Hi all,
I'm wondering what you'd recommend for this situation:

I bill my students monthly. If they cancel they get a makeup to use within that month, but there are no refunds.
Many of my clients take extended vacations, some gone for a month at a time. I allow two weeks of unpaid travel, more than that I bill for whether you're here or not. This is only to accommodate those who travel. I know some will disagree with my policy, but it's in my contract.
I gave out a summer schedule at my spring recital and restated this policy. I requested that any travel dates be submitted by June 7th, etc. I just had a client cancel a lesson through email and end it with "we'll see you July 6th". That's two more weeks of missed lessons. I'm unsure of how to bill this.

I plan on billing for all three weeks (he's already paid for this month, so the issue will be how to bill July). I don't think this warrants a reduced monthly fee for July, but am not sure how to handle it if he complains. "We didn't have a lesson for the last three weeks, why doesn't the bill reflect that?" Does anyone think he should get a reduced bill?

Just to be clear: you allow two unpaid spots per month right?

that is extremely generous IMO.I bill quarterly, and only allow 2 missed (unpaid) lessons. Sorry, not about me

If I'm understanding you correctly; that you have stated this in your policies, then what I would do is:

send him the bill AND a copy of your contract, with the part about missing lessons highlighted. Then I would include a note with "have a fun vacation, and let me know if you have any questions".

I don't know how long you've been teaching, but I have leaned that the sooner these things are cleared up the better. Many of these people will take the proverbial mile, every time they get the chance!

It is possible he didn't understand? Or maybe forgot?

+1

Sorry - let me be clearer - I allow 2 unpaid lessons for the entire summer and ONLY during the summer. I cancel over Christmas, but I don't travel over the summer {can't afford it :(} so, it's not like they can plan to travel when i'm gone (not that they would anyway!)

this parent is VERY flakey. always misses makeups, payment, etc. If i don't email him with specific instructions, i can bet he doesn't get it. I send home quarterly newsletters and he admitted a few lessons ago that he's never paid attention to them. go figure. I know he received the reminder about summer lessons and never returned anything to me. arg.

Sounds like my earlier post would still work then.

Just highlight the part about missing lessons, and bill him!
Seriously. Especially if he's flaky

I enjoy my summers and simply don't want to teach every day, so I request students schedule lessons on Tues/Wed. If they can make it, fine, if not, fine. Rates are reduced as a "reward" for studying with me during the school year. If parents cannot figure out a bargain and a heck of a great deal, it's their loss.

Why do you think that someone has to pay for not having the lessons? Is money really everything that matters? What about happiness when you know that you are the one to blame for student's improvement?

GreenRain,
While the client may not have lessons, I cannot fill those slots since everyone comes at the same time every week. So, they pay because they still want to have a lesson slot when they return, also for the time it takes to process all the billing, rearranging, etc. This parent will have makeup lessons available if they wish to take me up on it.
Money is not all that matters, but I do have bills to pay, etc. And finally, I'm not the one to blame for a student's improvement or lack thereof if they only have a lesson 1x a month!

hopefully that sounds more reasonable to your sober eye

You must not be a teacher.
I get families all the time that want a lesson here and a lesson there. I have to charge for time, otherwise I have no budget!

If a family wants to take piano, then they need to pay for the privilege of it. If they want one lesson a month, they are not learning the piano, they are fiddling with it.

Well said, E&I and Mrs.C!

I sometimes feel we'll never be appreciated.

They're not paying for NOT having a lesson; they are paying for me to set aside a time slot specifically for them. When they cancel a lesson or don't show up, I am the loser if I can't fill that time slot with a paying student. So why should I lose money for something a student/parent did?

Or to phrase it a bit more from a student's reference point, you've contracted with me to be present, provide a studio, instrument, etc., and to teach you. I fulfilled my half of the bargain and you need to fulfill your half.

But that's all we care about. Haven't you understood that yet?

We are all a bunch of money-grubbing, heartless people who just went into piano teaching because of the Big Bucks. Part of the reason we are so rich is that we ask people to pay for time they have reserved.

Of course i understand that "your pianists" cannot constantly skipp lessons, however, summer is different. Average human goes on vacation for 2-6 weeks.

