As a dance school owner, I know first-hand how hard it is to find teachers who truly fit. You spend years building a positive culture — something warm, unique, and full of heart — and yet when it comes to staffing, it can be a real struggle to find someone who just gets your school.
That’s not the only challenge. I’ve also felt the drop-off around age 11 — when students move up to secondary school and suddenly dance isn’t “cool” or they’re pulled in so many directions that classes take a back seat. At the same time, I was trying to run growing classes without enough trained assistants and often felt like I was doing everything alone.
Eventually, I stopped and asked myself: What if the people I need are already right in front of me?
Growing Your Own Future Teachers
I started looking at the dancers I already had in the room — the ones who lit up the studio, who younger students looked up to, who showed real care and commitment. And I realised: we don’t need to keep looking outside our schools for support. We can grow it from within.
That’s when I began creating a clear pathway in my school for students to step into assistant and leadership roles — not just in name, but through real training and responsibility.
Giving them that opportunity transformed everything.
They began to see a future in dance that went beyond performing. They showed up differently. They found purpose and confidence. And they stayed.
A Culture of Leadership
Creating space for dancers to lead has been one of the most powerful things I’ve done in my school.
They’re not just helpers — they’re role models. They support our staff, bring fresh energy to our younger classes, and gain real-life skills that stick with them for years. I’ve watched dancers who were once shy and unsure now lead warm-ups, support class management, and mentor others with pride.
And the bonus? These students already know the way we do things. They’ve grown up in the studio. They understand our values. They bring continuity and care — and they often go on to become teachers who feel like an extension of me.
Creating Additional Income — and Long-Term Stability
One unexpected but welcome benefit of developing future teachers within my own studio is the additional income it brings.
By offering structured leadership training as a paid course or programme, I’ve created a new revenue stream within the school. Students (and their parents!) are proud to invest in their development, especially when it comes with a clear purpose, progression, and recognition.
It’s a win–win: students gain valuable life and career skills, and the school gains trained support and a more sustainable business model.
Why I Created the Future Dance Teachers Programme
Everything I’ve shared here is exactly why I created the Future Dance Teachers Programme.
I needed something that would help me train assistants properly — not just ask them to wing it. I needed a way to keep my students engaged through their early teens. And I wanted to build a future teaching team that already understood and loved the heart of my school.
Now, three years on, the programme has grown beyond my studio. It’s now CPD-accredited, and it’s being delivered in dance schools across the UK, supporting over 200 young dancers.
It gives school owners a ready-made, professional training programme that can be delivered within your timetable — helping you to retain students, train assistants, develop future teachers, and generate new income, all while deepening the culture of your school.
If you’re facing the same challenges I was — struggling to find teachers, watching students drift at 11, running classes without support — I want you to know you’re not alone.
There is another way.
Let’s stop constantly searching outside and start building from within.
Train your dancers today… and watch them become the future teachers of tomorrow.
Train, Retain, Gain!
Emma Bright
www.futuredanceteachers.co.uk
