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How to hire a guitar instructor

Guitar instructor hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring guitar instructors in the United States:

  • There are currently 11,526 guitar instructors in the US, as well as 24,514 job openings.
  • Guitar instructors are in the highest demand in Boston, MA, with 2 current job openings.
  • The median cost to hire a guitar instructor is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new guitar instructor to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a guitar instructor, step by step

To hire a guitar instructor, you need to identify the specific skills and experience you want in a candidate, allocate a budget for the position, and advertise the job opening to attract potential candidates. To hire a guitar instructor, you should follow these steps:

Here's a step-by-step guitar instructor hiring guide:

  • Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
  • Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
  • Step 3: Make a budget
  • Step 4: Write a guitar instructor job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new guitar instructor
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist
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  1. Identify your hiring needs

    First, determine the employments status of the guitar instructor you need to hire. Certain guitar instructor roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

    Determine employee vs contractor status
    Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

    A guitar instructor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, guitar instructors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

    This list presents guitar instructor salaries for various positions.

    Type of Guitar InstructorDescriptionHourly rate
    Guitar InstructorA Guitar Instructor instructs students about the basics of guitar playing. They explain the structure of guitar and provide basic information about the instrument.$13-35
    Dance TeacherDance Teachers are responsible for leading dance classes to teach individuals or groups of people various dancing techniques. Dance Teachers are required to help their students improve their dancing skills by participating in amateur or professional dance competitions or performing in social events such as high school reunions... Show more$15-34
    Martial Arts InstructorA martial arts instructor helps people understand the philosophy and history of their chosen martial art and teaches them the skills needed to take part safely. They train students in combat techniques, mostly for recreation or for self-defense... Show more$11-24
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Music Theory
    • EAR Training
    • Course Materials
    • Songwriting
    • Community Events
    • Artistic Techniques
    • Instructional Materials
    • Homework Assignments
    • Sheet Music
    Responsibilities:
    • Manage social media accounts while promoting camper interaction and sharing of the UCA brand experience.
    • Jazz, classical, blues, funk & rock.
    • Offer individual music instruction to children from low-income families
    • Provide exceptional music skills instructions to beginners through advance students.
    • Cover the fundamental concepts of chemistry and biology including cell biology, metabolism, microbiology, genetics, evolution and histology.
    • Instruct adults in a variety of topics including; emotional psychology, biological psychology, anatomy and physiology, motivational psychology ...
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your guitar instructor job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A guitar instructor can vary based on:

    • Location. For example, guitar instructors' average salary in alaska is 57% less than in massachusetts.
    • Seniority. Entry-level guitar instructors 61% less than senior-level guitar instructors.
    • Certifications. A guitar instructor with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
    • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a guitar instructor's salary.

    Average guitar instructor salary

    $46,506yearly

    $22.36 hourly rate

    Entry-level guitar instructor salary
    $29,000 yearly salary
    Updated January 1, 2026
  4. Writing a guitar instructor job description

    A good guitar instructor job description should include a few things:

    • Summary of the role
    • List of responsibilities
    • Required skills and experience

    Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a guitar instructor job description:

    Guitar instructor job description example

    We want to keep you busy. We want you to work a full schedule everyday. Not just a few students here and there. We want our school and your schedule to grow and become full. Our instructors across the board maintain schedules each day that are 80-95% full.

    We take care of the hard part.

    We have a staff of people that handle the tedious parts of being a music instructor. From scheduling to collecting fees to organizing recitals. These details are handled by our administrators, not the teacher. This allows you to concentrate on the good stuff. Hanging out and teaching our students how to play their instrument. Let us handle those awkward situations about money and schedules.

    OUR TEACHERS ARE EMPLOYEES
    Most music schools or stores hire their teachers as independent contractors to come and go. At Soundcheck, our teachers are part of our family , and so even if they only teach one day with us, they are classified as an employee, which provides many benefits in the case of seeking a car loan, home mortgage, or other applications which look more favorably upon a consistent employee job as opposed to a contractor position. Employee jobs are sometimes hard to come by for professional musicians, so we are proud to offer this benefit!

