Hi. I am trying to decide how to charge for lessons. I have recently started a twirling group and have been charging by the month. The girls come for an hour for $30.00 a month. I also do a half-price little sister discount. The problem I have with this is that lots of parents do not pay every month or "forget their check book" everytime.

I am considering doing a "Winter Session" and have them pay $75.00 upfront. This will cover January, February, and March.

Just wanted to know how everyone else charged and any advice on the subject. Thanks!!

Depends on what kind of program they are in. Each program I charge different.
And if they "forget" to pay - you bet your bottom dollar(love Annie) that they get a late fee.

My comp kids are a yearly fee that they can pay by month(team)
My soloist also a yearly fee that they can pay by month.
Rec kids are sessions and they must pay by first class of session or no participation.

Every studio/coach is different, but one thing that I have learned in this business is that it is a business. SO you treat it like one and your customers will.

Not sure of your particular circumstance - but I rent a building, have electric,gas, insurance, phone etc to pay - so when people don't pay me - I can't pay my bills. Its pretty simple to explain - no $ no studio - no studio - no twirling.

Dig around on DDN and you will find lots of info about this subject. Also ask if you have any questions - hope this helped. CoachT

hi
The kids in my team have paid for the last 4 years at the start of each session. they pay £1.50 for a 2 hour lesson. After xmas we will be starting a pay monthly policey as I am finding people 'dont have any change'. If they have not paid by the start of the month then they will not be taking part in that months lessons.

I am sure that the kids that want to do and are commited will pay up on time and turn up and twirl. It's a good way to weed out parents who are looking for cheap babysitters.

karen X

sorry me again
My daughter takes ballet lessons and I pay by the term which is a 12 week block, I like it like that. Is much easir to pay it and then just turn up each lesson.

karen

For next year, maybe you want to try having the parents sign a contract saying they will pay for the month by the second week of that month. If they do not pay by the second month, they must pay an additional $5 late fee. This will encourage payment on time.

We pay monthly, if we are late there is a $10 late fee. If they forget their checkbook tell them they can run to the ATM while their child is in class.

I live in Canada.
We run our payment very differently.
We have to pay a monthly membership fee, which includes our group lessons every Monday. I think it is about $40. We also have to pay our coaches for each indavidual lesson.
Secondary Coaches
- $9 each sunday for a half hour individul lesson.( can have more than 1)
Main Coach
- $15 each half hour on a Thursday, Wednesday or Sunday.

It adds up pretty fast.

This sounds like a good idea. I like the half hour prices compared to what we are paying.

At our centre we teach a little of everything, and the students pay per month - there is a late fee for payments received after the 10th of each month...last year we started auto pay - set up through our merchant services (credit card) - so that is something to think of as you grow...feel free to check out our policies...if you go to "enroll" you will see everything that the customer agrees before enrolling...www.pca-de.com

I know I'm replying late, but maybe you could still use some help:) I charge $20 a month for my group classes. That is for their baton class. If they take pom or novelty, that is $10 more per class. I also offer family discounts. I like to keep it low so that all interested twirlers can stay members. As for late payments, I do try to work with parents. But, I have rules to make sure I get the money. If a twirler is not up to date on payment, they aren't allowed to perform or compete with the group. They also have to be paid up in order to received any end of the year awards. The girls get points all year long, so they really don't want to miss out on awards night. I charge separately for private lessons. Members in the group are cheaper than non-members. That encourages members to take privates and it encourages private students to become members of the team.

Another great idea we have found that works is around income tax time... we offer a discount if you pay all "known" fees at the time in one lump sum.. we offer a 5 or 10% discount. gets the money in your hands when others have the money to give!