professeur de musique

professeur

guitariste

vendeur

responsable d'entrepôt

Ontario Conservatory of Music

The main reason I left was the wage. After seven years working at the conservatory, I never received a raise. Although I emailed head office several times and I was told on many occasions that a meeting would be arranged to discuss a wage increase, nothing was ever arranged. The low pay and lack of a raise was the main reason I decided to leave. 

The studios were always understaffed. I worked at several studios during my time at the conservatory and to each one I went to, there was ALWAYS a lack of teachers. The studio administrators would often have assistant teachers (who were high school students) teaching regular classes because they were given no choice. It was either have the students be taught by high schoolers or have the parents get angry and leave because there was no time slot for their kids. On multiple occasions, I also witnessed clients get upset because they were told that a specific studio was open on a certain day or they taught a certain instrument when they did not prior to registering. I don’t understand how the workers with registration do not know what days the studios are open or what instruments they teach prior to talking with clients. The school also promotes a piano, guitar and vocal program, but some studios don’t even have all three programs.

There are no benefits or insurance whatsoever with the job.

Getting vacation approval takes two months. After giving in my vacation requests with ample time for head office to find a substitute for the days I needed off, every time I was told that I needed to find my own replacement. So what is the point of giving in a vacation request if I am still the one who needs to arrange for a supply teacher??
On the same point of vacation, during holidays, teachers are required to do advanced lessons. That means prior to any holiday, we are required to come in for extra days to make up those lessons.  So really, you never get a holiday “off” because you are working twice as much the week before. But I guess it doesn't matter for head office because they get to relax and enjoy their holiday time. I don’t understand why the studio isn’t closed for long weekends or the two weeks for Christmas. Head office tries to explain it off as keeping students “on track with the group classes,” but if all student are away, then no one would fall behind. They seem to lack basic logic at head office. 

The appearance of several locations is horrendous. Those that have carpets, the carpets are dirty and old. The walls are in desperate need of a paint job. The pianos are always broken and I would always fill out a form ot have someone come in and fix them, but they never were. How does head office expects us to teach a group of 4, 5 or 6 kids when two out of six pianos are fully functional? The binders that the font reception uses are falling apart and all taped up, which clients see when they visit the front desk. The white boards are destroyed and in an unstable state. The appearance is what clients take notice to first so you would think head office would pay little more attention to that. For two of the studios that I worked for, we were told that we were next to be painted, but three years later and no changes. And when we were told that the studio would be painted, they would do it on the day we were closed so that they wouldn’t have to close the studio. Of course head office doesn’t care if us teachers and the students have to smell the paint fumes. At least the studio isn't closed. I have taught in a total of three studios and they are all in this horrendous condition. I know people from other studios and they all have the same issues. 

On a side note with the lack of fixing pianos, head office is very SLOW at getting anything back to the studios. It takes weeks and several emails to receive a response. Once, my students had to wait THREE AND A HALF MONTHS to receive their exam marks while head office tells parents it takes three to six weeks. You can only imagine the fed up parents I had to deal with when I had to tell them week after week that the marks should be in soon and it was out of my control. It kills me how the company reponseded to another persons post by saying they “always promoted an open door policy with our staff.” Where was this door? I must have missed it because they would never respond to my emails and I never meant the owner or anyone from head office for that matter over the spand of seven years. 

I am very disappointed with the performance opportunities the studio provides to their own students. We use to have a winter recital, and two competitions a year, and now we are down to just one competition per year. I was told that the other events did not make management enough money, so they were shut down. I view this as a complete disregard for the well being of our students as they have fewer and fewer opportunities to perform. Even for the competition that we do have, the cheapness continues to get worst. This year, head office didn’t even bother to print out program. Instead, they gave students a piece of folded paper that had they name and playing time on it (obviously a cheaper option). I had several parents complain is regards to this change. The trophies get cheaper and cheaper every year. They don’t even put the year on them anymore so they can reuse them the following year. Talk about cheap!  I have also found attendance of the competition to have dropped (at least with my own students) as it happens in the middle of summer, when may student are away. If this competition was to take place in May or June, I know attendance would be higher, but (like with many things) head office fails to find the simple solutions to these problems. Who knows, the reason they do it in the middle of summer is probably because it is cheaper to rent out a space.  

