Sorry to hijack your thread - but since there are some WMI's in here, I thought I would ask a question. I start teaching my first class next week and I'm excited. I'll just be teaching the Wilton course 1 class at first. For the 2nd week - do you all just do the piping gel transfer? Or do you give them the option of doing the bear cake? And if you do the piping gel transfer, do you make them do the rainbow or whatever image they want (reversed).
Thanks!
Sorry to hijack your thread - but since there are some WMI's in here, I thought I would ask a question. I start teaching my first class next week and I'm excited. I'll just be teaching the Wilton course 1 class at first. For the 2nd week - do you all just do the piping gel transfer? Or do you give them the option of doing the bear cake? And if you do the piping gel transfer, do you make them do the rainbow or whatever image they want (reversed).
Thanks!
They can do the bear if they choose, but you will still demonstrate the rainbow. Let the student know that although they have the option to do the bear, you recommend that thy try to do the rainbow (or another design of their choice) in order for them to have the experience for future. Plus doing the stars take a LOT of time. I had one girl come in with the speed racer car for that class, but she still practiced the rainbow on parchment for practice.
What a WMI makes depends solely on how many students are in a class. Ther are no commissions or anything. And depending where the store is that you teach, will also depend on how many students you have. I taught at ACM for an entire year and had only 2 classes the whole year!!! Then I moved to Michaels in the plaza across from ACM and had about 6 students for each class (teaching 3 per month) every month! Hope this helps!
Sorry to hijack your thread - but since there are some WMI's in here, I thought I would ask a question. I start teaching my first class next week and I'm excited. I'll just be teaching the Wilton course 1 class at first. For the 2nd week - do you all just do the piping gel transfer? Or do you give them the option of doing the bear cake? And if you do the piping gel transfer, do you make them do the rainbow or whatever image they want (reversed).
Thanks!
I don't make the students do the reainbow. I just teach them the technique.
As for the money, is best not to do it for the money or you will be dispointed..lol.
I do it for the love of teaching..
Edna 
As for the money, is best not to do it for the money or you will be dispointed..lol.
I do it for the love of teaching..
Edna
Ditto
I agree. However, in trying to find an additional income source, I don't think this would be it. Having fun teaching - I think that would be great. Tonedna - I would sign up for your class just to learn all you could teach and come back to listen to your voice! 
As for the money, is best not to do it for the money or you will be dispointed..lol.
I do it for the love of teaching..
Edna
Ditto
I agree. However, in trying to find an additional income source, I don't think this would be it. Having fun teaching - I think that would be great. Tonedna - I would sign up for your class just to learn all you could teach and come back to listen to your voice!
lol..my funny accent!...I love my students, we love to have fun in class.
Edna
As for the money, is best not to do it for the money or you will be dispointed..lol.
I do it for the love of teaching..
Edna
Ditto
I agree. However, in trying to find an additional income source, I don't think this would be it. Having fun teaching - I think that would be great. Tonedna - I would sign up for your class just to learn all you could teach and come back to listen to your voice!
Ditto again!
I already told my husband that as soon as i can travel to Fla., I want to take a class from tonedna!
I have been teaching at Michael's for almost 5 years and I absolutely love it. I think Wilton is very good to their instructors, I have gotten so much free stuff that I have had to sell some of it because I had too much. As far as the second night goes, I give them the option of a round cake, character cake or the piping gel transfer of their choice. I just tell them not to choose something that is too complicated for their first cake.
As far as the pay, I think we get paid very well. I recently had a Course 1 with 11 students and was paid $49.50 for two hours of class. I think that is excellent pay. I do a 2 hour demo, decorating cookies, cupcakes or a cake and get paid $39. Getting paid to do something you love is fantastic. The cost for the WMI is minimal, at least that is my opinion.
Lisa
I give my students the option of doing the rainbow cake, or a simple image of their choosing. Instead of the character cake, that takes longer than 30 mins to complete, I give them the option of the flower cake in the back of the book. On page 42 or 46 depending on what book you have. It is a method using a cookie cutter, so that gives them another option for a cake, and another way to put an image on a cake. I still show them how to do the piping gel transfer, even if I have no one doing it so that they know how to do it later on if they need it.
As far as the pay, it is great side money but it isn't money you can always count on to pay the bills. The pay does vary on the number of students you have and how many courses you can or do teach a month. Since Michaels has gone back to the 4 student rule I haven't had 3 courses running at the same time, like I did have alot last year. You don't know until the beginning of every month how much you are making for the month.
I've always wondered how much Wilton Instructors made. The course I took many years ago was well worth my money. Gotta love those who just love to teach what they love to do!
Thanks - Thin4life and TexasSugar.
