Recently I received an e-mail from someone who was going to be moving to our area and was interested in learning Tai Chi. She'd found me online and wanted to know where she should go. Since she was a little vague I replied asking for information. As I began to write back I realized that there was quite a few things we both needed her to answer in order to be able to further her instruction in the art. I came up with a questionaire that I believe will be of great aid to any student, particularly at the outset of their search for instruction since it forces them to evaluate what their goals are and how they plan to achieve them. To that end I'm reproducing a more general version of this questionaire so prospective students have a better idea of how to proceed in their search for instruction.

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1-Training Duration- Like any art it's an endless process. There's no end so if you truly want to practice understand that you are incorporating something into your life. Practicing any art, martial or otherwise is (to varying degrees) a change in lifestyle. That being said:
How long do you plan to train? Are you looking to train for more or less than one hour per session? How many sessions per week? (Bear in mind that some instructors, myself included, are more demanding).

2-Training Content- Are you looking for a refresher course on something your already know? Are you looking for an introduction into Tai Chi? Are you looking to learn something specific, like a seminar on training some particular weapon or form?

3-Goals- What do you want to achieve MOST through your practice (although a good instructor trains all of the following everyone has some prefference or area of focus): physical fitness, relaxation (mind or body), self-defense, spiritual growth?

4-Cost- The way things are right now this is usually one the biggest factors for most people so it's vital that you know ahead of time how much you're going to be spending. Cost of instruction will vary, but there's 2 major factors: 1-who's the instructor, 2-what circumstances will you be learning under? The first usually boils down to fame; a more famouse instructor has greater demand and charges more (although as with all things fame is not always an indicator of quality). The second is a matter of group vs private instruction. Private classes are great, the instructor is there just for you and he can help you work on all the things you personally need. However this also raises the cost significantly. Commercial instructors depend on this income and they need to earn certain amounts in certain hours. This is the benefit of group instruction, since the cost is split between students the price you pay is a fraction of the total cost. However the downside is that the hands-on time you get with the instructor is also divided up.

Now lets talk numbers, prices can vary anywhere from 10 dollars per hour of instruction upwards to several thousand dollars. This varies a lot depending on the factors I detailed above. Keep in mind that this is merely a starting point, as always I encourage students to question what they learn; google some local schools, shop around and compare prices.
Most private lessons will circulate from $30-100 per hour. Group classes will vary greatly. This depends on the level of instruction and the formality. Larger, more laid back groups who practice in local parks tend to be cheaper (no overhead for the instructor means he/she can charge less) and will generaly be anywhere from $10-35 per session (some also give longer or shoter sessions, which affects the price).
As always there's some people who teach for free. I'm not going to lie and say that every one who does is unskilled because that is simply untrue. There are many who just love the art so much that they choose to teach freely (the way some lawyers work pro-bono), but as always the quality of the instructor varies greatly so be careful of trying to save money only to end up wasting time. Don't expect an amazing master to show up and train you for free. The fact is the best instructors spend most of their time practicing the art, which means they have to make a living off their skills to survive. Also, instructors that teach for free can afford to be more demanding of their students, as well as discriminating in who they choose to train since they don't depend on them for their livelihood. This means they can be more selective, and only take students recommended by other instructors or friends and family members.
In all honesty you usually get what you pay for, so be cautious and frugal, but not cheap.

5-Personal Experience- Do you have any previous training? With whom and for how long? Do you practice any particular style or forms (ie Yang, Chen)? Do you practice any weapons?

6-Learning Preference- Do you preffer a more hands-on, critical/focused approach (with the intructor constantly pointing out areas to improve on) or do you prefer a more hands-off approach (learning more by observation with minimal pointers from the instructor so you can learn to fix things yourself, over time and at your own pace)?
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After answering these questions you should be able to narrow your search quite a bit, as well as have some good questions to ask potential instructors so you can find the one that's right for you. Good luck!

-Jon