What Should I Charge For Lessons? Options

[barbara]

For some time I have been charging 12.00 per half hour, 18.00 for 45mins and 24.00 for a full hour piano lesson for children. Am I undercharging? I am thinking of raising this in September - but to what? I already charge 25.00 an hour for adults and the same for rehearsals. I would welcome some tips.

[diapason]

If I charged that in THIS area (Fylde) I'd be out of business in a flash - fees charged depend very much on the region, but to try for those figures round here would be educational suicide (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

At present I am only getting £20 an hour for teaching Adult Ed. classes, and my private pupils pay me a little less than that for an hour......although (like the L'Oreal advert) I'm worth it..... and more!!!!

I suppose I'd rather have full schedules and lower fees, than gaps in the week.

Having said all that, I could name and shame some "teachers" (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif) round here that charge more than I do but have no right to do so.

It's a subject that's been covered many times before in the Forums - with no solutions, only suggestions

[sbhoa]

Why different rates for adults and children?

[barbara]

Why different rates for adults and children?

I suppose because parents of children have so many other financial commitments as far as their childrens' education is concerned and adults can afford the luxury of private lessons if they so wish.

[sarah-flute]

That's a bit of a sweeping statement isn't it? Not all adults have money for luxuries.... I have piano lessons, but the main reason I can afford them is because I do without lots of other luxuries that most people regard as basics - like having a TV license (I don't watch any TV except at friends') or running a car or whatever...

[oboist]

Barbara

There have been quite a few previous discussions/threads about this very subject on these forums. I think we are all agreed that what you charge is partly driven by recommendations on fees by professional bodies, your own qualifications and experience and what the local market says is right for your area.

Here in the part of the South-East where I live, people seem to be charging between £25 and £30 per hour for what you might call "average" music lessons. College professors, highly-prized teachers etc charge much more and get it.

In the small village in which I live, I find £22 per hour is regarded as quite high enough, so that's what I charge. My rates will go up in 2007 probably closer to those of colleagues teaching in the nearest town who are, on the whole charging an average of £26 per hour.

I make no difference between adults and children: each have their financial commitments, each take as much time and skill as I have available. I see no reason to charge different rates.

Like Diapason, I'd rather be busy charging slightly less than half-empty charging more. That said, I am anxious not to be seen to undercut colleagues, so I keep an eye on local, village rates and local town rates too.
Hope you manage to resolve your thinking on this.

[anacrusis]

That's a bit of a sweeping statement isn't it? Not all adults have money for luxuries.... I have piano lessons, but the main reason I can afford them is because I do without lots of other luxuries that most people regard as basics - like having a TV license (I don't watch any TV except at friends') or running a car or whatever...

But, income for income, parents' cash is committed in more different directions, surely? If you "run" an average of two kids, that's two sets of lessons if both learn one instrument - and as a parent, my own lessons are definitely the luxury I'd have to think about first before dropping classes for the kids. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

[sarah-flute]

That's a bit of a sweeping statement isn't it? Not all adults have money for luxuries.... I have piano lessons, but the main reason I can afford them is because I do without lots of other luxuries that most people regard as basics - like having a TV license (I don't watch any TV except at friends') or running a car or whatever...

But, income for income, parents' cash is committed in more different directions, surely? If you "run" an average of two kids, that's two sets of lessons if both learn one instrument - and as a parent, my own lessons are definitely the luxury I'd have to think about first before dropping classes for the kids. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

My point is that Barbara said:

I suppose because parents of children have so many other financial commitments as far as their childrens' education is concerned and adults can afford the luxury of private lessons if they so wish.

I think that assuming "adults can afford private lessons" is rather a sweeping statement - not all adults have huge disposable incomes (or even small disposable incomes!) just because they're adults.

[dcmbarton]

I charge £18 per hour here, and I could probably push that to £20. That may be considered low, but as has already been said, if I charged much more than that then I'd have no takers. People do shop around for teachers these days as you would for many things - people want the cheapest deal! I'd say that I was probably a bit higher than some other teachers locally, but not overpriced.

David

[elliewelly]

I'm in Taunton and I charge £20 an hour, which nearly everyone does here. I know of a couple of teachers who charge a bit less, and a teacher who charges substantially more, but she teaches the cello and string teachers seem to be in short supply round here. It's taken me a long time to "catch up" because I started before I had any teaching qualifications, at £14 an hour. I'll be keeping an eye on the market and perhaps raising fees by 50p a year or something like that.

[AnnC]

Do you increase you fees annually? Maybe you should consider this. I send out letters to all my students every July for a September 1st increase. They expect it now. If you are not sure of how much, maybe look at the retail price index. That's what the ISM advised us to do last year.
As my students say - everyone gets a pay rise. Why should we be any different? The important thing is to do it regularly.
When students start with me, I say the fee is £x, and is reviewed every September. No surprises then.

Ann

[dcmbarton]

Do you increase you fees annually? Maybe you should consider this. I send out letters to all my students every July for a September 1st increase. They expect it now. If you are not sure of how much, maybe look at the retail price index. That's what the ISM advised us to do last year.
As my students say - everyone gets a pay rise. Why should we be any different? The important thing is to do it regularly.
When students start with me, I say the fee is £x, and is reviewed every September. No surprises then.

Ann

I started very low before I got my teaching qualification - just £7 an hour. I then increased that to £12 and then to £18 in January 2005. I think I will increased this to £20 in September this year so that my fees are in line with most people locally. At that stage I would expect them to rise annually by a certain percentage - as you suggest 50p etc.

David

[jm-hamilton]

I live in the same general area as elliewelly and dcmbarton and at the moment I charge £18 an hour. As others have said I have to charge what the market will take - there are quite a few piano teachers round here, but if you are the only teacher of a particular instrument in an area I think you can probably charge more.

[AnnC]

I know a few piano teachers in Bristol. The average seems to be about £25.

Ann

[nannyjay]

Like David, I charge £18 per hour (or more normally £9.00 for a half-hour session, which quite often gets turned into 40 minutes!) I have increased my fees two years running, and on the second occasion, last September, had a complaint from one parent. However, nobody else has complained and she paid up anyway- she knows a good teacher when she meets one. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

One of my Grade 8 students is now at Sussex university and has lessons there. She says the teacher is very good, although young, but she went to him initially because he advertised the lowest rates (£10.00 per hour). His teaching, from what I have heard, is exemplary, so it doesn't seem to matter whether the fees are high or low, the teaching can be good, bad or indifferent.

I do think that young teachers should start a little lower and increase their fees as they gain experience. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)