I'm thinking of trying to become a Wilton Instructor. I understand that its good "Extra" money but can not pay my bills. I enjoy decorating cakes and think that I could do this. What are the good and bad points in this job? About much is pay? Is it worth it or just a pain? Very time consuming?Really I just want to hear what you think....Any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
You guys are AWESOME!

I love it... I taught my first class in June. The more people that sign up the more you can make. In June, I taught class on Tuesday an Friday and my pay was $300.00. This month I teaching only on Tuesday. Go for it!!!!!!!

Good luck. I filled out all the questions on line, got an email back saying they were very interested, someone was going to call--that was 6 weeks or better ago--nothing. Oh well--moved on to bigger and better things.

I've been thinking the same thing too if go ahead and become an instructor but @ least for me is not worth it they pay per course 120(depends on where you live). you get 40% discount on supplies and every yr they give a Seminar for follow up some of the students are a pain you have to take that in to consideration, plus how far are the store where you might be giving classes (you can not contact them they have to contact you ) and you have to have @ least 4 students on your first day to get pay so if you give 2 classes in a month thats "240" and you have to go 8 times a month to give classes? you need to have your supplies plus something extra in case someone dont have their "icing" (is up to you) and the gas for your car. for me its not worth it. The stores are too far from me and gas is no cheap the trip no fun and dangerous when dark but think all those options best wishes

$120. 4 students
$180.00 8 students
$210.00 10 students

The more students the more you can make. You can also contact them. It suggest that you contact them before the class start. If they do not bring enough icing that's on them.

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-684433-wilton.html+instructor

Check out this thread.

I've been teaching for six years and I love my job. I have a great store and supportive management so that is a plus in my factor. I work full time, so for me the classes is my fun money, the money I use to get my hair done and things like that. Won't get my rich, but in my opinion it is still great money for a part time job. There isn't many part time jobs I know of that you can go to for three hours a couple times a week and make over $10 an hour at, atleast not where I live..

As far as personal expenses, yes there are some things you are required to bring to class. The first night of decorating basics you bring a cake and icing. The first night of Flowers and Cake Design, you make royal icing. But Wilton has the rest of the lessons set up for you to borrow your students icing to show them how to do the things. Now I still bring my own fondant and gumpaste stuff, since I like to do the steps with them, and because I then take the flowers I make in class and use them for demo displays and such.

While I will also bring my tool box with a few additional supplies I freely share with my students I do draw the line at some things. I teach mostly adults, so I feel like it is their respondsibility to come prepared using the list of things I give them. If they don't, then we work with what they have. If they have horrible icing that won't do anything, then they can go buy a can of icing. I'm not going to bring buttercream or royal icing every week, just in case. Plus I have learned that if my students know I am always prepared with back up icing that would lead some people to be less worried about bringing everything with them every week.

While you run into problem students, they seem to be, for me, few and far between. So yes I have had a few people that made me want to pull my hair out I have also had some that I love when they come to the store and I'm there and they pull out their pictures and show me what they have been up too. There are many students when they have taken all the courses, I am sad that they are done.

I do think it takes a certain personality and attitude to teach the classes. To me you have to walk into class with a I can't wait to see what I can teach you tonight, rather than I well here we go, it's another class lets do this so I can go home. When you read threads that complain about the classes, 80-90% of the time it comes down to the instructor. For me it is just a fun time to go share something I know. Alot of nights, it barely even feels like work. And there are nights where there are things that are going on in my life and for a few hours while I'm in class, we laugh and have fun and learn and I want out of there feeling better than I did when I went into the room.

When it comes to the pay, like I said above for me it is nice. My store is only about 15 mins away, and I don't have to drive to my day job, so even having to drive to class I don't use alot of gas. WMI's are paid by the number of students in class. At Michaels, if you have 4-6 (which is the small number) then you get $33.50 a night, which equals $134 a month. Now if you have two of the smaller classes a month you are looking at $268 a month. Depending on your schedule and the schedule at the store you can offer more than just two classes a month. The last two months I have only had two regular courses, but I have also taught project classes that add in a good amount to my pay. When you have 7-9 students you get $43.50 a night, and it goes up another $3 per night for ever student you have over that amount with a cut off at 15.

This month I had a course of 8 and a course of 10, did a demo last Saturday (Michaels pays you for them), a cupcake class the same Saturday morning (one trip to the store for the two, two birds one stone), and also started a cookie project class Monday night. So for me the month of July I earned over $550, before taxes. So while you couldn't live off of teaching alone (unless you taught many courses a month) for me it extra money. This month for me, it is a great addition to my regular paycheck, especially with unexpected Vet bills to pay and a trip to CA next month.

