Setting your tuition fees Caroline Aldred Business Support Officer - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Setting your tuition fees

Caroline Aldred Business Support Officer ISM

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Our teachers’ fees surveys

• Commissioned annually
• Teachers tell us what they were

charging in September of each year

• Unique in the UK
• The high response rate makes them

an authoritative indicator of rates

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Most music teachers' rates have not kept up with the pack

100 102 104 106 108 110 112 114 116 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Index 2009 = 100 consumer prices average wages employed VMTs self-employed VMTs private teachers

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Our survey results

Self-employed VMT rates September 2015

£ per hour Central range London independent schools

34-42

state-funded schools

25-34.50

music services and hubs

25-31

Rest of UK independent schools

32-39

state-funded schools

25-32

music services and hubs

23-29.50

Private music tuition rates September 2015

£ per hour Central range Central London

30-50

Greater London

30-40

Rest of UK

25-35

Most survey respondents charged fees within the central

• range. (Only 20% charged more

and 20% charged less.)

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The ISM’s recommended rates for employed VMTs

Employed VMTs Recommended rates for 2016/17

£ per hour London Rest of UK independent schools & specialist music schools

36-40 30.50–35

all other schools, music services & hubs

29–34 26-30.50

Employed VMTs Recommended rates for 2015/16

£ per hour London Rest of UK independent schools & specialist music schools

35.50-39.50 30.50-34

all other schools, music services & hubs

29-34 25-30

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Important points about

• ur recommendations

They do not include

• employer’s National Insurance
• pension contributions or
• statutory holiday pay

They are gross, before deducting your

• tax
• National Insurance and
• pension contributions

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Using the results & recommendations

Think about

• where your particular locality sits within

the overall fee range

• where your school is placed within the
• verall range of fees
• where you yourself fit
• the general economic situation and its

impact upon demand for music tuition

• inflation since the survey date

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Where do you fit ?

You should allow for

• your skills and qualifications
• your teaching experience and
• how much you want/need to attract

new pupils

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Negotiating rates with pupils/parents

• Keep things on a business-like

footing

• Give plenty of notice if you intend to

increase your rate

• Refer your clients to our survey

results as an indicator of what music teachers are charging

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How often should I raise my rates?

• Review annually but
• You do not have to increase your

rates every year

• Most teachers increase them once

every two or three years

• By an easy round amount

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Negotiating school rates

• If the school specifies a uniform rate you will probably

not want to insist on a higher fee

• Keep your rates under review to make sure you are

not falling behind the pack

• Tell the school if their rates are below our

survey/recommended rates

• You could raise this in a group representing the VMTs

as a whole

• Or your Head of Music might be prepared to negotiate

for you

• ISM members can get advice and representation from

the ISM staff team

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Offered a lower rate for employed work ?

Remember:

• statutory holiday pay in addition
• your employer may pay pension

contributions for you

• you are entitled to sick pay and

maternity/paternity pay and

• you have the protection of statutory

employment rights

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Room hire charges

• Most schools make no charge
• Some others charge only a small amount,

perhaps as little as £1 per pupil per term

• It is not true that schools have to charge VMTs

a room hire fee in order to demonstrate that the teachers are self-employed

• Some VMTs simply add the room hire charge to

their fees to parents

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Always have a contract

• You should have a written contract

with every pupil/parent

• You should also have a written

contract with every school where you teach

• Whether employed or self-employed

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Zero / variable hours

• Can be mutually beneficial for schools

and VMTs

• Unlawful for an employer to restrict the

employee’s ability to work elsewhere at

• ther times
• Sensible for working hours to be fixed

termly by mutual agreement at the start of each term

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Group lessons

Some rough and ready guidelines:

• The larger the group the more you

charge but the fee per pupil falls

• Two pupils sharing a lesson would each

pay perhaps two-thirds of the fee for individual tuition

• For three to four pupils, the total fee

might be one and a half times your individual tuition fee

• For five to six pupils, the total fee

might be twice the individual tuition fee

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Any questions ?

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• Get the

support, representation and advice you need as a working musician.

• www.ism.org/

membership/join

• @ism_music
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