ASMs: Whether to use a Student Assistant?

[ambrosialx]

Ok so I am looking for advice/personal experience in this regard. The show I am stage manager and lighting designer has basically no budget for an ASM though I would really appreciate one. So it has been offered to me to have a highschool co-op student serve as my ASM. Is this worth it or will it just be more work for me? I am also prepping paperwork for a tour of 27 venues for a different show during this time so I really don't need extra work!

Edit to subject line-Rebbe

[MatthewShiner]

I think that you can gain something from an assistant . . . it might be an "assistant to" rather then a straight "assistant". 

[nick_tochelli]

I agree with Matt.

You might be surprised to find yourself remembering things you might have forgotten over the course of time. Same thing happened to me when I was coaching hockey. I suddenly remembered all this stuff about the basics of what I had to coach that I had committed to muscle memory and no longer consciously thought about but had to impart to those not in the know.

The flip side is you might get someone who is emotionally immature who can't handle any amount of pressure and sandbags your production. Hopefully that's not the case and has only happened once or twice to me when dealing with high school kids.

[missliz]

I think it's an excellent idea as long as you're sure they're committed. The students you find may not (probably won't) have a lot of experience, but if they're excited and interested it'll be much easier in the long run. I think of them more like a trainee than an ASM.