It's Not A Side Hustle. It's My Job.

Send me a message! When I started teaching in 2007, I called myself a *piano teacher in training*, charged £10 a lesson and let every cancellation go without a second thought. Nobody told me piano teaching wasn't a real job. I just ran my studio as if it wasn't, and it took me years to see it. **In this episode, you'll hear:** - The expectations I grew up with, and why teaching never felt like a proper job - How music gets treated as an extra, from school budgets to the GCSE years - My rates and policies then and now, and the change that made the biggest difference - Why "I'm lucky it's not my main income" affects every music teacher - What my CertPTC did and didn't change - How a teacher friend swapped 70 school students for 21 private ones, with only a small drop in income **Mentioned in this episode:** - The Piano Teachers' Course - ISM Music Teachers' Fees Survey Results 2026 - [Episode 6: Stop Chasing Payments: My Monthly Billing System](/podcast/monthly-billing-music-teachers) - [Episode 8: I Don't Work Late and I Don't Work Weekends: Here's How](/podcast/time-management-for-music-teachers) - [Episode 10: You Are a Professional Music Teacher](/podcast/how-to-be-a-professional-music-teacher) - [Episode 11, What Makes a Good Music Teacher](/podcast/what-makes-a-good-music-teacher) - [Episode 12: You're Not an Average Teacher, So Stop Charging an Average Rate](/podcast/how-much-to-charge-music-lessons) - [Focus Sessions (£67/hr)](/work-with-me) Access the show notes here: Episode 14 Show Notes Know a teacher who'd love to make teaching their living? Please share this episode with them. And if you've enjoyed it, a rating or review helps other teachers find the show.