Cost of a Training Startup.

[Sherlockanubis]

I am an employee of a new FFL. I have the usual NRA pistol rifle and crso certs. I have taken 2 no fail courses and my average b-8 is a 87. I have 3 years experience teaching entry level/lower level intermediate shooters at a NSSF 5 star range with others that were much more experienced than I mentoring me. Right off the bat I want to make clear that I will not teach past OWB holster draw/mag change period. It is out of my lane and I have at this point not enough experience or skill at teaching past this point. I can do all these things but there are people more experienced and skilled at teaching them at this point in my life / career.

I am doing this to help my shop as doing it themselves would cost too much for them at this point. I would be doing privates for the never/newer shooters as well as group lessons in that same experience level.

I am looking for things I would need and things to know as a single person looking into starting a business teaching firearms education from those who either have done it/are doing it. Who to go to for insurance, how much to get, pitfalls etc.

I am not looking at this point in time to make big bucks off this. As I said this is to help my shop and break even/cover training ammo and any money I make will go back into taking training classes to become a better and more experienced instructor. Also to be clear I am not going to teach past OWB holster draw mag change/ self diagnostic shooting. I am NOT teaching gunfighters nor do i have dreams of that. I want to teach people how to be safe and responsible with firearms introduce them to new people so they can see how to have fun/ be safe and hopefully inspire them to become more skilled. Once they are at the limit of what I am willing to teach I will pass them off to others in the P&S/ vetted instructors in our community.

Everything I ask them to do would be demo'ed using the tell show do method. I do have classes and experience in adult and young adult learning theory and have over 50 hours of successful private lesson firearms instruction.

A typical lesson would look like

-Intro/ bio/what they are hear to learn.
-Safety brief as it applies to the range and in and outside the home and the differences/establish learning outcomes
-Different firearm action types and the difference between fmj/jhp.
-The fundamentals with a dummy gun and then practice loading and unloading/ safety check until proficient.
-Dry fire fundamentals and an explanation of accuracy vs speed and why accuracy is important either in a defensive context or sport depending on why they are there.
-Dry fire with an unloaded gun until proficient and comfortable.

Range time on a b-8 with a 22 at 3 yards all inside/touching xring.
Pretty much following Tatianas new shooter process from most recent modcast.
Rinse and repeat with a competition length/full size 9.
Make sure they leave feeling successful, happy and most importantly with a understanding of safety and better understanding of how firearms work and to be ambassadors of my shop and the greater firearms community as a whole.

Thank you

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[pointblank4445]

Teaching is a calling. If you have it, and can do it...drive on! That being said, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I've seen this same song and dance play out before...

If you are to set out down this path, you had better love the game because even breaking even might be a challenge. I'm sure you would inevitably have to dig into your stash of targets/ammo/range admin stuff at some point to go that extra mile for a student.

Don't get me wrong, we need good people at every level...from preschool finger-paint "intro to the thing that goes bang" up to tenured professors in advanced death-dealing. Problem is a good many aren't satisfied with where they are at/belong. You seem to know your audience though... but I dare to say the new/beginner is often some of the hardest to teach in some cases.

I suppose the first question I would pose to anybody wanting to be an instructor is to ask: "What do you have to offer/give a student?"
Too many are ahead of the curve think their ability can translate to instruction for those behind them. It's not what you did/can do...but what CAN you teach me to do?

 

[Sherlockanubis]

I spent 3 years around full time professional instructors learning from them and being mentored as an instructor by them. I know what right looks like. I moved from the Seattle Tacoma area to the Baltimore area I worked at 2 range/shops and I was severely disappointed. When I look around at people that do have more time around firearms either on the .mil/police side or just "professional" instructors I am left disappointed and bewildered. All we have around here is people spouting shit from either 20 years ago, IDF empty carry bullshit or just flat out wrong gun counter BS. I know what right looks like. I always thought that all this stuff was dying out but I came out here and was shocked. I know that this is a lower income area and a lot of people don't have the money to spend on awesome classes from MSP, Green ops or armed dynamics. And there are no ranges here that are willing to host or support that kind if training. People don't know what they don't know and there are a lot of small fish here that are threatened by people that know more than them or perhaps they are just stuck in whatever they were taught and are unwilling to continue learning or challenge their own beliefs. Its like a black hole. The amount of things I see and hear every day from the local LE/professional instructors that is either dated or flat out wrong kinda scares me.

Now I am not pretending that I know more than them about their job but TBH it's almost like some of them are the embodiment of the gun memes we all laugh at.

Now I dont think that I can save anybody nor am I looking at ever at this point teaching .mil or LE anything. That's not my lane and I am not going to touch that with a 100 foot pole.

My goal is to teach the never/newer shooter how to be safe responsible and effective with firearms. To educate the single parent on which firearm is right for them for home defense and to give them tools and resources to make them a better armed defender that can make the right call if the worst should happen. To make it ok for the person that wants to defend themselves but firearms are too scary, or they are unwilling to put the time to be proficient and safe that maybe pepper spray is a better option for them at this stage in their life. Or to help the newer security guard that is having trouble passing their shooting qual to gain a better understanding of the fundamentals and some confidence to have the ability to pass. These are all things that I did in the past at my old facility and I want to bring that understanding, professionalism and depth of knowledge that I have gained from my mentors and the P&S community to my area.

I don't do a good job of selling myself so I probably sound like a new just got my creds instructor that either is on the wrong end of the Dunning Kruger scale or thinks he can teach above his level. I can assure you that is not me.

My goal is to teach and continue to learn so I can then pass that along to my students and get them to take firearms education seriously and get them to take higher level instruction from awesome people way cooler and better than myself.

I have no qualms about providing targets and ammo to my students it's something I have done and in some cases it provides a better learning environment and outcome.

To your question I do know my audience and I can give them not only a firm Foundation but then also give the the correct and relevant resources/instructors to then further their education so they don't fall into the trap that others do or fall into the trap of cult of personality and stay with one instructor for far too long.

I know that newer shooters are the hardest to teach. I also know when to tell them that I cant help you but lets find someone who can. I do not have the kind of ego that prevents me telling someone i don't know something but I will do everything I can to help them find the right answer.

Do they want do learn how to burn dudes down. Cool start with green ops defensive or tactical pistol then try a reston, blowers, presscheck, dufresne class once they are ready.

Want to learn competition awesome try green ops or MSP then check out a Vogel, proctor class.

Want to just get better at general defensive stuff so check out Varg, Fisher or haggard.

I will in my small way turn the tide of derp and make more responsible gun owners that won't end up in the news. Or if they do it won't end up in the now dead #bad-decisions channel.

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[Clay1]

The NRA offers insurance for their instructors through Lockton.

 

[PM07]

"I know that newer shooters are the hardest to teach"

So not true in a good amount of cases for me anyway. I can take someone that has never fired a handgun before and have them shooting proficiently and accurately quicker than someone else who may have had some range time. Not an absolute of course but the whole blank canvas thing comes to mind.

 

[Clay1]

I like to do couples classes. Some guy says my wife needs to learn how to shoot. I often encourage the guy to come along to the class with the comment that if you both attend, you will be on the same page the next time that you go to the range. Often the women outshoot their husband / boyfriend by the end of the class. The ladies aren't fighting the presumption that they are born shooters and know everything that needs to be known about firearm technique. It's not a genetic state, it's a learned skill set.

My worst nightmare is a vietnam vet who hasn't touched a firearm in 40 years but believes that they know everything.