Dumb, obvious question -- Independent teachers have no boss?

[Bob]

Do they?  No, I'm thinkint not.  They are the boss.  The only person who would evaluate them is the student/parent. 

Right?

And the independent teacher is their own boss.

Teaching for a coop is not what I'm thinking of then.  There is a boss/supervisor in that.

I think that must be a very nice advantage of teaching independently like that.

Yes?

It just hit me -- You don't have to worry about the boss if there is no boss in the situation.  That must be nice.  And scarey too, if you don't have anyone to critique you I suppose.

[musicrebel4u]

Do they?  No, I'm thinkint not.  They are the boss.  The only person who would evaluate them is the student/parent. 

Right?

And the independent teacher is their own boss.

Teaching for a coop is not what I'm thinking of then.  There is a boss/supervisor in that.

I think that must be a very nice advantage of teaching independently like that.

Yes?

It just hit me -- You don't have to worry about the boss if there is no boss in the situation.  That must be nice.  And scarey too, if you don't have anyone to critique you I suppose.

Dear Bob,

I am wondering how long it took you to get to this question.

In former Soviet Union we are having a strong standards, which were developed for centuries. Most of the music professionals are ought to follow the requirements and they take them seriously (like doctors in the USA!)

Here, in the USA is complete anarchy and majority of professionals have only one Boss (some have – some don't). Sometimes their success depends of their outstanding professional performance, sometimes – they are just 'sweet talkers' and manage to keep students for years with many promises, but no results.

[m19834]

hmmm... well, of course there is not an official "boss" like if you work for a big corporation.  But, no matter what we do, we're not too far from that corporate thing anyway -- things are run by a system, and even if we are teaching "independently," we're still part of a system.  The system seems to determine things somewhat.

Of course there is not the same feeling as actually working in a building that is not yours, having somebody else feel actually responsible for what you are doing with your time and so on.  I set my salary, I set my hours, I set my vacations -- however, these things are affected by the population, supply and demand and other things.

I have had my share of other jobs.  They weren't absolutely horrible, but there is a reason I went into the career that I have gone into.  Most people weren't willing to pay me what I knew I was worth, and the jobs that actually would do that didn't call me to them (lawyers, doctors, etc). 

I have to answer to paying the bills though.

[keypeg]

I am a freelancer and so I am my own boss.  I am a linguist: professional translator, sometimes interpret, sometimes editing work.  I am also a trained teacher with specializations and still do some one-on-one teaching.

If you have a boss, there are rules for you to follow, hours you must work, standards you must meet.  You might give only 60% but if it's "good enough" you keep your job and nothing dreadful happens.  You get paid no matter what.

If you are your own boss, each of your actions has an effect.  If you do not manage your business properly, don't know how to advertise, keep customers, do proper accounting, you don't get the business coming in and then you can't pay your bills and you don't eat.  If you give 60%, you might not keep your customers.    If you don't do excellent work, if you are careless, and if word gets around, your reputation is gone.  You must possess self-discipline, organizational skills, a sense of humour, know how to balance out life .. lots of stuff.

The most severe boss is yourself, because that self knows that if you do not do a good job, your "salary" will not exist.  This boss sets high standards and can be unreasonable.  Problems with procrastination?  It doesn't get any easier over here.

[Bob]

It just hit me.  I have ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS have someone looking over my shoulder, supervising my work.  Elementary school, high school, college, a job.  There is always someone sitting above me. 

But you don't have that if you're self-employed.  YOU are the boss.  (Whos' the boss?  Who's the boss?  You're da boss!  )

Because with that supervisor there, for work/school things, that person is always a factor.  Here's what I think I should do.... but what will the boss think of it? 

On the other hand, doing independent teaching you're at the mercy of the student and parent.  But even then, if they don't like you, they'll move on pretty quick.  There are so many people who treat you like a god for knowing a little bit about music, they don't question and they don't complain.  You're automatically correct.

It just hit me that if there was no boss, then that layer of stress is removed.  Probably replaced by another type of stress though.  Grass is always greener.  (And in case you're foreign and don't understand, over here in America, the grass in your neighbor's yard is literally greener than any grass you have in your own yard.  It's odd trick of the light in the "western" side of the northern hemisphere.  Hope that clears things up for you.)

I just went on the site when I was thinking about supervisors.  Then it hit me that an independent piano teacher doesn't have anyone over them.  Not really.  And how nice that must be.  Good boss?  Bad boss?  Not a concern.

I suppose it would stink to not really have anyone right there to advise you.  How do you do this?  Who knows?.... There's no one there to ask. 

That still sounds a lot nicer than being a tiny replaceable piece in a giant business machine though. 

[keypeg]

So might this be leading to some possible solutions to the dilemma you seem to be having all around in terms of work and procrastination, Bob?  If you follow it through, however, the first thing you'll see is that you are now seeing the teacher as being at the mercy of the parent and student.  You are still thinking of a passive relationship where one bosses the other.  For self-employment to work, you must have a very severe boss, which is yourself.  You set your own standards, and you choose what you will tolerate, what you will accept, where you will give etc.  You bear responsibility for your student/parent/client.  You become self-directing.  But if you learn to be self-directing, so that the boss is severe-you, then you can carry that attitude back toward your employee status.  The first possible change is to change the internally perceived relationship.  After that you might decide to actually set up something where you are your own boss.  Plan carefully and it might work.

