Belt Testing Fees

[krzychicano]

Any martial artist that feels that they should have cheap low rates and that the people providing the training to them should do it out of the goodness of their heart and nothing more are just completely blind and being extremely unrealistic. This isn't ancient asia where the students went out and begged for food to keep the school running and did things of that nature. When your willing to do things like that then maybe you can gripe about your MA prices.

[tkdBill]

Guy_Who Fights:

It was (in Canadian Dollars) $99/month to train, $40/grading (belt included, no charge for next grading if you fail), and $300, yes $300 for any black belt grading!!! This guy had so many students that he would have been making around $80 000 per year (I did the math)! This is before paying dojo fees like rent and utilities.

 

$80,000 Canadian is only about $60,000 US and after rent and expenses he was probably netting less than $35,000 US. That's is not exactly living in style. Where I live, that would be far below average.

 

While it sounds like he was not ethical in the way he left, he certainly was not raking in the dough. Maybe he wasn't charging enough?

[1kickKO]

Wow that's insane.

[MASIsshinryu]

In sounding out the local marketplace (Jacksonville, FL) in preparation for possibly opening a dojo, I have found many schools that are asking $125+ / Month, plus testing fees.. etc. Obviously, USD.

 

I am fortunate to have studied under instructors that have not had to do this, but they also had non-MA careers to support them.

 

Neither right or wrong. Just different.

 

If one knows up front what will be paid, and the benefits of it seem in balance with this, there is nothing left but a personal decision to make.

[1kickKO]

Yeah, some dojos are getting ridiculous with their prices, then they also have all of these "hidden" fees.

[isshinryu5toforever]

Test fees are a necessary evil. I have heard teaching the martial art equated to running a health spa. This I disagree with, but the guy was going through the various fees, and rent that the instructor has to go through. I used to run my sensei's old dojo after he moved, so I know what it's like with fees and rent. I didn't really like charging for belt tests, but it was necessary.

[1kickKO]

Yeah, it is necessary, especially for places with large and very nice dojos, but to those people who charge a hidden fee for everything, I hate that.

[tkdBill]

Yeah, it is necessary, especially for places with large and very nice dojos, but to those people who charge a hidden fee for everything, I hate that.

 

That is very true, the fees should never be hidden. At my dojang, our orientation package outlines all fees and other costs to expect (i.e. sparring gear at Orange Belt), so that there should not be any surprises.

 

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[1kickKO]

That's what I think all places should be like, althought he only fees I really have to pay is my membership each year when it needs to be renewed, and my belt tests. When it comes to tournaments, I also have to pay for those, but who doesn't?

[krzychicano]

Exactly.