Simpedia

Darla H. Kansas

Each teacher, of course, sets their own fees and decides whether or not to give any discounts, scholarships, etc, so there are lots of different answers to this question. I would encourage you to start out with less discounts, as it is easier to add them in than to take them away. Here is what I did: I started out with no discounts at all, every family paid the same for each child in their family–I did not have anyone enroll more than two students per family in the first couple of years. This worked fine for me. When families asked for a discount, I said the discount was in the materials fees because students share the same materials–other than a playlist and keypad. Parents were satisfied with this answer and enrolled their students. And this is still my official policy. However, I’ve had a third child from a couple of families begin later, and I did decide to give them a break, because, I know these families well and appreciate their commitment and feel good about the relationship we have. In the last year, I have also had a couple of families who wanted to sign up two of their children, but didn’t feel they could afford to. I have given them huge breaks, because I knew enough about these families that I knew I wanted them to be part of my studio regardless of how much they could pay. They know that what I’m doing for them is a special deal and do not broadcast it to others, so no one feels bad. This has helped me to fill up groups and has been well worth it to me at this point in time–I’ve now been teaching four and a half years. I would NOT have started out this way.

Good luck to you as you begin your SM journey!

Mark M. New York

I offer roughly a 10% discount for the second, third, fourth and so on members from a household. I round the figures so the actual amount can vary a bit across circumstances (e.g., private vs. group).

I know the arguments about how they’re getting the same thing from me so why should I discount, but there is something very much to be said about cultivating loyalty, and a household that is willing to pay for more than one tuition, or who comes back with another students even after a previous one had stopped, is a household exhibiting a high level of loyalty. The discount supports longer-term business success.

Pam M. Canada

I have a family with five children who all take lessons with me. I give them a 10% discount.

Joan H. Canada

I asked this question a few months ago as well. I offer 20% for the second child and 30% for the third.

Shanta R. Minnesota

I know many teachers do many different things. I take off 10% for family members in different lessons.

If I have a family with two children students in the SAME lesson, I take a much steeper discount – more like 40%. I won’t do this discount unless I have at least three families in the lesson total – If one family leaves, I don’t want the lesson to fall apart! My logic is that since I have enough students for the lesson to be worth my time anyway, I can give a family with multiple kids at the same level a break. I’m charging $140/month, so $225/month for two kids is still significant.

Also, there is the inherent discount of families only needing to buy one set of most Student Home Materials (SHM) (except playlists of course).

However, I know that there are many teachers out there who do not offer any discounts or stick to the 10% for additional students in the same family, or have a sliding scale with more gradations for number of students. You need to do something that will work for you and that you feel good about.

Alice W.

I charge a discounted monthly fee for additional family members, regardless of how many ( I’ve never been asked for a price for more than two family members). I take $28.00 from the usual flat monthly fee I charge. Students seem happy with this.