Astro-talks at schools.

[Swithin StCleeve]

I bet there's quite a few on here that have visited schools and done talks on astronomy. I teach music at a couple of schools and have done several none-paid astro talks for the primary school kids over the years. I've taken in some telescopes and some banners from the local society, and the kids have asked some really interesting questions, (and a few daft ones).
I've only done this as a favour to the schools I teach at, but I did wonder about approaching other schools once lock-down is over, and doing it for a small fee. Has anyone here had any experience of this? I'm no expert but I'm an enthusiastic practical observer.

 

I'm mostly wondering what sort of fee would be reasonable, and how I'd go about getting the bookings. Is there a better way than approaching the schools directly? 

[SteveWolves]

Hi

Could you contact the local education authorities they may be able to distribute your offer.

Regards Steve.

[bingevader]

Only ever talked in our school and taken stargazing sessions.

My fees would be astronomical.

[John]

I've done sessions at my local primary during their science week. I take along a solar scope and do sessions a class at a time generally on the Sun and the solar system and, if clear, a bit of solar observing. I'm generally there for a morning or an afternoon. I don't charge and nor would I consider doing so. It's very enjoyable 

 

 

 

[Stu]

Likewise, I’ve done one session in a local school that approached me, and was planning more but lockdown is preventing that currently. Just did it as a freebie to encourage the children and think that’s likely the best approach.

We did do an observing session for a local country park as a society which was again free of charge but they did make a donation to club funds out of what they charged people to cover their costs. Nothing was asked for though as it was just a fun event to take part in and allowed us to observe from a lovely location.

[Swithin StCleeve]

Would people consider it 'bad form' to charge a fee then? 
If you work in the week and have to take an afternoon off to visit a school, I don't think asking for a fee would be remiss. I do free talks at the schools I teach at, and that creates goodwill, so I don't mind that at all. Because I'm involved with the schools already it's no different if I was a Dad with a kid in the school.
But one school last year which I'm not involved with, did ask me to go in, and I spent ages setting up scopes and stuff, and was there most of the afternoon, and they were very pleased. Yet I did come away thinking 'they should have at least offered me something'. If only for the diesel I'd used!
Perhaps it's because I'm self-employed I'm constantly thinking of a 'time is money' thing.

Edited April 28, 2020 by Swithin StCleeve

[Owmuchonomy]

I have done various school talks and scope surgeries in the local community. I don’t charge for my services but if folk insist then I choose a charity or currently give them the just giving page for our planetarium build fund. At the Observatory we ticket and charge but I take nothing as I am a volunteer. It’s a CIC so all gets ploughed back into that.

[CraigT82]

A lot of schools are relying on parents to pay for stationary and textbooks. Not sure how many will be able to find money to pay you for an afternoon talk?  

 

[martin_h]

I recently gave a talk to some photography degree students (on astro photography) at the local college and they insisted I charge a fee.........so I did

[Swithin StCleeve]

The head teacher has said a few times that she usually has to pay people to come in and give talks. And as for text books, that's a bit of a joke at the schools I teach at, they have too many! Seriously. If they don't order so many, they get their allowance cut. I've seen the storeroom, they have loads!
Obviously all schools are different.

[Stu]

1 hour ago, Swithin StCleeve said:

Would people consider it 'bad form' to charge a fee then? 
If you work in the week and have to take an afternoon off to visit a school, I don't think asking for a fee would be remiss. I do free talks at the schools I teach at, and that creates goodwill, so I don't mind that at all. Because I'm involved with the schools already it's no different if I was a Dad with a kid in the school.
But one school last year which I'm not involved with, did ask me to go in, and I spent ages setting up scopes and stuff, and was there most of the afternoon, and they were very pleased. Yet I did come away thinking 'they should have at least offered me something'. If only for the diesel I'd used!
Perhaps it's because I'm self-employed I'm constantly thinking of a 'time is money' thing.

I think the thing is there are plenty of people around who are will do go in free of charge that they would probably seek out those people first. To be honest charging was never on my mind, I did it for the pleasure it gave me seeing the enthusiasm amongst the children and to try to give something back to the community.

I think Astro societies pay for lecturers, but not really sure how that whole thing works.

[Chaz2b]

A few years back I gave an introduction to astronomy to the local scouts group, really enjoyable for me, don’t know if it was for them though😳

As they were children, I didn’t want to ask for a fee, nor was one offered. If it’s students I think your offering just a bit more than an introduction with possible follow up lessons, then a fee should be offered, but for children? No I wouldn’t.

chaz

[Swithin StCleeve]

47 minutes ago, Stu said:

I think the thing is there are plenty of people around who are will do go in free of charge that they would probably seek out those people first. To be honest charging was never on my mind, I did it for the pleasure it gave me seeing the enthusiasm amongst the children and to try to give something back to the community.

