You have decided to learn to play guitar and to find a good guitar teacher in your area.
Here are 5 things to bear in mind as you start your search.

1. Experience.
   When someone is providing guitar lessons you want to know that they have the necessary experience.
   They should have been playing guitar themselves for a number of years.
   Ask about their history.
   Are they in a band? Do they perform regularly? Have they taught guitar lessons before?
2. Teaching style.
   Some guitar instructors follow a curriculum.
   You will have to follow their program exactly and you will not have much choice in the music you learn.
   Others run more informal guitar lessons and you will get to choose which songs you would like to begin learning.
   Ask any potential guitar teacher which style he or she uses with their students.
   
3. Specializing.
   Guitar teachers often build up expertize in certain areas.
   For example someone who has played in a rock band will have expertize in the use of the guitar for Rock and Roll.
   A guitar teacher whose primary experience is as a singer/songwriter will be more specialized in folk music.
   The Rock and Roll teacher is going to struggle teaching you how to finger-pick, just as the folk guitarist will struggle to teach you power chords or the effective use of a distortion pedal.
   Consider the genre of music do you want to play and look for a teacher who has specialized in that area!
4. Patient.
   A great musician does not automatically make for a great teacher.
   If you are a beginner guitarist you will want to find an instructor who has patience.
   You will make lots of mistakes as you start and your instructor will have to explain some things multiple times.
   You should be encouraged and excited at the end of your guitar lessons.
   It is always a pleasure to work with a patient guitar teacher.
   
5. Cost.
   This is a factor for most people, especially beginners.
   Guitar teachers set their own rates and there is a wide range of prices they charge.
   Guitar lessons in Edmonton tend to cost anything from $15 for a 30 minute session to $50 per 30 minute session.
   

Some of these things are easy to find out, and some are more difficult.
If at all possible ask your potential instructors for references from other students before you sign up.
Of course if you have received a referral from a friend then they will often be excited to tell you what the guitar teacher is like.