FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

Q: How could I propose to offer a contract class, workshop or similar activity at The BirdHouse as an independent instructor?

A: To offer a contract class/workshop, please complete our online Application for Contract Instructors. Once received, your Application will be reviewed at a regular meeting by The BirdHouse Administrative Committee. You will be contacted within 2 weeks from the receipt of your application to determine its status. We ask that all information provided on the Application be included in a copy-and-paste able format. The class title, its description, purpose and modality, should be clear and as appealing as you would like to read it on our website.

Q: When may I offer a class at The BirdHouse?

A: The BirdHouse schedules its activities on a seasonal and quarterly basis. To propose a contract class for a specific quarter, instructors must submit their online Application by the specified deadline listed below.

Quarter        Months                                Proposal Due Dates
WINTER       December – February          September 1st
SPRING        March – May                        December 1st
SUMMER    June – August                      March 1st
FALL            September – November      June 1st

Q: What type of class or workshop may I offer at The BirdHouse?

A: The BirdHouse seeks to augment its educational programming objectives by selecting activities that cultivate biophilia in our participants – the love of life and the living world, and which promote regenerative land use practices. We do this by carefully curating classes and workshops that focus on the study of ecology and the arts, those that help build resilient communities and ones that challenge the status quo by offering alternative solutions to the way we co-exist and co-create.

Q: If my Application is approved, how will my class be promoted by The BirdHouse?

A: The BirdHouse will create and coordinate the following marketing and promotional items for your class, should it be approved:

  • List on our website’s calendar of events
  • List in our newsletter
  • Email sent to our email list (approximately 1,000)
  • Facebook Event
  • Conduct a limited distribution of any marketing materials you provide us (e.g. postcards, posters, etc.) While we are confident that The BirdHouse can successfully market to its current membership base, we also recognize that we are in the midst of building our community and as such, Instructors will be responsible for securing the minimum number of participants they anticipate targeting through the class they propose on their Application.
 

Q: Are there other requirements that I will be responsible for, if approved to offer a contract class at
The BirdHouse?

A: An instructor may be required, on a very rare occasion, to procure a business license with the County of Los Angeles. Before completing an Application, we ask that instructors refer to the Department of Finance’s List of Business Activities that Require a Los Angeles County Business License (https://finance.lacity.org/sites/g/files/wph1051/f/County_Business_License.pdf), to determine if they require a business license.

In addition, the Director of Educational Development may determine that the nature of your proposed class may require additional liability insurance coverage. In such a case, the Director will contact and notify you of the appropriate insurance coverage for your class and will assist you through the process, if necessary.

Q: How will I be compensated?

A: Instructors are usually compensated between 50-60 percent of all class registration dues paid by participants. Accordingly, 50-40 percent is retained by The BirdHouse, plus a $2 registration administrative fee per participant.

Q: What is the range of class fees paid by your membership?

A: While prices vary between the cost for a series of classes versus a one-day class or weekend workshop, participants on average tend to pay between $25 – $75 for a 2-3 hour one-day class or workshop.

We also suggest and prefer that Instructors develop class pricing to include a Member, Non-member and an early bird discount fee or rate that could be applied to both members and non-members.

Q: How many class participants could I instruct at The BirdHouse?

A: Our garden’s terrace sits approximately 30 participants in a classroom style and approximately 50 participants theatre-style. Should Instructors require more space, The BirdHouse has access to a local facility that houses up to 80 people (standing room). In either case, the Director of Educational Development, will assist you to determine the best fit for your class.

Q: Does The BirdHouse have normal hours of operation?

A: No, The BirdHouse does not have normal hours of operation due to its private-public function and use. The BirdHouse is only open during preplanned and prescheduled activities and it observes the following holidays/dates, unless otherwise decided by The BirdHouse Administrative Committee:

  • New Year’s Eve & Day (December 31 & January 1)
  • Martin Luther King’s Birthday (3rd Monday in January)
  • President’s Day (3rd Monday in February)
  • Memorial Day (4th Monday in May)
  • Independence Day (4th of July)
  • Labor Day (1st Monday in September)
  • Veteran’s Day (November 11)
  • Thanksgiving Day (4th Thursday in November)
  • Christmas Eve & Day (December 24th & 25th)
 

Q: What is your class cancellation and refund policy?

A: Participants shall receive a full class refund due to medical illness or if class(es) are cancelled by At the BirdHouse  for reasons outside of our control (e.g. classes not meeting minimum participation numbers). Instructors will not be compensated for these refunds. In case of a medical  illness in which the participant provides a doctor’s note, the participant will be refunded a prorated amount, if they have already attended a class in a series. Instructor shall receive the agreed upon percentage, for the prorated amount paid by the participant. Please note, participants paying by credit card will have the refund  amount credited to that credit card account. No refunds will be processed for no shows.

Q: If I plan to propose a youth-specific class and do not have a current Live Scan Report, where is the nearest place that I can go to get one?

A: Please visit the State of California, Department of Justice (DOJ) website and search for the LOS ANGELES COUNTY LIVE SCAN LOCATIONS, to identify the closest place that provides this service near you (http://file.lacounty.gov/sdsinter/dpss/238279_Los_Angeles_County_DOJ- approved_CBI_Sites_OCT2015.pdf).

Instructor must provide a copy of their Live Scan Report before any youth-specific educational services are provided on behalf of The BirdHouse.