I think I've mentioned this topic a few times already, sorry for bringing up the topic again!

I do many home visits on public transport and since moving to a new place have tried to get local students to come to me at least. I don't have a car and live in London. I have a better piano than all my students, I have a parking space in front of my apartment, I have access to all my materials in my own house, I offer a reasonable discount for coming to me instead of me going to them, but students ALWAYS want me to go to them!

I've had quite a lot of inquiries since moving but they all lose interest as soon as I mention I teach from home. Luckily with my home visit students I've organized it so they mostly live within one area and this is largely due to word of mouth between neighbours. While this is all nice and well, I'm increasingly feeling tired from all the travelling and can feel my days are numbered as a home visit teacher especially as I work 2 days a week at schools as well.

A large percentage of my home visit students are from my old neighbourhood so I know it's a fair way for them to come to me. However I have a few local students who live closeby and I explained to them it would be more convenient for me to have them come to me and offered them a discount. They said they'll think about it, and the verdict is they're not willing to come to me, after kids finish school they'd rather not go anywhere else.

What can I actually do or say to start teaching from home? I'm planning to start a family soon so my only hope is if I have a baby perhaps they'll understand my need to teach from home then. I don't want to lose local students as they're the base I'll have to build up from, but I know a lot of you teach from home and your students are more than happy to do this. If I really stuck to my guns and only accepted students willing to come to me, I'd lose most of my students! In my old neighbourhood I managed to get a lot of local students to come to me but this was after teaching them for more than a year as a home visit teacher.

Purely from a parents perspective we like home visits because, 1. What are parents supposed to do whilst lesson is taking place, or do you allow parents to wait in your house. 2. If parent has other children they have to be taken into consideration, we can't just leave them at home. 3. The evening meal has to be prepared making it easier for lesson to take place at home. 4. Trying to fit music lessons in with quantity of homework my kids have to fit in is a nightmare so if we can save 30 mins travelling to and from music lessons by having them at home, it's really a no brainer. 5. We only have 1 car and husband works shifts so transport is a problem for us. I can sympathise with your predicament though, its difficult for all involved.

As an adult learner, I find it refreshing and less distracting to go to my teachers home, although I do have a car

Don't know how much extra you charge for home visits but could you increase this quite a bit so that a) you would be recompensed for your time and costs when travelling and b) only take new students if they come to you

Yes difficult for both sides, I have young children as well but I can think of no other activities/clubs which my children do which come to me - swimming , brownies, guides, football, tap, school clubs, snorkelling. If you start off by having someone coming to your house it must be difficult to think about changing.


One way while siblings are very young would be to do lessons through the schools system (although I know this is not always satisfactory) so that lessons are done during school time.

No easy answer

I'm just wondering if this is a location thing? I don't know any singing or instrument teachers in my area who travel to students' houses. In fact I used to drive my daughter 25 miles to her violin teacher and waited in the car while she had it.
In all the years I've been teaching I've only been asked twice on an initial enquiry if I go to them.
I think it's difficult to change once you've started this, but I find it hard to see how you can fit in everyone if you have travelling time between lessons. Surely this limits the number of people you can teach and therefore also limits your income? But maybe I'm wrong - I often am!
Beagle - would you really lose a lot of students if you changed to home teaching? I would think that many would value you and maybe grumble at first, but would soon adapt to the change. How many other teachers in your area travel to students? Anyone who left you would have to find someone else willing to do this. That might be more difficult than you think. I think that maybe they are saying that they are not happy to come to you because they know that you would not enforce it, being such a nice person. But if you did - there would soon be more coming along to fill the gaps (London is a big place), accepting that that is the way you do things, and you would have so much more time to yourself. I wonder if you've worked out how much time you actually spend travelling/waiting for transport? What effect does that have on your hourly rate?
Good luck - I hope it works out for you.

It sounds as if they value their time more than their money, which is maybe understandable - everyone can hope to increase their money by changing jobs or promotion etc, but nobody can alter the unfortunate fact that there are only 24 hours in a day, and only a few of those hours come after the children finish school for the day.

If your students had been with you for a long time and you had built up a good relationship with them, then maybe they would be willing to inconvenience themselves on your behalf, but that isn't the case here and you now know which way they'll jump if you give people the choice. If you really want to work from home, all you can do is remove the choice, but at the same time, really go to town to sell yourself on what they'll be gaining if they come to you. If they don't come to you, what other teacher would come to them and what advantages can you offer over other teachers?

