I knew that if I wanted to earn more, I should not work for my boss. Instead I should work for all the other customers coming to the shop (like band and orchestra directors or private clients) because when I did, I earned more money. I wasn’t trying to be ungrateful for the job, I could just do math.

There is a worldwide shortage of instrument repair technicians. As an industry we need to promote instrument repair as a viable career path and we need to create local training opportunities for technicians.

When taking on an apprentice, the mentor tech's personal productivity will go down. Period. There is no shuffling of the mentor's day to make up for the fact that an apprentice will require attention. How do you, as an owner, compensate for the training they're offering without going broke yourself?

How do you learn instrument repair in the USA? The options are On-The-Job training, Trade Schools, Apprenticeships or Online Lessons. Each has pros and cons to consider so let's cover them all. 

No matter how you make your contractual agreement, you are only exchanging knowledge for income and you don’t need a fancy title, certificate or permission to do so. Just hang the shingle and start educating more technicians. 

Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Teach a new tech the concepts, and you'll develop better technicians faster. Get the list of hard and soft skills concepts every technician needs to learn.