Advice on balancing a barter relationship with my guitar teacher

Hi everyone,

I’m in a bit of a tricky situation and could use some advice. I have a guitar teacher I really like, and we have a special arrangement where I get free lessons in exchange for managing his social media. This isn’t something he does for other students, he likes talking about music with me and our lessons are more personal.

I enjoy this arrangement and really value our relationship, but I’m 18 and starting to think about college and money. I’m wondering if and how I could start getting paid for my social media work without ruining our teacher–student relationship or making things too transactional.

I’m thinking about a “hybrid” approach, where the lessons are still covered by my work, but I could get paid for extra hours or if the social media actually generates revenue. The problem is, I’ve never done this before, and I’m not sure how to approach it or if I should even try.

Has anyone been in a similar barter situation that transitioned to paid work? How did you handle it without damaging the personal or professional relationship?

Any advice or insight would be super appreciated!