Do you invite them to your house to see your facilities before they decide? For instance, can they see that the floor is marked out with rhythm games or notation games, and that there are reference posters on the walls - ie things that you use to enhance your teaching which you can't carry around with you and which reinforce why they should come to you?

Are you able to create a waiting area for a parent at your home? Somewhere where they can carry on with something useful (texting, making out their Xmas list etc) so that they don't feel as if they're wasting time. Are they able to access the internet through their mobile phone or laptop from your home? Leave a pot of coffee out for them to help themselves to create a relaxing atmosphere? I know this might all seem OTT to teachers who don't have any problem getting students to come to them, but you do have a problem with this so I would say you need to make it a more attractive proposition than just asking them to come to you for your convenience.

I sympathise though - it's a tricky one. Best of luck


PS. I don't know any teacher locally who goes to a student's home - all the teachers I know have students come to them. As far as I know they don't offer a choice, it's just the way it is

What area of London do you teach in, Beagle? I am in South London, I only work from home. I don't drive so when I was starting up the business, I used to cycle to a few students' houses, but it was miserable when the weather was bad (particularly when raining, teaching when sat in soaking wet clothes is no fun!). Now that I teach about 75% school pupils, I very rarely have any complaints about not doing lessons at their home. I'm also back to back with pupils, so having to travel would mean losing a pupil either side of getting to their homes. I find when you start getting pupils from schools, your teaching practice spread by word of mouth. I always make sure I drop a few flyers in their piano bag and ask them to give to any of their friends who are interested in learning. I also give some pupils a cheaper rate if they have referred friends for lessons.

I can understand with your old pupils that you've found yourself caught a bit betwixt and between - not wanting to lose them but not really wanting to do home visits either.

But I don't really understand with the new ones - if you say you'd rather teach from home but you'll travel to them if they insist (even though it's a few pound cheaper if they come to you) nearly everyone will want you to go them - I don't know where you live but Skylark is right, to many people a few pounds will make absolutely no difference and the convenience of you going to their house is huge.

Changing things after they're established is very tricky.

From the word go (and no pupils) when interested parties call and say 'do you do home visits?' I've said 'no'. Very simple. No discussion.

Presumably some are put off and go elsewhere but that's fine. They are looking for something that I don't do - like trumpet lessons or elocution lessons.

From a parent's point of view I agree with everything said by TRACY. I have happily travelled to music teachers for lessons at weekends, where only one of the children is having a lesson and my husband is (usually ) available to sort the other two out with where they need to be/ supervise them but in the evenings it would be a complete nightmare. A half hour music lesson isn't long enough to drop them off and get back, but most nights at least two of the children have to be somewhere usually all at the same time.

All three have lessons when our teacher comes, so he is here for nearly two hours, and he lives 16 miles away, so going to him would be a whole evening gone. He fits us in on his way back from school teaching in our direction and has commented that as we are close to a supermarket he can even combine it with doing his shopping.

If you prefer to teach at home, you just need to stick to your guns. In case our teacher retires I have already asked a neighbour for the contact number of their homevisiting piano teacher, because I want to stick to our method and you must do the same. It may be that a lot of your enquiries are from people who know you do home visits and that is why they have rung you in the first place.

That's my concern too. If you add up all the travelling time and work out a true hourly rate based on income divided by hours, and then take off bus fares, and a premium for the misery of carting heavy stuff in the rain, I imagine it might be better to do something else for a living?

I'm with the "Just say no" camp. I've never been to any one's house to give a lesson and have no plans to start. I did have one enquiry about this a few weeks ago - the lady was dissatisfied with her last teacher who sounded rather unprofessional in her behavior generally, the only good thing being that she was prepared to visit their home. I simply responded that I don't know any professional teachers who would travel to a home to teach - they would have to charge a huge rate to make a professional wage.

The crux here is to present not that you're giving a discount for those who come to you, but that you'd have to charge a huge rate to visit them - which would include your taxi fare.

With a few of my home visits before now, I've had parents get together so I teach their children in one of their houses : meaning I taught three/four people in one place. You still have the travel, but rather less of it. Perhaps that's a possibility?

