Does anyone have any ideas on a piano teaching policy where the student contracts to one year of lessons with a deposit equal to one month's payment paid upfront, due by mid-May for the next school year, and enforce that the payment carries over from one year to the next and be applied as the last month's payment? I'd like to get a deposit for lessons, yet have a year contract where the students pay 12 payments. How is it wor

-- Lynn Rice (Lakewaypiano@aol.com), July 09, 2002

Answers

Hi Lynn,

I'm sorry I can't answer your question, but I thought I'd share my payment/cancellation policy with you. It seems to be working with me.

I have my students pay at the beginning of each month for the whole month. If they cancel for any reason, they still owe for that lesson (they get NO refund) If I cancel, then they get a credit for the next month. And if payment is not received on the first lesson day of the month, I charge a $5.00 late payment fee. I have had virtually no problems with my people paying me on time.

I have thought about switching to the payment method that you described in your post. I am also going to do some more research on that. I'm just a little concerned that my students will not want to commit to that long of a time period! Then it wouldn't work. And I wouldn't want to turn kids away because they didn't want to pay for a full year. BUT if they would be willing to do it that way, then it may very well be something I'd seriously consider.

-- C Purtell (cpurtell@musiceducator.org), July 14, 2002.