.

What constitutes a teacher of fiqh to the Zaydis and who is it acceptable to learn from regarding this? Only asking because I’ve come across a female that is aware of the fiqh but is not necessarily a scholar and is interested in teaching me. I understand that students of knowledge often teach. I’ve had a hard time finding people to teach me 1v1 and no one seems to have wanted to connect me besides one person in Sana’a and another person elsewhere out of 20-30 people. I was told it is due to security reasons and people walling scholars off from Americans, I guess, due to this.
Thanks! 

A teacher is someone who has thoroughly studied the fiqh of the school under another qualified teacher and has reached a reliable level of understanding that enables him to teach it. It is not necessary for him to be an established scholar; he may still be a ṭālib al-ʿilm (student of knowledge) as long as he has mastered the material he is teaching.

As you mentioned, it can indeed be difficult to find such a teacher. If a proper teacher is not available, one may learn the basic principles from books and from others who have previously studied the school’s fiqh, each according to their level of knowledge. However, advanced and thorough study ultimately requires a qualified teacher.

Most importantly, one should learn the school of the ʿItraḥ ʿalayhim al-salām, Zaydism, from someone who believes in it. If the person teaching does not themselves adhere to Zaydism, this can be problematic for a Zaydī student, as people are naturally influenced by their teachers.

wa salam