My teacher, (who has been teaching me for 3 and a half years), has gone from expecting me to pay for 4 weekly lessons in advance, to 6 weeks in advance, and is now asking me to pay for 8 weeks in advance.

I will pay up, because she is a good teacher, I like her and I've made great progress with her help. However, I actually don't think it's right to ask to be paid for a service up to 8 weeks before you perform it. If a builder expected me to pay before he did the job he would get short shrift I can tell you, and if she were to get ill and be unable to teach she could potentially owe her students a huge sum of money.

I just wondered what other people think about this?

I ask for a full term's payment at the beginning of each term, so in effect my students are paying for 10 weeks of lessons in advance. Saves having to go to the bank every few weeks.

I've had three teachers in the recent past - one expects payment every month, another twice during the academic year (so 10+ lessons at a time), the last was arranged through the university and was also 10 lessons at a time. I've never thought of it as strange. I think teachers ask for payment in advance because music is an "extra" for many students and students/parents may therefore think it's acceptable to cancel at the last minute or fail to show without good reason, despite having booked the teacher's time. I think most builders would expect a large fraction of payment in advance as well...

For most of my musical life I've paid for lessons in advance - usually 4 weeks in advance (once a month), in university 10 lessons in advance and at the moment, about 4 to 6 lessons in advance (it varies). It's always worked out because all of the various teachers have been very good about scheduling. Lessons have been moved around but we've always kept count and I've never gone short. It's worked because both sides have taken it seriously.

However, I can see why some might mind paying for that many lessons in advance. It's usually not a small sum of money.

It's actually common practice for teachers to charge for a block of lessons in advance. As someone else said, it's largely to protect ourselves against non-payment for late cancellations. Teachers need to guarantee a steady income like anyone else. Absenteeism drops sharply when you start charging in advance, and this is actually advantageous for students as they get better continuity of teaching.

My pupils pay in advance termly. I calculate the number of weeks in a term according to the school holidays here (not quite the same as in England) so I have worked it out over 5 terms. The first three terms were 7 lessons, the fourth will be 6 and the last 9. If I am absent I either make up or refund the lesson. If they are absent I will offer them a replacement time if I can but I make sure that they know it is at my discretion. They are not automatically entittled to it - though most of them get it!

When I worked for an Association the parents were expected to pay three times a year, always in advance. Private teachers are usually self employed and have to pay tax and other contributions just like salaried people. A normal business - employing, say a builder, will probably have sufficient funds in their bank balance - -to pay their employees and their part of the contributions and if not they will probably have some sort of ongoing loan to help. Some builders and suchlike do ask for a deposit - particularly if the work is going to involve a considerable outlay to buy the materials, and they may well ask for a legally binding contract before starting work. So it isn't really all that different for music teachers. When you pay in advance it's a sort of contract between you both - you will be present to receive the lessons and the teacher will be there to give them.

I think you would find that music schools pobably ask for payment in advance. The teachers are their employees and they therefore, legally, have to have a contract. Once the contract is signed the money to pay the teacher has to be found and the hours of employment respected. Pupils are expected to give due notice if they want to give up. I have also heard that some French music schools are in a position, since they
are subsidised byt local government, to ask for unpaid lessons to be reclaimed via the local tax office. I'm not sure how it works but it is something designed to see that the schools can afford to pay the teachers the hours of work they have contracted to give them.

So it's all a bit complicated. sorry for the rather long reply. I don't know if that makes the teacher's side of things a bit clearer. A lot depends, I suppose on whether the said teacher needs to be sure of their teaching income or is able to rely on other sources of money.

Yes, payment in advance is quite common.
The same goes for swimming lessons, dancing lessons and even Guides and Brownies are moving in this direction. As others have said it ensures that the teacher doesn't lose out if the student doesn't show and also tends to reduce the number of cancelled lessons which is good for the student.

