Birthlight Forums

Hi all. I love every minute of the Birthlight courses and come home feeling full of optimism and joy. thank goodness for the website as I'm otherwise feeling rather lonley up here in sunny Cheshire. I know there are soem of you water baby types out there - can you send some babies my way? I'm running my 4th course in january and I'm still struggling to get more than 3 people per class. I'm going on a big poster campaign, advertising in the NCT newsletter and trying to get an article in a local paper come January. My health visitor is on board but the local hospitals will not advertise anything. Any tips anyone? hello? Is there anyone out there?

 love and chocolate  Jo

ps patience is not my strong point!

Hi Jo,

Sorry - I have only just seen your post otherwise I would have replied much earlier. I live in Chester with infant aquatics classes in Frodsham, Weaverham and Chester.  It was slow to start up but once things get going then word of mouth is where most people come from now.  I'll give you a call with some more specifics of how / where I started advertising.  Also, if you have any posters or flyers send me some through and I'll put them up at my classes (assuming that they are in your catchment area).

Good luck!

Wendy

Hi Wnedy

advertising in the NCT newsletter has paid off and I might even have enough Mums for 2 classes next course (although so far only one has paid!). I wonder if you might be interested in sharing a stand with me at the Festival of Health and Beauty in Northwich on May 5th? It would cost £20 each if we share and has all sorts of complimentary therapies, beauty stuff and even clairvoyants (not too sure about that, but trying not to be judgemental!). It's 9am until 5.00pm so it would be a long day but might be worth it and we could always cover for each other so that we can have a break and a wander round ourselves. What do you reckon?

 peace, joy, love and light

Jo

Hi Wendy,

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Cheers,
Jeff
support@birthlight.com

Hi Jojo, I am not too far from you, I think. In Halewood in Knowsley, just over the Runcorn Bridge. I have been running Baby Yoga classes for about 6/7 years here. I live in an area where yoga is not that popular and I wouldn't be able to fill a private class, so I sell my services to my local Sure Start - have you one in your area?. Baby Yoga satisfies some of their targets, though things are changing as the Children's Centres develop. A friend of mine runs private classes in a more afluent area and does very nicely, thankyou, (she did well from an initial newspaper article, so good luck with yours). Her and my classes are largely filled by previous antenatal participants. I guess it helps if you catch the women while they are pregnant. Good luck, no step on the path is ever wasted and your efforts will pay off. (Best of luck all the same!)

love and more chocolate Marion

Hi Marion,

I am new to birhtlight and have just completed my Certificate in Baby Yoga, I am at the stage of just setting up a class and have contacted my local Childrens Centre who are keen for me to do classes for them as they are bing offered free until I pass my Diploma. However they have expressed interest if everything works out to keep the classes running, however being a rooky I have no idea what to charge.  As you already work for these people I was hoping you may give me some idea; do they have a pay band that they work to or do you dictate your fees?

Any help you can give me would be appreciated.

Best wishes

Michele 

Dear Michele

I do not work for any organisation in teaching my pregnany and postnatal classes so I have no idea about student or tutor fees.  I teach general yoga for a local Community Education dept and they pay me £21 per hour approx.  Re charging students-I charge £42 for a 6 week course of Postnatal mum and baby yoga for 1.25 hours of teachiong plus 30mins for drinks and chat. 

Hope that helps and good luck with your baby yoga.

Best wishes

Marion

Hi Michele

Thanks for asking that question, it’s a really valuable dialogue to open. I’d love to know what the going rate is. I began by charging a teaching fee and extras for things I supplied myself such as healthy drinks and snacks, cleaning materials for mats and bean bags, CD’s and so on. Now Sure Start Children’s Centre (SSCC) supplies the snacks and cleaning stuff and I charge only a teaching fee of £50. For that I give 2 hours of my time. I set up the room, lead a baby yoga session of 1 ½ hours, then facilitate ½ hour drink and fruit snack and chat space.

The 2 SSCC nursery nurses who used to oversee me were made redundant by the PCT because of funding issues, but they (PCT, who pay my fee), have agreed to keep me on.

When I upped my fee last year to £50 the nursery nurse managers told me the yoga sessions would have to be put out to tender.  Then they left and there seems to be no-one in a position to tender me out! For a brief period SSCC took on a children’s yoga teacher from a well known franchaise whose general going rate is £60/hour.

I guess the area might to some extent dictate an appropriate charge. I’m ‘up north’ were yoga sessions tend generally to be cheaper than ‘down south’.

Could anyone else suggest a suitable fee to charge?

Let me know what you think,

Good luck

Marion

Hi Marion,

thank you so much for your e-mails they have been very helpful, I am hoping that I impress them so much when I start my 6 week free session with them that they will take me on a contract and knowing what others charge gives me a good guide line on what I should expect.

Thanks again and good luck with your classes!

Kind regards

Michele