One of our teachers, on how she got here
Tribes has long been a refuge as well as a place where I can share my energy and enthusiasm with likeminded people. I joined Tribes when I was only 19 years old, just starting out with university. I was nervous about joining a new dance school and shy about meeting new people, but everyone at Tribes was open and friendly and it wasn't long before I felt right at home.
Now, I'm a teacher at Tribes, which gives me the opportunity to give back to others what I've been given 10 years ago. I am so grateful to Willemieke and the rest of the team for inspiring me for these many years, and many years to come.
Amber
What we're usually looking for
We’re a home of movement rather than a yoga studio, so the range is wide: yoga, Pilates, strength, mobility and dance, across our studios in Leiden. There are a few things we look at when someone wants to teach with us.
What you teach
Our programme is broad, but it has a direction. In yoga, we’re a modern, Vinyasa-based studio, alongside Yin, breathwork and meditation practices. Our Pilates ranges from traditional mat work to Sculpt and more strength-based approaches. Mobility is often active and loaded, and we’re interested in the spaces where different movement practices meet, with classes such as Primal Flow and other fusion styles.
Dance has its own wide programme, spanning different styles, levels and ages.
Have a look at our movement styles to get a feel for what we do. What you teach might already sit naturally within the programme, or it might be something we don’t offer yet but would genuinely be interested in adding.
When you can teach
Our schedule is busiest early mornings, lunchtimes and evenings, and our weekends are usually pretty full too. So when you’re available matters. If you can teach before or after working hours, or on Saturdays and Sundays, there’s generally more opportunity to find a place in the schedule.
If you’re only available on weekday afternoons, there’s rarely much we can offer.
Your experience & qualifications
We’re generally looking for teachers with experience: people who know their craft, have developed their own way of teaching and feel confident leading a room. The right qualifications matter too, depending on what you teach.
If you’re only just starting out, Tribes might not be the right place to begin your teaching journey. That doesn’t mean you need to have been teaching for ten years, but we do look for a certain level of experience, confidence and independence.
We like teachers who know what they’re doing without taking themselves too seriously. People who can read a room, connect with different kinds of students and make a class their own.
As part of the process, we’ll ask you to teach a class. That tells us much more than a certificate or CV ever could.
How it works
Teachers at Tribes work with us on a freelance (ZZP) basis. You keep your own hours, and we agree the schedule together each season. Most of our teachers teach elsewhere too, and that’s fine. We’d rather have someone excellent for two classes a week than someone available for ten.
Who you'll meet
First, a conversation with Willemieke to see whether there’s a match. Then a trial class, or covering a few classes to start with, so you get to know the students and we both get a feel for it.
