The Teaching Policy

For the last couple of years, I've been a fairly cruisey teacher.  If a student couldn't make a lesson for some reason, that was fine.  I'd use the time to practice or check Facebook.  When I was not given much notice for a student who paid cash, and they asked for a lesson at a different time, I'd accommodate them because I knew I wouldn't be paid otherwise.  But towards the end of last year, it got worse - 10 minutes' notice for a really poor excuse, for example.  Or forgetting.

One of the discussions during summer school centred on billing students, and there was an article doing the rounds from a parent's perspective.  This parent believed if you can't make your appointed lesson time, you should not ask for another time, no matter how much notice you give, and you should still pay for the time.  He was an economist and had a well thought-out argument regarding perishable goods etc.  I know I can't jump straight in and tell the parents of my students that, but I started thinking about this.

And then I realised that the only way I will be able to budget for anything successfully would be if I became less Nice.  So, after thinking about this for a while, I wrote up my new Policy today.  It took a while to work out how to say "Pay me my money!" but eventually I found a suitable wording.  It still has the 4 hours' minimum notice for cancellation, but they are now required to pay me if they don't give enough notice and I will send an invoice if I haven't received payment for a missed lesson.  Deep breaths.  Now I just need to be strong and stick to it. 

Every year I put in a word about practicing.  This year I included a sentence about priorities.  I am sick of hearing "Oh I do a lot of sport, on Monday I do this, on Tuesday I do this".... It just goes on and on.  Yet there are others who do all those things and still fit in regular practice.  I like those students.  And generally, they like their lessons a whole lot more than the other sort of student.  This year also has a note on buying instruments.  Cheaper is not better when it comes to violins.  If you skimp on a violin, at best it will just be hard for the student to make a good sound.  But at worst, you'll be replacing parts that will quickly cost more than the original cost of the instrument.  And it will still sound bad and be hard to play.  Always buy the best you can afford.