Fair payment to teacher

[tanya_the_dancer]

I am not sure if a non-compete clause is legal everywhere (or anymore). I've heard something about it in relation to my industry that the type of a non-compete clause that you cannot work for a competitor company for a certain period of time is no longer legal.

 

[Stagekat]

The only non-compete clause I've seen (for both instructors and students actually) is that they can't move to another studio to teach within X number of miles... I've never seen a time limit for that.

 

[dancerman]

I only lovingly hit a few students, the ones that laugh and use it for incentive.

I certainly used to have one student that easily would have had a lawsuit against me in a second if I had ever even mentioned it... so one has to be wise when it is ok to get physical with students.

But luckily most of my students are comfortable enough to know I only have their best dancing interests at heart... and that a noodle makes a far worse noise than it actually hurts!

Of course if the noodle doesn't work, just throw out the comment "Icky" once in a while. That'll get their attention, eh Larinda?

God I hate that word.

 

[fascination]

Icky is okay by me...i have heard owrse

 

[lcdancesport]

Plus lesson packages are a guaranteed cash flow in a sense. You KNOW you have $X (coming) in so you can budget and plan more easily. Pay-as-you-go is great for students who want a lot of flexibility, but I imagine it can be a nightmare for the studios trying to project revenue - especially if they have wildly varying attendance with pay-as-you-go folks.

Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner! We can all breathe a little easier when people are on packages versus students that can come and go day by day.

 

[Standarddancer]

The only non-compete clause I've seen (for both instructors and students actually) is that they can't move to another studio to teach within X number of miles... I've never seen a time limit for that.

Students also been asked to sign non-competing clause? I don't think so. Studio can only request the teacher to sign such contracts depends on how badly the teacher wants the job. A lot of teachers are not willing to sign contracts with non-compete clause). How could they ask the students to sign things like that? Students are customers, they can just walk away and not to spend a penny on the studio if they were ever asked to sign something like that.

 

[Standarddancer]

Usually students follow their favorite teachers. Very rare chances you see students loyal to one particular studio but many students so loyal to their teachers for years. Usually if the teacher decides to change the studio they are working with, students will follow the teacher. Of course, smart teachers generally keep very good relationship with whatever studio they are working with to reach a win win situation benefits all parties.

 

[dancingirldancing]

As a student, just recently this was what I was up against. I had just purchased a fair amount of lesson when one of the 2 instructors I work with was leaving in a month’s time to go to an independent studio, yet I was not told this prior to purchasing the lessons.

Well, suppose I only go to that studio to learn from the teacher who is leaving, I am not going to be happy being made to follow through with the 20 or more lessons with teachers that I do not like.

I was made to sign a 5 then 10 lesson once. I told the instructor/owner that I only want to take instruction from him as he is the only technically advanced teacher there and I am planning to compete. Now, he promised me that then kept on double booking me resulting in me having to take lesson with different unexperienced teachers all the time when he is suddently becoming unavailable. He never called me prior to my lesson, he just told me when I am already in the studio.

Now, I was very very unhappy there.

I am with independent studio now and desperately want to take more lesson. No one told me to sign up for anything. I pay as I go, sometimes when I forget the teacher just brush it off and told me to pay next week.

I will not leave the studio for anything. I LIKE it there. I think the best way to keep student is not to TIE THEM UP with several paid up lesson. Because if and when they are unhappy they will feel like you are cheating them. This is not good for the long term because people will leave eventually. You really want long term people who want to be there because they like your studio and teachers not because they have paid a set number of lesson and cant get out.

Also, I run a boarding house. I always told people that they can leave at any time as long as they let me know 1 months in advance. Well, people never sign long term contract with me BUT they stay for ages because they like the house.

My friend however run a similar joint but she made everyone sign min 6 months lease. What happened is people keep on running away from her by not paying rent on time and just leave at night.

Moral of the story is you just cant force people to stay, they have to want to stay otherwise not only they will be upset with your studio, they also will talk bad to everyone about it.

