Quick question for you guys and last minute, I'm afraid. The local board meeting is tonight....

As the new CDI for my local region, I am pushing the board pretty hard to offer half price entry for our instructors. To date, instructors are offered just lots of thanks and an end-of-year party. In the past, it was said that "everyone volunteers in some capacity" as entrants were asked to work corners. (It was a fiasco!)

We are now at a very nice, new track. Have hired corner workers, and are getting reasonable participation numbers. At the last event, almost every instructor had two students that were either newbies or pretty inexperienced. I was unable to make assignments of instructors to intermediate students and had to leave them to ask for help individually.

The issue, as I see it, is that we are not giving our participants full value if we just get them to the point of being solo-capable and offer little further assistance. We also have an issue, in my opinion, of burning out instructors and discouraging very capable instructors/racers from attending. Our competition is NASA who allows instructors to drive for free and the track itself that offers open track days inexpensively (but hardly safely, especially for anyone short of a VERY experienced DE driver or racer).

Other than the two Colorado regions, I only know of one other region (Nord Stern) that doesn't give instructors a break, but they have a dedicated school day on Friday (where instructors may get a session or two at no charge) and Sat/Sun instructors have pretty limited responsibility other than helping those who ask for help.

My goal is to get the board to cut instructor entry fees to half and get enough instructors to allow each to have just one new/newer student they will plan to spend the entire weekend with and perhaps one student who needs, at a minimum, a check ride and just some consultation as needed.

OK, that's the really long way of saying: "Please tell me if you know of any other PCA region that charges full price while expecting instructors to take 1 or more students?

Thanks very much,

Joe

 

BMW, Chin offer Free for instructors.. BMW you get 2 students.

Local PCA you get a $100 rebate. (Pay in Full then get a check for $100 at the end of the weekend)

IMO it should be 1/2 price or greater...

 

No, I know of no region that charges instructors full price. I know of at least one that doesn't charge instructors.

 

The only thing I can say is, I hope you have a lot of faithful instructors in your region. If not, you will not lure enough to volunteer their time, accept the risk of sitting in the passenger seat with a total stranger and provide meaningful instruction while paying full boat to do it.

 

Those instructors that you have left in your corps deserve a huge thank you. I think instructors need some incentive to give up their socializing/car inspection/maintenance time to help out.
Not that we wouldn't be glad to help anyway, but I think your #s are telling you something.
And, I would be really unhappy if I had 2 students (unless 1 was ready for sign off). 1 is enough.

 

Can't think of one that doesn't offer a discount.

 

Rennsport Region charges Instructors half price and only one student per.

 

Down here, all instructors are 100% free, and get either one or two students, execpt for advanced instructors who sort of float.






Professional Racing and Driving Coach

 

Potomac has discounted rates for instructors, one student per instructor [occasionally we have to ask for volunteers to take two students], and two free instructor days per year.

 

We've always been 1/2 price for instructors, but this year instructors have been free.

 

I have been around PCA and NASA track days here in Az since 1999. Never has a DE instructor had to pay full price. It is either free or a heavy discount (ie $40 for the weekend or day). Once we had a club race and DE on the same day. Any one registered in club racing needed to payfull price. Well not many club races chose to instruct.

Instructing is a job. Make no mistake. You have to hop out of your car into some strange car and take time you could spend hanging with friends or working on your car with a student. It is a fun job, but you are committed. If you are tired and don't want to run on the track cause it is hot/cold/rainy that is your choice. Once you commit to instructing you NEED to be there for that student.

As such some form of compensation is required. Otherwise even the most generious will not bother. If you want good instructors you need to give them someting. Pay rarely an option so cheap track time is always nice.

BTW... NASA often gives comps to many "workers". These guys do some job for the group and their reward is cheap entry fees. Remember the marginal cost of one more driver is pretty minimal. All the costs are pretty much fixed for a DE so if the instructor is there driving on the track vs not won't change the cost to hold the event.

 

I did not even think there would be a Region that would charge full price for an instructor????

wow.

 

Full price AND two students? I'm surprised you are able to get a full slate of instructors for any event.

 

Joe,

Some regions do well by charging full price - and then at the end of the event - giving back half of their money (have a treasurer write the checks in advance so they are on hand).

Or you may want to suggest if an instructor has 2 students - if they last the weekend - you rip up their check.

You may see some happy faces.

Now... if you are having trouble getting instructors in... that's a whole 'nother thread...

 

I instruct for 2 different clubs (hopefully 3 by years end )and have never been charged more than $20 to instruct an event. I don't think instructors should even be charged half price to be honest, but full price is just ridiculous.