I'm wondering how many of you give a studio policy to your students' parents and ask them to read and sign it?
I have thought about doing this. If they agree to your policy, they then agree to pay you for such missed lessons and etc., right? Especially if they sign it?
If people cannot accept our policies for whatever reason, we respect that and don't take them as students. Simple as that.
Just because we are teaching an art does not mean the act of teaching is not a business.

So, pick a teacher who will allow you to take your 2-6 week vacation, exactly as you want it. That's between you and your teacher.

I think MrsCamels is reasonable. You don't.

As I understand it she scheduled lessons for a family based on their saying that they would be attending lessons for June. As I understand it they cancelled for the rest of the month, by email.

This is not about your money.

It is about MrsCamels losing money. I absolutely don't understand why people who have NO idea what it is to teach and face the problems we face, financially, consistently assume that those of us who DO teach are out to clobber people unfairly.

But I'll let MrsCamels take it from here. Perhaps she is so rich from all the money she is making teaching piano that she hardly knows where to put it all.

I rather doubt it. I'd wager the truth is closer to struggling to keep her head above the water, like the rest of us.

Don't assume for one moment that any of the parents who sign a policy read it, no matter how much you ask them to, no matter how clearly you express your policy.

Some parents are very reasonable and pay attention. Some do not pay attention but are reasonable when things are pointed out to them. Some will fight over every cent and will attempt to wear us down unless we set limits and absolutely refuse to give in.

I have parents who skip lessons and do not even give me the courtesy of a call, then expect a make-up. They don't get it. But they will still try to push me until I hold the line.

I'm pretty sure that almost, if not all the teachers who make their living teaching private lessons face similar problems.

+1
(I'm assuming that +1 means "I agree" )

I hand my students a lengthy policy upon signing up for lessons. It is very strict and "business like".

I am also a music school teacher so I know the best way to enter a classroom is very strict...I can always get friendly LATER.

This technique has also performed well with my business. There are times when I do forgive a lesson. And my clients are very grateful. Sometimes I even add some extra time to a lesson for free. But for me it really depends on the client. I am usually able to screen out flaky students in the beginning. (Knock on wood...)

I guess my goal is to have a fulfilling job as well as dependable income. I have gone the my "way or the highway route" with my policy but for my personality it works better this way. I have routed my business to suit me as well as my students.

I offer them flexibility and travel to their homes but they are also flexible with me changing my schedule and running late as well. I strive for a healthy, personal business relationship. A job that is tailored for me and them...

Things have changed a little since I started teaching in a little music shop studio for $5 per lesson!

Question: could you survive on the salary you make as a school teacher?

I think there is a difference, regardless, between teaching piano, no matter how many lessons a week, when there is a "steady job" for back-up and depending ONLY on the money made from teaching. I keep thinking of the saying, "Don't quite your day job."

But I agree with your strict first, easy later point. I think bending the rules is something that needs to be earned, which I think you are also expressing here:

I do much the same. The moment I sense people trying to jerk me around, I go right to the rules and do not give an inch. It has been much harder this year because of the economy. In the past I could literally boot people out if they caused problems and replace them immediately with more cooperative people on my waiting list. No waiting list this year, the first year EVER that I have no had one.

Wise path…

Well, I can't remember ever teaching a lesson for that little. Perhaps so when I just started, but that was about 1968, and I was just getting started!

I started teaching piano when I was 15..I'm 35 now. I was so happy to be making $10 an hour in 1989 when minimum wage was about $4.25....The music shop charged 8 per lesson...they gave me 5 and kept 3. $24/month for lessons....and if the student didn't show I didn't get paid and I was happy as a clam either way! My how things have changed!

My "school job" is not what you think. I work as an independent contractor doing general school music one day a week at an elementary school...every June they are iffy if my contract will get renewed. But somehow the PTA gets the money together for another year of music rotations. Piano lessons are my main gravy...and the CA budget is in shambles so I feel very lucky to have my own business.

Even with my experience I still struggle at times with communicating, money issues and annoying students...but I enjoy the variety and challenges...

My husband is also a musician...I guess all of our "unsteady jobs" added together make up one steady job somehow?

