How to find students?

[vultron]

I have taught piano and guitar before ( to people as young as nine and as old as sixty ) and am looking to move to a city and teach as a career. I have a very good resume to show and enjoy teaching, but I am worried about the initial move, and am wondering how quickly I can expect to get 10 to 20 regular students and also how to advertise to achieve that?

I used to teach in a small town ( village ) where all the students already learn from an old lady known by everyone. I learned from her when I was a kid and I don't want to take her students. I figure in a city there will be many more people who need teachers, though I'm not sure what cities most need piano teachers. Right now I am still in the very early stages of planning this - I will be living where I am now until at least the fall of next year.

MY MAIN QUESTION:

How quickly did you go from 0 students to a sizeable chunk, say 10 to 20 students? What did you do to get there, and what effect did where you lived have on it?

Thanks!

[faulty_damper]

Post on Craigslist in your area.  You'll definitely get responses, especially if you advertise "Free Piano Lessons".  Caveat: first lesson is free.

[vultron]

I am planning on posting on Craigslist, CityData, and other social networking sites. Plus, flyers in churches and schools, and then I plan to go door to door. I guess a better title for my thread would be "How hard is it to get about 20 students?"

I'm wondering how long that will take, because I need enough income to afford living expenses.

[faulty_damper]

I knew a piano major who did what I mentioned and he got several students that way.  I don't remember how many he said. Most of them continued taking lessons.  What he did was offer discounts for multiple lessons each week instead of just one.  He had a couple of students take 3 per week.

[vultron]

I might give that a try. Thank you for the suggestion.

[lcrommelin]

Visit schools and churches in your area. They might have a piano on which you can perform some music and give a demonstration. Meeting potential students in person works much better than any advertising. And word of mouth is important. It takes time, however, so you need to be persistent
https://www.pianopage.net

[vultron]

That is what I will do. I hope to use a piano at a local youth group building to teach with, and also to create a short video showcasing my skills. Thank you for the suggestion.

[slane]

I found my teacher on a community notice board ... a physical one, not online.
Also, the local schools around here have teachers who come and teach in the school facilities. If you could get in there .. that must be a nice little earner because you'd have students during the school day . But perhaps such an arrangement doesn't exist in your country.
None of which answers your question!

[echristensen]

I agree, Craigslist is good, so is putting up your own website or facebook page, thi way people can find you online.