Employment of Martial artists

[bystander]

hi there,

i am just curious to know what other martial artists occupations are that allows them to keep a heavy training schedule, eg 5 days a week, 3 hours a night at the kwoon.

i myself am a student so ive got lots of time on my hands but this is going to end one day and ive got to decide what career i want to go into to be able to keep training.

i have known others who have become dentists, engineers etc who once they got a fulltime job have virtually all but given up martial arts, even though they have money they dont seem to be happy.

thankyou

[LEGEND]

LOL...the reason why they gave up is cause they no longer


had the passion. Once u have bills bills bills and kids...u will no longer train 5 days a week! Plus working fulltime drains u mentally and physcially. So it's not a realistic expectation. Once u get a GF all hell will break loose also.

[Hau Tien]

Originally posted by LEGEND
LOL...the reason why they gave up is cause they no longer
had the passion. Once u have bills bills bills and kids...u will no longer train 5 days a week! Plus working fulltime drains u mentally and physcially. So it's not a realistic expectation. Once u get a GF all hell will break loose also.

Not necessarily true.

For instance, I met my wife at our Kung Fu class. We plan to include martial arts heavily in our lives for the future. Of course, we plan on opening a school, but where there's a will, there's a way:)

I agree that motivation can go down after getting into "life", but I guess it all comes down to how much you want to do it. If you want to do it bad enough, you'll find time:)

[Diu Sao]

My girlfriend pays for my classes when I can't afford it, and takes me to class when my normal ride can't make it. I am lucky though, my last 3 girlfriends were hellish when it came to kung-fu over them. Man...(reflecting) But now I have a good one, so I'm sticking with her as long as she can stand it. :) I do graphic design (freelance) so I make my own hours, but the downside is when there isn't any work to make hours for. It took me 3 or 4 years to get a schedual like this though. It wasn't and isn't easy, but I needs my kung-fu!!!

Kung-fu first, everything else second!!!

Diu Sao

[omarthefish]

My solution was to move to China where I can live in semi-retirement. (Beware of signing contracts ! ) Up untill about 3 months ago I could get away with working maybe a dozen hours a week. However much money you've got in U.S. dollars, mulitpy times 8 to figure out how long you could live off it in China.

[eulerfan]

You could always teach high school.

[TaiChiStorm]

Yes.....teacher would be a good job for CMAA's. They can practice in the evening and especially use the holidays for intensive training. A good student from my MAschool goes to China nearly any holidays to train Tai Chi there.
greets
TCS

[Merryprankster]

I'm in the military.

I work from 3 am to 11:30 am. I train twice a day about an hour and a half each session, five days a week, and about 1.5-2 hrs on Saturday.

[bystander]

thanks guys, yeh the money for a teacher would be okay and you can still train before and after school plus it would be alot more satisfying than being behind a computer all day.

what do you do in the military merryprankster?

[Merryprankster]

I work in intelligence.

It's been a busy year....

[Stacey]

you could teach kung fu. then your practicing all day.

I suppose if your not there yet, you must make time by making everything else you do more efficient. Take those tai chi princibles and apply them from everything to walking, typing and taking a poop. Your day will be free, you won't need to unwind watching 5 hours of tv and you'll have all the time you need.

Also practice in everything you do.

[myosimka]

The attitudes here are indicative. I know no teachers worth their salt who doesn't work a 50-60 hourweek and most even more. And anyone who has to grade papers...fuhgedaboutit. You are in school 35 hours/week but that is 75-80% instruction 20-25% tutoring. Most good teachers periodically tutor after school as well. Now add 2-3 hours/week with parent-teacher conferences and 10-15 hours 1 week per semester. Now add, administrative meetings. Now add grading. Depends on subject matter but it's always a good bit. Now add planning, same deal. Most states also have mandatory recertification ie. night classes.

Yes, there are teachers out there that take the job so they can have lots of time off. They are the reason that the profession is underrespected. Just as there are doctors that are cold and distant and in it for cash. Just as there are cops who want to have authority over others. Fortunately these are minority groups because those are the lousy teachers, doctors, cops, etc.

If you love teaching and like working with kids, go for it. If you are going for the time off 1 of 2 things will happen. 1) you'll be a lousy teacher and little more than a babysitter or 2) you'll be gravely disappointed and find yourself a statistic. The statistic btw is the following: over 50% of certified teachers(that means a masters degree in many states) quit in under 3 years. (If it were the cush job you guys seem to think it is, the attrition rate would be nothing like that.)

[eulerfan]

Well, now, bystander wasn't asking if there were any good slacker jobs to be had. He was asking if there were jobs that would allow for a heavy training schedule. With that schedule, I think it's obvious the guy isn't a slacker.

However hard teaching may be, it isn't industry. You won't have 80 hr work week runs where you're in the office all weekend. Your vacations are longer and more frequent. You can write your lesson plans over the summer. You won't have hard deadlines for when to have your grading done.

I've known a few people who left teaching in the first few years. Their jobs now are MUCH more time consuming. They left teaching because of the beaurocracy. They felt their hands were too tied to do what they went into teaching to do.

I don't really think it has to be especially time consuming to be a difficult and respectable job.

[MightyB]

http://www.fedworld.gov/jobs/jobsearch.html

[Liokault]

Up till last week my job fitted into my training pattern brilliantly.

My working week was:

6.30 am till 5.30 pm friday

6.30am till 5.30 pm (sometimes 7pm) sat

7pm sunday till 6.30am monday


When I started working that shift it was great and i miss it now that its gone....Best part of it was that I got a 31% pay rise for working less days and less hours over all.

As it is now my working day ends at 3.30 and i normaly get to my teachers house at 4pm to train (at times where im training every day).

[rogue]

I'm in the military. - Merry Prankster

I thought you were a Coasty?:confused: :D

[GeneChing]

I just learned a new Chinese aphorism from a wandering kungfu master (seriously this guy is homeless and just wanders China and trains) - it goes "use martial arts to make martial arts." For the last few decades of my life, I done this. I'd say the two most 'training intesive times' were when I was a student and a teacher - when I was in college I was captain of the NCAA Epee squad and training for my Provost master-at-arms, so I was training some ungodly amount of time. Then when I was teaching for a living, I trained a lot, especially when teaching kids. Now, I don't train near as much as I'd like (do we ever?) - mostly due to my kid and my mortgage - but it's still a major part of my life (obviously.)

[yenhoi]

Im a 'manager' in a small seasonal company. I earn a salary and set my own hours.

Typically I train solo for a hour or so every morning, and then have class or training or both 6 days a week after work. I typically work 8-4pm monday-friday, and sometimes a few hours on saturday. Its winter now, so even though I goto work, I dont actually work, and I go for less hours.

Maybe Ill have my own company some day, and then I will work even less. Mayhaps I can find a chick or chicks that dig kung-fu instead of chicks that just dig money and ****, and things will work out perfectly.

So my suggestion for martial arts employment is buisness.