In 1972 in small town Iowa, I handed my piano teacher a five dollar bill every week for a one-half hour lesson. She was a retired college piano professor who attended the Paris Conservatory as a student. My grandparents started paying for lessons so I could afford to take a one hour lesson at $10. I guess my old teacher was doing O.K. for those days...?

I would have responded earlier, but I was stuffing money under my mattress cover. Love the way it fills up. Three feet of bills makes a great pillowtop...

On another note, just wanted to clarify that I do allow 2 weeks cancellation over the summer with notice. I gave everyone paper work to give me the dates in advance, or if they didn't have them yet, to give me generalities.
I'd be annoyed if I couldn't get some Bohemian braids on my vacation because I was paying my kids teacher for a lesson we didn't take, so I'm happy to make concessions. However, I do need notice so I can plan my budget.

I wanted feedback in this case since it was unusual. Since most agree that it should still be billed, I'm sticking to my guns. I think this family has other travel plans for later in the summer. If they let me know soon enough I might make a concession for that.

Teachers here do not teach over the summer, except some students that want to. Teachers make special schledule for the summer.

Maybe i think this is the best way because i'm used to it, but i wouldn't pay for a lesson I have not attended during the summer.

I hope you are prepared to be "let go".
I really don't understand how students can be so oblivious to the reasoning behind getting paid every week. Do you think our bills change in the summer?

You apparently feel your time is much more valuable than ours is.

If you have found a teacher that lets you choose your lessons then, that's great. But if you have a teacher that has attendance policies in place, I would really hope you would respect that!

Barb, that's around $100 or more taking inflation into account. I'd say you were most fortunate to find her.

E&I,

I suspect GreenRain's remark originates in a failure to consider the timetable according to which piano lessons are contracted. I also until recently was under the misconception that lessons were something I contracted for at most a month ahead of time, so that if I wished not to have lessons for a month, I merely did not pay for them and did not show up. Paying for lessons one does not take seems counterintuitive unless one realizes that the piano teacher is hired and fulfills his/her responsibilities to his/her students in an ongoing way, that discontinuing and resuming lessons amounts to an iterative firing and rehiring that offends against the primary contract between student and teacher. Agreeing to take lessons, I now understand, means not continually terminating that agreement and expecting the services of a teacher to be provided at the student's discretion. Maybe contributing to misunderstanding here is the method of payment, weekly or monthly as the case may be. It can seem as though one only pays for those lessons one takes, instead of the reality of the situation, which is that students and teachers form a contract that is binding on both. If a teacher were to provide and discontinue services based on apparent whim, nobody would hire that teacher. Why would a teacher want to teach a student who is always cancelling and taking his/her remuneration away? I don't think the issue is the money, though the money is important, as it always is.

I think it depends whether you're teaching privately or through a school.

Music schools have their rules and it's understandable, but for private piano teachers, I think that as long as the student gives sufficient notice (24 hours is fine I think) they should get to make it up whenever they want and not have to pay for the lesson if they don't want to make it up.

The piano teacher's financial problems haven nothing to do with the student.

I don't mean to step on anybody's foot here, this is just my two cents.

I must be way below average!

Why do you feel this is different? Because we run our business from our own home or studio? We are still expected to be there on time, be prepared. Make other arrangements for things (UPS guy isn't going to get an answer, kids aren't going to get rides, phone isn't going to get answered), the same as if we were at a job away from home. Sometimes it's even more challenging: having to wait until you leave because a parent hasn't come back, trying to figure out which student is writing on the furniture (there was a thread where someone had to find out who was taking the batteries out of the remote!!), telling a parent that their child is peeing all over your bathroom floor....Things you wouldn't do in a school. These are just a few reasons why we also have to have policies in place.

You said that they student should "be able to make it up whenever they want". Seriously? Really, do you think teachers want students showing up during their family time, their dinner time? This misconception is why it is SO difficult for *some* people to respect our boundaries. This is a job, like any other. We just happen to do it from home. We are NOT available every moment, nor should we be expected to be.



If a teacher has 5 students at 27$ per lesson on a given day, and 3 of them decide that (since she's not working from a school) they don't want to come because it's going to be nice out tomorrow, she will still lose $81 of income. If that happens often enough, then yes, the teacher's financial problems can have everything to do with the students.