I do think with something as costly as music lessons having to pay more than a month up front can cause difficulties since people tend to get paid monthly. It's like expecting one month's money to pay for two or three month's bills..... tends to leave you rather short at least the first time.
I bill quarterly but accept monthly payment if people find this easier.

If you wanted to take a course in evening classes you would have to pay the whole fee up front, and you would get no refund/rearrangement if you were ill. I don't see the difference. Builders are a different matter - there is no on-going service once the one-off job is done.
The ISM contract quotes termly fees paid in advance and it is generally accepted in the music teaching field that this is the way it is done. It is a safeguard for the teachers - if they reserve a slot for you and you don't turn up they have potentially lost the income - they could, arguably have had an enquiry which they have turned away because it is "your" slot. But they still have their mortgage to pay
That said, there are plenty of teachers who still charge by the lesson - me, for instance

Come to think of it, the times that I've paid by the lesson have been when we arranged ad-hoc lessons - now that I'm a "regular", I'm paying in advance. (I'm fine with either arrangement)

The ISM agreement for private tuition, however, leaves it up to the teacher to decide how may lesson to charge for at a time.

I used to charge half termly in arrears, but I had a number of pupils who would miss lessons and although they'd let me know, I would lose the money.



However, I moved around to charging half termly in advance and the absences have dropped off which is better for the pupil as Scooby Doo says, and is better for me. If there are any absences which we cannot rearrange to a mutually convenient time, then I refund the money, or carry it over to the next half term.

Sorry - I thought we WERE talking about private tuition. Most teachers I know, although private, observe school terms and invoice their upfront fees accordingly.

Ah, sorry, private teachers in schools, or outside of? I meant the latter, where the ISM agreement specifically states that blocks of lessons may not coincide with school term dates. For private self-employed teachers working in schools, it certainly makes sense for up-front payments to correspond to terms or half-terms.

Many, many years ago I had Guitar lessons. The teacher was a really nice chap and payment was at the end of each lesson. I failed to turn up on numerous occasions, without notice. I was young, naive and stupid.
A few years later I took Violin lessons. Payment was in advance for a block of 10 lessons. I didn't miss one!
There is perfectly sound logic behind the policy.

I charge for 4 lessons in advance but if the pupil is reliable and would like to pay for individual lessons in cash I'm fine with that too. I do think that asking for a whole term of lessons is far too much for a lot of people and would put them off.

When I was younger and my old teacher went from taking cash every lesson from us to asking us to pay in advance termly, my parents did it begrudgling and stated they simply could not have afforded to do it this way if this has been the case a few years before when I started meaning I would have never got music lessons.

I know it's the same amount of money regardless but many people who run small businesses / get paid weekly find things much easier to pay for on a weekly basis and I would never let a good student go because they couldn't find what is a rather large lump sum payment, however a none payer would certainly be sacked ...

I pay for my lessons in blocks of ten lessons at a time. A little schedule comes with the invoice with the date and time each week - time is the usual one, but the weeks take into account any holidays. So I pay for ten lessons but could be over a 12 week period if, for example, Easter falls in the middle of the ten.
If I can't make a lesson, I lose it, if my teacher has to cancel the lesson, it just gets added to the end of the session, and the next schedule would start a week later.

I too pay for lessons in blocks of 8, which isn't always 8 weeks because of holidays and the like. It ends up working out pretty much that I'm putting half the bill away each month and then I always have money to pay it and a little left over for books etc.

My lessons have always been paid for in termly or half-termly blocks, or similarly in advance. I think I prefer it as it means I don't always have to remember cash, or a chequebook, and it makes forward planning simpler for me.

Interesting that your (the OPs) teacher has increased the length of the block though.

Curious as to what would be the reasoning behind this (bit in bold and italics)? To me it would make sense to charge in line with school terms (or half terms), especially if you're working predominantly with children. As a parent I'd rather pay for a term, (ie 6 or 7 weeks) so that I always knew exactly where I'd paid up to. With my (very few) students they have agreed to pay a half term in advance which works for everyone.

