art teacher

shift leader

human resources administrator

recruiting coordinator

human resources manager

Art--k

I started working at art-K1 year ago and I still feel excited to go in to work each day. I have worked as a teacher for 4 years and in my last company I felt like the management were very unorganised and dismissive of the staffs needs. In art-K I feel listened to. The management have always been really supportive and reachable when needed which was especially reassuring when I was first settling in to the job. My confidence in teaching as well as managing the club has grown tremendously and I think this is due to the training and the advise I have been given whilst working in my role at art-K. I have come across a couple of uncomfortable situations as you would expect in a management role and in these moments I have felt reassured by the management that my well being is a priority. It has been unfortunate that lockdown has interrupted our general way of working this year but I have been really impressed by the determination and innovative ideas the company has provided to continue the business, providing me and all the other staff with work as well as providing alternative classes for our students online which were highly favoured by the parents and children. I have been impressed by the ongoing research and Covid secure procedures such as the installing of screens and PPE which have protected me and my co-workers and allowed our students to continue their education. There have been many occasions in my role where I have been shown appreciation for my hard work and have been provided with positive reinforcement and feedback. This has been very encouraging. I along with my co workers, have been asked to demonstrate my skills to the team in training sessions to provide us with artistic development. It is uplifting to know that each art leader is acknowledged for the strengths that they can contribute to the team. I enjoy that there are always opportunities to learn and advance in my role.

At the beginning there are a lot of tasks to juggle as there is a lot of information to digest. I found this quite overwhelming at first but as I settled in to the role I was very appreciative of all of the knowledge I had learnt that was necessary to provide me with the skills to carry out the role. When lockdown started there was an adjustment period that felt very uncertain and concerning but I trust that art-K did everything they could to try to keep the company going and so that them and their staffs would come out at the end with their jobs.


The best part of the job is teaching so many wonderful students with a curriculum that is so broad and varied in topic and art medium. Children love being able to paint and sketch but also try so many 3D projects in clay and papier mache that may not necessarily be an option at their day time school. I love to see the enjoyment of both students and their families when a project is finished to be taken home, art-K really does attract passionate students.

Having GCSE/A Level/Diploma Art Assistants to co-work with me in the larger classes is a pleasure, as they bring their own perspectives and it allows each student in the club to get a lot of one on one tutor time with their projects, both with me and my assistants. It has been a new and great experience to work with my Art Assistants and to explain the projects to them so that we all know our students and their needs.

This has been my first job where I am in a way in charge of my daily routine and management. It is great to run my own art studio for art-K. It has allowed me to work on self management, being responsible for finding new clients to sign up for art classes, both children and adults, getting used to stock ordering and administration along with the teaching. Running my own social media pages for the club has been a new experience and one I am enjoying learning more about. 4 months in and I feel in control of it all plus knowing I have a great art-K team to help me if I need it.

The art-K team are so creative as we all specialise in our personal art lives in different mediums. So it is great to learn skills from each other and look at other studios projects, to be able to learn and adjust all the time. As a company we speak weekly with our managers and also the whole team to gain feedback and tips on the work being created in the studio. I have personally learnt a lot with feedback and support as teaching ages 6 – 16 years old really varies with teaching techniques and artistic outcomes from the children. It is good to know I can ask for feedback at any time. I enjoy the team as we are all so friendly and have regular training together, be it in classroom management and techniques, mental health, first aid and/or more art training.

My studio is a space where students come to unwind and immerse in their projects and it brings me much enjoyment to know my job gives happiness to over 100 students a week who often feedback that art-K is their favourite activity of the week.

Teaching students, supporting them to grow in confidence and seeing their art skills and love for art develop is definitely what I find most fulfilling about working at art-K!

Every day includes teaching a vibrant class/classes with students of varied ages, art projects and mediums. The role is very dynamic - as studio manager, every day is different including a wide range of tasks such as customer communication, administrative tasks, marketing, studio organisation and managing my studio team.

The workplace culture is supportive and fun, management offers a range of training and opportunities for growth, both personally and within the companies promotional structure. We have regular meetings and training sessions (both online and in person) with other branch managers and teachers, as well as opportunities to collaborate on projects with members of the team. It is great to grow and learn from and alongside such a creative team. 

I have weekly calls and regular visits with my line manager - help is always a call, slack or email away, management and the rest of the art-K team are responsive to help with any questions. Whilst holidays are restricted to school holiday periods, employee benefits are great and it does feel like you are rewarded for your commitment.

It can be challenging juggling a wide range of tasks and it is a big responsibility to manage a club, but I think what is special about the role is the trust and ownership art-K gives its employees and that we can each put our own spin on our clubs and share our ideas, whilst remaining a consistent & collaborative company.

I feel glad and grateful to have had the opportunity to work with art-K. This was my first experience of work within a family run business, and I loved it that this role centred on two things I am passionate about: art & education. There have been many opportunities for me to develop skills, both within art, during in house training, and in other areas relevant to the business.

Things I appreciated:
Talented, friendly and supportive team.
Buddy system. When you're new, you'll always have someone to call if there's anything you're unsure about. Management are there to back you up too.
Scope for growth and development within the company: training is on offer, and there exist possibilities for taking on additional responsibilities, contributing project ideas and more. 
Great if you enjoy working independently. Opportunities exist to get together with managers of nearby clubs to share ideas and collaborate. 
A great role if you're passionate about art education.
Company management are on the ball with finding ways of keeping the company strong even under lockdown, keeping jobs safe.
Great in house training offered to help you be your best.
Management request, and are responsive to feedback.
Management have made real efforts to support the team during the unpredictable events lockdown has brought about. 
A bonus scheme which incentivises your hard work.

