How to create a mentorship program for pole dance teachers?

Teaching students is one thing, teaching teachers is a completely different concept! Check out our tips below if you’re considering developing a mentorship or teacher coaching program to sell to potential pole dance teachers.

What is unique to your mentorship program?

Before creating a mentorship program, decide what is unique to the teaching you want to train others to teach.

Maybe you own a studio, and this mentorship can only be accessed for people who intend to teach at your studio. Or maybe you focus on a specific demographic like beginners, mom’s returning to fitness after giving birth, plus size polers, or polers who are differently abled. Maybe you focus on a specific style of pole like heels, competition/sport polers, or another stylistic demographic.

Understand how what you’re offering is unique first and then work on the structure of your program.

How are you structuring your mentorship program?

Note that a mentorship program is different from a certification.

A certification might be a stand-alone training done over a few hours or few days that provides no further support after the training is complete.

A formal mentorship or coaching program typically has an element of an in-depth training and then also includes a period of support or check-ins. This support might be virtual/remote or in person. It might be individual check-ins, or it might be a “coaching call” for several people also going through the program.

Figure out what timeline makes sense for you. Most coaching or mentorship programs exist for a specific time such as 3 to 6 months.

Schedule education sessions that include imparting knowledge (or deliver them via an on-demand/self-paced tool) and then follow-up individual or small group coaching calls (or a specific number of emails) to address questions and provide more individualized support in a live format.

There is no wrong answer to the time limit or the structure of your program—just be specific!

How are you pricing your mentorship program?

As we’ve talked about before, pricing for services can be an art and a science. Understand the time investment to create your mentorship program and budget for profit on top of that.

Also, do your research to see what might be acceptable in the industry and in your local area, especially if this is in person and not a virtual program.

Because mentorship programs typically include information that you would find in a certification plus additional individualized support, start your pricing above typical pole certification prices which range from $249-$3,000 depending on the company, the length of the certification, and the content.

Business coaching programs (which function on a similar teach the teacher type of idea) often range from $1,000-$10,000+ depending on the content, the length and level of support (individual versus group costs more typically), and the notoriety of the coach.

Pricing can be challenging. Start with a price that feels appropriate to your target demographic and you can always update or change it later.

Creating a pole teacher mentorship program can be a daunting experience. Figure out what you do that is unique, find a structure and time commitment that works for you, and launch with a price that covers costs while also being appropriate for the people you want to reach.

Have you created a pole teacher mentorship program before? What would you share? Let us know!