    USE THE MATERIALS YOU LIKE BEST
    There is no mandated school-wide curriculum or set of method books. Unlike many other music schools or stores, we are not looking to sell any merchandise or books. We trust our teachers to be experts in their fields, and encourage them to use the materials they think are best for each individual student. We will provide all of the lesson books you will choose to teach with.We will even order the books for your students.

    Student Concerts and Shows

    At Soundcheck Rock Academy we have built our name on the improvement of our students and their ability to play live at real music venues. You will be paid to attend these shows. Your students want to impress you as much as their parents. We play a lot in the community and for festivals with huge crowds of people.

    COMFORTABLE AND PROFESSIONAL TEACHING ENVIRONMENT
    We provide our teachers with a beautiful, comfortable, spacious teaching space. All of our locations are incredibly clean, new, and well-maintained with ample waiting room for all students, as well as large, comfortable teaching rooms. Plus, we have coffee, WIFI, and a teacher’s lounge for making copies, socializing, or taking breaks. We are continuously making our studio better.

    ALWAYS KNOW YOUR SCHEDULE WITH OUR ONLINE SCHEDULING SYSTEM
    Access your updated schedule, absences, make-ups, etc. online through our teacher app at all times. Our teacher app is incredibly easy to navigate and allows teachers to always be kept up to date on their students and schedule from home or on-the-go or wherever you are. Plus every time a student enrolls or drops or changes their schedule, you will immediately be sent an email and text notification, and your schedule automatically updated.

    Excellent teachers don’t grow on trees. We truly value and respect each one of our instructors. Feel free to ask for references from other current instructors. They love it here!

    I look forward to talking with you about our amazing opportunities!

    Benefits:

    • Flexible schedule
    • Professional development assistance

    Job Type: Part-time

    Pay: $25.00 - $29.00 per hour

    COVID-19 considerations:
    We follow all CDC and local government protocols and procedures.

    Company DescriptionWe are a very buusy music studio located in Columbia Maryland. We have a very tight knit group of professional musicians. We play and live in the area. Our school has been in business for over 10 years and the recent Covid-19 has added some students to our school. Our ideal instructor would be a dependable, creative individual, that lives in a convienent location to our studio. We will be transitioning back to our studio when the pandemic is over.
  5. Post your job

    There are various strategies that you can use to find the right guitar instructor for your business:

    • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
    • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
    • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.
    To find guitar instructor candidates, you can consider the following options:
    • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
    • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
    • Post your job on free job posting websites.
  6. Interview candidates

    During your first interview to recruit guitar instructors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

    It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

    The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

  7. Send a job offer and onboard your new guitar instructor

    Once you've found the guitar instructor candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

    It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

    After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new guitar instructor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

  8. Go through the hiring process checklist

    • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
    • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
    • Define job responsibilities and requirements
    • Establish budget and timeline
    • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
    • Write job description
    • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
    • Promote the job internally
    • Process applications through applicant tracking system
    • Review resumes and cover letters
    • Shortlist candidates for screening
    • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
    • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
    • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
    • Conduct background checks on top candidates
    • Check references of top candidates
    • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
    • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
    • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
    • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
    • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
    • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)
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How much does it cost to hire a guitar instructor?

Recruiting guitar instructors involves both the one-time costs of hiring and the ongoing costs of adding a new employee to your team. Your spending during the hiring process will mostly be on things like promoting the job on job boards, reviewing and interviewing candidates, and onboarding the new hire. Ongoing costs will obviously involve the employee's salary, but also may include things like benefits.

Guitar instructors earn a median yearly salary is $46,506 a year in the US. However, if you're looking to find guitar instructors for hire on a contract or per-project basis, hourly rates typically range between $13 and $35.

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