How much do you pay?

[hammer]

We don't technically charge at all. The adults don't pay anything, though most of us donate $50-$100 once a year when the Boys and Girls Club we run out of holds their Bowlathon and most of us also donate equipment and our time helping out with the kids.

The kids are asked to bring a dollar a lesson. We put an old coffee can by the door and they drop their dollar in as they come in. We don't keep track of who pays and who doesn't, though. Some days we'll have 10 kids training and not a single dollar in the can.

We tell the kids the dollar is for equipment and, while it does go towards buying belts, uniforms, sparring gear, etc, the main reason we have the kids bring in their dollar is that it gives them a tangible way to see the value of their training. By dropping a dollar in the can that they could have otherwise spent on a soda or a candy bar from the vending machines, they see that the hour they're spending with us is valuable and therefore they *theoretically* put a bit more into it than they would have if it was completely free.

What costs do your school/club have? Do you require some other club membership to join? What about insurance?

Just wondering how places that don't charge anything at all manage to still have classes. Even clubs where the instructors don't get any pay still have other operating expenses.

[Lupin1]

What costs do your school/club have? Do you require some other club membership to join? What about insurance?

Just wondering how places that don't charge anything at all manage to still have classes. Even clubs where the instructors don't get any pay still have other operating expenses.

We run out of a Boys and Girls Club, so the kids are required to be members of the club ($50 a year). We use their facility and are covered under their insurance (for a long while we couldn't spar because of it. Can now, though). We share the room with their wrestling program (we do Tuesdays and Thursdays, they do Mondays and Wednesdays) so it has mats and mirrors that were bought with money fundraised by the Boys and Girls Club.

Adults are responsible for ordering our own uniforms, belts, sparring gear, etc. For the kids we'll order uniforms for them online and charge them what we pay. We also get second hand uniforms donated to us or we buy some when we have the money for kids who can't afford a uniform. We've acquired a good number of belts over the years, so the kids are just presented with their next belt and they have the choice of either bringing in $5 to keep their old belt or turning it in so we can use it again.

We've had a few wavemasters donated over the years and adults in the program have also donated kicking paddles, shields, and sparring gear and we've also supplemented our supply with the kids' dollars as needed. For weapons we've got a good supply of bo staffs and short sticks that people have donated. When adults get to the more advanced weapons in the dan grades they buy them themselves (the kids don't touch weapons until junior black and then it's just the staff and stick until adult black belt).

Basically, our facility costs are null due to being a program of the Boys and Girls Club. Personal equipment is bought by each person at cost as needed (or can be borrowed as available for the kids). Club equipment has mostly been donated over the years by adult members or has been acquired slowly over time by saving up our dollars.

[sims10000]

Really good insight from all of you guys.. I might wanna consider changing my lessons to somewhere else now..

[albeaver]

$75 a month, that covers classes Monday-Saturday and sometimes Sundays. My Sensei will give you a key to to door if you want to train more. It's 1 day class and one day workout class, then about three classes in the evening, except on sparring days then it's just sparring for 2 1/2-3 hours. Sunday, when it happens is an all day thing. I have never paid to test, and no contracts. I think there is a charge for black belt test, since it's one-on-one testing and he shuts the dojo down for a day.

[trungnghia1556]

PostPosted: Wed Jul 11, 2007 8:46 pm Post subject: Reply with quote Report post

As I stated many times before it just depends on where you are.

I teach in a small town in West Virginia and needless to say its not a very wealthy place. We only charge 30.00 a month and 5.00 for each extra family member. We will have anywhere from 2 - 4 2hr classes a week. Just depends on the time of they year.

However I know people in Philly and in Cincy that will paly 100.00 a week for 2 classes. So......

[Bulltahr]

At my dojo we pay $10 per week for 2 x 2 hour lessons or $15 per family, no limit on number of family members.

Gradings $25

Probably pretty typical of New Zealand dojos. I believe there are very, very few (if any) "commercial" dojos in New Zealand. There are commercial MMA/kickboxing gyms tho.

[sensei8]

I sincerely believe that any pricing structure would be dependent on what the economic profile of the area surrounding the school is! Whereas, $100 per month might be appropriate in one place, and just over the hill, $10 a month is more appropriate there!!

Charge $100 at where $10 is more appropriate, the long term survival for that school would be at risk. Charge $10 where $100 is more appropriate, that school might be overwhelmed with students, OR...no one will show up because they fear that the quality of that said school might be poor.

Consumers/customers can be finicky!! Gauge incorrectly can break a school before it has a change to understand the area in which their school is located.

[Nijil Jacob]

I pay 500 Rupees that is 8 euros or 8 dollars a month and I have class twice a week. Our grading are also cheap they cost between 250RS - 1000Rs.

We have an annual Championship and go for the district, state and nationals.

Our sensei is a second dan and the founder of our organisation is an 8th dan

I practice Shito Ryu style in India.

[ozm8]

$12 per lesson but my karate lessons at the dojo im at goes for an hour and a half

[bigjono]

my first lesson is $13, second $6 and any other sessions after that are free, I can train up to 5 night per week sessions are 1and a half hours