Question 119: More on student volunteers

Adult students, age 18 and over, who proceed in the instructor program may test locally to become certified instructors. After a few years of experience and meeting national requirements, they may test nationally to become senior certified instructors. They may be hired as employees or they may teach occasionally in return for free tuition.Some students, whether in an instructor program or not, become obsessed with the martial arts to the point that other parts of their lives suffer. I have had students and readers who have questioned whether to pursue the martial arts, or an education. I tell them first to achieve the highest level of education they may attain, while keeping the martial arts as a sport or hobby, and then, if still interested in a martial arts career, they will be better prepared to pursue it. Very few are able to make a living in the martial arts; look at how many successful martial art schools there are in your city compared to any other types of businesses.

My primary problem with any instructor program is the same one I have with the rank structure. Minors should not be afforded the same benefits as adults. A minor student or instructor of any rank should always be subordinate to an adult of any rank. A minor instructor should never instruct students that are older than the instructor.