Staff Agreements & Hiring
Topic guides on the agreements and policies a martial arts school uses with its staff: non-competes, student and staff non-solicitation, morals and professional-conduct clauses, background checks, dress and grooming codes, pay structures, student data and trade secrets, and how to handle an instructor’s departure. Written across jurisdictions, with links to the state and province guides for the local rules.
-
When a Martial Arts Instructor Leaves: Protecting Students, Records and Accounts
Students can choose where they train. Departing instructors cannot copy confidential records, divert school business while still employed, or break…
Read More » -
Protecting Your Student List: Martial Arts School Data, Trade Secrets and Confidentiality Agreements
A school can have a strong legal claim over its confidential student records without any non-compete at all, but only…
Read More » -
How to Pay Martial Arts Instructors Legally: Hourly, Salary, Commission, Per-Class and Free Tuition
A salary is a way of paying people, not an overtime exemption, and calling someone a teacher or a contractor…
Read More » -
Dress Codes and Grooming Policies for Martial Arts Instructors: What Holds Up
Clean uniforms, short nails and secured hair are easy to defend. Haircut rules, beard bans and gendered appearance requirements are…
Read More » -
Background Checks for Martial Arts Instructors Who Teach Children: U.S. and Canadian Rules
Screening child-facing staff is expected of every martial arts school, but how and when you may ask about a criminal…
Read More » -
Morals Clauses and Codes of Conduct for Martial Arts Instructors: What a School Can Require
A specific professional-conduct and safeguarding policy protects a martial arts school far better than a sweeping promise to maintain good…
Read More » -
Non-Solicitation Agreements for Martial Arts Instructors: Students, Staff and the Non-Acceptance Trap
A student non-solicitation clause is usually the most useful restrictive covenant a martial arts school can have, and the easiest…
Read More » -
Non-Compete Laws for Martial Arts Instructors: Every State and Province (2026)
Can a martial arts school make an instructor sign a non-compete? In 2026 the answer depends entirely on the state…
Read More »