My life as a...

What is your job title?

I am a StreetDance Instructor.

What qualifications do you need to get where you are?

To work as a StreetDance Instructor you will first need to gain as much dance experience as you can and then you will need to use that experience to help you gain a StreetDance Teacher Training Certificate.

What qualifications do you have?

I have achieved:

• 9 GCSEs
• 3 A Levels
• B-Tec Foundation Diploma in Art & Design
• Textile Design Degree (BA)
• Certificate in StreetDance Teacher Training
• Foundation in Neuro-Linguistic Programming 

What does your job involve?

I manage one of the many Fresh Vibes StreetDance franchises. That means that I also need to organise the hiring of studios, choosing and acquiring music, advertising, public liability insurance, and all other aspects of the business.

I choreograph beginner StreetDance routines for 8-week adult courses. Each week I begin with a warm up, followed by a section of choreography, followed by a cool down. Each week I also add more onto the choreography until I have taught my students a full routine to a particular song.

What do you most like about your job?

I love dancing, so being able to do that as one of my jobs is amazing! It's a great form of exercise and unlike some other dance forms, anybody can do StreetDance which means it can appeal to anyone, rather then a select few. I love sharing this enjoyment with other people. StreetDance is a great way to keep fit, have fun and make new friends!

What is most rewarding about your job?

It’s great to see people change after attending my StreetDance course. People often believe that they cannot dance or have no rhythm, but once they come to the Fresh Vibes class and we break down the dance moves for them, they leave the class knowing that they CAN do it! And that is really rewarding - to see their confidence and self esteem grow and to see lots of smiley faces during and after classes!

Is there anything about your job that you don’t like?

As I run the franchise myself I have to deal with the accounts. Filling in the Tax Return at the end of the tax year is the least fun part of my job!

Do you have a typical day?

After my day job as a Textile Designer, I go home and check my StreetDance emails for any client enquiries and reply to them. I then check for the latest songs on Itunes to find new music for my dance classes. I will often work on online advertising with a view to recruiting students for the new term. I also check for telephone messages and deal with those. I also make sure that I know my invoices are paid and check my business account. Then I do some choreographing to make sure I know which moves I will be teaching the next day and how I will break the moves down for my students.

What qualities do you need to be a successful StreetDance Instuctor?

You will need to be patient (not everybody picks things up at the same speed). You will also need to be versatile (to adapt your teaching style depending on who you are teaching). For example, if you are teaching young children some moves might not be appropriate so you have to be able to change your choreography to fit the student. You will also need to be passionate (if you love what you do then that will show through your teaching and will hopefully make your students respond accordingly).

What advice would you give to other people wanting a job like yours?

• Attend as many StreetDance classes as you can
• Try different types of StreetDance classes and courses including different genres such as Poppin, Lockin, Breaking, Wacking and Hip Hop
• Go to Dance Shows to see how dance can work in a public forum
• Believe in yourself
• Work hard
• Stay positive
• Being a great dancer doesn't make you a great teacher so also think about what type of teacher you will be and how best to explain your dance knowledge to your students
• A teacher training course that features NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) can help you become a better communicator, especially with your students