Edited to add: or does the wording mean may not as in the dates might not coincide, rather than "must" not ie forbidden.

The other side of the coin for the music teacher is that payment in dribs and drabs makes accounts much more complicated. I have had two late payers every term so far - not the same ones.This has given me extra work - a separate bank slip to be filled in and another visit to the bank. Fine if your bank is just down the road but not so good if you live in a rural area. I have also allowed one pupil to pay monthly, although I doubt if the parents who are both in good jobs really need this. It suits them but administratively it doesn't suit me as it complicates the quarterly returns I have to make to the French tax and contributions collecting agency. I put up with it because in other ways this family are very supportive. Swings and roundabouts!

I totally agree. As far as possible I always try to ensure that my 10 week lessons coincide with the school terms, so it usually ends up as 5 weeks + 1 week half-term holiday + 5 weeks. Sometimes it's not easy because different schools have holidays at different times. For example one of the schools where I teach is on holiday this week but the other two are off next week. I do wish every school could have the same holidays. It would make life so much easier.

Yes, the edit is correct!

I've got no family, I currently don't do any school-based work, and a third of my pupils are adults. It would be madness (and financially impossible) for me to stop teaching for a quarter of the year, just because the schools are closed! (Of course, it's possible for parents to give advance notice of when they're actually away on holiday or are unable to attend for other reasons.)

What you suggest in your edit makes far more sense I would say.

Thanks for clarification - I initially read the "may not" as "must not" which just seemed weird.

I've gone back and checked, and all that confusion was my poor paraphrasing - the actual wording is much clearer:

"The Teacher will give tuition in Series of lessons consisting of the number of lessons specified on Page 1. Series will not necessarily coincide with school terms."

Do you charge for absences? I charge half the cost of a lesson unless I have been informed of the absence before payment. This for health and educational reasons only. Missed lessons for other reasons are not refunded

The ISM agreement requires 24 hours notice on the pupil's part to cancel a lesson without payment being required, and if the teacher needs to cancel, the pupil has the choice of mutually-convenient rearrangement, refund, or carrying payment forward.

I'm normally able to be much more flexible than this suggests, being able to rearrange at much shorter notice. Perhaps because of this, the times I've needed to cancel at short notice for medical reasons haven't ruffled too many feathers.

I will reschedule too, as far as I am able, and make every effort to do so, as missed lessons do not help anyone!

However I find myself disagreeing with the ISM if I have correctly understood the guidelines that Owain Sutton quotes.
24 hours often gives very little opportunity for rescheduling, and usually means wasted time. Depends on your timetable of course, and how fully booked you are.

More seriously, a teacher could be badly out of pocket with a frequent canceller, if every time this means a credit or a refund.

I will refund or credit only in very exceptional circumstances.

Although I bought the ISM agreement I use my own version as I think the ISM one is far too restrictive. I do require 24 hours notice, but I ask that holidays booked and the like are notified to me as soon as the student knows about them. That way I have an emergency slot for others who need to cancel for exceptional circumstances or illness, which I never charge for, at my discretion.
Yes, frequent cancellers are a pain and lead to loss of income with this system, but they don't last long. Usually a conversation about would it help to reschedule a lesson to a more convenient time to avoid the cancellations (did you know you have only taken x number of lessons out of a possible y?) or simply leave, solves the problem
The reasons I don't charge in advance are
a) none of my music teachers ever did, nor my children's teachers. I know that I and my mother would have struggled to find that much money in one go.
b) I allow payment up front if that's what students or their parents want. These are the only people I have to chase - there is never any problem with the "by the lesson" students. I really don't wnat to turn into an accounts admisistrator. I am a music teacher first and foremost and the least problems about payment the happier I am.

Sorry to have to keep quoting bits - it'd be easier if the blank agreement wasn't in the members-only section of their website!

