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RnKMom
Prima 'n' Stickles Pea
PeaNut 80,424
April 2003
Posts: 9,162
Layouts: 30
Loc: Southern California
 |  Posted: 1/31/2013 4:21:31 PM
My local Michaels is advertising for a papercrafting instructor. I'm intrigued! Before diving in, I thought I'd better ask the Peas for any feedback anyone can give. Pros/cons? Good/bad/ugly? Fun/not?
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~Patricia~
If I have to use all this paper before I die, I'll live forever!
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MelissaRS
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 49,137
September 2002
Posts: 2,513
Layouts: 194
|  Posted: 2/1/2013 1:30:12 PM
I would be interested in this answer! |
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asmart99
PeaAddict
PeaNut 294,784
February 2007
Posts: 1,384
Layouts: 9
Loc: California dreamin'
 | Posted: 2/1/2013 3:41:07 PM
Me too! The store here is also looking. I know I "can" do it. Just not sure if I "want" to do it. It will take away from my scrappy time. If it's worth it, $$ wise, I would though! |
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TracieClaiborne
Perfectionist Pea
PeaNut 23,809
October 2001
Posts: 15,796
Layouts: 364
Loc: Just a short drive from Nashville, TN! (Yee-Haw Ya'll!)
 | Posted: 2/1/2013 5:31:04 PM
I just did a six month stint as a Michaels instructor. I've been teaching scrapbooking at different scrapbook stores for 10 years and during 2012, I sold out almost every class I taught at the LSS (several each month).
So it seemed like a sure thing to add Michaels to my teaching agenda. I really like Michaels and the manager there was really a nice guy.
I gave myself a goal of making it successful by January 2013 and I did not meet that goal. Here's why I think that was the case:
- The classes are corporately designed. The instructors are able to "put their own spin" on the classes but the basic design must stay the same as well as the concepts that are to be taught. So for example, if they show you 5 cards that use certain papers, you can change the papers and even the colors and even the theme of the card but everything else must stay the same. That was a problem for me because although I went into it with an open mind, the designs were not up to my standards. I have my own style that I have worked hard to be identified with, as an instructor. My style was nowhere present in their classes. For the life of me, I couldn't get their designs to look like ME. So I got frustrated trying to teach something that I didn't love. Also, a few of the classes were so poorly designed that I even had customers make a face when I showed them the project. It was then I thought, "What am I doing?"
- The marketing structure. Because I make papercrafting my business, I went into teaching at Michaels with an enthusiastic attitude of how I could market the classes. I wanted to have color postcards printed and hand them out everywhere. I was told by the manager that no instructor could spend money on marketing materials because Michaels could not be held liable for the expense. The only marketing materials I could provide were black and white typed and printed handouts on colored paper. They are very ineffective on the counter by the registers because there's too much going on up there already. The class calendars were often either unavailable, incorrect or not on the website. Basically, driving class sales is left to the instructor but since I was not an employee in the store full-time, I was never there to promote them! The manager did offer to let me put a bulletin board up by the bathroom and I did not take the time to do it because in the end, I just lost my enthusiasm for promoting classes I had little confidence in. The primary issue with class sales is that the cashiers are the people responsible for telling customers about the classes and signing them up and the cashiers for the most part, do not care about classes. They have enough to deal with.
- The pricing. So having said all that....it boiled down to the fact that I can do a fair job promoting myself if I'm really excited about something and I could even continue to work on the designs to make them more what I would do but the main problem with Michaels classes is the price point. The standard rate for the classes is $25 PLUS SUPPLIES.  Shocking. I know. Maybe that's in line in some other areas but around here - the precedent has been set that classes range from $15 - $20 with supplies included. I just taught a 20 page mini album class at the LSS - it sold out - it was $20, supplies included. Yes - I spent a lot on supplies and probably should have charged $25 but no way would I ever charge $25 with no supplies included! Turns out, no one in my area wanted to pay that and I even felt bad for asking for it!
