LIVERPOOL / MERSEYSIDE: Piano & keyboard teacher, woodwind teacher and singing teacher job vacancies
- LANCASTER: Piano & keyboard teacher job vacancy
How do I apply? [Top]
To apply to be on the books of the Craig Smith Music Tuition Agency, you can complete the Application Form.If you would prefer to contct Craig directly, use tuition@craigsmithmusic.co.uk or phone on 07793 811318.
Sending a CV by email would be useful, but isn't necessary.
There are several criteria that we'd expect you to convince us that you can meet before we'll place students with you. We also expect you to sign an agreement of the terms under which you'll be listed on our books (this agreement also contains our responsibilities towards promoting you, of course). The most important thing to remember is that you will be entirely self-employed; there will be no official 'job' or 'job offer' because all work-based decisions will be your own, and Craig Smith Music will never instruct or request that you work in any particular way. In other words, although we can offer our expertise and help with your marketing and administration, as well as helping you to become a better teacher, you'll be free to be your own boss in the day-to-day provision of your lessons and we won't interfere in that regard.
