I have no problem with going with an outside instructor if those members wanted expedited classe are willing to pay for the class fee. We’re getting push back on $5 fees that help prevent no shows. I’d guess instructor time would be about $50/hr, so a 3 hour class would be $150. Can’t imagine how many would sign up for say the Haas class, that has about 15 hours of class time plus test time (tests alone would cost you $75 to $100 since it is one-on-one). So for Wood Shop that would be $30 per student for a 5 student (if the class were filled, if only 3 then $50). The $50 honorarium could cold applied towards the $150 reducing the cost reducing it to $20. These folks would help reduce the backlog in the regular classes.
Committees do get stipends every month: these primarily cover the cost maintenance and repair. Machine Shop gets $500/mo and is going through about 2 bands saw blades a month at about $75 a pop, cold Cut Saws are lasting about 4 months and are $160, so call it $40/mo Those two alone amount to $190/mo or about 40% of the $500/month we get. We just bought $900 in replacement cutters, spread that out over about 4 months and that’s another $225/month, now up to $415/mo. Add in normal repairs, coolants, oils, lost-broken-abused-stolen tools and the $500 is gone. Nothing left for instructors. Classes and honorariums fulfill two things: motivates/thanks to people to teach and allows committees to fund those things that the stipend doesn’t cover. Paid instructors would have to follow the Tech Shop model: you pay the cost.
I often see this: New Member joins, they want a class now. The class may have just been held before they joined so there’s delay. Not sure how to avoid this until more people step up to teach.
One of the improvements I’d like to see is a reservation queue system added to calendar. You can sign-up and be put on a wait list. When the next class comes up, you get 24-36 hours to accept or your place in the queue expires and you go back to the end of the queue and next person is notified. Basically sort of an automated standby list. Yes, you might not like the day or time, but you’d be able to not have to watch the calendar like a hawk so you’re at no disadvantage compared to now.
Another advantage is, we’d see how much pent up demand there is.
Another problem when there aren’t a lot of instructors. Folks complain about the date time the classes are held. I sympathize with that - but instructors are volunteers and their schedule/availability is going to control, that’s just the way it is. Many don’t even take the honorarium - they schedule when they can make it to teach.
There is also a big constraint most members are unaware of unless you teach: getting a class room. Often I have to teach on a day when I can get a classroom that’s available, not when I want it because they are scheduled - that I have to move it out a week or two. If there are any ideas on how to alleviate this, I’d like to hear it.
Some have suggested eliminating Events during prime hours so class rooms are available for just classes. Not sure how well that would be received, not very well would be my guess as these add much enrichment to the Maker Space experience.
