MEET LACEY B!
Lacey is a New Jersey based fitness instructor. She teaches Barre Above, Balletone, and Zumba!
Lacey is lucky enough to teach classes on the beach through her fitness facility "The Gym at 10th Street."
One of the many advantages of teaching a pop through an organization is that they usually take care of "the legal stuff."
Legal stuff can include liability waivers, special permits for outdoor events, and making sure you're insured for the space.
However, if you want to do pop-up classes on your own these are three things to consider to protect yourself from legal issues!
1. Liability Waivers/ Informed Consent- These are essential. It's fairly easy to find base forms (many certifying bodies even include standard forms!) for fitness. These help protect you and any other involved parties if an injury or legal issue occurs. Karen R. says she has participants sign them when they register online- this means less hassle the day of the event!
2. Special Permits for Events- Especially in public spaces, you may need a permit to legally hold a class. Some parks may require a fee for the permit. It's important to find out these details before selecting a public space! PRO TIP: Make sure to have copies of any permits on you the day of the event! It can prevent any disruption in the class!
3. Insurance- If you're thinking about teaching outside of a studio, I highly recommend getting personal liability insurance for fitness instructors. This is your fail safe even with liability waivers. If you already have insurance its good to know where it covers you- this way you can communicate to host spaces that they are not liable for injuries or other issues that arise from the class.
Now- On to Questions with Lacey:
THE CLASSES:
I'm currently teaching two weekly barre classes on the beach!
I also teach for a few community events. The first is a "Barre and Breakfast," a morning barre class on the beach in front of a local bar (The Inlet in North Wildwood, NJ). After class, participants are invited into the bar for breakfast with a 10% discount. These have been really successful!
The second is "Happy Hour Barre" and "Happy Hour Zumba" afternoon classes with another local bar (Seaport Pier in North Wildwood, NJ). Class happens mid-afternoon and participants are invited to stay for happy hour at the bar after class.
THE HOST
The local gym I work for in New Jersey, The Gym at 10th Street, has been doing all of the organizing with the bars.
The Gym is also provides all of the equipment needed for all beach classes and special events! We do encourage participants to bring a mat or beach towel.
GETTING THE JOB
I was still teaching fitness virtually early this year when a Facebook page for my town shared a post from the new owners at The Gym at 10th. I had been considering looking for an in-person fitness job, and the post encouraged community members to reach out with "comments, questions, and/or ideas" for The Gym as they begin their venture as new owners.
I took it upon myself to reach out and let them know that I am a local fitness instructor and would love to teach classes if they were interested in offering group fitness. When they responded that they were interested, I emailed them a video of a previously recorded class, we set up a phone interview that turned into a tour of the facility and the rest is history. I have been teaching there for a little over two months now!
I have been a participant/assistant in pop-up classes at bars for years,so I presented my gym with the idea of doing classes and they loved it. We have a few successful events under our belt so far and several planned over the next two months!
THE BEST PART
My favorite part of beach classes is being on the beach! I live two blocks from the beach year-round and I love being able to teach barre on the beach this summer. I definitely crossed teaching on the beach off of my bucket list!
My favorite part of the community events is getting to provide an awesome workout for the participants and then getting to hang out and chat after. It helps me get to know my regulars better and meet new people as well!
This is our last blog for the Summer Pop-Up Series! I hope you enjoyed learning about all of the great ways you can find or create pop-up classes to your group fitness schedule!
For more job resources check out: https://www.takethestagefitness.com/fitness-auditions or check out @takethestagefitness on IG!
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