Actually, I should stop typing these things without double-checking...the 24 hours bit was my memory not working right, the agreement doesn't specify a time period, but just says that a missed lesson will be charged for, "unless the teacher chooses not to do so for exceptional circumstances". So it's up to the teacher to set their own boundaries as to what 'exceptional' means.

It also requires four weeks notice from pupils for planned holidays, and permits them at most two weeks off for holidays in any one series of lessons.

Of course, no member is obliged to use this agreement, but it's a good example of spelling out clearly the obligations of both parties - such as a pupil not entering any exam or competition without the consent of both teacher and pupil/parents. (I've heard horror stories about parents taking it upon themselves to enter a child for an exam when the teacher wanted to delay it...)

Thanks for clarifying Owain! Yes, I think the 'unless the teacher chooses not to do so etc ' is a useful bit.

Frequent cancellers - yes, they often don't last long. I do have one family that takes quite a lot of holiday during term time: they seem to have several properties overseas and juggle timetables like nobody's business. I pointed out to them quite early on that their schedule and my term-based arrangement was not a good fit, and it might suit them better to have lessons at school (although this changes frequently). They chose to stay with me: I continue to stick to my guns over ts and cs, although I am not sure how much longer we will last.

Most forumites are probably familiar with my policy by now, but in case it is helpful I'll mention that : -

I charge by the half term. This means six invoices a year, somewhere between 5 and 8 weeks.

Invoices are sent out in the first week of the invoice period, and most families pay on the first or second lesson.
I don't in general have problems with late payers. but if it happens, the following invoice has a 'date to pay by' .

I will try to reschedule if needed, but do not undertake to credit or carry over. There is sometimes a make-up period (couple of days) at the end of term, and I try to offer a slot to anyone who has had to miss and who generally does not take advantage (most families, in fact).

I am fully booked most of the time, so my students know that rescheduling is often difficult. They are generally busy on other days too. But we try.

We have been here before, but I do feel it is important for younger teachers and anyone starting out to set their own terms, and not allow themselves to be told by prospective students or their parents how to run their business. It is easier once you have a full diary and have built up confidence to state your terms. It is more difficult perhaps when you have plenty of vacancies and are anxious to accommodate all comers.

Yes, I agree, 24 hours often does not give long enough to rearrange.

I have never charged in advance, although in the case of frequent cancellers, am tempted to. Two students pay monthly by invoice, although this is always in arrears. But as long as they do pay, I'm happy with that. One reason for not charging in advance is that I know the majority of local music teachers in this area do not do so, and I don't want to appear to offer less favourable terms. So to some extent, I think one needs to go with what appears to be the norm in one's own area.

This is such a difficult subject - at the end of the day, we're running a business, and consequently want to reduce the financial risk as far as is possible; however, we also want to be flexible and understanding of pupil needs. In the end, it's a bit of a no win situation - whatever policy you have, someone won't like it.

I've been researching other teacher's policies recently - particularly in the US where it's standard practice to have a policy - it makes you realise how incredibly generous we are here in the UK, even with something like the ISM policy. US policies are much stricter (but not in the old-fashioned sense of the word if you see what I mean) - they're not setting out to make it difficult for people, but rather to make it clear what's expected. It obviously works for them though because most boast large studios of not just private pupils (often over 100!) but a whole host of other activities. There, they are successful businesses.

Some of the things which have struck me as worthy of consideration have been:

Charging fees as a flat monthly rate - I know some teachers in the UK have moved towards this, but it's definitely not yet commonplace. Virtually all the policies I looked at did this. As well as spreading the cost, it also moves people away from the mindset of lessons costing 'x' amount per hour. What the policies basically say is that there are 'x' number of lessons per year, and this is monthly charge. It's also a halfway house between those who want to pay by the lesson, and charging for a block up-front. The payment is always the same and can be set up as a standing order.

Most have a late payment fee which is automatically added if monthly payments haven't been received by the 10th of the month. This varied from the quivalent of about ?5 up to ?15. The ISM have a system of sending so many reminders etc. which can be time-consuming.

