Become the go-to substitute yoga teacher everyone asks to cover their classes
Written by Lauren Munday
As summer approaches, school finishes and travel opens again, many yoga teachers will likely be taking a break from teaching their regular classes and looking for a substitute teacher.
This is great news for you as a new yoga teacher!
Subbing classes presents a fantastic opportunity to earn extra cash, expand your network and gain valuable experience teaching a wider range of students.
But how do you find these subbing opportunities and becoming the go-to yoga teacher everyone wants to cover their classes? This blog post will provide you with the answers…..
Finding opportunities
First things first you need to find classes to cover. In our experience, the best way to start subbing classes is through your network of fellow teachers. This is the easiest way to get offered cover classes because the teacher you’re covering is providing a recommendation and in a sense vouching for you, so the studio or the client will feel much more comfortable working with you.
This is one reason why it’s so important to surround yourself with a network of yoga teachers.
That way you can cover classes for each other. If you don’t have a network yet don’t panic…. reconnect with the other teachers on the trainings you’ve done and start attending other teacher’s classes. You can also join our Facebook community for yoga teachers.
As a new yoga teacher, another way of finding cover classes is to contact studios and local fitness centres requesting to be added to their cover list. To do this you’ll need a CV. A CV should contain details of your teacher, any trainings or mentorships you’ve undertaken, your teaching experience to date and the tradition of yoga from which you teach. You’ll need to tailor it specifically to where you're applying whether that’s a gym or a yoga studio.
Bear in mind studio’s receive a lot of these enquiries so make sure yours stands out and don’t be disheartened if you don’t hear back. Try contacting them again. When I started teaching I must have sent hundreds of these types of emails but only ever received a handful of responses.
When you do get offered a substitute class you’ll likely feel both excited and nervous. You’ll want to do a great job and connect with the students so you’re asked to cover again.
Being a great cover teacher is often a pathway to being offered your own classes so it’s important you make a good impression.
Be reliable
As a yoga teacher, it can be stressful organising cover for your classes, especially if you’re taking a week or longer off work. A reliable cover/substitute teacher makes this process a lot less of a headache. Personally, if I find someone who’s available and good with my students then I’ll likely ask them to cover every time I go away, and it’s been the same for me covering other yoga teacher’s classes which is something I continue to enjoy doing. These regular over spots are the ones you want to be offered because they’ll be a consistent source of income and will give you an opportunity to get to know and connect with a lot of new students.
The most important thing you need to do for this to happen is to be reliable.
This doesn’t mean you always have to be available, if you have something else on then it can’t be helped.
However, if you commit to cover someone’s class, you MUST stick to it! Don’t let them down unless it’s an absolute emergency, and if you are unable to cover a class you’ve committed to, then always find a teacher to replace you.
It’s bad for your reputation if you don’t turn up for a class and you won’t be asked to cover again. Your schedule will change a lot so use a diary or the calendar on your phone to ensure you always know where you should be and you don’t double book yourself.
Stick within your scope of practice
Once you do get on a cover list you’ll likely receive group email cover requests for many different styles of yoga. The desire to say yes to everything and get out there teaching can be really strong; however, don’t cover classes you’re not qualified to teach. This will unlikely be a positive experience for you because you’ll feel out of your depth. More importantly, it could potentially be dangerous for the students e.g. teaching a pregnancy yoga class without any prenatal yoga training.
As yoga teachers, we must teach with integrity and one way to do this is to stick within the scope of practice we’ve been trained.
Find out in advance what the students are expecting
When you agree to cover a class check in with the regular teacher to find out what’s normally taught and the general level of the class. This will give you an opportunity to plan something similar so it will feel familiar for the students. You can also find out in advance if the regular practitioners have any injuries or health concerns. This gives you an opportunity to do some research ahead of time and come up with different options ensuring what you plan is appropriate for the group.
When you show up in class, you might notice students have been taught something differently from the way you teach it. Don’t rush to contradict the regular teacher. This can be confusing for the students. Keep in mind there’s no one way to do things. Being too critical is unfair and not in the spirit of ahimsa because it undermines other teachers.