The studio I wrote about above is so notorious everyone in the dance circle knows about it and joke about it all the time. They still 'trap' newcomers BUT these people also leave eventually.

Also, I agree on quarterly/yearly bonus rather that different rate/hour. That way people can structure their lesson around the teacher/student competition/wedding seasons/new dance program on TV timings.

 

[Easy]

FTR there is no such thing as having many lessons and not being able to get out of it. It is law that if a person wants to cancel a contract for lessons, they are entitled to a full refund for the unused lessons minus a fair service fee. Usually this fee cannot exceed $250.

I allow people to pay as they go. I do however, reward people more with incentives if they purchase in bulk. I also have given my fair share of refunds without the service fee. In almost 19 years of business I have charged the service maybe 3 times.

 

[BestTeacher]

I don't think there is anything wrong with people signing up for packages... I have students who compete with me, who purchase 30 or 50 lesson packages.... because they come in 3-4 times a week. Sometimes its easier to not worry about payment for some time, and you also get a discount for getting a bigger package...

I also think if a student did want to leave the studio, the studio should definitely tell the student ahead of time and let the student decide if they want to try a new teacher. And if the student doesn't want to try the new guy, the studio should be more than happy to refund the package.....of course then the refunded amount would be at the "regular" prices not the discounted prices.

 

[dancerman]

Icky is okay by me...i have heard owrse

Yeah, but please don't give her any ideas....

 

[Angel HI]

I don't think there is anything wrong with people signing up for packages...

....of course then the refunded amount would be at the "regular" prices not the discounted prices.

I have operated much as Easy has described. I only offer 3 packages, and no more than a certain number of hours...basically because I do not want the liability. I do have some students who have been with me forever, and I allow them certain graces.

I am not certain of what you mean by refunding the student at the reg rate rather than a disc rate. are you saying that even if they paid a disc rate for a pkg, you would convert the refunded hours to a higher rate? Is this a punishment, or a way of instituting a fee of sorts? Or, am I just up too late, and being stupid?

 

[dancerman]

Students also been asked to sign non-competing clause? I don't think so. Studio can only request the teacher to sign such contracts depends on how badly the teacher wants the job. A lot of teachers are not willing to sign contracts with non-compete clause). How could they ask the students to sign things like that? Students are customers, they can just walk away and not to spend a penny on the studio if they were ever asked to sign something like that.

In fact, part of the contract for one of the largest franchises in the world
(name withheld) states that a student will not associate in any way with an instructor outside the studio for any reason and will not do so for a period of one year after the expiration of the contract or the teacher leaves the employ of the studio franchise. The teacher is supposedly bound as well. This particular studio would not allow a teacher to go to a students wedding ( the couple both danced at the studio). These terms are spelled out on the back of the contract we signed when we purchased packages. This contract also stated, by the way, that the unused lesons were only refundable for a certain period of time.

 

[dancingirldancing]

FTR there is no such thing as having many lessons and not being able to get out of it. It is law that if a person wants to cancel a contract for lessons, they are entitled to a full refund for the unused lessons minus a fair service fee. Usually this fee cannot exceed $250.

Well,

I was surely not informed of that and besides $250 will be a lot considering that I only buy a total of 15 lesson.

I mean, if it is a result of me just changing my mind then it is probably ok to impose this fee BUT if it is a result of the teacher changing circumstances like in my case I think should have been refunded all the unused amount without any fee. I mean it is not my fault if the teacher leave or is too busy for me....

At the start the agreement is that I get the teacher that I want !

 

[Easy]

I was stumped as well Angel. It sounded backwards. IMO, if someone buys lessons at a discounted rate, that's what their refund is based upon...same as for regular rate. If someone buys lessons at a lesser rate, and you give them a refund at a higher rate, it seems you're rewarding them for the refund...in no way should they be punished, but giving them back more money than they paid sounds a bit off.