Work Experience Etc.

[Paramount Saddlery]

Thanks for the input. i appreciate it. I have tried training someone on the basics, I will revisit that for sure. I struggle now with getting up to three saddles a week on a regular basis(Two young children keep me on my toes). It would be great to see that as the low end !

I would love to talk to you about the running of a saddlery school. I believe North America could support something like that.

[gmace99]

I tried to get saddlers from the UK to go. They all expected silly money . Their idea was to go to America and come home a millionaire 6 months . I gave up on that idea. I tried to get someone with some leather experience of this forum. I had no replies. That is why I went down the route of training them myself.

All your well known large saddle companies make high end saddles using a saddler to make5 or six saddles a week. I know of a lot of saddles in America selling for 5000 dollars are made on a system like this or on a production line.

The production line is becoming more common. Guys like myself who can make the complete saddle from start to finish are disappearing. The new way is to show someone to make a part then send it down the line.

You can train someone to do part of the saddle in a month or two. This makes more sense as it is faster to train someone to only do there bit. Where as someone like myself took 5 years to train.

I much prefer My method where the saddler makes the whole saddle .

I have done a few courses in America. They run for 10 days and are always full. Last one I did for a company had 16 people this was to many people to teach 10 people is plenty.

ADVERTISEMENT TIME.....Anyone who wants to organize a course pay me I fly all over the world doing this......Think of it as an act of kindness to me. It gets me away from the wife for two weeks

[kiwican]

If i was going to teach a course, leather working or otherwise and was looking for potential students. I'm not sure that I would look on a leather working site. I know that the idea has a certain logical sense to it but my experience as an instructor (not in LW) has lead me to understand that logic often doesn't apply to human beings!

For those wishing to teach (and im speaking about Canada here, specifically Ontario) try contacting your local community college (private or public) summer is coming along and they have a lot of empty classrooms and would love to make some money renting them out to people wishing to take classes. Call one up and see how much to rent for the length of your course, 1 day, 1 week, whatever. then advertise in the local paper. They might even run your course on their website or in print. I have seen this done before and I have also done this before and made some good money (again not in LW)

for those of you looking for talent to work with you this is a great way to see if that talent is out there and trainable. Best part is that they paid you to get a job!

[gmace99]

I have been teaching leather work for a lot of years. When I teach in the USA the company I work for rents space from colleges. Great place if you only do a course now and then . They can feed and accommodate your students at the colleges .

I bought the building my school is in I have never seen the point in renting. I have several properties and thought if I get fed up teaching I could always push the building over and build a couple of houses.

As to finding students the local paper is a waste of time . Unless you want to do simple belt making courses. Leather worker sites are the place to look. In order to do a saddle making course you really have to be able to use leather tools.to do this course. My past students have all been leatherworkers .

I do teach beginners to make simple things like bags, wallets, belts, briefcases, basic horse equipment etc. They come from all over the UK Advertising in the local paper would only get one person now and then.

[Paramount Saddlery]

This is fantastic insight. I wish more people were generous with their experience. You're bang on when you say saddlers want to make a fortune in 6 months ! I have had some strange conversations with the Walsall crowd.

[gmace99]

lol I worked in Walsall for years . I know about strange conversations.....they don't like teaching you anything. you can imagine the comments I have had . I teach anyone and everyone.

The trade is dying it is the only way to keep it alive

We are all the same we want to become millionaires in six months. Wish it was that easy. it took me 12 years to become a millionaire . I should also point out been a millionaire does not mean you are rich these days it is only an amount that makes things a little easier.

I retired from the 9 to 5 thing last year at the age of 55 and aim to share what I know as often as I can.

I do this through teaching in my school and traveling the world teaching now and then. I have about 25 youtube videos and aim to do a lot more . I also aim to do saddle making videos that I will sell. Videos like making a saddle from start to finish. Then doing add on videos showing how to do mono flap saddles' seats with insets. and anything else that people ask me for.