You may think that the make or break it factor in your teacher training is the excellence of your course content and the charisma of your lead faculty.
Wrong.
One of most important factors in the enrolment success of your program is your course schedule. While you will have some students who will make the leap for a particular faculty member, most students have to fit teacher training into their lives.
If they’re doing a retreat training (heading to Bali for example), chances are they have to fit it into the vacation days and around family obligations. If they’re doing a local training, they’re working around their work schedule and holidays.
By scheduling smart, you’ll put your training on the map and and make it more likely that students will enroll.
Here is a snapshot of three things to help you make a good choice:
1. Look Around
What are other successful studios in your area doing? Not to be a copy cat, but it’s a good idea to do some solid market research before you commit to your format. If another studio is doing well, take note of how they’ve locked it down. By researching your competitors, you’ll see how you can either tow the standard line, or offer a different schedule that may be a unique selling feature.
2. Know Your Students
Who is your ideal student? Planning a training to appeal to 9-5er’s is going to look a lot different than a training designed to appeal to stay-at-home parents or vacationing college students. Who is in your community? What kind of schedule would they prefer? When in doubt, do a poll! Easy enough to get some feedback by either asking your students directly, or throwing up a Facebook poll. Don’t guess; get information.
3. Go Short
As much as it pains my nerdy, educational side to say so, shorter course programs are often more accessible and more appealing to students. People are busy and they want a good bang for their buck. Shorter programs cut down your program costs (and cut down your faculty hours, if you are hiring faculty). Balance the logistical appeal of running a shorter program with a keen eye towards your learning objectives to find your happy place.
Want more? For an in-depth look at choosing your ideal course format, check out the online course.