If you are planning on starting a family, there are going to be some radical changes to your life, and the last thing you will want is the extra hassle of travelling while pregnant. I'm sure you are getting enquiries for home visits because people know that you do this, and unless you take action, nothing will change.

I would suggest that you give your pupils a reasonable amount of notice (what about now for after Christmas?) Simply state that because of the increased demands on your time (or whatever) it is no longer economically viable for you to travel to pupils, and from x date you will be teaching from home only. You may lose a few, but those who continue with you will recommend you to others who will know that you teach from home, thus no more requests for home visits. You may take a hit financially to start with, but short of doing something equally drastic like going to teach in schools instead, I can't see any other way of changing the situation.

Don't offer them a discount for coming to you - think of all the advantages to them - better piano, facilities etc.

When I first sterted teaching piano I did go to pupils' homes, but only because I lived in a bedsit and had no piano. Apart from that I have never been to my pupils' homes, and have never been asked. If I was, I would just say I don't do it.

When you are phoned by a prospective pupil do you mention that you visit some pupils? If you do, then I would stop doing this - just tell them you don't visit. You also mention that you offer a discount for having lessons at your home. Can I suggest that you turn this around and instead of saying you offer a discount at your home tell them your fee and say that a home visit is extra i.e your lesson fee is X and to visit them at home is X plus Y , the Y representing travelling expenses and time spent travelling. Remember a half hour spent travelling is half an hour you could be earning.

The view taken by the parents is understandable but is not really your concern. If they want lessons with you then it is up to them to make the relevant domestic arrangements. Of course you can be flexible and sympathetic but apart from allowing them a chair to sit on while they wait if it's impossible for them to wait in the car then I don't think you need to do anything.

As others have said if you have a baby your life will change drastically and then your priorities will need to change. You'll need to consider if you want to carry on teaching at all while your baby is very young, and from my experience I was too tired to get out of my dressing gown some days, leave alone leave the house to go and teach pupils in their own houses.

A lot of my teaching used to involve home visits. This was because I had a young family and I didn't want to disrupt family life by constantly having people coming in and out of my home, and having to enable the children to understand that although I was at home I wasn't available to them. I had to fit my work around my husbands job in order to do this, but it worked well.

However, I'm now in the process of moving most of my teaching to my own home. My student number has grown significantly and my children are older and can manage their own homework/tv watching etc. Any new students are not offered the option of me travelling. I have just stopped travelling to those who live furthest away, and they are now managing to come to lessons with me - I was able to offer some flexibility of timetable which helped. I now still teach a few people away from home, but these are home educating families who have grouped themselves together. I charge a standard rate for my teaching time, and add on to this time for travel and travel costs. These families split this cost between themselves which makes the rate they pay per child much closer to normal levels. They are grouped in two areas and now fill a decent proportion of timetable over two days and so I have no plans to change this any time soon. For these families, it enables them to continue educating their other children whilst music lessons take place. For me, I'm definately not out of pocket, either timewise or financially.

Most teachers round here have pupils who come to our homes, some of them travel quite a long way. My son's trumpet teacher does a home visit to us because he fits it in on his way home from school, and because we're detached and he's semi.

I think you should give people plenty of notice, SueHM suggested now for after Christmas, that you will be teaching from home. You'll be thankful that you have done this once you are pregnant and then when you've had the baby. Travelling on public transport when pregnant is no fun at all, and if you're feeling a bit jaded now, you'll be feeling even more so then (at times). I'd be surprised if you lost too many pupils. (Can you do a survey of local teachers to see what others do around your area so that you know whether your ideas are unusual for your area of London?)

Then I think you need to raise your game (sorry if you already do this) with business cards, flyers and even a website (lorraineliyanage has a good one, (just looked at it earlier this afternoon) as do several others on the forum) and highlight all the good things about pupils coming to you for lessons - quality piano, parking just outside, are you on a bus route/ local station etc etc. Even invest in a few posters - it may be worthwhile.

Many of us have spent several years, and lots of money on petrol taking children to lessons - it's what we need to do as parents. My daughter had a teacher in Guildford which involved an hour's journey there, 1 hour's lesson (to make it worthwhile) and an hour return journey. I had to make arrangements for my son to be supervised during this time. I simply took work to do in the car - amazing how many name tapes you can sew on in an hour of enforced sitting down.

