In my policy, I state that I will make up lessons missed by students who are sick with 24 hours' notice unless there is an emergency. So far, not one parent has given me 24 hours' notice, yet b/c they are good families, I've been making them up. As my schedule is filling, making up lessons is becoming difficult--also there seems to be a rash of sick kids in the last month. I am thinking of taking out the phrase "unless there is an emergency" as it is too vague and can only cause more confusion. I know that many stores/businesses do not rquire teachers to make up student cancellations, but wondered how many teachers offer that option when students are away on vacation or are sick?

Making up is different from rescheduling. It is possible to educate your parents about the difference. My policy is to allow reschedules for illness within the week, on a space available basis.

For the parent who calls and has just picked up student from school because of illness, I am most flexible with; the student who has been ill for 3 days, but mom doesn't call until an hour before lesson generally finds that there is no space available.

Missed lessons for birthdays, family visits, etc., (any frivolous reason) are, well, missed lessons. Parents made a choice and told both student and me what their priorities are.

Reschedules for non-sporting school events, SATs, ACTs, etc., are not a problem. Sporting events are known well in advance and there is no reason at all for a reschedule the week of the lesson.

As many have pointed out, you need to set your boundaries (reasonably so) and then stick with them.

John, thanks for such a specific and very clear response. I'm learning the hard way. This particular situation, the mom had returned from the doctor, so obviously she knew that the child was sick if she made an appointment with the doctor, so I feel 24 hour notice was possible. Many of my parents are asking me to come in (I also work for a store) on my off days to accomodate their child's change in extracurricular activities. I fear I've created a monster.

If the child was sick a few days prior and waits until the last minute to call, I generally don't make it up. Most of my parents don't request make-ups, but if they did I'd point that out. I had a student of mine who has been with me for years called me as her lesson was supposed to begin to tell me she was at a doctor's appointment. I did not make this up because she knew about the appointment ahead of time. But I would much rather do a make-up later than teach a child who is sick. They should stay home and get better, and so I don't want a policy that encourages them to come in spite of illness.

I make up all sick calls. Sometimes parents will wait till the last minute - often to see if the doctor thinks it's contagious, or if the child will be better by then. If a child was sick 3 days ago, it's very possible the parents thought they'd be better by now. I do encourage parents to notify me as soon as the child is sick, simply to warn me.

The reason I do offer make-ups for illness is because I absolutely hate it when kids show up sick.

But the make up needs to be within a week, so if the family can't reschedule during my available slots, they forfeit the lesson. If I feel someone is taking advantage of it, my available slots for make-ups become less flexible.

I do spell out the difference between a make-up for illness or emergency, vs. rescheduling in advance due to other activities.

So far, most of my families have been really good about this.

My written policy is very strict, so that any who want to take advantage of me are tightly limited in their opportunity to do so. My real every-day policy, toward those who are honest and not trying to take advantage, is quite lenient.

David, could you elaborate? Does your written policy state there are no make ups?

That is exactly why I provide make ups for sickness, as I fear parents will send sick kids to the lesson so they don't lose the money, which is ridiculous b/c the child gets nothing out of the lesson, and of course, may contaminate teacher and all other students who use the room/piano. That's a perspective I hadn't thought about, and I appreciate your mentioning that the parent may hope the child gets better by lesson day, but in this case, I can't imagine this parent entertaining that thought when they are taking the child with strep and a fever to the doctor's on lesson day. As for rescheduling within a week, that could be very difficult if the child is usually sick for a few days, so it often runs into the weekend, but it is definitely something I will put in my policy.

Morodiene, that is exactly the same situation I posted about. The mom calls after her visit to the doc to list a number of illnesses the child had, among them strep and fever. Obviously, she knew at least the day before (assuming she made the appt the day before -- can you even get appointment son the same day anymore?) that the child was pretty ill. Leaving me a message just a few hours prior to the lesson with a request for a "credit" in January is pretty annoying to me right now.

I think I know what he means, because I generally operate the same way. My contract in writing is strict. Serves as a great fall-back. However, I often choose to bend the rules and be more lenient in reality.

For example, I had a student who missed most of December due to being in a play. His mother knew very well I was under no obligation to make them up, and she was fine with this. But they are such a good family and nice honest people, I gave him a 45 minute makeup lesson this past week as a courtesy.

And just to add to that, this is in effect a marketing approach. Whether we know it or not. It's setting one expectation (no make ups) and breaking it to the customer's advantage (a courtesy make up).

Apple does this wonderfully. They told me 5 days for a repair on my laptop. It was back the next day and I was very happy.

It states no make-ups unless you're sick (or other compassionate reason), and also sets a (fairly small) maximum number of make-ups.

I operate on the general philosophy that written policies are simply there to protect me from being taken advantage of by that small minority who like to take advantage, thus allowing me to run my studio as I see fit without having to "play the bad cop". In reality, I simply respond to requests for make-ups on a case-by-case basis. In other words, I'm not ashamed to say that I play favourites in this regard. You're good to me, then I'm good to you.

danshure, thanks for clarifying. Makes a lot of sense, and is pretty much what I've followed, but this is a fairly new student, so I'm thinking that I will tell the parent I am not giving a credit, but will give a longer lesson (my lessons are always over the time limit, but of course, parents don't count that, do they?

