Length of memberships

[Darth Paul]

I seem to be seeing a lot of 3 year "black belt" membership contracts these days in commercial schools. Someone told me today that 3 year deals are the industry standard. In your experience, what is the average length of time for a membership contract?

[isshinryu5toforever]

we don't do membership contracts, but I have seen 1 year contracts and 3 month contracts. They don't guarantee you anything though.

[pineapple]

I've seen many schools with one year contracts.

[tkdBill]

We do one year memberships, which is what most schools I know of use.

I do know some schools that offer a 3-year "black belt" memberships. These can be a good deal because they are usually discounted, and if it takes longer than 3 years to reach black belt you don't have to keep paying.

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[taiji fajin]

In my Taiji school you pay for a 9 week session, in my Kuk Sool school you pay for a one school semester session. Neither of them claim anything about what level you will reach in what amount of time, that depends on how well you train.

[MasterH]

One year contracts are standard, and in some states are all that can be enforced. I taught in a school in Oregon were we had 1, 3 and 5 year contracts, I could sell the 5 year but if they wanted out, all they had to do was finnish that first year and there was no way to enforce the rest of the "program". It may be the same way in other states, like Washington.

The bigger schools and Orgs (ATA) use multi year contracts as a standard.

[octopic]

A lot of the schools in the area that I teach in are really pushing three year contracts these days. Some of them are trying to get parents with kids as young as 3 to sign those three year deals. I can't imagine that. I don't know if they're enforcable in Virginia beyond the first year, does anyone know the easiest way to find out?

[theapprentice124]

there's no membership contracts at my dojo we just pay per month and the black belts get free classes and a key to the dojo if they agree to teach.

[MasterH]

A lot of the schools in the area that I teach in are really pushing three year contracts these days. Some of them are trying to get parents with kids as young as 3 to sign those three year deals. I can't imagine that. I don't know if they're enforcable in Virginia beyond the first year, does anyone know the easiest way to find out?

You'd need to talk with the local licensing board, where you would pick up and pay for a buisness license. Out side of that, a lawyer.

[Darth Paul]

I am used to one year memberships myself. I now work for a school that sells them as three year contracts and the main objection I find is the length of time the parents are expected to commit their kids to. The monthly payment isn't really the issue if the kids will stick with it. It's just a mateer of getting the kids to stick with it at such a young age.