tuition
Requiring Recurring Payment for Tuition and Materials
I am considering implementing credit/debit card payments for all my students’ monthly tuition and materials fees and have a few questions for those who are already doing this. I only have a few students right now and have had no problems with payment by check…
All Inclusive Tuition
Alex (Thai), Stephanie, and I opened our combined commercial studio in March. So far, so good! We’re still working together and Thai doesn’t have too many white hairs yet. We recently started a discussion about switching to an “all inclusive” tuition package, where we would…
Charging Sufficient Tuition
Editorial note: a teacher was concerned about setting tuition rates so as to do better than merely covering expenses. It generated the following discussion. I am a new Simply Music teacher, but before I taught simply music I was in a very similar situation to…
Tuition and Material Costs
I’m a new teacher since September and have been charging my families monthly for their tuition and then invoicing separately for materials costs as they arise. As I look ahead to next year I’ve been wondering if there are other ways of doing this so…
Family unwilling to comply with payment method
If you have a new family who doesn’t comply to the kind of payment method you specified, would you not take this student? I would rather not. I have lost students over this but if they are unwilling to accept your policies, things tend to…
Parents requesting discounted lessons
I started to work with a student who has cerebral palsy. Tova is an amazing person and student but does have a lot of challenges, as well as in the class. Because of her many issues, the 30-minute lesson can easily extend longer than that…
Charging a deposit for next term
I charge by term and the ongoing students pay on the last day of the term for the following term. However, I don’t usually charge at the end of the year. I wait until the beginning of the new school year in late January. I…
Fee Increases – when & how much?
Hello everyone, I am curious to hear how various teachers decide on when and how much to increase their fees. I seem to remember Robin Keehn mentioning a particular percentage she uses when raising her rates. In the U.S. the rate of inflation is currently…
Parent balking at tuition
I received a phone call from a mom whose daughter had her first lesson with me last week. She clearly wants to “try out” piano lessons for her daughter and she is not committed to continuing if it becomes a huge struggle to get her…
Tuition adjustments
How often do you adjust your rates, and by how much each time? I’ve been teaching SM for almost 10 years. Instead of raising my tuition, I take more time off each year. It even allows me to offer a small “discount” to families who…