Frank, you need to get your stuff together and notice that the studios around you are falling apart. Sure, the studios may have been successful for several years (although I do use the term “successfully” very loosely), but it won’t last. Many of your employees are very upset and the parents are getting frustrated. After seven years, I have witnessed the studio go down hill very quickly, so I decided to jump off board before the ship sinks. Please take a business class or two and learn how to PROPERLY run a company.

A typical work day for a teacher starts around 4:00pm and ends at 9:00pm.  The work itself is enjoyable as you get to teach students of all ages an instrument either in small groups or privately.  There is a curriculum that is followed but there is flexibility to cater learning to student interest which is awesome.  There are exams and competitions which are good experiences but are very expensive. 

The issues with the workplace have more to do with the company policies and less with the job itself.  It appears they value how much money they make more than anything


First of all the company does not value its teachers.  This is shown in their pay.  The per student rate is much lower than other music lesson places with the "maximum" rate being less than a third of what the student pays per lesson. From my understanding there is no moving passed this maximum rate despite performance, qualifications and experience and many teachers start at an even lower rate and rarely receive raises. Lesson, exam, and competition rates have all recently increased in the past year and teachers have yet to receive any raises, nor has the TA rate increased (despite minimum wage increases).


Second, teachers are only paid when a student shows up to a lesson.  This makes sense to an extent, if a private student doesn't show up you have a half hour free (however you should use this time to call and reschedule). If you have a class of four and one student does not show, you still would be teaching for an hour but would only be paid for three students, in order to be paid for the fourth student you would have to put aside an extra half hour on another day to receive compensation for that student, therefore working more time for the same amount of money. If the lesson of the missed student was done by another teacher, you do not get paid, the company makes money regardless. 


Third, teachers are expected to help and be present at competitions at performances with no pay.  From my experience the Christmas concert would require at least 6-8 hours of my day and CML would often take about 2-3 10 hour days (Friday-Sunday).  Teachers were also expected to reschedule their regular programming to be available these days thus meaning working extra hours/days leading up to performances. 


Fourth, teachers are encouraged to recommend instruments to students that are not of the best quality and value and not always suitable for the child.  There has been an effort to fix this, I believe the new instruments are better but this was still an annoying experience as I had students quit for this reason. 


Fifth, the company often forces students (often without prior consent of the teacher) into classes making the experience difficult for teachers and students.  I.e two students may have been learning for 6 weeks and then a brand new student is thrown in the next week without prep and then another the following week etc. This also may lead students to quit. 

Sixth, while the company seems to want a full time commitment, there are no benefits, and it is difficult to get full time hours (although this is partially due to the nature of the job itself). 

Seven, lessons are never cancelled for holidays but rescheduled.  I understand how this beneficial towards my pay (and the studio of course) but I find this often frustrates parents as they are unable to get a break and it is difficult explaining why students should be doing a lesson every week. For example if a students lesson is on Tuesday, December 25th, we close on December 25th but you would have to do their lesson for the 25th prior or following that date. I would be curious to see how many parents would be against cancelling lessons on holidays and how many for.

Walk in prepared to feel worn down day after day. The owner shows open disrespect, brushes off concerns, and rarely acknowledges the effort poured into the work. Pay is painfully low, and no amount of dedication ever feels appreciated. Simple requests for time off or schedule adjustments linger unanswered, leaving frustration to build and energy to fade. Support is almost nonexistent due to a constant lack of backup staff. Covering extra lessons or duties becomes an expectation, even when it makes no sense. Decisions come from impulse rather than listening, creating an unfair and unpredictable daily experience. Attempts to raise concerns lead nowhere, allowing the same problems to repeat without resolution. Facilities are neglected, with little attention given to comfort or basic safety. This place survives on employees who give far beyond their limits while receiving minimal respect in return. Low pay, dismissive attitudes, and nonstop exhaustion turn each day into something to dread. Over time, the mental and emotional toll becomes impossible to ignore, leaving many counting the days until escape.

