“The Expensive” AMI Montessori

“Why is AMI education so expensive?” I get asked that a lot. Here are a few of my thoughts on this topic.

When I first heard about AMI – The Association Montessori Internationale – I was so excited!

I finally found the answer to all my questions about what authentic Montessori is and I decided that I want to bring AMI Montessori to my country.

When I found out that to start a Montessori school, I first needed to buy training that would cost me 10.000 €, it felt like a cold shower. How can anyone afford to pay that money?

WHY IS THE AMI TRAINING SO EXPENSIVE?

Why are Montessori materials so expensive?

Today, I run the AMI Training Center in Prague, Czech Republic. We also have our own Montessori school for children from 15 months to 15 years and our own farm and land. 

And I get asked the same very questions almost every day. However, while now I know the answer to these questions and I will get into numbers to explain, I also know how to make this education more affordable for you.

So, let’s talk numbers and find an answer to the question “Why does the AMI Diploma course cost 8.500 € at Montessori Institute Prague?”

AMI Diploma courses are organized in different formats by different training centers. There are summer courses, academic year courses, and modular courses. 

In Prague, we mostly provide modular courses, which means that you need to come for a particular amount of time to Prague if you want to train with us. 

The 6-12 Diploma course we host takes 27 weeks, from day 1 to graduation. We usually break this down into 6 modules of 4-5 weeks. There are some online sessions in between these modules. 

To host diploma courses, we rent a house. We provide (and, hence, create and buy) fully equipped training Montessori environments. We also must have furniture, shelves, equipment for the lecture room, and technology. We cover monthly overhead expenses, which means utilities, services, accounting, cleaning, IT, and all other work that needs to be done to run our courses. There is a lot to pay for. 

Further, to host our 6-12 Diploma course (for example), we hire two trainers for whom to give one diploma course is a full-time job. They also have to be paid, of course. We also hire readers who support our students by reading their album work. 

Very roughly all added up, our monthly cost is around 50 000 €. 

When we run a diploma course for 24 students, and each student pays 8 500 €, the total income is 204 000 €. Go ahead and do the math. There are 12 months in a year. 

Running an AMI Training Center does not make loads of money, even though at first sight one may think it does. But I still want to do this, because I believe in my mission, and I WANT TO BRING AMI MONTESSORI TO THE WORLD. 

The bare and honest truth in Prague is this: our AMI Diploma courses need to be much more expensive than they are. They are NOT EXPENSIVE ENOUGH.

This is why me and my team are constantly looking for new creative ways of funding our Montessori projects. Because over the years I have discovered one more truth:

I don’t ask myself why things are so expensive. I ask myself: HOW CAN I MAKE THIS HAPPEN? 

Those of you who know me can tell with certainty that I LOVE MAKING THINGS HAPPEN. I am not satisfied with just an idea or a thought that it would be nice if someone created a training center, opened a Montessori school, etc, etc. I SPEAK UP, find collaborators, and MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Long story short:  I get creative, and I am looking for OPPORTUNITIES, not limitations.

There are many successful people out there who are changing their lives for the better, they serve their communities and improve the lives of people around them overall. And the questions they ask themselves often sound like this:

How can I do it? 

How can I get the AMI Diploma training? 

How can I become an AMI trained guide? 

How can I bring AMI Montessori to my community?

These questions are looking for an opportunity. They are helping us do research in a completely different field of knowledge. We start to WANT THINGS TO HAPPEN, and the question of why certain things cost this much is no longer the stop sign – it’s just one line on our TO DO list full of actions and discoveries.

Let me tell you a story. We like stories in Montessori. 

This story is about Myriam. She is from Senegal. She managed to become AMI-trained, found a job in the US as a Montessori guide and got many years of experience. She is now back in Senegal, about to start her AMI Training of Trainers. I was blown away by her story, and I invite you all to read The Letter From Senegal To The World.

I know  we are all looking for opportunities. Myriam and I are not different from any of you. We also went through struggles, successes, and mistakes. And we are here to confirm what is possible. And really, the sky’s the limit.

And if you need a bit of encouragement and faith in you – I AM HERE, believing in you, knowing that you can do this. 

You can find a way to finance your Montessori training. You can open your Montessori School. You can open the AMI Training Center. And you can make it all work.

Being who I am, Mirka, the Chief Enthusiasm Officer, I have asked myself a new question. Wanna hear it?

What can I do to help you believe that YOU CAN?

During the past months, I have worked hard to find the answer and now I have it. I am so eager to share it with you! I invite you wholeheartedly to my FREE Masterclass to Discover How to Fund Your Montessori Projects and to finally acquire the belief that YOU CAN DO IT, TOO!

I will share with you the key lessons I learned throughout the 15 years of experience in making AMI Montessori education available in my country, and I will share with you many opportunities that I found to finance your Montessori work. And yes, if you are looking to finance your AMI education, I will talk about your possibilities as well!

Save the dates and sign up!

I will be LIVE with you on August 21-24, 2023, and I invite you to join the fun and the spirit of being together, to be able to experience the true connection and energy exchange between people from all over the world, who may want same things as you, who may be dreamers, enthusiasts, teachers, assistants, school administrators, people who believe in the true potential of Montessori education.

Change starts within us. And together making this change happen is more possible than ever.