- Semester/Tuition Billing: I've always charged by the lesson/per month. For example, if the month has 5 Monday's, then I adjust the invoice accordingly. This doesn't always work well when you are constantly adjusting for holidays, school holidays, and winter and spring break. This is frustrating for everyone's budget! I really hope this new billing will work better for me and my families. So far, the feedback from my parents has been positive.
- Missed Lessons: After I read Anne's blog entry about her make-up lesson policy, I decided to give it a try. I created a Studio Calendar page on my website that lists all my students' lesson times. If they cancel, then I update the calendar to open their scheduled time up for another student to use. I also decided to open up a few days here and there as "make-up days" to fall back on. I've tried so many different ways of handling make-up lessons, so I really hope this is the cure or at least a positive remedy. Last year, I implemented a "swap list," allowing students to trade with other students when conflicts arise. I only had a couple families utilize it, and I still ended up scheduling make-up lessons.
I really hope these new changes work well for my studio! I'll keep you updated.
2 comments:
Make-up lessons are always tricky. Some situations are legitimate; but there will always be those parents/students who take advantage of a teacher's generosity. I'd love to hear how your new policy works!
Hi Shauna~
I enjoyed reading your interview on Joy's blog! I'm excited to follow your blog now as well.
As far as makeup lessons, I have set hours for teaching and that's what I stick to each week. If another student has canceled, I may opt to make their slot available to another family who requests a make-up, but that doesn't always work out schedule-wise. It takes a little while for families to adjust to a no-makeup lesson policy, but it is so worth it for me. Here's a link to a whole post I wrote on this topic earlier this year: http://musicmattersblog.com/2011/03/09/the-case-against-offering-make-up-lessons/. If we and the families can truly comprehend that they are paying for a reserved slot in our schedule each week, neither of us should feel any obligation to somehow find and make available an equivalent amount of time somewhere else in our schedule. As much as I might wish that I could, I can't create time out of thin air and most of my time is already committed to other responsibilities.
Just a few thoughts! I know this is a hard issue for many of us. Hope your policy is working well for you!
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