Guide for Prices and Payment
We believe that when it comes to putting a price on their services, teachers know best. By advising teachers to set a fair price based on experience, skill and additional preparation, we can help to create a more sustainable market for private music teaching.
This guide contains all the information you'll need when considering your prices, including when to make changes. Your prices must work for both you and your students, and we encourage you to review your prices regularly with this in mind.
These same principles apply to group teaching. You can find a specific section of group lessons towards the end of this guide.
How does pricing work in the new Offers system?
When you use Offers, you can set the price for the specific student for the lessons included in that offer. You're in charge of the price the student pays and you'll also be shown your take home (or net income) after the deduction of the platform fee. This gives you the flexibility to set different prices for different students and different contexts. A diploma student, for example, may require a higher price than a beginner. Take some time to consider all your expenses when pricing an Offer. Travel, studio hire and other resources will need to be factored into the price.
How do I change my price for Blocks of lessons?
Login to your account and go to 'Settings' from the top menu, then ‘Price Settings’ from the left menu. Here you can try out all the different prices you want before you press ‘Save’. Please note that changes will go into effect immediately after you press save.
Can I just change some of my prices in Blocks of lessons?
Yes. If you’re happy with the price of your 60-minute lessons but want to raise the price of your 45-minute lessons, you can just do that.
How often can I change my prices?
You can change your prices whenever you need to, but we recommend that you consider the timing carefully as changes go into effect immediately.
When and why should I consider changing my prices?
We recommend that you review your price structure at least once a year and consider if your price still reflects your level of skill and experience. Cost of living increases, extra skills, qualifications and experience are all factors you should consider when reviewing your prices.
How should I communicate price changes to my current students?
You know your students best and how you communicate changes with them is up to you. However, we recommend that you let your students know at least 30 days in advance if prices are going up, either in writing or face-to-face during a lesson. This gives the student time to purchase a lesson block at your old rate and budget in advance of your new rate.
Feel free to include details of lesson blocks when you write to your students, as buying in blocks can save students up to 20%. Students can also pay in instalments for no extra cost, and have any unused lessons refunded.
How much should I charge?
We recommend you choose your hourly rate based on your experience and level of skills and the time you put into preparation. The MU recommends a minimum of £38.5 per hour although this rate also includes marketing and administration, services the platform is providing for you.
Most people agree that price should reflect quality. If you sell your lessons cheaper than you have to, you risk sending a negative signal about the quality of your teaching, you also risk taking part in driving prices down which affects not only yourself but also your fellow music teachers.
I’m worried it might upset my students if I raise my price - What should I do?
It might be helpful for you to know that often when we speak to students, they rank the learning output, quality of teaching and relation to their teacher as more important than price. It is very rare that students react negatively to price changes if they are communicated well.
Is there a limit on my pricing options?
You are in complete control of your prices. However, we recommend you do not go below our recommended minimum student price of £29.25 (before discounts) for a 60-minute lesson. If you want to charge prices that result in a payment below our recommended minimum, please get in touch with us at [email protected] to learn more about your options.
Why is the price higher than what I get paid?
The price is composed of your payment + our administration fee. In blocks of lessons, the administration fee is the lowest (16,67% on a basic membership level) when the student buys a 20/40 lesson block, and we urge all teachers to make their students aware of how to obtain the lowest price for their lessons. With Offers, a flat administration fee of between 22% and 14% is levied (depending on the teacher's membership level)
What is automatic renewal?
When students buy blocks of lessons with you they also accept the terms of automatic renewal meaning that unless they cancel their plan, their block of lessons will be automatically renewed once their last lesson of the block has been held. This way the teaching can just continue seamlessly without requiring extra administrative work. Automatic renewal can be turned off by a student at any time.
What happens when I change my prices?
If one or more of your students have automatic renewal switched on they will receive an email notification when you change your price if it affects the product they have - e.g. the price of 45 min. lessons. We recommend that you let your students know in advance if you plan to change your prices so it doesn’t come as a surprise.
If none of your students have automatic renewal switched on they will not automatically get notified when you change your prices. We still recommend that you let your students know in advance. This also gives them a chance to buy a new block of lessons before the new prices go into effect. Giving notice about price changes can be a way to make students recommit to their lessons.
If you do not have any active students we suggest that you can try out different prices and see if you can find a “sweet spot” for your local area. Sometimes teachers choose to start with a price just below what they would normally charge to get the attention of new students. If you decide to follow this strategy we recommend that it is only at the beginning of your career when looking to establish yourself as a teacher and get a critical mass of students fast.
If you are looking to attract more students, lowering your price is not always the best solution and we are here to help you. Please get in touch with us to hear more about your options for personal marketing at [email protected]
What happens to existing lesson blocks, pending bookings and refunded lessons?
Any changes to your price will only apply to future lessons. Lessons already in the system will be processed at your current prices.
Group Lessons
What should I consider when pricing my group?
Delivery time, preparation time and associated costs should all be considered when pricing your group. The price you set for students to pay is your only source of income from the group. Ensuring all your associated costs have been considered is vital to achieving a price that is fair to you, the teacher. Venue hire, travel and parking costs, wear and tear of instruments, the printing of music and any other resources which may be required should all be factored into your group price. Note that MusicTeachers.co.uk also applies a platform fee to all group lessons.
How are Platform Fees calculated?
Platform fees vary depending on your membership level. For group tuition, platform fees are calculated at the following percentages:
Basic: 18%
Bronze: 16%
Silver: 14%
Gold: 12%
Platinum: 10%
MusicTeachers.co.uk provides tools for you in the group creation process so you can assess the income you are likely to receive from each student in the group. Platform fees are clearly described in this process.
What are Membership Levels?
For every hour of teaching you complete through our platform (both 1-1 and group teaching), you are moving towards a higher membership level and lower platform fees. You can read more about membership levels here.
What should I include in my calculation when setting the price for a class or workshop?
Before setting your price, we recommend noting your expectations for the associated costs. Having an idea of venue hire, transport, resources, and so forth will ensure that you can set a price which absorbs these costs, while generating an income for you. These calculations will be helpful when deciding the minimum number of students required to make the group viable in the group creation form.
How should I calculate the price?
The goal here is to arrive at a price which is fair to you and also good value to the student. As with solo lessons, your whereabouts in the UK will have an impact. For research, take a look at what other teachers are charging for their groups by looking at our search pages here.
To begin with, keep a close eye on your pricing. If student signups are slow, you could consider lowering the price. If the group sells out quickly, this may mean you can raise the price for subsequent groups.
Can I change the price of the team or workshop after it has been created?
No, once the first participant or student has registered, it is no longer possible to change the price for the participants. With this in mind, we recommend keeping the number of scheduled sessions in the first group you create relatively small, enabling you to adjust the pricing if required after a shorter amount of time.
What price do students pay?
Students pay the price you set plus a nominal service fee covering payment card fees and applicable taxes. The service fee is clearly displayed to students ahead of purchase.