Michaels does allow you to teach less then 4 people with Manager and District Manager approval. My Manager has told me I can't teach less than three, which I am fine with because when you teach under 4 the pay is decreased. While I don't mind taking a little pay cut to teach three that really want to take the class now I have had issues in the past teaching only one and two so I find it isn't worth it.

Another reason you can't count on it to pay all the bills is while this month I had a good month, had two big classes and was able to fit in project classes (and had people interested in taking them) next month could be a differernt story. Next month I could only have one small class. So you can't say with certain that you will make a certain amount every month because you just don't know until your classes make or don't make and you see how many people show up the first night of class.

I'm single with no children, and my store lets me schedule classes when I want, since I'm the only one that uses the class room right now, besides Crop night. If you are going to a store that has other classes, like Hobby Lobby, and they offer painting or something that will limit which days or time slots are available for you to teach at. Also if you have a husband or children that you have to schedule around, that may also limit of many classes you can offer a month, which will effect your pay in the end.

Now with any job there are pros and cons and only you can really decide if it is worth it. The above I guess would fit into both categories. Some things differ from account to account, so you also have to keep that in mind.

At Michaels I am a store employee, which means my check comes from Michaels and the taxes are already removed for me. At Hobby Lobby WMI are considered contracted labor (I believe that is the term) and are paid directly from Wilton, and the taxes are not removed from the check, so you have to keep up with it, and handle that when you do your taxes.

At Michaels we are required to do 3-4 demos a year. They are prescheduled and we were told what day and time we are to do them. It is also suggested that we do month demo's to encourage sign ups. Michaels does pay us for the demo's, while other accounts do not.

Also as a store employee of Michaels I do get the 25% off employee discount, which is a nice bonus, since I don't often have to pay full price for anything. As a WMI I can order items from Wilton directly and recieve 40% off of everything I order. I hardly ever order, because the 40% off coupons are so easy to come by, but it is nice to have that option there.

Wilton also gives you chances to earn Gift Certificates for meeting goals they set for you that you can use to purchase Wilton items. This is nice because you can use them with the 40% off discount, so if you earn many of them you can get quite a few things for free.

Wilton also gives us gifts now and then. At the training meetings last year they gave every WMI the protype of the new course kits and right before we made the big switch the mailed us another set of the new kits. Sometimes it is little things, sometimes larger items that really add up price wise.

If you have any more questions please feel free to message me and ask. As I said above there are pros and cons, for me the pros out weigh the cons. If that balence every flips I'll reconsider teaching, but until then, I'll keep going to class and having fun doing somethint I love to do.

Thanks so much for all the detailed info. I've filled out the online form, but haven't heard from them except to confirm that they do have my application on file. At the time I was only available 1 weeknight (M, T or Th) and Saturdays, I'm going to update my application now because I can do a few more at this point, hopefully that will help. Do you have any advice as to getting hired? Also, how do you handle classes when you plan to be on vacation during that month (that is only once a year, twice if I'm really lucky)? Are you able to work around your vacation schedule or do you have to give up your classes that month?

I can't really help on the hiring process. I was lucky in the instructor before me was leaving had contacted her supervisor and let her know to expect my app., so there wasn't a wait of anything for me. With in a month I was hired and started teaching. I know I had to mail in pictures and do a phone interview but I can't remember much else. At Michaels, after you are sent to that store you also have to go through their app process inlcuding a background check.

As far as vacations. I'm the only WMI at my store, so if I know I have something coming up I plan around it. Every year the week after Christmas I leave town for a week. So for Dec I teach only two courses, and I do them two lessons a week for two weeks. So I would do something like Lesson 1 on Monday, Lesson 2 on Thursday, then just repeat that for Lesson 3 and 4 the following week. As I said before, my mangement is pretty cool, so they work with me.

I saw the asst manager last month and I was like just so you know I'll be gone for such and such days in August, but I scheduled my classes around it. All she said to me was, "Yeah, don't you go somewhere this time every year?"

I'll be gone for 12 days so I scheduled the first week of class when it would normally be, we are going to skip the following week, then they will come back the third week and we will go from there to finish out the lessons.

If something comes up, either me being really sick or we just have crappy weather and I have to cancel class then we just pick a day that everyone can come in to do a make up class.

If it is minor things I don't involve my Wilton Supervisor, and with my managers, they know about when my trips are, they know I schedule around them and they know I'll make up the classes for my students when need be.

You can look on the Wilton web site and they generally list where there are openings. If you took any Wilton classes and submit an application and have your instructor folllow up recommend you that will will also help. The timing really depends on openings in your area.

Thanks for all the great info. It has been 4 years since I took the classes but have been decorating ever since. How many hours a night is a class again? I am even more interested in doing this now. There is 1 opening here in Abilene, TX but I'm not sure what store....Hopefully Michaels.