I'm also back to back with pupils, so having to travel would mean losing a pupil either side of getting to their homes.

Exactly. I simply tell enquirers (if they ask) that I am not able to justify travelling time as it would mean teaching fewer students. Most of my parents wait in the car, or pop to the shops. I think you'll have to decide what you are prepared to do and stick to it.

I teach in my own home, it's quiet (most of the time!), I have good facilities, two pianos etc. Write down your selling points Beagle (as Susie suggested) and quote them next time.

I can understand both sides - of course it is more convenient for students/parents if you come to their house. I would be the same

There is a solution to this problem however, quite tough though: Set your priorities. If you feel that it takes too much time/effort (and money! Most people charge far too less when they are travelling, just adding a bit of mileage but no extra time), don't offer it.

I know this sounds strange, but it is the only solution. If you signal that you are willing to travel, of course people will accept this offer. If they have heard through the grapevine that you travel to other students, they will of course ask: 'Why don't you do the same for me?'

So I would really say: Take some time to jot down the pros and cons of teaching at students' and your own house. Be honest about what YOU want, not what the students maybe would like.

Of course there are financial matters to be taken into consideration - you obviously don't want to lose half of your students. I take it from your post though that you are not happy with the current situation, so I would suggest to gradually reduce the amount of tuition at students' houses. Don't offer it to new students anymore, and also try to reduce it with the ones you already have. You might come across quite a few who won't be happy, since you offered it in the first place, and it can be (understandably) inconvenient for them to change this. Again: You have to set your priorities though. Maybe at least one or two wouldn't mind, which would be a start.

Not easy ...

Just adding one other thought. I'm usually easy-going to the extent that I put myself out for other people. But I had a parent start lessons, and then after a couple of weeks introduced the idea of her daughter starting. (Fine I think - but I'm a bit short of times.)

Daughter could come on a Tuesday - most convenient, because Mum's in the area with other children and their activities. The only snag is that I am fully booked on Tuesday with long-standing very good pupils, siblings (2 sets) who come a long way for their lessons.

So I firmly said no, and stated the only times I could manage. Lo and behold, it was decided that child could come at my time. Incidentally child is having some time off just now because of starting senior school. I'm just thinking it's a good thing I didn't disrupt my long-standing pupils.

But the point is - do what you feel is best for you. People will fit in round you - if they want piano lessons, they will find a way. Be firm and stick to it.

This is completely true. Our piano teacher is always fully booked. For the last three years I have declined to move the time because it works for her and us. I am resigned to having to move it next year because my son wants to do triple science at school and one class is at the same time as his current piano lesson. I intend to raise this will her and give her full information about our availability sooner rather than later. For me this is a biggie.
Good piano teachers do not grow on trees, even in London. I would decide what I was willing to do and then do that. Provided you are good enough and reasonable in your timings people will fit in with you. I would give everyone reasonable notice and then stick to your guns.
Good luck
Dora

Thanks for so much support. I must admit I thought I'd get answers more like 'you should stick to it as you've dug your own grave' kind! I think the point a lot of you made about really advertising yourself is spot on, as apart from being listed on a couple of websites, I've not made an effort to advertise locally. Skylark, you're right, I was thinking about making the waiting area more welcoming. However, the fact a majority of my inquiries ask for home visits imply there must be a lot of teachers in my area doing home visits. Most of my students who learn a different instrument have teachers come to them.



1.I have a lounge room parents can sit in with a view of the park at the front! I have a shopping mall behind my place so grocery shopping is very handy. I also constantly have a supply of newspapers and informative mags. 2. Yes, this is the tricky part, other siblings. My plan was to have some materials for children to occupy themselves with in the waiting area. 3. I also have to preapre the evening meal for myself and husband and how many times I have come home exhausted from teaching and decide not to cook while I would smell and hear parents cooking dinner for their children? 4. Yes, true but I have 22 students to organize while parents just have to fit going to one piano teacher. 5.Yes, this would be difficult unless you lived within walking distance of the teacher.

Also, I'd like to thank everyone for pointing out I may be a bit of a softie and parents can see this. I always try to look at their point of view but maybe haven't been enforcing my own strongly enough. I think I'm willing to take the risk of losing a few if it means I can work in the way I want, not what everyone else wants.

