Don’t Miss These 4 Red Flags When Hiring Instructor Your Next Instructor

If you want to build a championship team at your martial arts school, you need to get real good at spotting red flags in the hiring process.

Hiring the wrong instructor doesn’t just cost you money.
It costs you your time, your culture, and sometimes even your reputation.

Here are the 4 red flags I never ignore when I’m hiring an instructor, whether they are hired from the inside or the outside. 

🚩 Red Flag #1: They Show Up Late

If an applicant shows up even ONE minute late to an interview or meeting, they’re out. No exceptions.
Yeah yeah, I’ve heard it before:
“Cut the person some slack, things happen.”

And I agree… things do happen.

But if they can’t be on time when they’re trying to impress you, how do you think they’ll act after 3 months on payroll?

The best ability is dependability.

I’ve ignored this red flag in the past, and it always came back to bite me. Hard pass.

🚩 Red Flag #2: They've Trained at Too Many Different Schools

Unless they’ve moved around for legit reasons (military service, family, career change), this is a major red flag.

If someone has bounced from school to school… or worse, job to job… they may: have trouble following systems, constantly clash with leadership, struggle with commitment or authority

This doesn’t mean they’re automatically disqualified. But it does mean you need to do your homework.

👉 Call their references.
👉 Ask why they left.
👉 Listen closely to how they answer.

By the way- I have a 3 page doc that outlines our hiring process and interview questions. Want it for free? Reply “red flag” below now and I’ll send it over. 

🚩 Red Flag #3: They Complain About Their Old Boss

Nobody wants to listen to someone complain about their ex.
Even if they were technically right… it’s still a red flag.

If they bash their former school or boss during the interview, what do you think they’ll say about you?

Look, I’m not saying they can’t talk about negative experiences.
But it should be respectful, brief, and professional. That’s the standard.

🚩 Red Flag #4: They Push Back on a Background Check

This one is non-negotiable.

If someone’s going to be around kids and families, you owe it to your community to run a background check. State and federal. 

Just because something shows up doesn’t mean you won’t hire them.
If they made a dumb mistake as a teenager and have clearly grown from it, that’s one thing.

But if they won’t give you permission to run it?
🚨 That’s a hard no.

You can run one yourself, or use a service like Academy Safe to get it done.
It’s easy. It’s affordable. And it could save your school from a major disaster.

Final Thought:

Hiring instructors isn’t just about who’s best on the mat. It’s about who shows up on time. Who protects your culture. Who makes your school a place families trust.

Get better at spotting the red flags early will save you a ton of aggravation.