What frustrated me the most is that there is a Facebook group of Michaels instructors and they all frequently try to mention the price point and are shut down immediately. It is the elephant in the room. No one is allowed to speak of it. I truly don't understand why they are shooting themselves in the foot with a too high price point because it primarily benefits the instructor and if the instructor doesn't want to charge that - be FLEXIBLE! Michaels barely makes anything on the class price - their profit comes from sales of supplies. So make the class fee attainable and more people will sign up and you'll have more sales!
I got so frustrated that I just gave up. I don't like to spin my wheels. If something is set up so that I simply cannot be successful, I don't want to be a part of it. The highest selling instructor for Michaels is in Canada. I quickly befriended her to see what her secret was and she told me that she is in a high income area and her store is brand new with a fabulous classroom so the sales of her classes were great. She's making a killing so it pains me that I couldn't duplicate her success but in the end, I decided it was just not for me.
I have to have more control, creatively and business wise over what I'm working hard for.
There were other issues like classroom division between the instructors (the jewelry instructor repeatedly booked a class at the same time as mine and when I showed up to teach...there she sat with her student!). Everyone there was super nice and I had a hard time leaving the group but I feel I made the right decision.
Sorry so long but I guess I needed to vent!! 
Tracie Claiborne
My Happy Life | |
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serenitysmom
PeaAddict
PeaNut 193,655
February 2005
Posts: 1,548
Layouts: 43
Loc: Alabama
 | Posted: 2/1/2013 5:49:02 PM
WoW!
So, if you don't mind me asking, do you get a set payment for each class? Or is it a percentage of each person's fee? How do you, as the instructor, make money?
We don't have a great scrapping community here, so I'm sure the classes are a big flop, but I have considered it in the past when there was a job posting. |
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TracieClaiborne
Perfectionist Pea
PeaNut 23,809
October 2001
Posts: 15,796
Layouts: 364
Loc: Just a short drive from Nashville, TN! (Yee-Haw Ya'll!)
| Posted: 2/1/2013 5:53:26 PM
You get a percentage of each class fee and it is a lot. It could be a potential money maker for sure if anyone signed up! I would have rather had the classes be $15 and had 10 people at each one than one person I begged each month. It is just not set up to be successful.
In our area, Archiver's now has the most success in this industry. Michaels should be paying attention to how Archiver's is doing things because their classes are successful and around $15 to $18 with supplies included. Plus, they obviously have people designing them who really know what they're doing. Their class samples always blow me away. | |
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*Delphinium Twinkle*
I'm just a pea:)
PeaNut 163,613
August 2004
Posts: 68,990
Layouts: 236
Loc: *Sunny Southern California*
| Posted: 2/1/2013 5:56:34 PM
I had the same problem Tracy did.
But, I chose to stop teaching before the 6 month mark.
I didn't like sharing a classroom with the Wilton class.
Icing and paper do not mix well.
And how do you teach a class while someone that is teaching a different class at the same time?
I wanted to use my designs too but was shut down. Not because they didn't like tj but because that's just not how they work
Crazy |
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serenitysmom
PeaAddict
PeaNut 193,655
February 2005
Posts: 1,548
Layouts: 43
Loc: Alabama
| Posted: 2/1/2013 6:04:50 PM
Thanks for all the info! And I totally agree... If *I* wouldn't pay that much for a class with no supplies, how could I expect somebody else to?  |
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TracieClaiborne
Perfectionist Pea
PeaNut 23,809
October 2001
Posts: 15,796
Layouts: 364
Loc: Just a short drive from Nashville, TN! (Yee-Haw Ya'll!)
| Posted: 2/1/2013 7:58:01 PM
Exactly!! I thought about telling the powers that be my opinion but I think they've heard it over and over and choose to ignore it. | |
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RnKMom
Prima 'n' Stickles Pea
PeaNut 80,424
April 2003
Posts: 9,162
Layouts: 30
Loc: Southern California
| Posted: 2/2/2013 5:52:08 PM
Thanks for all the input. I'm curious, so I filled in their online application, and omigosh, after the 10-minute IQ test there's a TWELVE PAGE (each with 20 questions!) aptitude test! I happened to be there this morning and so asked the cashier if she had to answer all those questions too. Yes. Seems a bit much for a small position of only a few hours a week, yikes!
