The Pros and Cons of cover teachers

One of the big decisions to make when we take holidays is whether we continue classes with a cover teacher, or not run them while we are away. This can be a more loaded decision when we are working with people who have cancer.

Having a cover teacher

This can be a great option for continuity of classes. I know how valuable people find their regular yoga classes and that they can act as a support group as well as a personal wellbeing practise. Having a class in the week can also act as an anchor point, to have something to look forward to and to provide some structure. In person classes can also encourage people to leave the house and be part of a community when they may feel low and prefer to hide away.

Students have said to me quite often in class that they weren’t feeling great and didn’t want to go out that day, but equally that they didn’t want to miss yoga. Once they had made the effort and the journey they felt much better for it. Sometimes we need that little bit of accountability or enticement to get the ball rolling.

Having a cover teacher then can mean that students get to keep up a routine that works for them, to keep up their practise when they might be less motivated to do self-practise at home. They also get to meetup with other students and have that valuable social interaction. It means that you can take some time off guilt-free knowing that your students are not missing out while you are away.

An additional benefit for students can be that they experience new things in the class. As teachers we all have our own style and having a different teacher for a short period can broaden students ideas and experience of yoga, perhaps giving them new inspiration for home practise.

Building a relationship with a cover teacher can also be part of you creating a support network for yourself. They can be a person that you can share peer support with, potentially cross refer students to and possibly you could be their cover teacher too. Working alone and being self-employed has it challenges so cultivating professional relationships can be very valuable.

Things to consider

If you are running a specialist yoga for cancer class you would need to find someone with suitable training and experience to take on the students you have. You would also need to check their insurance is suitable too. The YFCA Teacher Register can be one place to look for someone, or you may know of people in your area.

Depending on the venue or organisation you teach for, there may be other paperwork that needs to be completed too so that they remain compliant with their guidelines. For example, they may need have a DBS certificate or have some kind of photo ID card made. You’ll need to check the procedure before bringing a new teacher in. Obviously if you teach in your own space, you can use your own discretion.

If you’d like a cover teacher, I recommend you start looking and organising way in advance of you needing them. Last minute plans are generally not good for anyone and can be very stressful with more opportunity for things to go wrong! Once you have some in place subsequent plans can be easier to arrange.

Having said that there is a benefit of students experiencing a new teacher, equally, students can get very attached to their teachers and they are in a vulnerable situation. Having built up trust with you, they may feel anxious about a new teacher and how well cared for they will be. So it can sometimes be a challenge to find someone who is a good fit for your students and will teach in a complementary way.

You will need to do a good hand over both for the benefit of the teacher coming in, letting them know about your students’ needs, possibly providing some kind of lesson plan or general pointers. You will also need to prepare students and give them advance notice of when you are away and information about the new teacher.

Of course there is the issue of money too. As with most things, there are not set rules about how this is done. You will need to come to an agreement that works for you both in terms of the pay for the cover teacher, whether this is a flat fee for teaching each class or an amount per student. You will also need to inform them about any class admin that is necessary such as taking payments from students, where to record those and whether there is an attendance record. If you are paid by an organisation you will need to find out what their procedure would be

Finding the right person can give great peace of mind for both you and the students, and give the teacher more work experience and pay. It can be a real win-win-win situation. However, if on reflection, when you have thought about all the steps that need to be taken to bring in a cover teacher, it seems like the situation is very complicated and there are too many possible things that could go wrong, you may find it better to not have a cover teacher.

In Summary:

Pros:

·        Continuity of classes

·        Wider yoga experience for students

·        Building professional relationships

·        Peace of mind

Cons:

·        Can be hard to find suitable teacher

·        More admin to set up

·        Need to manage relationship with students and new teacher

·        Potential to be out of pocket

Alternative Suggestions

If it is not suitable to have a cover teacher, for whatever reason, there are some alternatives you can potentially use.

·        Create handouts for a home practise

·        Record classes that students can watch while you are away

·        Run set courses or terms of classes with breaks so students know that this isn’t an every week all year round kind of class.

·        Let people know you don’t use a cover teacher and that you will give advance notice of time away so students can plan too.

Whatever you choose, as long as you are clear up front what the deal is and manage people’s expectations with advance notice and clear boundaries there should be minimal issue with you taking time off.

As a final thought, in case there is any lingering guilt, taking time off to create balance in your life and look after your wellbeing is also being a good role model for your students!

If you are not yet a specialist yoga for cancer teacher and would like to be, you can find out about my upcoming YA accredited Holistic Teacher Training Course here.