Hi Terry, Sorry this is a bit long-winded but you bring up some questions that I think deserve to be addressed. The first thing you might want to ask yourself is if you feel qualified to be teaching someone else. I noticed that you are still an associate, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you're not skilled enough to be a teacher. That would be for you to decide. I can't comment on your personal qualifications, that is something only you can do. I recently took on a student for almost the identical reasons you mention. She is a piano teacher, also. But I soon found out that I was not able to spend the time that a new student really requires. (She also signed up for the Potter course). If you are busy now, ask yourself where this extra time is going to come from to teach someone. You may be putting in an enormous share of the training/learning ratio in the beginning and then when she will be able to return the favor and do some work for you, she may have moved on to another military assignment. There seems to be an issue of attitude on her part that I would investigate. She may be suffering from the same illusion that so many do in that "it doesn't look that hard to learn. Anyone who approaches their learning as only a good thing to do "part time," does not have the sense of commitment and dedication to really develop the skills needed to become a qualified technician. (Or she may not be aware of the enormous amount of learning one must go through to be qualified to actually charge money in this business.) One must have the attitude of becoming a good technician on the learning end, regardless of how many hours they actually chose to work after they learn. While I was Seattle Chapter President a few years ago, I spoke with many hopeful piano technicians who thought that if they only wanted to work part time, that meant they would only have to "learn" part time or that they wouldn't really need to learn "everything". When I hear someone say "part time", I often hear them meaning that they don't really want to think of him/herself and a professional. That is always a red flag for me. I don't know about other areas, but ours is saturated with too many part time and partially educated technicians. What we could use more of are people totally dedicated to learning and then working as a professional. Does she have any mechanical/technical skills? It is better than it used to be, but unfortunately women STILL are not getting hands-on experience with tools and not challenging their mechanical reasoning as much as boys/men are. This can be overcome, but often it is an indication of where her interest lies. If she doesn't already own a box of tools, why not? Maybe it's because she isn't inclined in that area. Many people don't see piano tuners as mechanics; all they see is the person with the tuning hammer and a few mutes, making the piano sound better. She may not be aware that she will have to become comfortable problem-solving with tools. Is she serious enough to invest the money in ALL the tools she might need in the field, even if she is only working part time? This is quite a financial investment, as you know. Someone who only wants to work part time may be thinking she doesn't need all of the tools, either. And finally, other than having help in your shop (which she could do without being trained as a "technician") and your affinity for being a good Samaritan, what do you stand to gain from this relationship? Are there no other technicians in the area to whom you could pass along some work or hire to help you out from time to time? Training someone is just (or maybe more) of a commitment on your part as it may be on hers. I hope this is helpful and whichever way you decide, that you feel good about your decision. jeannie Jeannie Grassi, RPT Assistant Editor, Piano Technicians Journal mailto:jgrassi@silverlink.net -----Original Message----- From: owner-pianotech@ptg.org [mailto:owner-pianotech@ptg.org]On Behalf Of Farrell Sent: Saturday, January 20, 2001 3:11 AM To: pianotech@ptg.org Subject: Training New Tech A woman/client approached me the other day regarding the piano technician profession. I was tuning her new (new to her) 1976 Yamaha G1 that I helper her buy (nearly perfect shape, very little wear - $2,000 - what a steal!). I would guess she is mid thirties, two small kids (est. 2 & 4 yo) married, Master's degree in some kind of hand therapy - used to help folks use their orthopedic devices for hand injuries, etc. She does not want to go back to the medical profession. She is staying home presently with the kids. Family is MILITARY. Typical stay is two to six years (sounds like most commonly two to four). She is looking for a new profession. She thinks she would like to keep it part time - like when kids are in school, etc. She is an advanced piano player. She has taught piano lessons. She is music director & pianist at her church. She says she is very mechanically inclined (likely true given her previous profession - she does geometry well - maybe she would be a natural with action geometry!). She expressed interest in learning in-home tuning & repairing and shop work. If she were to pursue it, she would likely do the Randy Potter course and look to me for a fair bit of training (scary thought, real scary). I have never hired/helped/associated with/etc. another tech before. I could actually use a bit of help at this point. I am very busy. I am very interested in any input/experiences any of you have regarding this type of matter. Both from her point of view (how would it work for her, given her military situation, etc.) and from my point (obviously, there would be a lot more training than production for a goodly while). How does one go about figuring the value of training? She might do work in my shop (i.e., gluing damper felts, etc.) I would spent time showing her how to do it, and she would make some progress - what have any of you done to figure pay when it also requires a good bit of your time - and this would obviously evolve to where less of my time is spent and productivity goes up - how does one account/compensate for that productivity flux? She moved into town recently. She will likely be here two to four years. Does this have any potential for me - beyond being interesting? I can't have it cost me money - I like the idea of being a good Samaritan - but I have a family to feed - and the last few years have been........well, lean. Aren't there some business theories out there that go something like - "if it does not provide income, don't do it!" I think from her point of view the profession would have potential. She moves into a new city, gets involved at her church, picks up a few students to teach piano. Then she would check out local techs and find one or two busy ones that are interested in subbing out some tunings and/or have some help in shop. I think she would have to realize that she will most often be working for/with another tech because of her temporary status in any given location. Her income potential would be lower than a successful tech with a well established business - but then her life would be quite a bit more simple - I think that is part of what she is looking for. What does anyone think of the potential for her? Thanks for any insight. Terry Farrell Piano Tuning & Service Tampa, Florida mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com
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