Are you teaching only after school? How about advertising for adults as well - all my adults come during the school day - they are either retired, or working part time, and it frees up the after school slots for the kids. I have one home schooled child as well who comes during the day (not sure how you could tap in to this market, but worth thinking about, perhaps?)

Good luck with your regime change!

Would that it was quite that simple! My daughter announced on Thursday, that she had already accumulated a backlog of 10 homeworks for the week... Oh,dear... Now that we have got to Sunday evening they are almost cleared.. I am very very grateful that her clarinet/sax teacher comes to us. On that evening she manages to fit in brief cello and piano practices before he comes, and does homework after that. The music practices would have to go if we had to travel to him.

However, we did not choose the clarinet teacher because he was prepared to travel to us. He came by recommendation of another teacher. Had he expected us to go to him we would certainly have done so! If he asked us to do so now, we would certainly try to organise ourselves to accommodate him as we do not want to lose him!

Just be careful about where you decide the parents can sit. Many years ago the mum of two children I taught back to back used to stay while her children had lessons. I didn't particularly mind as she had to come quite a way. The only room available was our front room so she sat there. This meant that my family were effectively evicted from the room - children went to their rooms and my husband went and sulked in the bedroom or started cooking the evening meal. I also wouldn't provide games and things for any siblings who are waiting - it's the parent's job to keep them occupied not yours. I probably come over as a grumpy old woman, but I don't think you should make it too comfortable for parents and siblings. I put in my initial letter to prospective pupils that if the parent has to stay then I provide a chair in the hall, outside the lesson room.

Whilst I think the position you are in really deserves that you go for this whole-heartedly and just issue notice to stop visits, if you want to go at it a little more softly softly than stopping all home visits now and the risk of lost students you could issue a letter to current students saying you are now offering visits only to existing students and will not offer any further visits to new students. That gives them a clear message they should not recommend you as a visiting teacher, and I would bet you have far fewer enquiries from people looking for home visits, because it seems likely those people are looking specifically for a home visiting teacher and that is how they have come by your details. Do you ask all prospective enquiries where they got their lead to you? It could be very useful, as you will also know what is worth advertising in and what has been a waste of time and money.

This makes it easier that when you say no to future students there is no "but you do it for them" moment - they were already on the books when you stopped. You could also define an "existing student" in terms of having no long breaks between lessons, etc. so that if someone wants to take the whole summer off they lose the privilege of home visits. You could also have a single home visit day, if you want a home visit your lesson will have to be on a Monday from now on, do you want to come to me on a Wednesday or me come to you on a Monday? That way you are travelling once only and get it out of the way. You can teach in your old area to keep those students but you keep them all as a single block, then look for students who come to you in the new area. It also puts the pressure on people to meet you halfway.

Here's the opinion from a teacher who teaches from home and does home visits, and who is expecting a baby and having to reorganise things!

When I first started teaching (about 3 years ago) I offered home visits and lessons at mine. Mostly people wanted home visits which suited me fine as I lived in a rented flat and I was happy for the work! After a while we bought our own house so it became more convenient to teach from home and fit in more students. I kept my home visit students, a family of 3 students who only live round the corner (therefore worth it) and a couple of students in a nearby village. I have also kept a student who lives about 20 min drive away. They pay extra for my travelling and I adore the student who is really hard working and has huge potential.

Now when I receive enquiries I don't automatically offer a choice however if it transpired that the new student lived close to some of current home visits and could fit on same day I would offer that.

Husband and I are expecting 1st baby next year and I'm having to think about how to change things. I don't see it as an option to teach at home with baby potentially disrupting lessons (even if husband is there) as house is very small and the sound would travel to easily. Therefore, I am only going to be offering home visits. I will offer them firstly to current home visits and then to other students providing they live reasonably close and have a suitable instrument. I am prepared for the fact that I'm not going to be earning as much but it will be a sacrifice worth making. You will also have to think about how long you plan to have off after baby (I am planning a couple of months) and be prepared for the fact that you may lose students who don't want to wait.

Hope that gives you a different viewpoint and I hope I haven't waffled too much about the baby side of it, but it's probably worth considering the options you have once that side of you life changes so you can gradually change the way you work in preparation.

