During the Instructor training last year they showed us some statistics, charts, graphs that showed how the demand for CHL's has increasing where as the number of instructors has actually declined. Is there a demand? Certainly!Chrispy wrote:Another question I have is how is the demand for classes right now? When I first looked into getting a CHL a few yearse ago it was very difficult to find a class. I remember that at most places I called you had to book a couple of months in advance. They were usually completely filled. I called around last year when I ended up getting my license and it seemed like it was much easier to get into a class. I got into mine the same week I called. The demand had really gone down. Is that accurate? What's the demand like now? Can a new instructor who has the right connections and strategy count on booking a class every week or just every once in a while?
However, finding people who are serious and willing to commit is the challenging part (at least in my case) I use to own a marketing and promotion company that promoted night clubs, bars, concerts and other special events so I had quite a lengthy contact list. Finding interested people wasn't hard but getting the people to actually commit to a date and actually show up without canceling at the last min is challenging.
I find that people who know you personally will be the worse ones when it comes to canceling or not committing as the mind set is that they can always get in one of your later classes or that since they know you that it is no big deal. Be sure to let them know you are running a business and not to sign up if they are not willing to commit. I may just require everyone to pre-pay in advance because my cancellations have been so bad at some points.
The demand is there, that really comes down to how you intend on getting out there and marketing yourself. Word of mouth is very powerful in this business and I have more and more people calling me all the time inquiring about future classes. If you keep your class interesting and teach it right you will get a lot of referrals. But the question you should have is how are you going to start that momentum and how do you intend on getting people in your first few classes? Having a marketing plan in place is important.Chrispy wrote:Can a new instructor who has the right connections and strategy count on booking a class every week or just every once in a while?
I thought that it would be difficult to find a gun range that would allow me to take my classes there to qualify but it was quite the contrary, most of them welcome your business. The gun range I take my class to is about a mile from my house so it is very convenient and I teach classes out of my home where I have a classroom setup that can accommodate up to 20 people. However you will need to check with each gun range about their requirements as some of them require that you have your own insurance policy where others may not. The range I take my classes to does not require an independent insurance policy as they said it is covered by theirs.Chrispy wrote:That brings me to my last question. Do you have any advice for getting started? I'm a 9-5er in a completely different industry and do not have too many connections at shooting ranges / clubs yet but would like this to eventually be a big thing for me. I plan on trying to get my name out there to owners of local ranges and offering to be a substitute instructor in case their main instructors get sick or something.
When calling around to the gun ranges watch your wording, I've overheard other instructors saying "I want to teach my class at your range." when in fact if they didn't need classroom facilities they should have said "I am _________ a CHL instructor, I wanted to inquire about bringing my classes to your range to perform the shooting qualification and was wondering what your requirements are?" I've seen quite a few people say they wanted to teach classes there which then became a conflict of interest for them as many of them teach their own classes there but most will still allow you to do the shooting qualification there.
All and all it is what you make of it and like any other business you get out of it what you put in to it, but also like any other business you own it is much more satisfying generating money for yourself than receiving a paycheck from an employer. With any luck perhaps you can make it to full time!
Feel free to message me if you have any other questions.Chrispy wrote:Thanks in advance for any answers and advice. I'm sure as my class gets closer and after it is over I will have many more.
-Jason