Well for starters i absolutely love to dance...I go everyweekend. Though I have never taken classes i have been tought by others who are either taking classes or instructors. Just the other day I saw an add in the paper "tranees needed for ballroom dancing" i called and they said they were looking for people with some backround in dance that are willing to work hard and learn. they are gonna train the students over a 3-6 week period and tonight are th interviews. I really really want this job and need your advice on how to make these guys want me for the job....help!

Probably the most important thing to them will be your people skills. Like working in a shop, teaching dancing requires that you deal with people of all types. In other words, try to show them that you are a people person.

Show your enthusiasm towards this opportunity. Employers always want people who show enthusiasm towards their work. It also means that you will likely learn faster because you are willing to put in extra effort.

Any formal dance training (ballet, jazz, folk etc.) is an asset. if you don't have a dance background, having a background in other sports or music may also be an asset. They show that you have some body coordination or can keep time to music.

good luck,
Blair

Good luck, and the other two posters gave some good advice. However, I would caution you to make sure that this is really the job you want before accepting it. There will be a lot of hard work on your part to learn your job. The hours can be long when you're on your feet. If you ever decide that you want to compete, it will have to be as a professional once you start teaching. This could change everything in your world of dance...just make sure it's really what you want! Find out what your obligation to them will be...will you sign a contract? If so, have someone look it over for you. Are you bound to work for them for a certain length of time, with a promise not to compete (ie, work for another studio or independantly) for a period of time after you leave? Will you have to pay for your training? Will you be responsible for building your own customer base?

Well first off, you're taking a great first step by asking others for tips.

Now onto the actual advice... my old studio did the same thing. We would bring in people and for five nights they were given 3 hours of semi intense training (I was always the hard ass that people hated to work with) and after that, they were either brought on for more training or they were cut loose.
The main things that we looked for were first how fast of a learner you are. Second, you had to have an outgoing personality and then we also looked at how well you worked with others. You gotta keep in mind that it is kind of a competition in a way but you still have to work together and show that you can work with others.
I think the main thing that won a person over with me and got them on my good side was an outgoing personality. As long as they were outgoing and left their mind open to learning new things and listened to what they were told, they did fine.

~LB

PS: good luck!

The question everyone should ask themselves before starting each day: Quo Vatamus