Are you a baker who’s been active in the baking industry for a couple of months and you’re thinking of starting baking classes? Well you’ve come to the right place because that’s what we’re going to be taking about today.
The baking industry is going through quite a growth spurt. We have a lot of individuals who are looking to learn how to bake and decorate. We also have a lot of Bakers who are starting to offer baking classes due to the demand.
Now this is a great thing being able to share your skills, but there’s also a downside. I’m sure we have heard a few of the negative stories of students who have gone to classes and come out of there very dissatisfied. Sadly, this comes from bakers offering classes when they’re not very well prepared on how to run the class or get a successful result.
Today we’re talking about how to do it right. I’ve been teaching classes since 2014. Over time, I’ve trained a small team that assists me at Amari in our baking & decoration classes. We’ve also gained experience and we get lots of feedback from students who taking short courses online – on how to teach effectively.
I’ve been able to get tips and strategies on how to run successful baking classes, over time. So now I want to share a bit of that with you. Here are three points I think you need to consider before starting your baking classes.
- How long have you been a practicing baker?
You need at least six months of practicing your baking/decoration skills – and this doesn’t INCLUDE class time. After the six months of practicing, you need to make sure you have experience from baking or decorating for at least four to six months.
This way you’re able to teach an individual to the best of your ability. Remember, when you’re teaching someone, they have to be a skill level below your own in order for your teaching experience to have a high percentage of success.
This means; if you’re an advanced cake decorator you can teach intermediate baking skills. If you’re a master baker, you can teach any level of baking skills. Either way, you have to make sure you have enough experience and practice to be able to teach your students the right way.
- Do you have the required equipment to run the class?
Whether you’re running the class in your kitchen space or in someone’s kitchen space, you need to make sure you have the bare minimum requirements for teaching the class.
Look at the equipment you need for the baking or the cake decoration class and make sure you have everything you need. A lot of classes tend to have issues because they don’t have all the equipment needed to run the lessons.
If you need to use someone else’s space, you can share the list with them before you go to class as you’re engaging before starting the class. This way; you ensure you’ll find efficient equipment to run the class at the class location.
- Avoid overwhelming your student
During a session with your student(s), you may feel the need to give them a lot of information you think they need – ALL at once. Don’t! That’s not going to be of benefit to them or you.
If you give them too much information they probably won’t absorb or understand most of it anyway. You need to make sure you keep the lessons or sessions simple. Teach one or two concepts per session and then give your students enough time to practice the concepts after the class.
Another reason why you shouldn’t overwhelm your student is that, they’ll leave the class worse than they came. Why? Well – because they’ll be totally overwhelmed with information and they won’t know how or which information to process. Make sure you keep it simple. Depending on how long each session will be, ensure they understand what you’re teaching them per session.
Just to recap on the three points you need to consider before starting baking classes;
- How long you’ve actually been practicing your baking skills, and the experience you have.
- If you have the equipment to run the class.
- Avoid overwhelm when it comes to teaching your students.
Thanks for reading, as always – I hope the information was helpful. If it was, please let me know in the comments below.
I’ll be holding a live Zoom class in August (10th & 11th: 11 am to 1 pm each day) for bakers looking to start offering classes (or streamline existing classes). If you feel you need help with coming up with an effective lesson plan, costing your class or just knowing where to get started when it comes to holding classes, consider joining the Online class. Cost is Kshs. 1,500.
To inquire; please send a Whatsapp message here – Click here. You can also contact us: 0701796688 or 0791384890 (Mon-Fri: 9am – 5pm, Sat: 9am-3pm. Closed on Sundays).
Baking with Amari | Baking Classes 