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Thread: Students that miss lessons

  1. #1
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    Students that miss lessons

    I have a lesson policy that says you should let me know 24 hours ahead of time if you are going to miss a lesson, otherwise you don't get a refund or credit for a make-up lesson. That said, I still feel like a heel when I enforce the policy.

    What do you guys do?

  2. #2
    Old Tele man
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    re: a heel "to be or not to be"

    your RULE your DECISION...

    What I do is give'em a credit towards a make-up lession, but I also ONLY let them accumulate THREE. After 3, I put the foot down, and the "original" rule is enforced, ie: you PAY and nothing else...

    I also have the policy printed on my receipts...so they get a copy with EACH lesson and payment.

  3. #3
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    I give out the policies in the form of a FAQs sheet at the first lesson. I make them pay for the whole month at the beginning of the month...the idea was to encourage them to attend regularly, not necessarily to charge extra. On the other hand, if I know they are not coming, i can make other plans.

  4. #4
    TFF Stage Crew
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    My lesson policy is pay up front at the beginning of the month with no refunds whatsoever. I will do one make-up lesson a month per student (at my convenience) if I'm given advance notice.

  5. #5
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    I no longer teach, but when I did my policy was:

    You pay first and last at the first lesson. That way, when you decide to quit, your last lesson has already been paid for.
    If you miss without 24 hour notice, we've had our last lesson, and I've been paid for my time cooling my heals waiting.
    Feel free to sign up again, by paying first and last.
    Last edited by Steve; 01-23-2004 at 09:48 PM.

  6. #6
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    It's a little tough to enforce yourself. It's much easier if you work at a studio and it is studio policy. That way the studio can look like the bad guy. It's best to charge a month at a time. That way you have the money upfront and you still have it if they miss a lesson. I generally would give the student a chance to reschedule whenever possible.

  7. #7
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    Most of the music teachers at my store (I had fourteen covering all the various instruments) charged for the month in advance. It's amazing how much harder students work to show up if they've already paid. The teachers would happily reschedule a lesson if given enough advance notice, but my teaching rooms (six of them) were scheduled so tightly that there was very little open time available for makeup lessons.

  8. #8
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    I make them pay in advance, too. I've let them have make ups so far, but they've used them all up already. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

  9. #9
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    Re: Students that miss lessons

    Originally posted by Sven
    I have a lesson policy that says you should let me know 24 hours ahead of time if you are going to miss a lesson, otherwise you don't get a refund or credit for a make-up lesson. That said, I still feel like a heel when I enforce the policy.

    I'm not a guitar teacher, but I think it's a reasonable policy and I would not feel like a heel at all, they wasted your time.

    Time is money, had they informed you of their impending absence, you could have put the time to use.

    You have no reason to feel heel-like.

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