I've been doing it for a little over a year, and for me it's my "me time" away from the kiddos. The paycheck helps minimally with our budget since it isn't a for sure thing (depends whether a class runs or not) but it keeps me sane to be with adults. I run the class very fun, very casual, and some of the girls stick around to chat and often stay in touch via email or facebook after they finish the courses. I used to teach high school, so teaching comes very naturally to me.

You can probably run more classes and project classes and all that to make a little more, but I was just looking for something twice a week. In fact, my store has two Wilton instructors (though so far the other girl's classes on the weekend haven't run).

As far as getting hired, I had an application in right after I first took a Wilton class, but it wasn't until much later when an instructor I had was leaving that I was put in direct touch with those who do the hiring. Seems like a theme on this thread - if you had someone put a word in for you, you got hired.

TexasSugar....thanks for the detailed information. I loved my classes at Michaels and have thought about someday in the (distant) future maybe trying to become a WMI myself. It is good to hear your experiences and all the things to consider.

After reading this thread yesterday, I went online and saw an opening in my area. So I filled out the online application and got a call back already today. They said they would refer me to the area supervisor so I'm hoping it is soon. Extra money means more cake stuff for momma!

I was surprised to get a call about 2 weeks ago, from my teacher (at Michales)... She is also the person that hires for Wilton in our area. Anyhow, she said she had my application, from 2 years or more ago, and wondered if I was still interested. I said yes, and she said she would get in touch with the store that was hiring and would get back to me.

I am still waiting, apparently the manager of the store was away.

I was wondering too, what the Wilton policy is if I continue to teach more advanced classes, after students complete all of the available classes. Is it a conflict of interest? All I know is I was extreemly frustrated, as a student to learn all that Michael's had to offer and then nothing else was available locally to further develop my skills....

Any ideas?

I will be starting teaching this August and I am so friggin nervous!! It all started when I moved to US from Malaysia. I got married to an American guy and settled down here. How did we end up together? Well... we met on the plane where I was the flight attandent and he was on the way visiting his friends in Thailand. I became a full time housewife after we got married.

The things is, I used to worked all my life before and suddenly I am stucked and bored at home. Lol!! So I decided to get to do something and my husband's secretary suggested that I take up a hobby and unfortunately my hobby is shopping and being not working I hate asking asking my husband's permission everytime I need to go shopping, I keep telling him that it is like a therapy to me. Man.. what do they know about the pleasure of shopping. So, my husband's secretary (Rita) took me to Michaels and at first I got hooked up on sewing and that lasted for only 3 months. At the same time I was looking for a college or cooking school because I am a lousy cook! Still am now... Then, I found out that Michaels runs a cake decorating courses!! I almost fell off my chair when I called and made some inquiries about the courses that Michaels is offering, I swear I thought the girl from Michaels told me the fees was US2,250.00!!! What a great relief when she quickly told me it was US22.50 and I get US5.00 off for that month's promotion!! I asked her "are you kidding me? That is like nothing!!" Man.. that was one of the best moment I ever encounter with Michaels. So, I took the courses 1 and 2, and then my instructor told us that she couldn't teach us anymore due to some family matters, and Michaels left with no instructor after that. I was so frustrated because I am all geared up to continue course 3 and especially the Gumpaste and fondant course (old sylabus). I waited for 2 months hoping that there will be a new instructor. On the third month of waiting I decided to continue the course at Hobby Lobby at the closest city (1 hour drive). By then it was all the new sylabus and I didn't get the chance to learn a few stuff from the old sylabus ie. how to stack cakes and the buttercream lilly and poinsettas. Thanks to Edna Dela Cruz video, I managed to learn those from her video. After completed the classes, a week after that I received a call from my instructor and she asked me weather I am interested in teaching? I told her that I am still new and still learning, but she said that I have a natural talent that she have not seen in such a long time and she is going to recommend me as there is a vacancy at Michaels where I first took the course!! What a coincidence!! So, I went through the hiring process and recently I successfully did the Wilton's 2010 Yearbook demo and I have a lot to thanks to my kind instructor, my lovely Wilton's Marketing Supervisor, my most wonderful and helpful Michaels Manager and the rest of the staff!! All I can say is everything that happened, it happened for a reason. Who would've thought me, never baked a cake in my life before and now I am teaching how to decorate a cake and my family and friends keep asking me to bake for them! I know it don't pays that much but my passion and sharing my knowledge will make me feel satisfied and good about myself. I can't wait to see my first batch of student and I will give my very best to them. Thank you Texassugar for you inspiring words. Thank you God for your gift and life is good!

Somewhere along the way I checked the little do you want to be an WMI thing. Or course when I did that I knew both stores in the area had instructors and that there wasn't a need for it. But later when the WMI at Michaels was leaving (I took at both Hobby Lobby and Michaels) she called me, said she remembered, saw I had checkes yes to the WMI question and thought I'd be good at it.

