Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Do piano teachers get sick days?

Actually, at the university level, professors cancel classes all the time. Sometimes the professor is out on school business (attending a conference), and sometimes the professor is out due to illness. Either way, no classes are re-scheduled, and no make-up lectures are ever given. I remember there was this "professor emeritus" at my university who teaches only during summer session, then he'd get sick and miss a bunch of lectures. Once he got so sick he just cancelled the final exam and everybody got a PASS instead of a letter grade. Did students get a refund? NO!!

Hi CJP,

I guess I'm the minority. In my policy it states, "that if I should happen to become too ill to teach, every effort will be made to re-schedule the lesson if time permits. There will be no refunds or credit due to teacher illness, up to two lessons per year. If I should cancel a lesson for any other reason, a refund, credit or make -up will be offered at the students discretion."

Never any problems with this. I have a full studio of happy parents and children. I say go for it! We are human beings that deserve to rest and get better if we are truly sick.

I of course, do not charge per lesson, but per three month term, with a year long commitment.

To me it's the big picture, not the per lesson way of thinking. My parents seem to fortunately understand this.

Actually, it's not. There was a NY Times article a month or so ago on the question of whether children should be kept home from school when they have a cold or minor illness so as to protect the other kids. The bottom line from the physicians interviewed in it was "no"; people are most contagious before symptoms develop, so it's not all that helpful. Plus, the route to contagion is generally through the hands via touching infected surfaces, not breathing in the air around an ill person. So if you take some common sense precautions, e.g., wiping down keys before each lesson (and perhaps doorknobs), telling your students that you have a cold so they should wash their hands upon entering and before leaving your studio, there's probably very little danger of them catching what you have. Of course it's no fun to teach while you're sick, but neither is rescheduling everybody.

Especially when I had toddlers who were coming down with the average 5-10 colds a year, if I stayed home every time I had a cold, my classes would suffer tremendously. (Or not, depending on how much the students wanted to sit through lectures. )

For one of my classes, I have added a full extra hour per week above the scheduled meeting times. The class happily agreed. They're certainly getting their money's worth (I hope!). Thus, if I miss one they're still in the black.

Going back to the OP: part of the problem is that you have phrased the story in moral terms using the normative 'should get.' You can get whatever you can negotiate with your clients. If you impose something on them that is costly (your sick days) without offering something else of value in trade you may narrow your client base. If you can live with that, fine. Give it a try.


AZN,

$120 per hour! Ouch. Welcome to LA, I suppose.

Yes but you're not getting paid for your "sick day."

You save up for vacation and sick days in your rates. So in a way, when you are sick, you've already been paid.

As an independent IT contractor, I control my gross income, and it beats working for a company that controls your benefits and allowed time off.

Your students don't owe you money when they are not taught, although they may feel you might owe them a free lesson once in a while - it works both ways.

If I paid him per week and he missed one, then you're right, I wouldn't pay him for that week probably, but maybe I would because he's so great and I appreciate him =)

BUT . . . If I paid him $2000 a year (for example) to up keep my yard, then if he couldn't come one day I don't think I would try to haggle him down to $1950.



And this is what I do now as well (make up missed lessons and/or refund the money).



Yes, good idea!



Actually it IS true, not sure where you went to school, but I had classes cancelled fairly often and they were never rescheduled or reimbursed. I had piano lessons that were cancelled as well if the teacher was gone, I never got reimbursed.

But of course, that was a big institution and not just one private piano teacher . .

I would love to hear it!

Wow, finally!! =)

So when you say "every effort will be made to re-schedule if time permits," how often do you end up re-scheduling them all if you're sick for one day? I'm asking because it would be nice just to not have to worry about rescheduling, especially when you're sick!

Yes, good point. But I HAVE noticed that this is a typical response when I call a parent to cancel because I'm sick:

me: I'm so sorry but I have to cancel today's lesson because I'm ill. I will get back with you about rescheduling.

client: You know, don't even worry about it. We will see you next week, take care of yourself!

This is one of the main reasons why I think I could just state in my policy that I can miss one day for sickness, death in the family, etc.

We really are talking about planning for teacher absences for any reason, arent' we?

We don't need to be sick in order to have an absence.

I think we also have ability to adjust our teaching times as necessary because the teacher plans the schedule based on which times she/he is available to teach.

And, I think we are getting paid for our sick days.

The difference is to look at it from one clients point of view - they are comfortable when they are getting their $ investment in piano lessons fulfilled and that they are receiving the time for which they are paying, and, very important, there being ongoing progress and mutual respect and enjoyment in the program.

I try to think that overall, everyone will win.

This is my plan: From 52 weeks of the year, I subtract 12 weeks in my projection with which to accumulate and keep a list of absences for any reason from either the student or myself as planned or unforeseen circumstances. These would include my vacation days during the years when my studio is officially 'closed', sick days, snow days, emergency days, needed days off, excused absence days - whatever you call them - missed lessons.

I prepare a studio calendar in advance as a projection for the year - it doesn't matter where you start on the calendar - one year from today, will still be 52 weeks. I will start from Monday, April 20th and project year to date absences.

1. May 25 Memorial Day - No lessons
2. July 4 (Week Off)
3. Aug 31 Studio Closed (2 week vacation)
4. Sept 7 Studio Closed (2 week vacation)
5. Nov 23 Studio Closed Thanksgiving Week
6. December 21 Studio Closed for Holidays
7. December 28 Studio Closed for Holidays
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

This leaves 5 lessons for any and all other absences.
We will likely fill the 12 and perhaps begin to exceed them.
Twelve "allowed" closures and absences are planned into the calendar.

If we begin to lose serious time in meeting the goal of 40 lessons per year, I will make sure that we reschedule time coming to the students before the end of their "calendar year" which is based on the day they entered the studio.

