@Garebo Anybody who fixes broken watches with his spirit is just trying to impress people. Anybody who is trying to impress people is in it for the money. Run the other way.
A real spiritual leader will express his/her teaching in a way that doesn’t self-aggrandize.
I recommend trying qi gong on your own before talking to a teacher. For zen and qi gong I did my own reading and did my own practice first. Later, I decided I was interested enough in zen to find a teacher. I’m currently taking a “yoga” class in college that has some qi gong in it also, but I wasn’t really looking for a qi gong teacher.
For any kind of spiritual or esoteric tradition, it is very important to separate the culture from the technique/truth. There are at least two ways to do this:
1) Dive into the culture without regard for truth until it is a part of you. Later, you will recognize what is culture and what is truth.
2) Inquire sincerely about every aspect of the practice. Answer these questions on your own. This means more work on your part but if it’s something you’re interested in, it won’t seem like work.
An example of number 2 might be to test the claim that qi can repair watches. How would you do this? Practice qi gong for a few months to a year and see if there is anything in it that could repair a watch. If it is not immediately obvious to you how to repair a watch with qi gong after a year or two or practice, it probably is not real. Note that you need not actually be able to repair the watch (for example) after a year, but you would at least have the correct idea about how to do it with the understanding of what you would need to practice.
For self-learning, I would find a few references for the 8 Pieces of Brocade and some breathing techniques and just practice those for awhile until you’re comfortable with them. There’s no reason to pay anybody to teach you something you can learn yourself. If you want to become a teacher yourself or want to get into advanced aspects of the practice, then seek a qualified teacher.
The important thing about getting qi gong information from the internet is to cross-check what you learn from various sources. Never trust just a single website.
Good luck!