I think Astro societies pay for lecturers, but not really sure how that whole thing works.

I've been doing the same thing for years, and thinking it noble to spread the word about the fantastic science of astronomy, (particularly as one school I go to has the vicar going in regularly telling them about creationism, but that's a different debate for another time).
But when I was asked to do a talk for this other school, and I wasn't even offered a tenner for petrol, or even a cup of coffee, I have to say I felt a bit of a mug, knowing that they pay other visitors. But then, perhaps they're paying 'experts', and I, as an amateur, don't warrant payment? I dunno.
Regarding  speakers for Astro societies, most of the people we book (I'm on the council for our local society), have a fee, which isn't much. Some come for nothing, but they're usually part of Universities that encourage 'outreach', so I think they get their fee in a roundabout way.
We have had people at our society who have asked for nothing, and we've given them something out of plain civility. 
  

[JamesF]

I think perhaps it comes down to how the whole setup works.

If you have all your own kit and props, sort out your own DBS checks, deal with your own safeguarding training, market what you do to schools and so on and the schools come to you asking you to do a presentation then payment would be expected.  I believe there are people for instance who have a little "pop-up" planetarium that they use and distribute their own materials as part of the presentation.

If you volunteer or you're promoting some other organisation then I think there's less expectation of getting paid unless you say up front for example, "I can do this if you'll cover the fuel costs".  In those cases the school might well expect to do more in terms of supporting the session.

I've spent quite a bit of time volunteering as a swimming coach for a local club and a school and I've been comfortable with not being paid for it, partly because I volunteered in the first place and partly because it can be a huge amount of fun.  And because I was volunteering the club and school both sorted out all the paperwork and training for me.  I have thought about saying to the school "Look, <some astronomical event> is happening next month.  Would you like me to bring in a telescope or two and just do an informal session to allow pupils who are interested to see it?"  Even if it's something fairly trivial like a "supermoon".  I don't think I'd want to charge for that either.

James

[Swithin StCleeve]

Cool. I think you're spot on with that. Especially the first paragraph.

Just out of interest, the 110 Messier Objects in your sig, did you find them with a go-to? (I only ask because I'm trying to cross them off by finding them star-hopping and I doubt if I'll ever find some of those Virgo galaxies this way).

[JamesF]

9 minutes ago, Swithin StCleeve said:

Just out of interest, the 110 Messier Objects in your sig, did you find them with a go-to? (I only ask because I'm trying to cross them off by finding them star-hopping and I doubt if I'll ever find some of those Virgo galaxies this way).

No, all by star-hopping.  And one or two of them were absolute pigs, though I started out with an ST80, then got an ST102 and found the last few with an ST120 when more aperture may well have made life easier.  The low-altitude summer ones can be quite awkward and there was one, I think in the 100 to 110 range, that I couldn't see night after night despite knowing I was looking in exactly the right place, until the seeing was just perfect.

I do have the advantage of living at quite a dark site however.  On decent nights there is very little light pollution here and the more obvious ones can be picked out without needing a telescope at all (M44, M42, M45, M31, even M33 if the seeing is good).  I do keep meaning to revisit them all with my dob, but up until recently the weather has not really been playing ball.

James

[Swithin StCleeve]

Oh man, you have my respect. I've kept astro-diaries since the early nineties and still have a sackfull of Messier objects I've never seen. I just don't have the skies, and when I do, (out in Shropshire), I can only get to see one or two new ones every night, if I'm lucky. I suppose I could join some mid-Wales star party and look through some guys* high-tech go-to, but that's not me finding them, is it?
I've seem M33 with the naked eye only twice ever - Wiltshire in the early nineties and the Elan Valley eighteen months ago. 
You must be mad for it james! 



*It might be a girl. But it's going to be a guy, isn't it?

[JamesF]

To be fair, some of them are all but impossible unless you're fairly near the south coast and have minimal LP from that direction.  I don't know, but I'd not be surprised if there are some that are completely impractical in the UK from anywhere north of, say, Bristol.  I love "the thrill of the chase" though.  Finding a target by star-hopping is almost as much pleasure as seeing the target itself.

On the other hand, for imaging GOTO and plate-solving all the way.  No mucking about there.  Photons are a-wasting...

James