I’ve always thought that being self-taught at certain skills is a great thing to be able to say.

Self-education holds many advantages: The student learns their chosen skill at their own pace, and gets to pick their skill from a list of thousands. It’s up to you what you would like to learn, and how fast.

Books, online resources, and videos are all some suggested resources for the self-taught student. Whether you are trying to learn how to play bridge, how to play guitar, or how to paint, you would have to begin somewhere.

But teaching yourself doesn’t exclude the need to find a teacher – or mean that a teacher can’t be useful to expanding your learning.

When self-taught, students risk integrating small, bad habits or flaws into their early learning just because a teacher was never there to correct them.

As a self-taught guitarist, I had various ways of playing certain chords (but that didn’t mean it was the correct way to do it).

If you learned bridge skills yourself, one or two sessions with a professional can always compliment what you’ve already learned as long as you find the right teacher for your needs.

Here are tips for finding your next bridge teacher to guarantee you’re taught by the best possible match for you.

1. Online… or not?

Decide how you would like to learn more about bridge.

Online bridge lessons via Skype, Zoom, or a BBO teaching table are offered by many experienced bridge teachers with knowledge to pass on. The benefit of online lessons includes absolute convenience for the user – and an interactive lesson environment you’re already familiar with.

Face-to-face lessons are offered by many teachers and bridge clubs. If you prefer to learn by interacting with a real card deck (or prefer a classroom setup), seek an appropriate bridge teacher near you.

2. Search for “bridge teachers”

Modern bridge players don’t have to search the old-fashioned way, and there’s no need to resort to the classifieds section in the hopes that there’s a bridge teacher ad this week.

Use the internet.

Search for tags which fit the topic best.

When you search, know that there are short-tail keywords (and long-tail keywords). Short ones contain a few words, but longer ones can be up to an entire sentence. Search bridge teachers as a short tag, but bridge teachers near my area as a longer one – and that’s just one example.

3. Decide your skill level

Before settling on a bridge teacher, decide your own skill level and what you would like to learn.

This is important to make sure that you can find the best teaching match. Teachers will usually state their skill level on their website, biography, or advertisement – but if you don’t see it, ask. Many teachers are skill-specific.

If you aren’t sure what your bridge skill level is yet, a simple discussion with a prospective teacher can establish it. Add your questions to a message or e-mail – how long you have been playing (and your accomplishments, if any) might matter to establish your table aptitude.

4. Consider bridge greats

There’s a lot of bridge teachers in the world, and the choice can be overwhelming when trying to choose the best one.

My first recommendation is to choose several of them – there’s no rule that says you have to learn from only one teacher in a lifetime playing bridge.

Every teacher has something new they can teach – or a new way in which to teach it.

Consider bridge greats, too. Many bridge writers and champions are also bridge tutors and teachers.

Is there someone in bridge you’ve always admired and looked up to? Book a lesson. They’ll appreciate it, and you’ll always learn something new about the game.

5. Take notes

If you’re taking a lesson online, ask the teacher’s permission to record the lesson (and any question-and-answer sessions) as a screen capture. It’s the best way to save an important lesson for later – even if “later” means that you would like to watch it again in five years from now.

If your lesson isn’t online, always (and this means always) remember to take notes. It’s for the same reason you would screen capture an online lesson: Later reference.

6. Get the most out of it

Lessons with a teacher means that you are paying for their time – and it’s fair to use the opportunity to gain the most from the session you can.

Ask questions, and almost always.

If there’s anything you would like to know (or would like explained in a better way), just ask your bridge teacher. You’d be surprised at how many students feel so “put on the spot” during a lesson that they forget to ask anything!

And of course, take notes.