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~Patricia~
If I have to use all this paper before I die, I'll live forever!
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Brandywineboutique
PeaWee
PeaNut 349,986
November 2007
Posts: 2
Layouts: 12
Loc: http://www.etsy.com/shop/brandywine
 | Posted: 2/24/2013 9:19:55 PM
I had an interview for a papercraft instructor today at my Michael's. I got the job on the spot. The manager said Michael's would call with all the job info. The store has not had papercraft classes in a very long time. I hope it works out because I am super excited. | |
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Robin Sparkles
PeaNut
PeaNut 509,641
May 2011
Posts: 260
Layouts: 1
Loc: Illinois
 | Posted: 2/24/2013 10:19:39 PM
I had to take that aptitude test back when I worked there...10 years ago! Good luck on the teaching gig.  |
Blog: http://renaeslifeinpictures.blogspot.com
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Cricutgirlg
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 160,610
August 2004
Posts: 5,873
Layouts: 82
| Posted: 2/25/2013 5:29:37 AM
Tracie I passed for your same reasons, but luckily for me I investigated all before committing, this only becaue I got burned by the Cricut Army situation, so I knew what to look forward. The program offered by M's is too controlling and I wasn't willing to push my creativity to the side for their classes. The on-line application process was a joke. Way too long. I'm so glad I passed, I'm sorry Tracie you stuck it out for so long you are a good one. |
| www.mygreatestcreations.blogspot.com | |
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shawnlyn72
PeaNut
PeaNut 512,808
June 2011
Posts: 173
Layouts: 2
 | Posted: 2/25/2013 10:31:06 PM
I was a Michael's instructor several years ago when they offered a whole range of crafting classes. Then they got rid of all their classes except Wilton. The classes are slowly starting to come back. Before there was realy no management of class offerings, and it was really difficult to work with them. It sounds like they have now gone to the opposite extreme. Hopefully they will figure it out. | |
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robmab
BucketHead
PeaNut 422,325
May 2009
Posts: 555
Layouts: 194
Loc: Dallas, TX
 | Posted: 2/26/2013 11:37:32 AM
I taught with Michael's for almost a year, and my experience was similar to Tracie's. I taught with the SDU/Spotted Canary program through EK Success. In addition to not matching my style, the projects and techniques they were teaching were about 10 years out of date! I was also frustrated with the marketing of the classes and never had more than a few sign-ups each time I offered a class. To make matters worse, the classroom was basically a converted storage closet in the back of the store -- cramped and kind of depressing.
I think the classes would be a lot more successful if they gave the instructors a bit more creative freedom to infuse their own style and personality. Right now, they are all about "control" and making everything the same, which is the exact opposite of what this hobby is really about. Sad.  |
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biochemipea
likes shiny things
PeaNut 114,614
November 2003
Posts: 19,594
Layouts: 450
Loc: Ontario, Canada
 | Posted: 2/26/2013 11:51:02 AM
the projects and techniques they were teaching were about 10 years out of date!
I'm glad to hear someone who actually worked in this position say this! Hearing about how Michael's runs their classes has been informative, and disappointing. I often wonder when I see the card/layout examples pinned up in the store, who is teaching the classes and who is taking them. I'd love to be involved with my local M's store, either teaching or taking classes, but not the way they are currently offered and controlled.
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taraelias
PeaWee
PeaNut 480,656
September 2010
Posts: 8
Layouts: 35
Loc: Winnipeg, MB
| Posted: 2/26/2013 1:00:05 PM
Tracie hit the nail on the head with regards to the price points and the supplies, and that is why it never worked out for me before I even got my first class going. There was no real direction as to what I was supposed to teach, but absolutely no freedom to design my own curriculum. I tried joining the Facebook group, and my request was ignored for several weeks (in fact, I never did get my acceptance come to think of it). This is where I was hoping to gain ideas. They wanted to me to come in on say, a Saturday, and do a few demos to gain attendance for my upcoming classes. But there was no direction as to what I was to be teaching.
