Today someone gave me a cheque for her grade 8 singing exam (forthcoming special visit) - £67.40. The next student had already arrived. The conversation went like this:

Student 1: "What's the 40p for?"
Student 2: "It's for his biscuits!"
Student 1: "And his tea!"
Me: "Wait a minute - I supply his biscuits and his tea!"
Student 2 (who had taken her exam at my last special visit): "And you give him lunch!"
Me: "AND I supply the room, and the newly tuned piano, and a steward. They would normally have to hire the church and they also hire a piano and have it tuned."

So what does eveyone think - should there be a reduced fee for special visits? Or am I missing something?

what about the cost of petrol for the examiner to get to wherever the special visit is? otherwise i'd have agreed.

The conversation of your pupils made me laugh! I like having special visits, too, and organise one whenever I can - as I have a small teaching practice on my own, I normally team up with my friends. I also supply coffee & lunch, but the most of the examiners actually offer to pay for the expense. Of course, I always decline.

hero

They would have to be driving VERY far for it to cost as much or more than supplying lunch, tuning your piano and presumably missing a teaching day for the exams to take place.

My examiner travelled 40 miles.
I will say, though, that it was worth not getting a discount to have a specialist (for once). At least the remarks were pertinent to singers, and very helpful.

....or the flight to the island, or the three-hour ferry crossing....!