Having flat or vary tuition fee rate

[TenTigers]

I concur with LPS..in all honesty, I don't know what to charge for privates. I have charged 150.00 an hr, but that was travelling to the kid's home (John Barry's son)
If you look at it this way, a lawyer goes to school for what, 6 yrs? And he charges 250-500, etc per hr.
I've been studying over 30 yrs. So how much is my time worth? Yeah, it's crazy.
BUT..personally, I also find private lessons to be draining. I really enjoy teaching a large group. I feed off the energy.
Dollar for dollar, unless you teach several privates a da, it ain't worth the time and energy.
Besides, group classes are infinately better. They get to feed off of that group energy, they get to touch hands with different types of people, the healthy competition is motivating.

[David Jamieson]

Beginners and intermediates will always benefit more from full class.

private lessons would be an expensive waste of time for the student and a profitable waste fo time for the teacher.

private lessons for beginners is a long road.
For people who have proficiency, they are quite good at getting further exposed to depth of knowledge that can actually be difficult to get in an open class.

[MasterKiller]

Oh, since there is much interest in the topic, I would like to put one more question
here. What about if the school charges student on one end of the varying scale - zero. That means free training is given. My guess is that there might be problem if some students get free training while others do pay their monthly due.


KC
Hong Kong

I have chairity cases from time to time, but I don't advertise it. Some kids just can't come up with the money, no matter what. But, if you aren't paying full price, you're going to be mopping mats and cleaning bathrooms after class.

[SPJ]

1. in order to encourage full attendance

one may draw lot among students that never miss a class

and get a full refund of their tuition.

2. flat rate for a period. be it 3 months or 6 months.

3. varying the rate may be due to seasons in a year just like air line ticket

more enrollment in the summer off school

fewer enrollemnt during school periods (lower rate to encourage more enrollment)

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[bawang]

u guys sound like pimps
kung fu pimps

[Dragonzbane76]

where's my money b!tch....

[SanHeChuan]

1. in order to encourage full attendance

one may draw lot among students that never miss a class

and get a full refund of their tuition.

-----

I like the idea of rewarding attendance.

Though comming to class is it's own reward.

[MightyB]

3. varying the rate may be due to seasons in a year just like air line ticket

more enrollment in the summer off school

fewer enrollemnt during school periods (lower rate to encourage more enrollment)

-----

We experience the exact opposite. We're full in the Winter, empty in the Summer.

[GeneChing]

...it's all about cultivating high-end clientele. Sure, your bread and butter is group classes - that's what keeps your doors open. That's where you get the most work done really. But with private lessons, your student can afford to drop a few hundred an hour. That's high end. If you get enough of those lined up, it's a pretty decent gig.

To use the hooker analogy, do you want to be a $10 ho or a penthouse prostitute?

[David Jamieson]

Kung Fu just doesn't have enough hooker/pimp analogies I think.

[SanHeChuan]

[Gowgee]

I personally find the one flat fee best, with people able to choose whether they want to take full advantage of it or not. On the flip side, there are different kinds of upgrades:

One where you can upgrade to different class contents - so for example, you can take a sparring class, or weapons class, or chi gung class etc. The problem with this is that it breeds a kind of emotional materialism within students, where people are always chasing after the next technique etc. People can lose their focus on really working what they have, and see the teacher and school as a place that puts out, rather than a community they can work with.

The second idea is different rates for different levels - most places have beginners, intermediates and big guns classes, and the rates can be different for all three. I think this is fairer, and promotes a better atmosphere of community.

My 2 cents.

[SteveLau]

I personally find the one flat fee best, with people able to choose whether they want to take full advantage of it or not.

by Gowgee


Well, your 2 dollars input is highly appreciated. I share the above same thought too. One addition is that the school operator should have requirements in allowing student to take training class. In that there will not be spontaneous shopping. For example, it is a no no for a student without any knowledge and training of the style to take up a sparring class. This will keep student training with disrespect out of the school. In other words, the school should have training programs for different levels of student. So it will not be all up to the student to select what ever they want to learn. That will also help to prevent emotional materialism as you called it from appearing.


KC
Hong Kong

[Northwind]

Gotta say I am very happy I came across this thread... (I usually just wait for my email notification of threads but today I came to the site & cruised - it seems the email notification does let some slip thru)

Great to hear these responses.

I have been teaching on & off for about twenty years now, and although I have had a few go the road and make me proud...I am still teaching out of parks, etc. So I could use this thread and MANY more like it, where fellow teachers can share successes & failures, give advice - be it training games for the slow-ones or marketing ideas etc.

And yes, I know of NAPMA - but I can't afford them and it kinda seems to be catered to TKD types anyway.

So...Does anyone here either know of a site out there that caters to TCMA teachers sharing & communicating on topics such as these, or should we create an area here?

Am I the only one interested in this?

Thanks in advance !

[TenTigers]

there should be a teachers/school owners MA business section