The worst part was that they encouraged me to use the paper and supplies I found in their classroom craft cupboard. And sure enough, they had LOADS of paper and scrap supplies in there, which I would have been happy to use. The problem is, the customers weren't allowed to use it. They have to pay $25 for their class, and then buy the supplies on top of it. But in my experience, 99.9% of beginners want to make what the teacher is making. So how am I to use the outdated product in the cupboard that is no longer being sold, if the customers can't a) use it or b go out and purchase it off the shelf. Furthermore, what happens if I design some cards or a few layouts and then there are not enough supplies on the shelf for the customers to buy? It's not like I could cross-reference their stock with my layout plans.
Basically, it's just set up terribly. I asked them if I could plan classes and charge more with supplies included and they of course, said no. It is beyond me why they wouldn't consider this. Well actually, it's not. They want customers to go out there and find the supplies, and find other things along the way. I get that. I took Wilton classes at Michaels, and that totally made sense, because there are set supplies for cakes and it's the same ones every time, but since scrapbooking isn't the same, I couldn't see a way to make it work. I planned a crop night as a last ditch attempt to familiarize myself with their way of doing things, only to find out the night before the crop that they hadn't even started advertising it yet. Decided I wasn't going to waste my time, and let the Manager know I didn't think it was a right fit. She actually was quite understanding, and knew that it was a backwards way of doing things. She said she didn't blame me, and that she would have done the same thing in my shoes. | |
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TracieClaiborne
Perfectionist Pea
PeaNut 23,809
October 2001
Posts: 15,796
Layouts: 364
Loc: Just a short drive from Nashville, TN! (Yee-Haw Ya'll!)
| Posted: 2/26/2013 2:03:33 PM
Sounds like you had the same experience as me.
I would like to point out that I am a huge fan of the SDU/Spotted Canary class I taught at Michaels which was an 8 hour beginners class. I plan to teach that other places. It is chock full of great info and well worth the $25 but the other classes I taught were through Paper-ED the current Michaels program and the problem lies in their leadership decisions. It's a corporate policy thing. They're not in touch with the industry as it relates to classes. | |
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alliec
Baby Pea Step
PeaNut 432,907
August 2009
Posts: 1
Layouts: 0
Loc: Oklahoma
 | Posted: 6/3/2013 1:22:29 PM
I recently completed my paperED certification and should be starting demos and classes soon. I haven't seen very good feedback on the experience, but maybe it varies by store and manager. I asked specifically about creating my own classes and they seemed very receptive, so we'll see what happens! |
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jillienedesigns
BucketHead
PeaNut 346,707
November 2007
Posts: 985
Layouts: 62
Loc: San Jose, CA
| Posted: 6/3/2013 1:34:35 PM
I taught at Michael's and the main problem I had was that I had to use products that they carry - fine i can understand that but then they wouldn't give me the product for free to make the sample. The store manager let me use returned product that was classified damages but I usually ended up using my stash. I did demos on Sat. to gather enrollment and I couldn't get many ppl. to stop. My classes were mainly consisted of parents from my son's preschool, people I knew from crops and my friends and family. I'd love to do it again but I got really tired of the recruitment part. I always thought it would be awesome to get some sororities from the university to come. My other comment is that the crafting room the have for the classes is super MacCheesey. i wish they'd let me get in their - redecorate - offer a few free workshops if you spent $50 or more and supply class kits at a fixed/ discounted price, then start selling the classes once you get a following. And they need to stop advertising papercrafting workshops in George and basic shapes cricut font. dude - that screams MacCheeze! |
Jilliene Isaacs
http://jillienedesigns.blogspot.com
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myboysnme
one of those "entitled" peas
PeaNut 69,081
February 2003
Posts: 6,822
Layouts: 1
| Posted: 6/3/2013 2:04:21 PM
when I worked for them as a scrapbook instructor there was rarely a class where I had even 2 people. Back then I set the cost and designed the project, but I had to provide all the supplies as well - trimmers, scissors, adhesive, etc. I got an hourly wage.
