When choosing a teacher do some research 1st because the guitar teaching business is definitely unregulated and full of bad teachers 1.
Does he know his theory? Has he studied? 2.
What are his musical credentials? 3.
When "trialing" a lesson with a teacher test him out..
How long does it take him to work out 1 of your CD song requests by ear especially those with altered chords? Can he read music? Can he cover more than 1 genre? or is he just a Metal player? 4.
Try and avoid teachers in shops.
You might be lucky finding a pro experienced teacher in a music shop but generally shops employ kids whom aren't playing properly themselves 5.
It's important you have a good relationship with your teacher.
This can help you ' the student " relax and not feel pressured 6.
Is the teaching being interrupted by phone calls etc? A lot of teachers will not make up the time.
Is the teacher punctual? 7.
Preferably choose a teacher who runs his own school and is preferably a full time music teacher/musician not a part time teacher with basic music skills..
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Once again one shouldn't generalise because there are some good teachers who work for shops etc...
But think about it? The music teacher who runs his own teaching program relies on his profession and business because its his occupation.
He has to retain high standards to retain his students.
What occurs between teacher and student affects him totally...
A teacher in a shop can walk away from his teaching when he wants because it doesn't affect him but the shop he works for.
And then just find another shop etc.
At the end of the day the student suffers and It occurs this time and time again.