Doing my taxes and I'm delighted to report that I made exactly -0.91€ as a Zumba trainer in 2025. This is a very satisfying number. I expected it always to be a money losing venture, so the fact that it paid for itself is pretty nice!
Though I did also have to increase my insurance payments by over 100€. But that's on a different line of the tax form 😂
@discontinuity franchise fees eat you, there must be a better way ;)
Very nice that you got the work though!
@ultrazool yeah and this was 100% laziness too: just taking sub work when my friends needed it. I personally never intended to make money, and just kinda planned this to be a slightly expensive music subscription. That it broke even is a nice bonus!
Successful for my purposes, which were a hobby that shouldn't break the bank. But omg the lies about YOU COULD MAKE SO MUCH MONEY ON THIS from the corporation, aiming at desperate folks who they won't meaningfully teach anything in the expensive and kind of awful training is... Pretty upsetting.
@discontinuity there's so much fitness hustle that pushes people down the "start a franchise" path :/ to the extent that puts me off teaching though i enjoy it
Dipped into a "queer yoga" circle for a few weeks last year. Mostly Gen Z teachers, taking expensive "trauma-informed" courses, a lot of the learners aspiring teachers. They'd got some state-charity funding for a handful of free places, which were still expensive for employed folks. An offer to make fancy, chi-chi studios look good...
@discontinuity i could attempt to sign up as a substitute teacher at the municipal chain, use a white label "Dance Fitness" un-franchise, there's folks doing that; probably swap out the chiptunes for the original versions ;)
Maybe add this to the category of "things i should do to find out whether i enjoy them".
My (very accomplished) samba teacher has a regular Zumba slot there now, which has taken her a year of rearranging her life at short notice for scraps, while paying out franchise fees
@ultrazool yeah. I dunno what teachers are getting paid there. Here, I get 33-35€ per class, and the fees for ZIN are between 38-42€ so it doesn't take much to break even, but if it was putting food on the table it would not be sustainable.
Or, at least, I'd need to hustle to get some regular classes. I'm spoiled in that that's already been offered, but I don't want the stress of having to find my own sick cover.
But I don't know how folks do this full time. Zumba 3-4x a week is fine, but 20-40? My body would not survive. I know the answer is: you show the movements but don't keep doing them at 110% but I just... That doesn't feel as fun.
Anyway, I'm very very privileged that this works for me. The whole market pressures around this are so gross and the people who profit are those getting the fees. That yoga pyramid scene sounds gross
discontinuity
zool