I tried setting up a requirement for a basic class kit and people didn't want to buy the stuff in advance of the class, they wanted to wait until after the class when they got a 10% disocunt.
I hated going there and punching a time clock and then having no one show for the class, or even worse, one person for whom I had to do a two hour class because the rule was if you had one customer you had to teach it. |
My choice is to not take it personally - people have opinions. Particularly people here.-Peabay 12/29/11
I know this is assuming, but I'm really starting to think you are one of those "entitled" peas - Dalayney 4/2/12
profile pic courtesy of GreenEyedLady Designs at Scrap ARt Studio.
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TracieClaiborne
Perfectionist Pea
PeaNut 23,809
October 2001
Posts: 15,796
Layouts: 364
Loc: Just a short drive from Nashville, TN! (Yee-Haw Ya'll!)
| Posted: 6/3/2013 2:42:00 PM
I asked specifically about creating my own classes and they seemed very receptive, so we'll see what happens!
I'm sorry to tell you this, alliec, but if they let you design your own classes, that is going against their own corporate policy. I am very familiar with the leadership of the papercrafting arm of the classes and they have stated again and again this year how they are doing things and that does not include designing your own classes. That is absolutely not allowed.
But there might be a store manager out there who doesn't follow the rules. I can't see the District Manager going along with it but in my opinion, my store manager didn't even know what I was teaching, when I was teaching or what I was using. In hindsight, I probably could have come up with my own classes and no one would have ever known. The managers were too busy with other things to care. | |
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Kerrybarker
BucketHead
PeaNut 123,060
January 2004
Posts: 710
Layouts: 216
Loc: Sammamish Washington
| Posted: 6/3/2013 4:18:49 PM
Tracie and others thank you so much for the honest feed back. I also saw a notice at my local Michaels this morning and was interested as I don't teach at my LSS any more and have been sort of itching to get back into it. But I realize that would be a very bad fit for me. I personally could not IMAGINE teaching a class while a cake decorating class was happening in the same room. That is just plain weird!
Thank you |
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IAmMikki
PeaNut
PeaNut 520,674
September 2011
Posts: 366
Layouts: 7
Loc: Las Vegas, NV
| Posted: 6/3/2013 5:00:02 PM
During a scrapbook improv with Lain Ehmann she mentioned that she had asked at her local Michael's about teaching classes and she filled out the aptitude test and the whole bit and the never got a call back. She laughed and said "I'm not good enough to teach at Michael's." lol | |
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Wandalicious
PeaNut
PeaNut 325,126
June 2007
Posts: 175
Layouts: 1
Loc: Orange, CA
| Posted: 6/3/2013 5:25:46 PM
Wow. I have alwasy wondered about this as I have heard good things about the cake decorating class and great things about the beginners sewing classes at JoAnn's. I am not a teacher, but I always wondered about the classes at Michael's. They have some cute stuff on the shelves (Heidi Swapp, Tim Holz) so it's sad that they wouldn't let an enterprising instructor come in and teach classes.
They are missing the mark! | |
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scrappysailorswife
Ancient Ancestor of Pea
PeaNut 235,775
December 2005
Posts: 5,094
Layouts: 0
Loc: Virginia
 | Posted: 6/3/2013 5:30:56 PM
Thank you for your honest feedback. I used to teach at several of our LSSs, but they are all gone now. I've been missing teaching, and I had considered applying at Michael's. I won't be doing that now. |
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Keianna
PeaAddict
PeaNut 260,218
May 2006
Posts: 1,591
Layouts: 31
Loc: Missouri
| Posted: 6/3/2013 7:07:53 PM
So crazy they didn't call Lain back maybe they were intimidated, haha |
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