My schedule is planned so that I can upon occasion, plan for a student to stay longer and accumulate time toward making up his "quota". I can either do this as we go along, or wait and do making up time in the last month(s) of their calendar year.

My planning has been based on proposing that I want to earn $20 per week for 52 weeks of the year from each client based on a half hour lesson.

To get this income I describe it to my clients in my studio policy and tuition fee schedule like this: Our goal is for you to receive 40 piano lessons per year in a year round schedule".

Their fees are based on 40 lessons.
Tuition 40 x $25 for half hour lesson, and 40 x $40 for hour lessons (There is a "planned discount" to those taking longer lessons. We could discuss planned discount here in the forum if any wants to.).
$ 1000 Tuition - 40 Half hour lessons
$ 1600 Tuition - 40 Hour lessons

They pay for this monthly: at $100 x 10 months and $160 x 10 months.
Their tuition is paid completely for the year at the beginning of their 10th month and I will have received my fees in week 37 for the year through to their calendar year date.

Many pay me for 10 lessons at a time, instead of the monthly payment. This means at the 31st lesson, they have completed their tuition for the calendar year.

It is up to me to see that my income is distributed over 52 weeks of the year for my requirements, but the plan has allowed me to balance my budgetary needs annualy with the income that I need. Of course, this needs recalculating to keep on top of things in the world's frantic economy.

This is the way I have calculated my tuition fees for many years.

I would love to earn more money, wouldn't you?
I can take on more students.
I can charge more per lesson.
I can say no make ups for any reasons.
I can set my goal of 40 lessons per year higher, but in keeping attendance records for many years, I find that 40 is where we end up year after year.

And, if all the absences are accounted for in the 12 weeks allocated for them, then great, we're on target. With excessive absences, the student may not reach his goal, that is his responsibility as to keeping attendance. With minimum absences, the student may receive a little more benefit of my time than the goal that was set. More power to this student.

If I'm sick, I get accomodated for needing some time off - and I get it with no complaints or even without having any conversation about it.

My bottom line is that my students are getting what they are pay for: results, progress, the best investment of our mutual time commitments, and a fee that meets their needs and an income that meets mine, 52 weeks a year.

Give them value. They are your clients, you are not their employee. The business you represent is a "Music Education Service" and you must be as specific as possible as to the way you plan to do business, which is why all things pertinent to the way you conduct your business needs to be presented to your clients when they enter into the agreement. With their cooperation, any thing and everything is possible. Good communication is a priority - it happens first, and it happens completely in your business presentation and in your music teaching.

Betty Patnude

Wow, I love your detailed and comprehensive plan!!

$20 X 52 is $1040 though, not $1000. You just decide to forfiet the extra $40? Or you're just ok with $19.23 instead of $20? =)

But regarding missed lessons . . .you don't distinguish between lessons missed by the student and lessons missed by you? In other words, if the extra 5 absences are all missed because the student had soccer games, and then you're sick and have to miss one, you still reschedule in order to get all 40 lessons, right? Or let's say they miss 3 for vacations, 3 for soccer, and 2 for illness, and you miss 1 or 2, so you have to make up 5 lessons? Is there any point where you just don't have the time or want to deal with rescheduling those?

On the flip side, let's say they don't miss any, so they end up getting 45 lessons instead of 40, that's okay, right?

Yes!

If there really excessive absenses for ridiculous reasons, I would handle that. I treat attendance as a serious thing for both of us - our best efforts, etc.

This is how it works for me when you have cooperative people and a common consensus.

I would hate to be tit-ting and tat-ting every 30 minutes of time. Opps, it's 3:31 we are one minute over, you are going to have to pay for it. Stop watch teaching. We know it's an ebb and flow thing between us during our scheduled time. I do go over often 5 - 10 minutes - frequently.

What you give out into the world comes back to you, I find.

You understood the posting!


Betty

I will go over if I do not have another student waiting, and I will start early if I do not already have a student. But if the next student is there, on time, I will not delay starting the next student.

I don't like to keep a student waiting either, but I do plan separation between certain students so that if I want to use a little more time, I can.

Sometimes that work in progress is pretty important to conclude.

I have found students and parents to be accepting of this, because when they need the extra few minutes, they know they are likely to get it too. A slight flexing of the time constraints, but not overly so much that it's noticed and inconvenient for someone.

One of the things I promote in my studio is using every minute to it's maximum.

Yes, Gary, we need to stay on schedule!

Betty

I studied at several accredited universities (both public and private) and what you described here never happened to me. It was rare that an instructor had to cancel a class due to an unforeseen problem, but the class was almost always taught by another instructor or a TA.

The missed conservatory lessons of my children have always been made up.

If you have extra time between lessons, that time is yours to do with exactly as you please.

When I do have extra time, either before or after a scheduled lesson, I most certainly give some of it to students who are reponsible, from families who treat me with respect. My students know that if they arrive a bit early and I do not have a student, I most certainly will not wait till the exact second their lesson is supposed to begin to start the lesson—and if I am in the middle of something that seems important, I won't stop exactly on time.

However, on a really busy day, getting off as much as 5 minutes can cause a problem for a couple hours afterwards.

I've fortunately had to use my sick days only a couple times in 5 years.

From what I remember, I did not have the time then to make up the lessons (very full teaching schedule) therefore, I didn't.

I think of it as kind of a loophole and a diplomatic way of saying, don't pressure me into making up a lesson because of me being sick. With that being said, currently, I am not teaching as much because of having to take care of my elderly father, if I happen to get sick and I do have the time to make up the lesson, I will. But again, there is no pressure on my part because of how my policy is written to make up the lesson.