Another little way of looking at this, really just a special little re-statement of what Dan and I just said:

My make-up policy sets out what I'm willing to do for people who choose to be difficult, and that is "not much".

I saw a music institute flyer with this included: "Please note that absences from class cannot be made up or credited to your account".

I think it's clear and concise wording. Could be useful to someone not able to reschedule etc.

Yes, I know that a reputable music school does not require it's teachers to make up student cancellations, only teacher cancellations and parents are aware of this fact when they register.

I'd take out all wording regarding sickness, 24 hours, etc. It gets very confusing - and there's no way for you to know for sure whether they are abiding by your policy or not. It will only keep the honest people honest. I'd replace it with something that truly fits your schedule.

In my policy (if it's helpful), I say that there will be no refunds - period (I've made exceptions to this for funerals, etc, but it's always me telling the student that there is an exception, not the other way around). I will also do makeups as I have time. Often that is extending the next couple of lessons by 15 minutes or so. Or, like this week, I work in makeups on weeks that I normally take off, like the week of New Year's. I've only had 1 family who thought my policy meant they could essentially change their lesson time from week to week and I let them go for that and other reasons. Allowing makeups to take place at the end of the year really helps committed families who are too booked during the week to make it over for another lesson. Some have come a couple of times this week for guided practicing to make up time from earlier in the year.
I don't teach on Fridays and also allow that day for makeup lessons. That's another option to consider.

Ellie

Irenev, you mentioned that "making up lessons is becoming more difficult". Then you ask who makes up lessons. It seems you want permission to stop rescheduling lessons with short notice.

So here it is. You have my permission to stop rescheduling lessons.

I have an acquaintance who chooses a few days during the year as "make-up" days.

I take off Fridays. That means it's a day off. Not a day for rescheduling lessons. I am no longer able to offer to reschedule lessons as my teaching schedule is full. So I started a swap list (as you know from my recent thread).

You teach people how to treat you.

My policy is simple but effective. Students pay to reserve a slot in my schedule. That means they pay no matter if they cancel or not. The only time I will reduce money owed is for certain holidays and if I cancel. So even if they are going on vacation for 3 weeks, they are still paying. Even if they are sick, they are still paying. This way I know how much I make each month. As far as makeups, I treat it like a work day. I work certain hours, if you can make up lessons within that time, I will almost always make it up. The only eception is if a student does not show up and does not call. To me this solves the students coming to lessons sick and the what am I going to make this month question. Usually the first time they go on vacation, there is a big discussion about this and they are not happy, but when I explain they are reserving my time on my schedule, that usually helps.

My policy is pretty much the same as your's Mikey, except for the vacation bit. I think I would lose a lot of students if I enforced a "pay while on vacation" policy. In Australia, no teacher could get away with that. Everything else you said is more than fair.

No vacation for you and your family except when I go on vacation! I'm curious as to how you manage to convince people to sign up for that.. :P

Ditto here. Students are paying to reserve a certain time slot that I've set aside for them. I don't give makeups for missed lessons.

I don't operate year round, though. Vacations are typically taken in the summer, when my students have a 2-month break from lessons from mid-June to mid-August.

To all the piano teachers who charge students even when they go on vacation having given you early notice: Lets say you get 1-2 new students during the months in which 1-2 of your existing students go on vacation (and they still pay you for the vacation period), do you turn these new students away? I mean, I keep hearing from you here that you need to know how much you'll make per month. All that's fair, but to be completely faithful to that scheme, you'd have to decline these additional students in case you don't have time slots other than the ones your existing students are supposedly paying for.

I just don't get the logic, really. You chose to be a piano teacher. With every job comes its uncertainties. You don't demand your clients to safeguard you against those uncertainties, at least not in my book. The same goes for the teachers who are unwilling to give make up lessons to students who call in sick. I don't really buy the "you are paying to reserve a slot in my schedule.. when you don't turn up, even if you get struck by lightning and are in the hospital, I am unable to do anything else with that one hour and since I'm a person who makes use of every single second in my day and since I'm a person who cannot figure out what else to do with that one hour when you haven't turned up, I have no other choice but to charge you for the lesson. Also, since I'm busier than Obama, I cannot give you a make up lesson either. Sorry, get well soon. Once you get well, do work overtime to pay me for all the lessons you didn't have when you were in bed ;)".

I really don't get it. I highly value what piano teachers have to offer people. I'm someone who gladly gave up all my internship earnings (600 euros) for a one week stint with a piano teacher. However, what I see here doesn't look fair to me and I had to ask here to understand better why people think this is fair. I don't mean to offend anybody.