The issue of cancellations/make-up lessons is also handled very differently (and from what I read, probably to much better effect). One policy which particularly struck me as useful was that each pupil was allocated 2-3 'make-up' lessons each year. If they need to cancel or if they are ill, then they are given a 'make-up' credit which can be used at any time during the year (e.g. sometimes you might be able to make it up the same week or the following week, or they can be used for extra lessons in the summer holidays etc.). After they've used up the 2-3 'make-up' lessons, there's no more and no refunds for missed lessons. This strikes me as useful on two counts: (a) It removes the need to establish who has a genuine excuse for missing a lesson, and (b) It removes the thing about how much notice should be given. It's a sort of 'no questions asked' policy designed to make people think about how they use their 'make-up' lessons - it's flexible in that it accounts for illness, but it sets a limit. Most have a blanket policy which says that lessons missed without any notification are simply forfeited.

I mentioned a while back that I was having trouble balancing the regular pupils (come every week, regular timeslot etc.) with those who wanted lessons on a more ad-hoc basis. I've got to the stage now where I can only offer ad-hoc lessons to people if they can come prior to 4pm because there isn't the flexibility in the evenings to be able to fit them in amongst the regulars. This seems to be very common in the policies I've read. Interestingly, some teachers charge a slightly higher fee for ad-hoc pupils than for regulars. I think the basis of this is that the regulars present a better business proposition and thus are rewarded for this - again, it's a mindset thing in that they're not being told they're getting a discount for it.

Lots to think about...

I think there's probably a crossover here from American schools, which in many places allocate 'catch-up' days at the end of the year which will be used if there's unexpected closures (e.g. snow days).

Our two teachers have differing approaches.

One charges for lessons actually taken, half-termly in arrears. He sometimes has to cancel at short notice owing to demands of the day job (he is a classroom teacher); we very rarely have to cancel but aim to give as much notice as possible if we do, so that he can offer the slot elsewhere. It all seems to work fine.

The other charges a monthly flat-rate throughout the year. From our perspective, this doesn't work so well, and we haven't always been given the full number of "catch-up" lessons when he has had to cancel (which has happened a reasonable number of times). I haven't complained, since he is a good teacher and his rates are reasonable, but keeping tabs of whether we have had the full complement of lessons which we have paid for is a bit of a hassle.

I've been using this "US" system for years now (and it's not really American at all - many people on the continent do something quite similar). I would have done it from the start (because it is a system I knew quite well from own experience), but people kept on telling me I couldn't do it like that here. I so wish I'd had the confidence not to listen to them, because it would have spared me a lot of hassle.

Yes, after introducing this system, I got a few questions because it doesn't seem to be that common here, but most people actually now like it - it's all about how you sell it I guess. It's the same amount every month, you can budget for it, it's not a silly amount of money at once, it is fair on both student and teacher, and it leaves ample time for holidays and genuine make-ups. Needless to say that the teacher of course needs to be honest if they frequently cancel - what saxophile describes is far from ideal, and I wouldn't stand for it if I was the student. It works both ways.

And to this I can only say: Do what everyone else does, and you'll get what everyone else gets. This works in both the positive and negative sense.

At the end of the day, I run my business on my terms, and whoever doesn't like it can go somewhere else - that's how it works, the customer is free to choose, and sometimes, they won't choose me. If a student doesn't choose me mainly because of my terms, and isn't bothered about the quality of my teaching, I am probably better off without them anyway to be honest.
I certainly found over the years that being anxious about my terms, and virtually feeling the need to apologise for them over fear of losing a student, makes me look like an amateurish pushover, not a professional with years of training and expertise. I banned these thoughts for good, and I don't feel one bit guilty about it, and neither should anyone else.

Since I started to be quite tough about it, people mess me around far less. It is a learning curve, it is not easy at the start, and dare I say it: I found it's not the student, but myself who is my own worst enemy on that one. The problem is actually not THEM messing me around, it is ME allowing them do so!