Challenges (possibly, depending on personal preference):
Can be overwhelming initially, though management have an understanding of this and assist with certain tasks until new Art Club Managers have settled in more.
Some evening hours, for which the team have been offered a safety app, should they feel uneasy. Having said that, I felt safe in the location of my work place and did not have need of the app.


Development - art-K management are very interested in employees' individual interests and strengths and really respond to this. I've been encouraged to shape my role to my particular skillset and across the company there's a strong spirit of continual learning and development - with regular skills workshops and additional training on offer. They are very receptive to all ideas you have on developing your role and will actively support you to put your ideas into place, there's a real can-do attitude. Being a small company means there aren't bureaucratic processes to battle through, it's very fast-moving which is exciting!

Well-being - we've been given a wide range of support to deal with the ongoing Covid situation - including a wellbeing workshop on how to deal with stress, care packages, protective equipment, and free provision of professional counselling.

Community - there's a really strong community spirit, despite being geographically spread out we all communicate regularly (both formally and informally!) via various channels including Zoom, Slack, Whatsapp and phonecalls. The level of support between colleagues has been amazing - everyone is very generous with their time and ideas, and working closely with so many talented artists and teachers is very creatively inspiring!

2 years ago I was lucky enough to find art-K and work as an art assistant at one of their first franchises. As a creative myself, this was so exciting and rewarding, especially watching children develop their artistic skills through amazingly well thought out projects created over the life span of art-K.

Roughly a year ago I met the family who began art-K. They were very approachable and interested in all who work under the art-K umbrella. I was then offered a chance to open my own franchise, I was taken aback as I never thought I would have such an amazing opportunity in my life, I Immediately felt like one of the art-K family.

As someone who suffers with anxiety I had a lot of worries about leaving my 9-5 job to start my own business, which I had no experience in. However the support I received from the franchise was invaluable and no matter how silly my questions were someone in the team was always on hand to help. I put a lot of trust in this franchise and I am so glad I did, a year in and its the best thing that has happened to me. I opened my studio in September 2019, however with uncertain times due to lockdown I was very worried that my business in its infancy would struggle. This has not been the case, the dedication of the Franchise saw the business thrive and since reopening my students numbers have grown significantly.

This Job has quite literally changed my life and I couldn’t thank them enough! I love teaching my students, who inspire me everyday. I now have time to paint, for the first time in 6 years.

Every member of the art-K Team is absolutely fabulous - at the core of everything art-K do is a genuine love and passion for art and for teaching. Never did I have a question or concern that someone wasn't able or willing to help me out with, and despite all staff being largely in separate locations and me often working remotely, I never felt isolated or as though I wasn't part of a great team. art-K is an incredibly efficiently and effectively run company, with an emphasis on growth that in my experience has consistently delivered - I am genuinely incredibly excited for the future of art-K and can't wait to see it become a household name and a lifeline for all of those arty individuals out there!

The staff benefits are brilliant, as are the opportunities for personal and professional development. There's an exceptional amount of interesting training available to staff (both Teachers and Central) that I can't fault. As a member of the Central Team I often had the opportunity to travel to other branches as well, which I've been particularly grateful for - the physical working spaces are inspiring and a lot of fun!

I feel some more regular salary reviews for non-teaching staff would be motivating and ensure that employees consistently feel valued and appreciated. There has also been times, with the incredible growth of the company, that workloads can become pretty intense, but with additional processes and an expansion to the Central Team this could very easily become more manageable.

Overall - I've loved working for art-K and would recommend it to anyone looking for a career within arts education.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Having your own studio and growing alongside it is incredibly rewarding. It’s great to see student numbers increase over time and to feel that your effort and results are recognised by the company. That recognition comes in different forms, and the additional benefits are a nice bonus.

On top of that, seeing young artists proudly take their work home with smiles on their faces and hearing from parents about the positive impact art has on their children, makes all the hard work worthwhile. The role also offers variety, no two days are the same and you get to be involved in many different areas, from teaching to marketing and customer service.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
This role requires a wide range of skills, and teaching is only a small part of the job. You are also responsible for sales, marketing, customer service, administration, and day to day studio management. It is a very full on role and most days are very busy.

Although there is good support from the central team to help reduce the admin workload, there is still a long list of tasks to manage every day. At times it can feel overwhelming, especially when classes are busy and everything happens at once. Holiday booking is also quite strict, which can be challenging when trying to balance time off in such a busy role. However, this is fairly typical for a position with a high level of responsibility.

What is the best part of working at the company?
* Opportunities for pay increases based on performance
* Teaching a diverse range of ages, from 6–18 and then adults up to 90
* Rewarding to see the impact of the classes on children’s confidence, artistic skill, and sense of belonging
* Creative freedom to buy art materials, decorate, and organise the studio
* Incredibly supportive and available senior management team. 
* Opportunity to learn a wide range of business skills through managing the studio—handling finances, marketing, administrative tasks, organising outreach events, managing a team, etc.
* A positive company culture, with a focus on mental health (access to BUPA, HEKA allowance, and strong support when struggling)
* Efforts to bring together a remote company through socials, coffee dates, and buddy systems
* Opportunities for growth within the company with the increase of internal roles


What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
* High level of responsibility for both studio performance and day-to-day operations, which can feel overwhelming and isolating when lone working in the early stages of the studio. As the club grows, the team grows & the workload and responsibility become more shared.
* Pressure to meet sales and retention targets
* Weekend and evening hours
* Annual leave is restrictive to term time, however the company is accommodating with special occasions.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Art teacher 110 salaries reported	£29,314 per year
Shift leader 17 salaries reported	£18.07 per hour
Human resources administrator 3 salaries reported	£29,000 per year
Recruiting coordinator 4 salaries reported	£28,500 per year
Human resources manager 3 salaries reported	£37,500 per year

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