Survival-Kit Vocational Training  "Many people don't see this line of work as a real profession, but as a hobby"

Niklas has just finished his training to become a dance teacher. In this instalment of our Survival Kit series, he tells us how he lost his passion for dancing at the start of his training and eventually won an appreciation for the human side of his job.

The biggest cliché about your apprenticeship – and to what extent it’s true:

One cliché is that dance teachers are socially isolated by the working hours and have no time off because they have to work late afternoons and into the evening. It’s true you have to reorganize your life – even communicating with your friends. But that’s something you can handle. It's the same for shift workers. Another stereotype – without wanting to make any judgments here – is that most dance teachers are gay. I don't think it’s any different from other professions. I think you often find a more open atmosphere in creative professions, though not only in terms of sexuality: it’s generally noticeable in the way people think. The vibe may be different in a 9-to-5 desk job.

What’s your normal daily routine?

I had work five days a week. Most days I’d start around 3 in the afternoon. Before going to work, I had to get myself to take care of everyday stuff like housework – otherwise you hardly get round to it. The first classes start at 3 or 4 o'clock, often courses in standard partner-dancing. Each session usually runs for an hour and a half. You don’t knock off work till 10 or 11 o'clock at night. Plus vocational school once a week.  
The first year of my training, I mainly tagged along and occasionally taught some short sequences. I didn’t yet have much personal responsibility, I was still an assistant teacher for standard dance – the person who demonstrates steps with the teacher and sometimes explains something. I was assigned my first very own course for young people at the end of the first year. Young people learn a little faster. But it wasn't till the third year that I started working as a full-fledged dance teacher.

What could you not have done without in your apprenticeship?

Talking to other trainees, which often broadened my horizon. I found out how it was going for them, which gave me different perspectives. Especially when it came to things that bothered me, I saw that things can go differently and better – or maybe a whole lot worse. That often showed me what the point of many of our activities was.

Which day of your apprenticeship will you never forget?

It was pretty early on in the training, we had a seminar on pedagogical theory. We had to instruct the other dance teachers, which meant choosing a teaching method and presenting it. So it was mainly about how you teach. Being observed and evaluated the whole time by the other teachers, who have a lot of experience themselves, made it much more nerve-racking than being in front of my class. After all, most pupils don't give that much thought to our methods.

What would you do differently if you could start your apprenticeship all over again?

I don't think I would do many things differently – maybe just stress out a little less about studying. The tests actually always turned out fine.

I was equally happy with the advanced courses. In the course of our training, we have to take certain advanced courses, specialize in certain areas and dances and take tests on them. Many of the others were annoyed afterwards about their choices. Luckily, that didn’t happen to me.

What was the biggest challenge?

Actually, the level of dance and the self-discipline it required. In vocational school you learn kinesiology routines and anatomy, for example, and dance patterns. It takes a lot of effort to learn this stuff, of course, which can’t be covered in the seven hours of vocational classes. The dancing in particular isn’t something you learn in your head. The muscles need a certain amount of time to learn the routines. Mustering the self-discipline to stand in the studio and train every week was often a hurdle I had to overcome. I wasn’t really an athlete. I started out doing ordinary social dancing. People who did ballroom dancing competitively had a different background. But naturally, if you really apply yourself, you can handle it.

Was there a steady source of comfort for you to turn to?

Talking about problems with friends and other trainees, but also learning to give myself some feedback. It often helped to ask myself where I actually started out and where I am now. I did that with regard to teaching – it really boosts my morale to realize I’ve been standing there in the studio for an hour and teaching people something, that the lessons are structured, unlike the year before, when I stood there trembling, trying to explain the steps – and with regard to dancing. For example, I’d film myself from time to time and then watch the old videos to see what progress I was making. That way you see not only what you can improve, but also what’s getting better. What do you do to switch off and enjoy some “me time”?

Other sports now. I’ve discovered yoga as a way to relax, but also just sitting down and enjoying the silence. I often go into town or sit outside with a book to get away from the constant noise. My holidays look very different now too. I don't need a party vacation with lots of action. I have eight hours of music coming through the speakers at work plus the LED light. It's a little like being in a disco all day. So in my time off, I need some peace and quiet and time to myself.

At first, it was hard not to have dancing for a hobby anymore. Of course it’s nice to turn your hobby into a profession, but something gets lost on the way. Moving your body no longer triggers primarily a sense of happiness. You’re constantly being rated on how you move, the angle at which you perform a step, whether your foot’s in the right position. That bugged me at first. Oftentimes I didn't feel like dancing anymore and lost my passion for it, while other people in the course were still happy to go to dance parties. But it came back to me once I’d developed an understanding of the movements and the dances.

What did you eat when you were running low on funds?

I lived quite comfortably during the training because I was still living at home. Of course I had to go easy on my budget; but I was always comfortable. It would have been extremely complicated to move out anyway. My training wasn’t public, it was private, so even though most of the tuition was covered: I’d have had a hard time making ends meet on my training allowance. Some friends of mine applied for a housing allowance. What question do you always hear at every family gathering?

Whether I’ve finished my training yet, when I’m going to appear on Let's Dance [a German TV series] and whether I know what I want to do afterwards. Many people don't see teaching dance as a real profession, but as a hobby. Some people don't realize how much professional expertise is involved, or that I work forty hours, pay social security charges and so on. What’s more, I was often asked if I didn't want to get myself a “proper job”. I sometimes badmouthed the training to myself and thought that with the good marks on my Abitur, I’d be better off going to college. Only now that my training’s over have I really come to realize that I have a job which I enjoy and which is closely bound up with my passion, and that this is what's really most important to me. I’ve moved away from home, I can afford everything that’s important to me and I look forward to going to work. I lead a fulfilled life and I’m still “just” a dance teacher.

What are you proud of?

I’m proud of having found myself at our dance school and of my role there. I think the dynamic I’ve developed with the people I work with is great. They’re more than just dance students to me. I’m also proud of what I’ve achieved as a dancer.

What’s your takeaway so far for the future?

Of course you acquire knowledge and get to know the working world, but I find the social skills I’ve been given along the way much more important. I’ve learned a lot about the value of sociability and togetherness. My aim when teaching is mainly to put something across, but, more often than not, the fun of dancing and music comes to the fore. I think it's great that I can make this positive contribution to people’s leisure pursuits. Some of them come to the dance school with a grumpy look on their faces and leave with a smile. Although I wouldn't have thought so before, in hindsight this is precisely why I like teaching dance: it’s all about working with people.