Studio enrollment procedures

[cakers]

I know with advanced technology that on-line enrollment is becoming more routine, and I have no problem with registering on-line, but this year, my dd's studio appears to be requiring on-line "auto-payment" as part of the registration process, and that is something I'm very reluctant to do. I make auto payments to NOBODY, not even my mortage or automobile lenders, and I owe them a lot more money than I will ever owe our ballet studio! Nobody gets control over my bank account except me.

 

Offering it as an option if fine, because some people actually like it, but, just curious how many other families out there attend studios where auto-payment is required to enroll in classes?

[BelaNina]

My daughter's ballet school does not have this requirement, but my son's martial arts school works this way. I think it's going to become more and more common. The way my son's martial arts teacher explained it to me was that it's made getting paid easier and more reliable, and he doesn't have to spend time asking people for their payments every month.

[Solnishka79]

My studio does not do this but I have several peers that work for studios that do. I can understand why-tuition is often late and almost an afterthought with some people. Every month I have to send emails reminding parents that when they pay tuition late, all of my expenses are late also.

My son's martial arts studio keeps cc#s on file and bills when tuition is not received by a certain date.

[askaherm]

Our studio has this as an option through Paypal, but does not require it. Yet. Many of the other studios in town do require auto payment. And, it seems, you also sign up for their "season" and are stuck until their reenrollment. Thankful, our studio does not require it.

[cakers]

My son's martial arts studio keeps cc#s on file and bills when tuition is not received by a certain date.

 

Actually, I think that is a fair compromise. I prefer to control the timing of my payments, and as I said, I don't like giving control of my bank account to someone else, but I would be okay with the policy that if tuition isn't paid by a certain date, then the amount will automatically deducted. I've only been late with my monthly tuition a couple of times over the course of YEARS of dance, with mitigating circumstances, of course (out of town), but for those occasions, I would much rather the payment be deducted automatically after a certain deadline than being hit with a late fee.

[Momof3darlings]

DD2s studio required this last year and it worked out fine although I was a bit apprehensive at the beginning. The studio where I work, offers this as an option, but will go to a requirement of either ACH check deposit or CC for next year. With the invent and constant use of debit cards, we have seen an increase in returned checks from people who obviously use the debit card (and online banking views) to not balance their checkbook any longer. Rather than using it as a way to supplement a balanced checkbook. So we've seen a trend that those who pay with checks the first week of the month usually have success with those checks going through the bank. But the later and later into the month the checks are written the less likely they will clear. Unfortunately, her monthly income cannot handle this increase in returns on a regular basis. So since this year started with a bang already, she's put the ACH in place for all new students for the next semester January and everyone by next year.

 

Key to remember is that teachers want to be paid on time and sometimes schools run close to the mark until all tuition is paid. So a school needs to do what they need to, to assure that rent, electricity (and the like) plus teacher pay is protected. Those studios, especially those who don't hold in house SIs may find that they are running August and September waiting on profits to enter the bank account but not having them firmly in place prior to that. The addition of the ACH deposits assures that bills can be paid on time.

 

There are ways around it for an SO, if someone like yourself just doesn't want their information floating around.

[cakers]

How about this question:

 

Since DD is a member of the studio ballet company, she has a required number of hours/classes that she is required to take (of course), but for the first time we are now being asked to "register" for the requisite company rehearsals and pay the standard per hour fee as part of our tuition. How many student company members out there have to pay a class fee for rehearsal time?

 

The problem I have with this new policy is that I don't consider rehearsals to be equivalent to an instructional class. In a class, everybody is receiving equal instruction time and attention, theoretically of course, since I know its not always perfectly equal, but in general I would consider that the case, while in rehearsal, the amount of floor time each dancer receives depends on their particular role in the number being rehearsed. I accept the fact that in a ballet company, not all dancers are created equal and I have no issue when some dancers get more prominent roles, or solos, than other dancers....but when I'm paying for it as part of my tuition? Also, with classes that I'm paying for, if I'm not satisfied with the class or unhappy about something the teacher is doing, I usually have options to resolve my "customer dissatisfaction", but when it comes to company, we really have no say.

 

Maybe I'm just splitting hairs because it's new. If they separated it from our tuition and charged us an upfront ballet company fee (which they currently don't) to cover these kinds of costs I probably wouldn't think twice about it. It's not as though company parents don't already have to pay for things they didn't choose and don't like. In the past, I have compared having to pay for costumes and/or choreography (that we hate!) to going into a bakery to order a cake and being told that it was going to cost $X.XX and the baker could make it any size, flavor, filling and color that he liked, that we had no say in our "cake".

 

I think the other part about it that is bothering me is that it feels like they are using the rehearsal hours to "pad" the schedule, because the number of classes and hours has actually been significantly reduced this year, so by adding the rehearsals to the list of required "classes", it makes it look like there's more instruction time than there really is.

[ddm3]

What is the class fee for rehearsals? Are your Studio Company and School under the same umbrella (non-profit, for profit)? At our school, "tuition" covers weekly technique classes. The "company" has dues which help to cover 1 company class on the weekend and all rehearsals throughout the year. The company and school are 2 separate entities. The funds are not co-mingled. Most of the time the "company" members are required to be at rehearsal for 5 to 10 hours every weekend. There are no extra fees for "coaching" soloists versus corps dancers. Everyone pays the same amount. I have heard of schools that charge extra for soloists by way of mandatory private lessons. I think this is interesting especially if the "company" is a non-profit. Private lesson fees going directly into the pocket of an artistic director. How does that work?

[Ballet Fanatique]

dd's studio and studio company are also operated just as ddm3 describes. Rehearsals are a little less time - more like 5-6 hours weekly, but the Company fee covers the one weekly company class and rehearsals.

[Mobadt]

We are not asked either to pay for any rehearsal time. The classes are separately paid for directly to the school, and the company does have a yearly commitment fee required to cover the cost of hiring teachers, choreography, etc. during the performance year. The dancers are required to attend a minimum amount of classes according to level, and charged a monthly flat fee accordingly. We have never been asked to pay for rehearsal time as a separate class, and there is a lot of it! In fact, we do have rehearsals scheduled during the week in addition to the weekend and none of them are considered classes.

[ddm3]

I need to clarify that the fee for company covers all related costs associated with performances, exluding ticket sales. All costumes, choreography fees, ballet master/mistress salaries, artistic director salary, administrative fees, etc are covered. NO Way does the fee come close to covering these expenses. As an example of some of our expenses, we have staged Balanchine's Serenade and rented professional costumes.

[Momof3darlings]

We did not have to pay for rehearsal time although there was a company fee. The company fee basically equated to one month's tuition for a company level dancer in amount although it was not described that way (just what I figured out). Thus our company fee was about $250 a year. The company fee covered much more than rehearsal.

[cakers]

I need to clarify that the fee for company covers all related costs associated with performances, exluding ticket sales. .

 

If you don't mind my asking, what is the fee you pay to have dd in company?