Kung Fu Jobs

[Yaksha]

What kind of professions would make knowledge of kung fu a benefit?

I was thinking a bouncer, but they don't get paid much.

I wouldn't want to be a police officer because I just couldn't arrest people for having pot. Other drugs maybe, but I just cannot justify arresting people for smoking pot.

Maybe a bodyguard or something, but I just dont know anything about that profession. It seems like it would be fun though.

Is that it? I hear its really hard and frustrating to make a living being an instructor.
Most instructors I know have jobs on the side too.

What other kinds of jobs?

[WanderingMonk]

UFC, Pride, k-1, san da, spec op, physical ed. teacher, or just for your own amusement. that is a career in itself.

-edit

almost forgot, you know Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, JVD, Chuck Norris, and Steve Segal, got something in common. They use their MA skills or lack of there of to make themselve into movie stars. Expand your mind and open it to the possibility, heck put some motion capture balls on your clothings and make your own fight video game.

[SevenStar]

you're not gonna find too much. your best bet is to just be serious about martial arts. work a second job if you have to, and just train. eventually, if you are good, you may be able to do seminars and such, possibly become a pro fighter, etc. I personally know two instructors who make tons of money from teaching MA, but I think they are in the minority. the others I know either have second jobs or are struggling.

[IronFist]

Kung Fu movie star.

[Yaksha]

7* >> How are they able to make good money teaching?

Also, does anyone know what it would take to become a bodyguard?

[ShaolinTiger00]

ballerina.

[joedoe]

Originally posted by ShaolinTiger00
ballerina.

Nice troll. Is that kinda like how BJJ would be a benefit if you wanted to be a g@y prostitute? :D

[shaolin kungfu]

ranger(military), and fish monger

[neit]

heh, fish mongering is part of my job. and kung fu is a definate benifit.

[SevenStar]

they have alot of students. One of them is the promoter of the local fights also.

[Kristoffer]

Originally posted by Yaksha

Also, does anyone know what it would take to become a bodyguard?


yeah, you have to study and take different certificates to become a serious one. There's also something like the Bodyguard Olympics in wich countrys from all over the world put togheter a team of their best and compete in different 'games'.

Also, don't think taking one or two courses will make you any good. It will take 3-4 years just to learn all aspects, and who knows how long before you are considered good. After that, you might get a job that pays well but don't count on that either.

do a searh
http://www.guardaespalda.com/english.html
http://www.royalprotectiongroup.com/

[GeneChing]

...ask first who really makes their living at kung fu. ;)

I've made my living exclusively here for well over a decade and a half. I've taught, kids, adults, corporate programs, independant private lesson, seminars, as head instructor under well established schools. I've written articles, videos, catalogs, ads. I've performed in parades and lion dances. I've sold gear, antiques, done my own importing. I've worked as an armorer, making and repairing weapons. I earned a scholarship to do graduate research. I've led tours to China. I've worked security. Perhaps the only things I've never done is been in movies or fought for money, but those fields are highly competative and I wouldn't have made the cut. Lastly, I'll add that I don't think my skills are that great - I'm a competent martial artist, but no master.

So what's the bottom line? If you want to make a living in the martial arts, you gotta work it and work it hard. Most of these jobs that I listed above, I did it all at the same time. A little here, a little there, to make ends meet. I was never exclusively devoted to one job until I took the position here as Associate Publisher. And the only reason I got this job was because I had so much experience doing all these other things.

Don't limit yourself to some narrow preconception of how money is made in the martial arts. If you're going to make your living as a martial artist, it's a very uncommon career, so you must be approach it with a fully open mind and heart. And you have to work hard, ten times as hard as practitioners with normal jobs.

[Becca]

It might be hard to compete with Gene's post but here goes...

If you check in with your local rec center, they may have some small "peice work" jobs available. The rec in my city recently advertized for a black belt to help teach a grappling class. It was only 4 hours a week at $8/hr, but it's a start. Some other areas to look into: Wrestling assistant coaching, gymnastic asistant coaching, ect... As Gene said, once you get a good acumulation of the small stuff, you can aproach the bigger stuff and call it experience!

