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From:  Linda Fox <linda@f...>
Linda Fox <linda@f...>
Date:  Wed May 2, 2001  4:05 pm
Subject:  Re: [vocalist] Re: cost of lessons


Pepijn van der Laan en Else Kramer wrote:
>
> One of my current teachers uses a similar monthly payment system ('buy' four
> lessons in advance) which I think is a real headache. We are forever trying
> to figure out how many paid lessons are left, when the next payment is due,
> and how many 'missed' lessons are still left.

I used to use a system which worked well; most of my pupils, including
those for piano, recorder and theory as well as singing, were
schoolchildren. I had a weekly register of attendance. Most pupils paid
in advance for four lessons, and in those days I was soft and did not
charge for lessons missed in a whole load of circumstances. On a week
when the pupil had paid, I wrote in the square the number of lessons
paid for (because some of them paid for 6, or 8, or even 10, or in one
case 2) In all the other squares I just ticked (checked) that they had
attended. When the number of marks including the figure 4 came to 4, I
ruled in darker ink after that square and we both new it was their turn
to pay again. Everyone understood it.

I only stopped charging this way because one week included both
Hallowe'en and Guy Fawkes Night and no less than 12 sets of parents told
me - well in advance, to be fair - that their child couldn't come for
its lesson because it was going to a party that evening. I was only able
to re-schedule 2 because I had such a full timetable myself. That was a
lot of money I couldn't earn that week, so I changed to a different
scheme, sent them all a letter with a list of reasons why I wouldn't
feel obliged to credit or re-schedule a lesson, and it started "Parties.
Forgetting. Not having the car that week. Too much homework. Being down
your Gran's house..."

cheers

Linda

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