It’s a school that is well entrenched in Canada.  When it comes to music lessons, most parents enroll their children at OCOM.  We have branches all over Ontario so there’s the opportunity to be assigned elsewhere if that is what you desire. 
I actually started as a student here, but with their training program, I was able to qualify as a teacher. We’re learning progressive teaching methods right now, which is more beneficial for our students.  There are months when enrollment is high and my classes are back-to-back.  But there are also lean months.  So in terms of work load, the year kind of balances it out.  
Lastly, I have to commend Management for their handling of the pandemic.  COVID prevention measures are being implemented in all our branches.  As a result, we have zero COVID cases, even though the numbers are going up outside. 

 The role emphasizes the importance of proficient teaching techniques and maintaining a quality work environment that promotes a harmonious work-life balance and overall well-being. The management not only values our professional growth but is also genuinely committed to our success, cultivating a learning-rich atmosphere. Safety isn't an afterthought here; all essential precautions are diligently taken to ensure our well-being. Furthermore, compensation and benefits are competitive, reflecting the management's dedication to equitable rewards. If tools or platforms are needed to optimize our tasks, the leadership doesn't hesitate to provide them, highlighting their proactive approach to operational efficiency.

Look, everyone's always smiling and talking about "how great things are," but the moment  you bring up an actual problem-scheduling conflicts, student concerns, administrative issue, whatever-it just gets brushed aside with some version of "we'll think about that" and then it never happens again. There's this unspoken rule where you're supposed to just keep a positive attitude and not rock the boat, which honestly gets old real fast. Real problems don't disappear because you pretend they're not there, but that seems to be the whole strategy. You  can't have an honest conversation about what's actually not working because it goes against the vibe they're trying to maintain. It's exhausting being around  people who won't engaged with reality, and it means nothing ever actually improves.

The absence of comprehensive benefits further exacerbates the financial strain experienced by staff members. The teaching materials provided by the corporate office are subpar, failing to meet the necessary standards for effective instruction. This lack of quality resources hinders the ability of teachers to deliver an optimal learning experience and innovations contributed by employees, implementing them without providing any form of compensation or recognition. This lack of acknowledgment for the hard work and ideas shared creates a demoralizing atmosphere that leaves employees feeling undervalued and unappreciated. WARNING!

If you want to realize your contribution to music education and get a fair pay for your work, then you do not need to come here.  This conservatory of music is a business-oriented enterprise, where they want to get the maximum result / profit with minimal investment, both moral and material.  The first thing that comes to mind is a comparison with a factory, and a teacher is a worker at a machine tool.  Most provide group lessons.  There are groups of little kids  from the age of 4 years.  For this age, there are no necessary tools for work such as soft toys, balls, footrests, adjustable benches and spaces for movement.  In such conditions, it is necessary to have a lot of creativity in order to make the lessons fun and productive.  For this, the teacher himself invests his own funds, but it pays poorly. 

Management is terrible - they are only in it for the money. It takes about a month or two for head office to get back to upset parents/employees.  
There is always lack of teachers because the turnover rate is extremely high. Who wants to work for a company who does not pay or treat their employees fairly? 
This job does not come with any benefits or insurance, and they don't even pay for taxes. 
Requesting time off for work or during holiday season is basically working harder than you usually do to make sure your classes are covered - again, head office is just collecting more money and relaxing nicely. 
In my experience, I have worked for this company for more than 5 years and not once have I received a raise. I have asked multiple times for a raise - the manager and head office did not bother responding to me. 
It is no surprise this company is falling apart - it's a shame the business owner has no clue how to run the company properly.

For me, it’s an enriching experience. The management genuinely cares about the staff, creating an environment that fosters both personal and professional growth. The opportunity to teach students of various age groups and skill levels is incredibly rewarding. The collaborative spirit among colleagues is palpable, making it easy to share ideas and teaching techniques. While the workload can be demanding, especially during peak times like exams and competitions, the support from the management and the camaraderie among staff make it manageable.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Professeur de musique 2 salaries reported	$37.50 per hour
Professeur 4 salaries reported	$27.50 per hour
Guitariste 7 salaries reported	$27.50 per hour
Vendeur 4 salaries reported	$1,000 per week
Responsable d'entrepôt 1 salary reported	$59,900 per year

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