Of course I was like, are you sure? At that point it'd been a few years since I had done the classes, and while I could do alot of things, I had yet to master the rose. Or course that now works to my advantage since I can tell me students my story of the rose, and while they see me do well with my roses they hopefully will see that if you practice if enough you too can do it.

I'm not a public speaker though, so that part had me worried. I did okay the first few classes, after I got in the grove of things. Even now when I have a large class I have to take a moment and remind myself I know what I am doing and that it will be okay.

So in a way I feel into the job, and 6 years later still love it. I know it isn't for everyone, and I understand that. That is why I try to give the pros and cons of it. And let people use that information and what is going on in their lives to make the choice.

I'm glad I can help others and as I said before, if anyone has a question, feel free to message me.

Oh yes, I meant to say that classes can be taught OUTSIDE of the store. Didn't mean to imply you can teach whatever you want in the store where you teach Wilton. You can teach at a community college, for example, and my previous teacher taught extra classes in her commercial kitchen. Me, I teach extra classes in private homes for small groups of 3 or 4.

But I don't promote them during the Wilton classes. I either offer them after someone has finished all the classes there or to people who are not my Wilton students (don't live in the area or can't come because of the time).

My instructor asked me last night if I would be interested in becoming an instructor. The store is pressuring her to find more teachers because they want to offer more classes and she just cant do any more classes. Im excited/nervous about it. Im not totally confident in my skills.

Not to be a downer, but I was a Wilton instructor for almost 2 years at a Michael's store and hated every minute of it.

The classes were not supported well by the employees or the public (mostly because the employees were clueless and would give out the wrong info). The manager was worthless. The other instructor the store had would make beautiful display cakes, story boards...and the manager would not put them out front. Instead, the displays would be in the back office for a couple of weeks and then thrown away.

To me, all the prep work, time spent to drive to and from the store, time spent to clean the back room before and after class and clean my kitchen, material cost, and the fact most people that take the class spend more time sucking icing out of the bag than piping with the icing drove me to quit. About 6 months before I quit the pay scale changed to be based on how many students were in the class instead of a flat rate pay. I usally only had 1 or 2 people per class so my hourly rate went way down. I felt my time was best spent else where - like with my husband.

One of the main reasons I went into engineering (my day job) was so I didn't have to deal with the general public. To be honest, I don't really like people. When I have consultations I am a smiling, bubbly person but most of the time I am cringing on the side wanting to slap people with a common sense stick. So for me, teaching got old quick.

I've been a Wilton Instructor for about a year and a half now, and I do enjoy it, but... From my own experience and what I've heard from other WMIs, I think the one thing that will make or break your experience as an instructor is the level of interest from the manager(s) of the store where you end up working.

I consider myself very lucky in that both of my store's managers (I work at a Michaels) are nice, fun, and very supportive of the Wilton program. They allow me and our other instructor (who used to be one of my students!) to set up our own schedule, come and go as we please, etc. -- as long as our customers are happy, they are happy. From what I hear, not everyone is as lucky, and that will certainly affect the "joy" of the job.

Instructing is a side thing for me -- I have a regular 9-5 job, and that has to take priority for me (since that one pays the mortgage!!). So I always promised myself that I would only continue to teach as long as it remained fun -- the extra money is nice, but not enough to really affect that decision. So far, so good.

I have learned a LOT from being a WMI, about myself as much as about cake decorating, and that alone has made it worth it to me. Even if I quit tomorrow, I'll always have that, and I'm very grateful for it.

Good luck!!!
...Andrea

Thank everyone for their opinions and their good/bad experiences. I think I will go ahead and apply for it and see how it goes. I may try to contact the instructor in my area to see what they think. I could really use extra money (son getting braces & car was totaled) and would rather be doing something I enjoy. I currently do about a cake a week out of my home on top of my 50 hr week job & 2 kids. I hope this works out & I enjoy it.

Got a call from the Wilton Supervisor and am on the road to becoming a WMI!!!! I have to send her photos and the registration fee and she is going to call the store and see if they have made progress on hiring me and then we will see how it goes. Sounds like I am good from Wilton's side just waiting on Michaels!!!! I excited and nervous too.

Congrats!!

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I have had this question for over a year, I applied on-line to become a Wilton instructor. I got an e-mail and then some time after that, I received another e-mail stating that here in the Chicago area there weren't many openings that they would hold my info, I guess. Well, this pass Summer I taught cake decorating to kids 6-18 y/o, 2 days a week for free. I was surprised that they kept attending. The classes ran from June to August. My question is: can I become a Wilton instructor at my Church or a Park District instead of at a Michaels? Can I create my job as a Wliton Instructor?