So go for whatever feels right, get it in writing, and have the student sign it. What your terms are doesn't matter so much, you need to feel they work best for the way you need to run your business. At the end of the day, that's what it is: A business, even if some musicians don't like to call it such, because of course it doesn't sound very artistic

Lessons in advance ? Umm I also pay for my piano lessons in advance, a term at a time by bank transfer. I have to admit that it is much more convenient doing it this way, BUT I have found a downside to paying for lessons in advance. My previous private teacher requested 4 weeks in advance, which was ok until one day they announced that after 6 months of lessons they were quitting teaching? Some 3 months later I am still waiting for my 4 weeks advance payment refund. Fortunately I have complete faith in my new private teacher and feel that they can be trusted, so advance payments are not an issue again.

Yes, I hadn't thought of that.

The problem I have with the ISM agreement in this respect is that it says that all lessons are to be paid for unless the teacher chooses not to. I think this is really tricky because it means that every time someone misses a lesson, you once again have to make a judgement about whether or not you make it up - this is particularly difficult when make-up times are limited at the outset. My experience is that once you've made up/rearranged one, this is what's expected on a permanent basis. Give them an inch, they'll take a mile.

As always, any agreement or policy exists mainly for the small minority - most people are fine.

Yes, that's the second time you've sent me running off to check the terms and conditions of my ISM contracts in a panic!

Like others, I pay for lessons a term (10 weeks) in advance. If the teacher cancels a lesson we reschedule it at a time convenient to both of us - or I get a refund at the start of the next term. If I cancel it, the teachers try to reschedule (usually I know a long time in advance, because it's for something like a school concert) but there is no obligation on them to do so.

When the girls had ballet and swimming lessons I also paid a term in advance. These were group lessons so obviously if my children didn't turn up for any reason the lessons went ahead anyway and there was no possibility of rescheduling or a refund.

I was interested to head about the "American system". I have a sister in America and she used to have problems with her son's piano teacher whose contract seemed very one-sided. The teacher expected to teach, and be paid, 52 weeks of the year. Any lessons my nephew missed had to be paid for. There teacher refused to try to reschedule, even if given weeks of notice. On the other hand, if the teacher missed a lesson for whatever reason, she would tell my sister when she was making it up and there was negotiation at all over whether the time was convenient or even possible. If the piano teacher decided to reschedule the lesson at a time my nephew couldn't do, that was bad luck.

That sounds like a patently unfair "system", American or otherwise.

When you say she "used" to have problems is that because the situation has been resolved, or because this particular teacher got the boot?

Yes, sorry, I'll behave myself now...

I can't imagine why anyone would knowingly sign up to such conditions.

I really hope this isn't an "American" thing... maybe I've just been lucky, but I have never encountered or even heard of a teacher with such conditions

Well that's well out of order!

I have a pay-monthly system. They pay a fixed amount each month from September to June for 40 lessons. There are set holidays. If they miss a lesson they are offered a replacement lesson in the same week (if that is possible - it isn't always) but they know that they are not guaranteed a replacement, if I can't offer one at a mutually convenient time (however, that has not happened yet). If they can't come to the replacement then they don't get a refund.
If I have to rearrange a lesson (which I haven't had to do) then I will offer a replacement in the same week - if they can't come to the replacement, then they are offered a credit of one lesson on the next bill because it is my fault that they weren't able to have their original lesson.

I haven't had any problems with this so far (running since September) and in contrast to last year I have nearly 100% attendance from all pupils.

Another advantage for me is that all my pupils are billed in the same week and the following week they nearly all bring the money back (1 or 2 late payers....). This makes my accounting much easier than the previous system of paying for blocks of 5 lessons when I had to bill people at different times depending on how many lessons they had had.