I'm so nervous about leaving something off the list that I give them. It doesn't help that I have 5 cakes to make this week (plus get ready for teaching). I can just feel the paperwork pulling me down. I'm sure that once I do it, it won't be hard. I'm just so afraid of forgetting to send something to where it's supposed to go.
Thanks again!
I'm just so afraid of forgetting to send something to where it's supposed to go.
You do know the Wilton police will come beat you with buttercream filled feather weight bags if you screw up your paperwork right? Iv'e made so many boo boo's over the years with paperwork that they have assigned a special group of Wilton employees to my town for that weekly "let's go smack Carolyn again" moment.
Ok on a serious note... It's vital information to get to the right people at the right places that if you screw it up even once the world will stop it's rotation and start spinning backwards throwing off the entire world! The world depends on you to get it right!
Don't stress over it.
Also, if you don't have the group link to the WMI group PM me and I'll get it to you. We share a bunch of teaching stuff and are our own little support group. You won't regret joining.
I'm just so afraid of forgetting to send something to where it's supposed to go.
You do know the Wilton police will come beat you with buttercream filled feather weight bags if you screw up your paperwork right?
Iv'e made so many boo boo's over the years with paperwork that they have assigned a special group of Wilton employees to my town for that weekly "let's go smack Carolyn again" moment. Ok on a serious note... It's vital information to get to the right people at the right places that if you screw it up even once the world will stop it's rotation and start spinning backwards throwing off the entire world! The world depends on you to get it right!
Don't stress over it.
Also, if you don't have the group link to the WMI group PM me and I'll get it to you. We share a bunch of teaching stuff and are our own little support group. You won't regret joining.
Thanks for making me feel better Carolyn! I submitted the info to the Wilton group, just waiting to get approved by the group. I'll go check and see if I'm in yet.
Thanks again.
Congrats Watertown!
Thanks for your replies! I would like to do it for the love of teaching and some extra income. Just wait for next opening in my area.
Hi-
I just submitted the Instructor Screening form online to be an instructor. There are some openings in my area. What should I expect next? I know they said I would receive a response in 7-10 business days. Then what happens? Is it hard to get hired as an instructor?
On another note about the second week's class;
Has anyone had trouble with the piping gel not sticking to the cake when they lay their parchment on it? I am having 2-3 people each class that this happens to. I just have them add water to the piping gel.
I have tried to contact Wilton, but no one answers my question.
Thanks
Carrie, I have been waiting to get approved to become a WMI. The supervisor for my area is a doll. The problem is the manager at Michaels. He said he was in desperate need of an instructor, BUT is taking forever to review my application. Now I'm looking at March to start the classes.
Millermom-I have the same problem with the piping gel not sticking too. It always happens to at least two students every time. I feel like a bad instructor when this happens. I don't know how to fix the problem. Any pointers would be great. I've been teaching two years now, and still haven't figured out why this happens.
Millermom-I have the same problem with the piping gel not sticking too. It always happens to at least two students every time. I feel like a bad instructor when this happens. I don't know how to fix the problem. Any pointers would be great. I've been teaching two years now, and still haven't figured out why this happens.
So glad to hear it isn't just me. I have actually been teaching how to use a pin to poke through the paper and transfer that way, and then I briefly show them how to do the piping gel transfer. It seems to be going better that way.
Hi-
I just submitted the Instructor Screening form online to be an instructor. There are some openings in my area. What should I expect next? I know they said I would receive a response in 7-10 business days. Then what happens? Is it hard to get hired as an instructor?
Wilton will contact you and you will do an over the phone interview and they will want to see pictures of your cakes. After you are approved to be an Instructor they put in you touch with a store and you go there. At Michaels you have to go through the regular employee process with includes filling out the app and having a back ground check done. I was hired over 5 years ago so I'm not sure if the process is completely the same.
Millermom-I have the same problem with the piping gel not sticking too. It always happens to at least two students every time. I feel like a bad instructor when this happens. I don't know how to fix the problem. Any pointers would be great. I've been teaching two years now, and still haven't figured out why this happens.
So glad to hear it isn't just me. I have actually been teaching how to use a pin to poke through the paper and transfer that way, and then I briefly show them how to do the piping gel transfer. It seems to be going better that way.
OK, so I have this woman in my class right now who is kinda auditing (long story, but she already decorates, but wants to learn the Wilton method so she can start teaching...)
Anyway, when I got to that point in the class last night, she tried stirring the piping gel, almost whipping it; it stirred in alot of air, but it finally "softened," and then was a good consistency, and it stuck to the cake! The others tried it as well, and it worked for them too. Guess that's what I'll do from now on? 
We'll see how it goes.
Just thought I'd pass that along
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