Advice on starting a class

[neepsntatties]

I am thinking of starting a drama group for teenagers and was hoping for some advice from others who have started classes.

Questions in my head at the moment are how do you decide what to charge? I want it to be as affordable as possible. If it does make any money at all then how do you decide what to pay yourself or what belongs to the business so you can buy things etc? I know I need insurance, what else would I need? I am crb checked already.

I am not looking to make a fortune but it would be good if I could pay myself the going rate for a freelancer, is this unrealistic?

Any other advice?

I assume you are qualified in some way to do this?

I've never taught a class, but I think I would charge enough to cover any room hire plus a bit extra so you make some money. I'm sure someone will come along with more help soon!!!

Yes I am a drama teacher but get a bit frustrated in a school setting as I feel restricted by management so was hoping a bit of freelance would allow me more creative freedom.

Rent of room
Premises insurance
Public liability insurance
Equipment
Costumes
Drinks/snacks
Transport

You need to work out if your income will be term time only and if you can rent a room on this basis or whether you need to cover all year from term time income. Assume some element of non-payment too.

In terms of paying yourself you need to price it in (after all the costs) at a minimum of the min wage up to what you consider a proper freelance wage and see what level seems sensible, based on similar activity costs in your area.

You can keep all the money yourself - most likely you will be self employed rather than setting up a company and just make sure you have enough put by to pay any tax or to buy equipment. Try looking at Business Link website for startup advice and HMRC website for advice re registering yourself as self employed and the related NI payments and tax

Good luck with it

Brilliant thank you! I will check that out. With regards to money I was thinking it would be nice if there was some money for extras such as hiring a theatre space for performances but perhaps I am getting ahead of myself!

What is premisis insurance? Is this not covered by public liability insurance?

You may need to pay insurance for any space you use for rehearsals, although this may be included in the rent charged. This may or may not also include public liability insurance, but if you are going to other places to perform you may well need separate Public liability insurance for your business.

If you are looking to hire a space for performances then ticket sales for these should cover this rental cost rather than coming out of the basic lesson price.

Great intro from HMRC and their helplines contrary to popular opinion are very helpful.

Business Link for business setup advice

Thank you so much, those are great. I've been wanting to do something like this for a while, it's just having the nerve to take that step!