ROUTE TO TEACHING

​This page explains how to become an ESDS swing dance teacher. We are recognised within the Edinburgh swing dance scene for the high quality of our teaching. To maintain this quality, we invest in the development of our existing teachers, and ensure that new teachers receive adequate challenge and support as they grow.

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Overview

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To teach for ESDS as part of our regular pool of teachers, you must pass four stages of approval. After each stage, the committee will seek feedback from the dancers taught, and will provide that feedback to the candidate teacher. Based on that feedback, the committee will decide whether or not to progress the candidate teacher to the next stage. The committee may waive the requirement to pass each of these stages at their discretion. 

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In addition, we require that teachers who have previously taught swing dance elsewhere, have not yet taught for ESDS, but wish to teach as part of our regular pool of teachers to attend at least one instance of the coaching workshop before they begin teaching for us. This is to ensure that incoming teachers understand how ESDS's values and culture may differ from other swing dance organisations.

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Workshops

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We plan to run regular teaching workshops at two levels to help our current and candidate teachers further develop their skills:

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1. Introduction to Teaching: covering the practicalities and logistics of teaching for brand new teachers.

2. Coaching: sessions that prioritise self reflection, building confidence and developing teaching skills through role play exercises and mini classes.

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Approval stages

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​1. Teaching mini-lessons.

Candidate teachers are required to teach at least three mini-lessons as their first stage of approval. These lessons will last for up to 15 minutes each, and will replace the first part of our open practice segment on a regular Thursday night. Candidate teachers will need to email info@esds.org.uk to book a mini-lesson slot. If you volunteer to teach a mini-lesson, you won't have to pay on that Thursday night.

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2. Teaching a full lesson as part of a one-off event.

Candidate teachers will then be invited to teach a one hour lesson as part of a one-off event, usually an end-of-term consolidation class. They will be required to plan the lesson and present this plan to the committee for approval prior to the event.

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3. Teaching a Level 2 term working together with an experienced teacher.

The next stage is to teach a full Level 2 term working together with an experienced teacher in a "Pro-Am" pairing. Candidate teachers should use teaching workshops and other opportunities to make friends with our experienced teachers prior to this stage.

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4. Teaching a Level 1 term working together with an experienced teacher.

The final and most challenging stage is to teach a full Level 1 term working together with an experienced teacher in a "Pro-Am" pairing.

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Do I need to learn to teach with a fixed partner?

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You don't need a fixed partner to learn to teach with us. We believe that, just as with social dancing, teaching is improved by working with a range of partners.