My policy is that you are reserving my time for that time slot. I will almost ALWAYS give a makeup, I think that is fair given my strict payment policy. If someone does not want to pay for my policy, I will get someone in there that will. In my policy, my time is valuable. What if you had a student that had something going on every other week and canceled. Is it fair that the teacher holds that time slot for them even though they cancel every other week. I have never had a student refuse this policy when it is laid out this way. The first time there is usually a lot of questions, but once they understand the benefits they are getting from the makeups then it works. They never have to lose a lesson, and I never have to lose my payment.

That's fair. My question was primarily aimed at the people who've stated here (without exception, at least in what they wrote here) that they never give make up lessons. So they expect their clients to bear the brunt of the uncertainties of the job that they chose to do without bothering to be fair to the people who ensure that they have a steady monthly income. I find that ridiculous.

Replying to liszt85: Despite the fact that I DO give make-ups for illnesses, I'd like to attempt to show you the other side.

A lot of my students and/or their parents think that my fee is "per 30 minutes their child is with me." In actuality, my fee is for a semester. During that semester, I spend hours at seminars, running recitals, practicing, pouring over new music in the back room of the music store, spending time writing policies, answering phone calls and emails, etc.

In addition, out of my fee comes various materials and services (such as tunings) that I need to run my business.

My husband (who happens to be an engineer) has a set work-week. During the course of his job, he is paid to attend seminars and trainings, answer emails and phone calls, and so on. They provide him with all materials he needs to do his job. They even keep paying him during bathroom breaks!

The 30 minutes a student spends with me may be no more than half the amount of time I actually spent on that child. (Might be less than that - I never really figured it all out.) My piano still needs to be tuned regularly, even if the student skips a week to go to a brownie camp out or birthday party.

When a student cancels at the last minute, it is possible that my 30 minute "break" does not suddenly allow me to become incredibly productive. Because I have not planned that time for something else, chances are I will spend it playing Sudoku, while waiting for my next student. Or my previous student, who is used to leaving when the new student arrives, just hangs around talking because they think I have sudden free time. Or perhaps I will spend that time on the phone listening to the parent who is canceling list all her excuses.

At our studio we have a ONE WEEK policy on changing lessons. So if the child is sick on the day, they miss their lesson. Howevr I have had students hospitalised and im happy to do a makeup. I don't really mind if the kids are sick and my parents seem to know when their kids are "too sick". the policy before was that if they gave us notice that day then we would do a makeup. People would call their kids in "sick" all the time. it was a pain and I had to come in on weekends etc.

See, this is the problem that happens when a teacher has a generous makeup lesson policy (or no policy at all, making up each and every missed lesson).

Why should you have to take an extra day that you might have scheduled something (or perhaps nothing.... you ARE allowed to have some free time, right?) and spend it teaching a rescheduled lesson? Were you able to put another paying student in the original missed time slot?

I have a strict policy but I reserve the right to make exceptions to that policy. While my policy states that I don't give make up lessons for any reason, I have, in the past, rescheduled a student's lesson for various reasons. It all depends on the parent. If they are a great family (pays tuition on time, student practices, parent is totally committed to their child's music education, etc...) I will make an exception to my policy.... not for every missed lesson, but for extenuating circumstances.

Thanks for the attempt to show me "the other side" but frankly, most of this that you've written is ridiculous as far as I'm concerned.

You practice because you want to improve your playing. If you're a better pianist, you teach better and if you teach better, you become known as a good teacher and then you get more students and then YOU make good money. The same goes for attending seminars and pouring over new music in the back room of a music store!

Writing policies, seriously? That's time you've invested in the student? How about asking the student to repay your student loans that you'd taken when you were majoring in music in college? That's time that you invested in these students of yours too, right?

Answering phone calls and emails. Ah.. that's time invested in the students as well. Stuff that you do to ensure that you have a full studio is also something that you do for your students? Have you actually tried saying these things to a parent who's complained about your policy?



This is legitimate. This alone (and the recital organization expenses).




If you wanted a job that pays exactly like his and has the exact same features, maybe you should have tried your luck there. You didn't have to choose to teach piano instead.



Well, you admit yourself that you have never figured it out. Who knows, the amount of time that you actually spend on that child may not be too much more than that 30 minutes when you've done your calculations precisely.

How many times do you tune your piano? I'm very curious. If you're comfortable sharing, please also tell me how many students you have. I might be able to help with some calculations.





Somebody earlier just said how important it was for them to have leisure time. Why play sudoku if you think its such a waste of time? How about practicing the piano? Or reading a book? Then you can charge the next student extra money because your practicing the piano and reading that book could in theory have a positive effect on that child's piano lesson! :P So get them to pay $20 more, why not?




Is it so hard to excuse yourself by saying that you need to go freshen up before the next student arrives? I'm amazed at the kinds of excuses that you come up with to justify the unfair stipulations in your policy.



What's the longest phone call you've received from such parents?

Sorry for being harsh but really, I think all of that was ridiculous and I cannot agree with anything that was written there. I think this is taking advantage of your clients, who value what you have to offer them and probably will play along (which is the belief that you base your policies on).