From what I've seen, the Online portion covers the types of actions, parts of guns and cartridges, and how ammo works, etc.
Then phase 2 covers the actual handling, loading, unloading, stance, sighting, etc. In the classroom, and then goes out to the range for the live fire.
In my area where pretty much every range offers a beginning handgun class for around $125.
So that is where my total cost for my classes have to be.
With NRA charging them $60 to do the online training, I can charge a maximum of $65 for my part, or I can take them to the range where they see signs plastered all over the place for a cheaper class than the one I'm giving them...
I have to rent ranges to do the class, so my expenses are $50 an hour to rent a classroom, and $150 per hour on the range.
So I have to spend at least $200 and that's if I can cover everything in just 2 hours (which I doubt)
To break even I will need at least 4 students per class.
That's not including ammo costs.
In addition the NRA Requires a maximum of 2 shooters for every Certified Instructor, which means my options are:
Only allow 2 people to shoot at a time.
Pay other Instructors to observe for the range period.
Each student is supposed to shoot about 100 rounds, going 2 at a time that isn't going to happen in an hour, which adds at least another $150 to my costs.
Or I can add to the costs to pay a 2nd instructor, but even that only offers 4 shooters at a time. Which means I can have 8 students or offer less than 30 minutes of range time each.
Finally, to find out what the students actually see in Phase 1 I have to pay $60 and take it myself which is completely stupid.
To sum up, I have no problem with an online portion, if they offered such at $20-$30 per student I would back it fully, providing they also offered the online access to Instructors for free.
The current plan takes about half my income while also increasing the costs for me to run the classes.
Basically it means I'm looking hard at a USCCA, Rangemasters, ICE Training, etc instructor development class in the near future, and I'm unsure if I will even bother to renew the NRA Credentials when they expire...