When I had lessons as a child, no teacher I encountered seemed to have any formal policy when it came to the lessons they offered. It was predominantly pay by cash or cheque on the day of the lesson. I can’t remember any teacher with a formal cancellation policy or suchlike.
Fast forward several decades, and an increasing number of teachers now have formal studio policies and sets of terms and conditions. I’ve had many incarnations of these over the past 18 years, some more successful than others. This move towards more formal policies, is, in my view a good thing, and a reflection of the increasing professionalism of private teachers.
If you’re a private music teacher, you might wonder what the point of having a policy is. Indeed, teachers often tell me they’ve never had any problems and work on a goodwill basis.
The problem is that in my experience, and in the experience of many teachers I know, eventually, the goodwill runs out and the problems begin to appear. It’s at that point that the lack of any formal, written policy becomes a huge barrier.
Scroll down for a free downloadable checklist to help you plan or revise your studio policy.
So, why might it be a good idea to have a studio policy?
1. As a teacher you’re clear what you’re offering
I’ve written previously about the need to, as a teacher, set clear boundaries. How many lessons are you offering? How long are they? What are you charging for these? How are you charging them? When will payments be due? How will you collect payments? If you’re not clear about what you’re offering, your students (and more often than not, their parents) aren’t clear what they’re getting. In these situations it’s easy for misunderstandings to occur.
2. Your students are clear what they’re getting
This is really a natural follow-on from the point above. As your students will be paying you for your services, I think it’s only fair that there is some clarity around what they are entitled to for those lesson fees in return. Technically, if payments are not made, you could withhold those entitlements, but without being clear what these are to begin with, it can all too easily become a grey area.
3. It avoids awkward conversations
OK, it probably doesn’t avoid every awkward conversation, but it helps lay down some ground rules. Possibly the most important policy is for cancellations. Do you require notice, if so, how long? Can missed lessons be made up at a later date? What happens if you, as their teacher, has to cancel? If a query does arise, it’s useful to have these clear policies in place. If you don’t, then you run this risk not only of losing students, but also losing money too.
4. It protects your income
As teachers, we’re all in slightly different financial positions. I know many teachers for whom the money they earn from teaching is supplementary to another income, or to the income of a partner or spouse. That said, there are others of us, like me, for whom teaching makes up the bulk of our entire household income. I have bills to pay, and if my students choose not to pay me, I may end up in a position where I’m not able to meet my financial obligations. It it is easy for a domino effect to ensue. If you have no studio policy and someone doesn’t pay you, there isn’t an awful lot you can do to recover that money.
5. Everyone knows where they stand
Perhaps the final point is a culmination of all the above. By having a studio policy it is clear what your students can expect from you, and it’s clear what you can expect from them. When things go wrong, you have a written policy to refer to. It might not solve every problem you encounter, but it can help. But, be warned, if you have a policy, you must be prepared to enforce it. Of course, hopefully, you won’t need to, but don’t use your studio policy as an empty threat.
When it comes to writing your studio policy, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. You need to consider your own situation carefully when writing your policy. Although someone else’s may look great, it might not suit you.
Downloadable checklist
If you haven’t yet got a studio policy, or you’re looking to revise yours, I have collected together some useful articles and blog posts on Pinterest. Additionally, I have created a PDF checklist of ideas to help you plan or revise your policy which you can download below.
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