Arrive early
Plan plenty of time so that you arrive early at your destination. This means if you’re travelling to a new venue you have extra time to find it. It also means you’ll have plenty of time to get yourself set up. This will minimise your stress levels, especially if you’re already feeling a little anxious.
If you haven’t been to the place you’re covering in before, it will allow you time to get orientated, find the toilets and figure out what room you’re teaching in. It will also give you time to chat with the students before the class starts.
Ask questions
One of the benefits of arriving early means you’ll have time to ask the students about anything you haven’t found out in advance. For example which way the class faces, where the mats are or how the room is lit. It will also give you time to chat with students about any injuries or pre-existing conditions. Do this one to one rather than from the front of the class so the students can retain privacy while sharing personal information.
Be prepared to offer adaptions for whoever shows up in the room, this could be different to how you’ve planned. This is one of the most challenging aspects of being a new yoga teacher but the more you get into the habit of adapting your teaching to suit the room, the better teacher you’ll become so look at everything as an opportunity to learn something new. If you’re unsure how to work with a specific injury or health condition be honest and say you’ve never come across it before. Ask the student what works for them. We should always be encouraging students to go with their own internal experience rather than imposing our ideas on anyone, plus what works for one person won’t necessarily work for another. If you come across something you weren’t aware of before, look it up and make notes when you go home so you’ll be prepared next time.
Introduce yourself & expand your network
One of the reasons you’ll want to cover classes is because it’s a great way to expand your network.
When you start a class introduce yourself so everyone knows your name and let them know how long you’ll be covering the class while the regular teacher is away.
Finish the class by reminding the group when you’ll be back again. You might also provide details of any other classes your teaching at that location or nearby.
Build connections by asking student’s their names and saying goodbye to them by name at the end of the class. Even better if you can remember names when you return to teach again.
Provide students with a way of keeping in contact with you so you can grow your community and share you’re future offerings. You could leave some of your business cards out. Even better if you have a sign-up sheet or QR code for your newsletter leave that out so you’re providing an opportunity to join your mailing list.
Get feedback
When you finish teaching let everyone know you’ll wait around for a few minutes after class for feedback or questions. This provides an opportunity for students to chat with you individually and address anything they were unable to during the class. This helps build connections and can also provide some insight into how your class was received. If a student comes to chat with you after class you can ask them how the class was for them or if they found the level of the class suitable or similar to what they expected.
In addition, don’t be afraid to ask the teacher you’re covering if they received any feedback about your class.
And don’t be fearful of less positive feedback…..Remember all feedback provides a positive learning experience if you REFRAME it (check out our previous blog post on Overcoming Imposter Syndrome for more on reframing feedback)
Be organised
Being a yoga teacher means you’re a small business owner, therefore it’s essential you stay on top of invoicing and keep track of your income for your tax return (this is another blog post in itself). You need to get paid for the work you do so that your business can prosper.
If you’re covering a class make sure you submit the information that’s required of you in advance (insurance information, bank details etc) and find out how and when payment is made. If you need to submit an invoice do so the same week you teach the class and make a note of when you’re due to get paid so you can check your account. Some studios will record the number of students in the class to calculate payment so make sure when you leave the studio their number matches up with yours.
Be Confident and stay positive
If you follow these steps by planning ahead and arriving early you’ll be fully prepared. The only thing left is to be kind and compassionate (I’m sure you are already) and confident in your ability. If you’re feeling confident students will pick up on this and they’ll feel more comfortable practicing with you. If you do feel nervous, as a yoga teacher you already have a great tool to calm yourself down - slow breathing! You will have arrived early so take a few minutes to ground yourself and connect with your breath before you enter the room.
Still need some help building your confidence? Check out our blog on building confidence as a new yoga teacher
Finally…. Don’t be disheartened if there are fewer students than you expected when you turn up to teach a cover class. Students often skip class if they know the regular teacher will be away.
However, if you’re a great cover teacher once they get to know you, they won't want to miss your class either!
