Some quite unexpected benefits have come my way from teaching -

One student is a vet nurse and dog trainer. We are now bartering puppy training for singing lessons, and she cuts dewclaws. Will often pop in and let dogs out if we go out for the evening.
One has a printing business and does all my ticket and programme printing for student concerts.
A parent is a tennis coach, and brings used balls for dogs.
One is an author and brings copies of her books for the raffle.
One is a chiropodist, and helped when I had a foot problem last year.
One owns a garage, and we get reduced price repairs.

Anyone else get this sort of thing?

I've had a bit of that!

One fixes electrical things.
One has offered to take large dog for a holiday!
One is currently illustrating something I wrote.
One makes excellent shortbread.
One has given me good legal advice on a couple of occasions.
One is my accountant.
One owns a drinks company (Happy days... )


And unfortunately four work for the inland revenue.

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And unfortunately four work for the inland revenue.
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One student the same age as me took my broken computer home with her and fixed it for me

One pupils parent has taken me to the Leeds piano competition finals for the past 2 competitions, paid for hotel, travel and tickets, i'm very lucky

I did my teacher's family tree in calligraphy

One student, being tutored by for Grammar school exams here, was asked to plan an essay on "A person I know and respect"...he said he would write about "my violin teacher violincjj"

He has no idea I know this!

But that's been a fabulous (although indirect) reward.

Makes it all worthwhile, doesn't it?

Yes, it does. I was really assertive with his father about him doing the Grammar school exam because he was very doubtful about it. Student got the place though and yesterday rang to tell me all his GCSE results were A*..I'm SO proud of him!

One student's father is a carpenter, so mended my broken piano stool at the end of term
One student's mother is the nurse at my doctor's practice (not sure if that's helpful but I think it is )
One student's mother is a graphic designer and did all the artwork for some recent publicity
but, arguably the most useful is
One adult student who is my consultant at the hospital I attend for on-going monitoring of health problems (This provides an interesting role-reversal situation but we both cope. Only time it didn't work so well was when he decided he needed to do a full physical examination !)
Two adult students are church ministers, one the local CoE vicar and one the local Baptist minister

So, in total, I reckon I've got my medical and spiritual needs sorted......!!

Yes, teaching does occasionally get you rewards/perks you never seek when you set out but somehow come your way. (However, not to be abused of course.)

One of my pupils mum makes wonderful cakes, and looks after the hamster while we're away...

Until recently I have taught three of the children of a pretty high-profile Cabinet Minister - don't seem to have got any perks out of it so far, though...

Yes...but they've been given another one...

Get in there and blast them all with the importance of music in schools!!!!

Well, I HAVE tried...the last time she came to watch a lesson she came up to me at the end and said, 'Brilliant, absolutely brilliant' and I said, 'Well, it's what ALL children should be having' and her eyes immediately glazed over and I could tell she was Not Interested...AND she knows about one of my Big Plans but again no interest or help was forthcoming...

Maybe it's that old chestnut - 'what my children deserve and what others deserve are not he same thing.' Tell her you'll vote for the Other Side and encourage all your musical contemporaries anf Forumite Friends to do the same. (Though the Other Side are probably no better...

Sorry to AnnC to have gone

Hmmm, no, I'm afraid The Other Side aren't any better...and at the time of the above comment, the lady in question was Education Secretary...*despairs*



PS Also apologies to AnnC for off-topicness

One parent bakes excellent chocolate banana cake.

One pupil has become a close friend of my children.

One family looked after our goldfish when we went on holiday.

Another family asked us to feed their chickens while they were away, a great hit with my children.

One mother gratefully accepts outgrown clothing, pupil appears next week wearing it.

One pupil does similar music activities to my children, we lift-share where possible.

One teenage pupil has babysat on a few occasions.

Another teenage pupil came to help at a birthday party for about a dozen small children.

A teenage lad showed my daughter how to fix a model she was making out of Knex (although I think he was hoping this would replace showing me how well - or not - he'd learnt his scales)

The list could go on, the benefits are huge in terms of social fabric, or whatever they call it.

Heh, heh, that's one way of diverting teacher

A retired lady once called on me and asked if I taught piano. We discussed her having lessons, arranged day and time, and when fees were mentioned she said that she had no money but she was a good cleaner. That's real bartering - she cleaned my house until I moved and she had to find another teacher. Wonder if she bartered with the other teacher.

No problem - I like these little diversions.

I forgot - one man operates a direct optical services business (he is an optician with his own mobile business). Doesn't do eye tests, but if you get your prescription he does cut price lenses and frames. We get extra discount and between hubby and me we saved aroud £400 on three pairs (titanium framed, varifocals, tinted varifocals and plain).
He also donated two pairs of designer sunglasses to the raffle at our student concert, worth £90 and £130 each. It's the same man who does the printing.

One gives me good business advice and occasionally checks my letters/ diploma programme notes etc.

One is an accountant, so if I was unsure about that side of my job I could talk to her.

A couple of older pupils have babysat!

I seem to do a lot of swapping dvds and books with some pupils/parents too