Yes, as Violinlove and others have pointed out, it's far more practical to take payment at the same time in blocks. Mine pay 4 weekly in advance (1 pays half termly at their request), alternative slots are offered for cancellations where available- it may not be in that week but it all works out ok. I couldn't personally cope with payment by the lesson; teaching is our household's sole income and banking that amount of cash or cheque every week, or having it in the house, wouldn't be feasible.

Hi,

just wanted to add something in response to the OP:


"However, I actually don't think it's right to ask to be paid for a service up to 8 weeks before you perform it. If a builder expected me to pay before he did the job he would get short shrift I can tell you, and if she were to get ill and be unable to teach she could potentially owe her students a huge sum of money."
[/quote]


I do charge in advance - half a term, so 5-6 weeks, but part of my charge and surely all teachers charges is the amount of work that goes on before and in between lessons. My pupils are not just paying for the actual lesson time but all the preparation that goes into it. I plan activities and incentives in advance. I research and order music; go through pupils notes to see what we need to focus on; buy/make resources ahead of time; organise exam schedules; plan for festivals etc etc! Oh and of course, need to put time aside for paperwork and chasing up my late payers (thankfully not many) who had agreed to my ts and cs before taking lessons. This is all part of running a busy teaching practice.

I need to be organised and it's not good enough for the pupil (or me) to have me to turn up and try and fix things like a builder might! The way I invoice and my charge reflects all of the work that goes into running a teaching practice.

Ali

"However, I actually don't think it's right to ask to be paid for a service up to 8 weeks before you perform it. If a builder expected me to pay before he did the job he would get short shrift I can tell you, and if she were to get ill and be unable to teach she could potentially owe her students a huge sum of money."
Most builders I know of when doing big stuff at least ask for some part of the payment up front or near the start. When we had our bathroom renovated, our plumber did all the 'ripping out', but when he had to start buying the new things to go in, we had to pay. OK, payment in advance doesn't happen for things like 'putting a cupboard on the wall', but for things which are significant like extensions, you don't get to pay for it at the end only (usually, in my experience).

I currently pay for lessons half-termly in arrears. I was staggered to not have to pay upfront when I started! (My teacher is very good when it comes to me being ill, e.g. migraines, and also for the fact that I go on holiday during term times [he only teaches in term times] - I fully expected to pay in both of those scenarios but have not so far been asked to. Having said that, I do know that other students do have to pay for missing lessons or even up front, presumably due to their own unreliability. It must be far easier to have all students paying to the same system, how you keep track of A does this, B does that, C does the other I don't know!!)

I have always asked for half a term's lessons in advance, usually about 6 weeks. It came about years ago when students were missing lessons at very short notice and I was losing money.If I am ever (rarely) ill, I would either make up lessons or just have to refund. Still much easier and I've never had a problem since.

Wow, I have been away for 3 days and I was quite staggered to find 4 pages of discussion from my question. Perhaps I should have made it clearer that I'm 60, these are entirely private lessons and paying 10 weeks in advance is not a financial problem to me. It was more the principle I was thinking about, and the possibility that for some reason she may one day not be able to finish the course of lessons, (not just mine, all her pupils), and by then will probably have spent the money and have problems refunding it, which I thought was more of a potential problem for her than for me. Also, I don't object to a teacher asking to be paid in advance - I would if it were me, and I expect to get charged for lessons I cancel. It was only the jump to 10 weeks I was questioning.

(I'm a landlord/property developer and have a lot of building work done for me. I never pay builders for their services in advance, although I pay for materials as they buy them, and stage payments as work is done on long projects, but okay that probably is irrelevant here.)

But anyway, what I generally got from the replies was, that charging 10 weeks in advance is not particularly unusual and I should pay up and stop moaning. So I will do that.

Thanks for all your comments, very interesting, and quite entertaining.

I give the option to split payment into two if required - only one pupil does this and they give me two cheques at the same time, one dated a few weeks later. I invoice half termly so the most I ask for is 7 weeks at a time, usually 5 or 6.