I am lucky to have a library 2 minutes away so most of the parents go there, or some of the parents go to the pub at the end of my road

However, if parents want to stay, then that is fine. None of the parents interrupt the lesson (so far) and I would obviously actively discourage them doing so. A few of my pupils travel from far away, and rather than have the parent sat in the car, I let them stay in the room. I just make sure there is a good magazine selection within arm's reach. Sometimes even a sibling stays in the room and the parent reads a book quietly to them which actually works out fine and is not disruptive.

Beagle - in terms of advertising, yes a web site is important. I get so many enquiries through the web - possibly more than by phone now. Flyers are good too and can be printed very cheaply if you do a google for the best deal. I paid one of my teenage students a bit of cash to flyer our local area which brought in lots of enquiries as people knew there was a teacher within walking distance of them. You may have done this, but put adverts in libraries, newsagents etc. although this usually costs a few quid a week.

Also - if you want to look at my Terms and Conditions, please send me a message and i'll email them to you. It's really important to get the parents to sign this before starting lessons as then they know that you mean business!

I agree it's perfectly alright to offer 'limited home visits' as RoseRodent described - if it suits you. You have to be clear what you are prepared to do, and be firm in sticking to it if someone rings up and wants an arrangement that's not really convenient. You can always say that you have certain times available for home visits but at the moment those times are fully booked, and the only slots you have available are on days when you teach only at home.

I have one or two who stay at the moment too (mainly with fairly new pupils) and it's not a problem. One sibling brings a game, and had to be warned (kindly) that it was fine as long as I couldn't hear it. Most parents don't particularly want to stay though, once a pupil is settled. I personally wouldn't offer the use of another room, but of course it depends on the layout / size of your house and whether you have other family members. I'm fortunate in that there is enough space in the room to have others sitting in if necessary, but in a small teaching room it could feel crowded - and I have to admit I would be less comfortable with that, so would probably take the line that there simply isn't the space, if that were my situation.

This is probably a culture thing, depending on what is the norm in your area. I certainly don't know any teachers who travel to pupils' homes, and I've never been asked to do it. Parents with other small children simply pile them into the car and either go to a shop with them or read to them or whatever in the car while the lesson is taking place. If it means a bus journey then it may be more difficult, though - again, there will be some areas where this more likely than others. That's when there needs to be a waiting area available. I think RoseRodent's idea was a good one; decide that on Day X you'll travel, but only on that day, and that you only teach from home on the other days. There needs to be a significant price difference, though, or everybody will want Day X. If you think on terms of washing machine engineers and what they charge just for walking through the door, before they even start using their expertise, then it puts it in a different light.

I agree. I've always gone to my teachers for whatever I was learning (though as an adult with a car it's easy for me). I don't think I would want lessons at home, somehow it wouldn't seem the right environment.

When I was studying voice, I walked to my teacher's house in my lunch hour (good preparation, warmed all the tubes up!) because she only offered lessons from her house. I thought that was the norm. But now I am having piano lessons, my teacher comes to my home. This arrangement particularly suits me because I can get in some last minute practice before he arrives, I can be at the piano stool and playing within seconds of him coming, and so no time is wasted!

However, if he only taught from his house, I would travel. So I suppose the point of my drivel is that you should really do what suits your circumstances.

As a parent, I would positively NOT want a teacher coming to my house. I'd feel obliged to tidy up, I'd have to leave a room free, I'd have to keep others out of the way, and I'd probably feel obliged to offer a cup of tea or something. And would the teacher be happy with my animals? (Memories of Diapason's thread about teaching with his feet in the cat litter...) I think it would actually be easier to just bung 'em all in the car; it certainly never crossed my mind that there was any other option when my kids were being taken to lessons. What if the teacher gets held up? Do you shorten the lesson and pack the teacher off at the usual time, or hold the dinner back? Or be late for wherever else you have to go?

I taught from home only when my children were very small would have found it impossible to run even a small teaching practice, a home, a baby and a hubby if I also had to travel to pupils' houses. I'm fortunate that my brood were - mostly - well behaved and easily managed, but that's partly because that was what we expected from them right from the start.

Once they were older it became easier and easier to teach from home and it would have been very difficult to organise growing my teaching practice and travelling to more pupils' houses with more than one child.

