First of all, welcome all of you "newbies". We were all newbies once, even those stuck up snobs. The point about the guild having teachers from out of the area that the guild helps pay for is a very good one. There are some great opportunities there. Just go then if you want. Old memebers are hard to swing over, even at church. They don't like change. They are old. They will be gone sometime and then the guild will either be dead, too, of full of youngers that think differently.
Also, the Red Hat society here are a bunch of snobs, too, or what we used to call soshes. It runs through any organization where people are allowed to be like that. Not at this forum. I love us!! :D :D