Collecting fees

[ashworth]

Pretty simple for me, my students turn up, pay for that class, and train in it. That is the way I prefer it, everyone else seems happy with it as well.

Curiosity question - how do you collect payment? By that I mean everyone hands you, say, a $10 bill every time they walk in, or can they pay in advance? My former Sensei taught a cardio kickboxing class that was strictly pay as you go. He issued cards that were bought for a certain amount. Every class, he hole punched everyone's card. Once there were no classes left on the card, they bought a new card. A dojo I was looking into before I joined my current one did the same thing as a pay as you go option (you could also pay a monthly membership instead).

At the moment they just pay cash when they turn up, although I am thinking about offering the chance to pay in advanced similar to the method your explained.

[sensei8]

Pretty simple for me, my students turn up, pay for that class, and train in it. That is the way I prefer it, everyone else seems happy with it as well.

Curiosity question - how do you collect payment? By that I mean everyone hands you, say, a $10 bill every time they walk in, or can they pay in advance? My former Sensei taught a cardio kickboxing class that was strictly pay as you go. He issued cards that were bought for a certain amount. Every class, he hole punched everyone's card. Once there were no classes left on the card, they bought a new card. A dojo I was looking into before I joined my current one did the same thing as a pay as you go option (you could also pay a monthly membership instead).

At the moment they just pay cash when they turn up, although I am thinking about offering the chance to pay in advanced similar to the method your explained.

I've seen an organization that collected fees per class. They charged $4.00 per lesson, and they paid that whenever they came to class. That organization utilized "parents" to collect fees while sitting at one of the many tables.

Name of the student would then be checked off on a roster to show that that student had indeed been at that particular class. It was either cash or check; those funds would be then placed inside of a large manila envelope for safe keeping.

At the end of the night, the instructor would collect the envelopes, one envelope per class, and they did up to 4 classes, once per week, as well as the roster sheets, stuffing it all in their gym bag.

[ninjanurse]

I use an online dojo managment sytem that automatically bills and/or collects via EFT or credit card. I do carry a few cash accounts but I prefer online when possible. Students pay monthly based on the day they start-I do not prorate when they enroll.

All my programs are based on mat time. You want more mat time then you pay more tuition. This allows for those who can only train one day a week to only pay for that time rather than feel like they are paying for classes they cant attend. My programs are 1 class/week, 2 classes/week, 3 classes/week, and unlimited classes/week.

[DWx]

I use an online dojo managment sytem that automatically bills and/or collects via EFT or credit card. I do carry a few cash accounts but I prefer online when possible. Students pay monthly based on the day they start-I do not prorate when they enroll.

All my programs are based on mat time. You want more mat time then you pay more tuition. This allows for those who can only train one day a week to only pay for that time rather than feel like they are paying for classes they cant attend. My programs are 1 class/week, 2 classes/week, 3 classes/week, and unlimited classes/week.

This is how we do it. I think when you get beyond a certain number of students it does pay to have this convenience.

[RJCKarate]

All our students sign up to a book contract direct debit where fees are automatically withdrawn on the 1st of each month. We do not offer discounts based on lesson quantity, everyone pays the same fee. Everyone must attend at least 2 classes weekly.

We pay our instructors through discounted fees. We have an hourly rate and instructors have that minused from their fees each month. It never goes into the positive (where we give them actual money). We're a non profit. I find this good as people still pay to learn, get paid to teach.

Black belts get a discount on their fees, as they ill in when needed. We also pay for their first aid training and accreditation courses.

I, myself, am not paid.

[tallgeese]

I use an online dojo managment sytem that automatically bills and/or collects via EFT or credit card. I do carry a few cash accounts but I prefer online when possible. Students pay monthly based on the day they start-I do not prorate when they enroll.

All my programs are based on mat time. You want more mat time then you pay more tuition. This allows for those who can only train one day a week to only pay for that time rather than feel like they are paying for classes they cant attend. My programs are 1 class/week, 2 classes/week, 3 classes/week, and unlimited classes/week.

This way! It's way easier to auto debit online for a small percentage than pester people every month. I also avoid pro-rating. Date of is easiest and keeps a steady cash flow thru each given month. We likewise keep a handful of cash accounts from the old days. Mainly people who pay up front for a year.