Cost To Teach In Students Home
Found in: Fees Rates & Cost, Studio Management
Joan H. Canada
Greetings – I have a couple of families who would like me to come and teach in their homes, which would require a 20-25 minute drive each way.
Any ideas re: how to calculate extra fees to charge for compensation of my time to drive there and back (40-50 minutes driving) as well as travel/gas costs? I am thinking that I need to come up with a “per lesson” surcharge for this, that makes it worth my time and yet isn’t prohibitive for them. Is it possible?
Elaine F. South Carolina
It depends on what you need:
If you need to build your business and you feel like they would be the kind of people who talk to everyone they meet and spread the word, that’s one price
But if you don’t need that, I’d charge them the professional rate: i.e. the time spent driving is time you could have spent teaching someone else- so charge your lesson fee amount. Then there’s the money on gas. So you might even mention a $10 surcharge. If that sounds like too much, consider that other professionals seldom make house calls, consider the huge service you are providing the family and the extra energy it is going to take to do the work of packing and unpacking your tools at every place you go.
Jan D. Ohio
Personally, I won’t teach at students’ homes unless there is a really good reason why they can’t come to me.
When I first started teaching a few neighbors and friends when I was a teenager, I went to their homes because my parents’ home was very small. Some situations were OK and others weren’t. Pets and other children in the house were always disruptive. And, no matter how I tried to plan and prepare, I always needed something that I didn’t have with me. A teacher I know was attacked by the student’s dog when she went to his house for a lesson.
I had one student whose mom was handicapped and whose dad was in the military and away from home for extended periods so her only chance for lessons was for someone to come to her. I taught at a local university at the time and stopped by her house on my way home so this arrangement didn’t require any extra driving or time on my part. Usually the only ones at home were mom and daughter so there were no distractions.
I get many requests for in-home lessons and the number increases every year. Almost all of them give the excuse that they are too busy and they can’t fit lessons in any other way. That’s a red flag right there. The few times I have convinced them to come to me, they haven’t lasted long because they are too busy. So…many times they are so overscheduled, they really shouldn’t even consider piano lessons unless they are willing to make time in their schedules for attending lessons and for practicing.
With that said, I have gone to another location to teach when the group who wants the lessons closer to home allowed me to have an Free Introductory Session to attract and sign up enough students to make the trip worthwhile. I once set up three group lessons with 16 students at a church about 15 minutes away that was a central location for most of us. I also tried to combine this trip with as many errands as I could so that I really wasn’t travelling more than I would have just running errands.
Charging enough to cover travel time, wear and tear on my vehicle, and gas would be prohibitive for most students. A 50 minute round trip alone is the equivalent of 2 private lessons or one large group. Of course, I know a teacher who tells people who ask for in-home lessons a ridiculously high price and she actually has a few who pay it and have paid it for quite some time. My advice is to make sure you aren’t selling yourself short. Would you be better off filling the same time with a couple of groups or a few private students? What is the reason they want you to come to them? Is there a really good reason they can’t come to you or is it the only way they are willing to fit lessons into their schedule?
Shanta H., Minnesota
Only you can decide how much more you want to charge or if this is even worth it for you. However, If you decide that you’re willing to do it, I would include both an amount based on a mileage reimbursement rate and an hourly rate comparable to your teaching rate for your driving time. As your studio grows you’ll be wanting those driving hours back!
I’d also caution, from experience, that having a family lesson like this with only one family can expose you to more of the family “baggage” than if there were another family in the lesson. Particularly because the lesson takes place on their territory, not yours.
If this were me, I would probably nicely let the dad know that I don’t travel to students’ homes because of the shared lesson structure and the time constraints; and I’d invite him to an Intro session. However, I totally understand feeling new and looking for students anywhere and everywhere. Only you can decide if this will work for you long term.
Nicole O., California
I’ve only had minimal experience with this, but thought I’d chime in. I had a 90 year old student who lived in an assisted living home. After talking with her daughter and her caretaker, they agreed to pay for my travel time as well as the lesson fee. It took me 60 minutes to get to her and back so I charged what I would for a 60 minute private lesson in addition to the private lesson I was giving the student. They were fine with this. I find again and again that if I value my time, others will too.