[Bob]

I don't think I would be severe really.  More like -- This is how it is.  I worked hard.  Those are the results.  If it's not what I wanted... eh, well... I worked hard so what more could I ask of myself?


Hmmm... I think maybe I'd like to be the boss.  Have no one over me then.  Except then I wouldn't want to have any people under me then either.  Then I'm not "that guy,"  "the boss."

Maybe an independendt worker with no supervisor and no underlings.  No responsibility, that would be nice too.  I could go for that.  And it does sound simple and yes I am joking, but I might accomplish more if there were no expectations.  Everything you're doing in that case is positive and building.  When there are expectations and a lot of them, you're bound to ge in the negative in some regard.

[keypeg]

Maybe an independendt worker with no supervisor and no underlings. 

That is precisely what I am doing.  So are many private teachers.

Everything you're doing in that case is positive and building.  When there are expectations and a lot of them, you're bound to ge in the negative in some regard.

If you can take that attitude and put it into your work, as though you were working for yourself, that might give some answers.  On the other hand, when you work for yourself, you do have responsibilities, but you must impose them on yourself.  Your carefree teacher, for example, should not be wondering whether anyone is judging, admiring, or approving, but whether the student will achieve what needs to be achieved.  The concern is in the job itself, doing it right.  the pleasure is also in that.  And this attitude can become an attitude at work or in studies.  You may still have a boss or a professor or teacher, but you are doing a good job because it matters to you.  If you get praise - so what?  If you get criticism - so what?  Or rather, maybe that will help you raise your own standards.  On the other hand, if you have a stupid boss whose criteria have nothing to do with anything real, you can set your standards to something more worthwhile (still needing to take the market into account, of course) if you are self-employed.

Just some thoughts.

[timothy42b]

It just hit me.  I have ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS have someone looking over my shoulder, supervising my work.  Elementary school, high school, college, a job.  There is always someone sitting above me. 

Yes of course, basically true for all of us in the work world.

And those of us who work our way up in the food seem to get more bosses rather than less - at least that's my experience.  I have about 200 people below me, and an unlimited number above.  <grin> 

However, while I honor my boss's wishes, I set my own goals and monitor my own performance.  I work the same whether the boss is watching or not.  In that sense I am just as self employed as anybody else.  It's really just a matter of attitude. 

[dan101]

Remember that being the boss means being responsible for everything including payments, adventising, tax preparation... If it gets to the point that these jobs become overwhelming, then you get to become the boss of others in terms of hiring employees.

I hope your private studio grows as such. Good luck.

[andric_s]

That is one of the best features of this life that I've set up for my self!   I have to remind myself of it often, because my friends with real jobs all make more money than I do.  They are an exception, though;  most of my friends are broke, self-employed musicians WITHOUT the benefit of a solid teaching practice

It seems to me that small music schools overcharge the students and underpay the teachers.  I did teach at a school for a couple of years, and got some good ideas and confidence about how to teach and run a practice.  But as far as getting advice from The Boss--  he was helpful to a point, but as I remember, his philosophy is much different than mine is now.    So if I still had that boss, it wouldn't be a relationship where I would seek advice.  Having said that, I do feel like I could use some advice, someone to criticize my teaching, my methods.

I don't find running my business to be all that laborious, now that I'm established.  My tax guy is great-- I add up deposit slips and receipts, calculate some mileage, per-diems and hotels (for performance trips), talk with him for a few minutes, and it's done.  I don't advertise at the moment because my schedule's full, but even when I did it was just a matter of putting a couple classified ads out, and hanging a few flyers.  Scheduling can be a pain, and enforcing the policy of payment for no-shows can be a pain, too.  Getting my practice fully established was tricky, and I almost gave in to the temptation of working for somebody else, just to have a couple full-days of students, but I'm glad I held out.


Musicrebel, I can't resist the opportunity to make this overused internet joke:

In Soviet Russia, piano plays YOU!
 

Jokes aside, I find your reply interesting on two levels.  First:  you once again notice the disrespect for music that is built into American society.  Support for music and the arts is undeniably a strength of many former and current communist countries.  The flip-side of that is that perhaps some other professions, like doctor, might be financially undervalued.

The second point:  you are usually talking about the inadequacies of traditional teaching, and here you are yearning for the rigid musical establishment.

[bluepianist]

Many years ago I taught music in private and public schools.  I was appalled by the amount of " brown nosing" that was required.  I left teaching and began my piano studio for that reason.  My husband totally supported me.   For 35 years I have been my own boss...but I have always felt that the parents of my students and my students to a certain extent are my bosses.  Their progress and successes reflect directly on  my teaching and knowledge.  During this time I have earned a master's degree plus 30 credits, become certified in the MTNA and become an adjudicator for the National Piano Guild.  Yes I am my own best and worst boss.  I'm not sure any other person could be as demanding as I am myself.  This is good and also bad.  I wouldn't have my career any other way.  Thank goodness, my husband has health insurance and a good retirement plan.

[Bob]

Intersting.  Yes, sucking up is not a bad thing for some people.