Fee for teaching a class?

I haven’t been able to find anything about this so here goes. I’ve been asked to give some classes at a local library about photography. There will be 3 different sessions from beginner to advanced and will deal with general guidelines and techniques. Each class would be 1.5-2 hours long.

I’ve been asked what my fee would be for something like this and really don’t have any idea how to respond. I was originally going to do it for free or for an amount to cover my mileage and minor expenses. I don’t mind charging but don’t want to ask for anything outrageous.

Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

KLR-VA0501 wrote in post #18586164
I haven’t been able to find anything about this so here goes. I’ve been asked to give some classes at a local library about photography. There will be 3 different sessions from beginner to advanced and will deal with general guidelines and techniques. Each class would be 1.5-2 hours long.
I’ve been asked what my fee would be for something like this and really don’t have any idea how to respond. I was originally going to do it for free or for an amount to cover my mileage and minor expenses. I don’t mind charging but don’t want to ask for anything outrageous.
Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

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I taught an after school photography program at my local high school. . They paid $16 an hour. . The class was an hour and a half long, and they paid me for 1/2 hour prep time for each class. . So each time I taught the 1 1/2 hour class I got $32.

This is about on par with what the full time teachers get paid, if you broke their annual salary down into hourly increments.

These numbers may be on the low side, because I live in a very impoverished area. . If you live in a more affluent area the 'going rate' may be higher.


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$500.00 USD

Is the library charging their patrons who take the course? If so, you have a captive audience who is willing to pay for photography instruction. As part of the course you could mention that you are available for 1-on1 instruction. Just something to consider.

What would Parks and Recreation Departments in your area charge for a class with similar number of sessions? One might say that the Public Library is another arm of local government and that programs should be of similar cost thru any civic organization.

Someone proposed $16 per hour...where are they that poorly paid, $30000 a year? The mean is about $45k in the poorest paying state in the US (WVirginia); Washington state range is $56-60!

OK teachers may 'only work 9 months', but no one bothers to realize that they are compelled to take courses throughout a year to maintain their credentials, so they are NOT 'only working 9 months'. And most fail to consider that most teachers have homework to grade in the evening. And teachers have a credential that they understand the principles of educating people, unlike the typical enthusiast photographer.

What are the attendees paying to take the class and how many are they allowing to attend? Do you make a living shooting? Will you bring anything besides your own camera kit or will you bring lighting? We need details in order to suggestions.

All other constraints aside it is a matter of supply and demand. In your market what would people expect to pay to take a class?

There is a lot of unforeseen preparation that goes into giving a talk or teaching a class. Even a simple presentation can take hours of research collecting material and putting it together in a flowing presentation. Growing up in a home of a teacher I can assure you teaching is a 16 hour day with an incredible amount of behind the scenes prep and post work and summers are not all that free. There is no doubt they don't get paid their worth.

A class with multiple dates means you could end up being your students google-bot to answer their questions the following week. I've given a couple of talks for free and was offered $1,500 to teach a class however that was a longer course and not on the shoestring budget that a public library is living on.

Once you set your price with the library you will have a hard time increasing it. And if you offer to do it for free you probably won't be able to charge the next go around. Whatever amount of time you think this is going to require multiply that by three.

How do you plan on collecting materials for your presentation? Will you only use your work or will you take other's and not license the educational usage?