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Instructor Recruitment Tips

Thanks for volunteering to help recruit instructors! We are always interested in recruiting instructors for our conferences, especially those with:

  • Uncommon arts and practices
  • Specialized curricula or knowledge
  • Identities, life experiences, and social statuses not well-represented currently in NWMAF
  • Classes that blend more than one of our main branches (martial arts, healing arts, self-defense)

Here’s what to do:

It’s easy! Just contact someone who would be a great instructor and let them know they can apply. If they inspire you or others, they’ll probably inspire most of us!

Ask yourself:

  • Who’s the last instructor who blew your mind?
  • Whose seminar were you furious to miss? 
  • Who got you into your art, practice, or program in the first place?
  • Who encouraged you when you really needed it?
  • Who is on the cutting edge of their art or practice?
  • Who is someone who has often been excluded from traditional arts because of their size, gender, race, disability? (Let’s increase the number of instructors who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color, trans, gender nonconforming, nonbinary, or have a disability.)

Reach out however you’re most comfortable and tell them something like this:

  1. I think you’re awesome!
  2. Have you heard of NWMAF or our conference? Here’s what the organization and/or the event means to me.
  3. I think you’d be a fantastic instructor; I’d be especially excited if you presented _________.
  4. Would you consider applying? Here’s the link: https://nwmaf.org/conference-instructor-application/
  5. I’d be happy to try to answer any of your questions. What do you think?

If they’re a really big name, you may need to follow up a couple of times in order to get a response. Other than that, they’ll probably be honored.

They might want to know…

  • Between 150 and 250 people attend our conference each year.
  • Sessions are mostly live but can also be remote if travel is not possible.
  • In the past instructors have been paid $100 per class (max of 4 classes); you can apply that compensation to your registration if you’d like to attend! (Unfortunately we aren’t quite able to let instructors attend for free – but we’re building to that point!)
  • Travel assistance is provided to a few instructors every year.
  • We will do a limited amount of social media publicity, but we count on instructors to reach out to their networks as well.

Reach out to events@NWMAF.org with questions.