Good luck!

[ShaolinTiger00]

bike messenger?

[GeneChing]

The Dead stopped playing this song because the Deadheads asked them to stop. I think it rang too close to home. :p

Maybe you collect or maybe you pay
Still got to work that eight-hour day
Whether you like that job or not
Keep it on ice while you're
lining up your long shot
Which is to say
hey-ey

[Chorus] Keep your day job - Don't give it away
Keep your day job - Whatever they say

Ring that bell for whatever it's worth
When Monday comes don't forget about work
By now you know that the face on your dollar
Got a thumb to its nose and a
Hand on your collar
Which is to say, hey-ey

[Chorus]

Punch that time card
Check that clock
When Monday comes
You gotta run, run, run
Not walk

[Chorus]

Steady, boy, study that eight-day hour
But don't underrate that paycheck power
If you ask me, which I know you don't,
I'd tell you to do what I know you won't
Which is to say
Hey-ey

[Chorus]

Daddy may drive a V-8 'Vette
Mamma may bathe in champagne yet
God bless the child with his own stash
Nine to five and a place to crash
which is to say...

[Chorus, with added lines at end:] Keep you day job
Until your night job pays

[ShaolinTiger00]

It beats hearing "U.S. Blues" again.. pee break!

[SevenStar]

Originally posted by Becca
It might be hard to compete with Gene's post but here goes...

If you check in with your local rec center, they may have some small "peice work" jobs available. The rec in my city recently advertized for a black belt to help teach a grappling class. It was only 4 hours a week at $8/hr, but it's a start. Some other areas to look into: Wrestling assistant coaching, gymnastic asistant coaching, ect... As Gene said, once you get a good acumulation of the small stuff, you can aproach the bigger stuff and call it experience!

Good luck!

yeah definitely. I recently got approached to teach a class. if I get a group certification, I will make 20 an hour. without it, I will get 12. it's only 3 hours a week max though. I was also approached by my church, but of course, they want me to do it for free.

[Vash]

Originally posted by SevenStar
I was also approached by my church, but of course, they want me to do it for free.

Yeah, really. Where do they get off?! :eek: :D

[SevenStar]

I know, the nerver of those guys! and then they make it sound better by doing the "what would Jesus do?" thing - "Jesus washed the feet of his disciples - he was not to good to serve. Blessed are those with a servant's heart."

[SevenStar]

"The Lord loves a cheerful giver!"

that being the case though, they should love to give me some money, right? ;) :D

[Serpent]

Originally posted by SevenStar
I was also approached by my church, but of course, they want me to do it for free.
Do what?! :eek:

[Eddie]

If you have half decent skills, you could make a living in performing arts. Would supplement your kung fu skills, and will give you enough time to train. Back home, we play in various tv ads, and one ad pay enough to keep you going for a few months (depending on how you spend your money). We have even performed on stage productions, demos, and opening ceremonies for big events, which also pays extremely well. Even music videos.

You could do modelling? With enough training, your body should be ok enough to land you some small modelling jobs. Even if it is just for your local clothing chain's catalogue.

Bouncers don’t get paid that bad, there are the obvious perks, you get to watch the WWE for free (I met Angle and Misterio on their trip to SA). And chicks dig bouncers, specially at concerts (The cutest mom tried to chat me up at the WWE gig – even though I made it obvious Im married, it didn’t bother her). You don’t want to arrest people who smoke pot? Then this is just the job for you. Bounce at a Soul Fly gig, and you wont even need to smoke pot (enough smoke going around for the whole arena). And it doesnt seem to bother the security companies or the cops for some weird reason.

Or move to Holland. Pot is legal in Holland, so I hear. In SA, its our national drug (just about every black dude smoke wheat here - no racism intended). Cops only arrest them if they have enough to be considered a dealer. Other times, the cops just confiscate their crob, and use it after work.