Do consider very carefully whether it wouldn't be better to teach from home only when your family is young - most people are very understanding and you give yourself much more flexibility when you don't have to travel.

Have you thought about maternity leave? What arrangements are you making for your pupils for when you have your baby and for the first few months? There are no easy choices, do not undersetimate the time and effort it will take and the change in your life that you experience when your baby arrives. Good luck.

I agree here. I certainly do not view it as my job to entertain siblings, and the only siblings I have wait outside in the car with parent and do homework/have some tea/read a book. If you can offer a chair in a hallway that's ideal because parent knows s/he will have to bring the newspaper or knitting because that's all there's room for, but I wouldn't even offer waiting space especially as you have car-parking outside.

I find it easiest if my 1 year old daughter is not in the house when I am teaching, just incase she starts shrieking or being really noisy. My mum always takes her for a walk in the pram when I'm working and two day's a week she is in nursery.

I find that's one of the benefits, piano lesson day is my housework day!

You are also right though that lesson time can slip slightly (or with our slightly erratic music teacher) quite a lot. The one night he had said he would be slightly late for th 4.45pm lesson as he had a hospital appointmnt. Well it was quarter to eight when he turned up and the youngest was ready for bed, so I suggested he just did the eldest child, who was preparing for an exam, and we left the others for the next week. Generally it works quite well, because we are on home territory the kids just do their homework for a bit longer if he is a few minutes late.

Yes I do provide a cup of tea and a biscuit for him when he comes straight from school teaching, although at present he comes from another family who feed him dinner. Perhpas I should provide after dinner mints with his coffee

how dependant are you on the income,, if you explain to them that you have no transport to get there and haven't got time to catch the bus..... OR, as you say most of them live in one catchment area where you used to live, do you teach them all on one night???? how many would you lose.... do you advertise, state that you only teach from your home not mobile..... difficult one this...

This is interesting. I never thought that having a baby would actually make me do more home visits but I can completely see your point of view. I don't live in a big place and I can see a baby would be distracting if you're trying to work from home.



I go to area 1 twice a week and area 2 once a week where the students live within walking distance of each other and I teach them on the same day. Whiile this is convenient, I'm forever walking really fast so I don't waste time inbetween houses, especially when mums start chatting! Also annoying when children don't get back from school on time or they're in middle of crying or eating and I have to wait until things settle.

All my new inquiries recently is actually from people who saw my advert online, not word of mouth. About 90% wanted home visits and I have refused, and they haven't come back to me so presumably they have found someone who will do home visits. I do think I need to hike up my prices next year if I continue to do home visits as with every payment I receive I feel like I've earned it not through teaching but physical exertion!

Beagle, I started off with home-visits, and then wanted to change to them coming to me when my pupil numbers increased.

I simply sent a letter - at the end of the summer term, saying that from September, I would no longer be able to travel to pupils' homes because of increasing pupil numbers.

I haven't lost anyone - they all came to me.

I didn't lose out either, because I was really robbing myself with the home visits, so just said that my rates were going up - but the good news was, they wouldn't actually be paying any more than they were - it's just that they would have to come to me instead. (ie my "home visit" rate became my "normal" rate)

That sounds like it worked out well! I don't think I've got the same kind of luck though, I did mention to a couple I might only teach from home and their reaction was 'do you know anyone else who will come to us? Problem is I teach families who aren't short of money but short of time due to the parents having a hectic professional life. I also moved from west London to South London but still do home visits in west London, and I don't think they're willing to travel down to me. They're also mostly beginners, and probably think they can find another teacher easily at that level.I find that when students are more advanced they're more likely to make the effort to suit the teacher.

Yes, I think home visits are considerably more stressful as you have to contend with a whole other households hectic lives. Annoyances I constantly see includes EXTREMELY loud phones or other kids, really bad pianos, pets who burst into the room during lessons, rooms that are really cold or incredibly hot etc etc...teaching in your own space where you control all of these things sounds like heaven. I like almost all my parents, but still it can be hard to get out the door when they start chatting (or showing you their new extension etc etc) While people like you to arrive on time to them they often forget you have other people to see!!!

I can only see myself doing another two years of home visits after this...by then I hope to have a house and somewhere to teach. Ah, to have all my resources to hand and work on a piano that works and is in tune. Hope it works out for you Beagle...keep us posted!