Career in the military. Brush up on your math, you might pass the military acceptance test, and you could become one of those idiot drill sergeants we all love to hate. For a control freak, this is the ultimate job. Think of it, you can demand 60 to 150 soldiers to act on your every command. There must be some weird fetish for that - wonder what freud would have said about drill sargeants?

I think the list of jobs are endless. If you really want, you could make it. Think about this for a while, hundreds of teenage skaters makes millions of dollars just skating, partying and fooling around.

If all ells fails, open a shaolin do branch, or become a sparring partner for Ashida Kim’s next big fight. For that, all you need to do is learn how to make other people look good.

[GeneChing]

If all ells fails, open a shaolin do branch, or become a sparring partner for Ashida Kim’s next big fight. For that, all you need to do is learn how to make other people look good. You know another weird part of my job description is to be a fall guy. The Japanese have a word for it - uke - I think that's the noise you make when the master ties you into a pretzel and throws you to the floor. I babbled about it a little in my last Shaolin Trips article (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=512) (skip down to where you see an image of Monk Shi Decheng in horse stance and it's right next to it). Let me tell you it's a crappy way to make a living.

That's the hard part about a career in the martial arts - you have to rely on your body and when your body gives out, it gets really tough. You can only hope that when that happens, you will have accrued enough credit to be in a position of command. Think about it. Do you ever see any old models? Old bouncers? Not really. There's not much longevity in those careers.

It's also where teaching is really tough. If you run your own school, you don't really get any breaks. No sick time. No vacation. Who do you think cleans the toilets? You can employ students to assistant teach, clean toilets etc., but that only goes so far. The students move on and it's your school after all. I think that's one reason that some masters get caught up in the power trip of being masters - it's sort of a psychological comfort tool. Not that this justifies that at all, but it does shed some light on it. There's more longevity in teaching than bouncing and such, because once you learn to teach economically, it doesn't demand as much from your body, unless, of course you teach the real moneymakers - the kids. :eek:

Now, martial arts shoe sales (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=387), you can do that until you're a 100! :p

[Banjos_dad]

Bouncing can be really nerve-wracking. You're supposed to avoid escalating the episode. Here, bouncers that make a habit of roughing people up don't last long...mainly because of exposure to lawsuits :rolleyes:

[Michael Dasargo]

My teacher (Tony L. Puyot) is a detective for the Chula Vista Police Department and has been with the department for over a decade. I, myself, work in Executive Protection (bodyguard) , and Nightclub Security at E St. Alley on weekends.

If you're serious, contact me personally and I'll share some stories that may provide some insight.

M.Dasargo

[batgirl]

there are companies/private contractors that deal with executive protection and have contracts with the state dept. dyncorp based in texas comes to mind because my buddy is working for them in iraq training the irag police. you make a 6 figure salary. if your out of the country 330 days out of the year then its tax free. do this for 2/3 years and you will have a sizable savings.

the problem with executive protection overseas and here in the us is that they want former military or law enforcement. even dignitaries/vip's want armed security and the best way to get that is to hire police officers to moonlight as security.

having ma on your resume by itself wil not get you considered. you can work as a bouncer or security guard but if you want to make the big bucks you need the qualifications.

If you want to become a teacher and make lots of money ask yourself: have you mastered your art? are you respected and considered a master by your peers? Do you know how to teach? do you have a structured curriculum? are you a manager of people? do you know the business side of running a ma school/how to get potential students to sign up and keep them as students.

my sifu has 500 students and still growing. I learned alot about the business side of running a school and as a retired police officer about executive protection. I hope this helps.

[Dark Knight]

If you want to become a teacher and make lots of money ask yourself: have you mastered your art? are you respected and considered a master by your peers?

You do not have to be a master to be an instructor. I meet Tom Callos ( www.tomcallos.com ) in the early 90's and he was making over 500,000 a year. He was a 4th degree back then. (Check out his Six Tasks Program)

I have met a couple instructors that were 2nd and 3rd degrees making over 200,000 a year.

Contact the Martial Arts Industry Association (MAIA) for running a school. www.masuccess.com They will help you develop a school, advertize, sales, teaching.....