2 Hour Intro to Wing Chun Class

[Hazardi172]

Tracking 10 people's payments, doing the accounting of perhaps 80 payments a month (rather than 10) and the few minutes before each class to actually handle the payments. That time adds up. And it either takes time from teaching (bad for students) or takes time from something else in life (so it should be compensated).

No need to track anything . Accounting?

Just take cash and put what remains after hiring the room in your pocket. If not enough to cover hiring the room then stop.

 

[wingchun100]

The first Wing Chun school I went to was up to $125 per month. Those who wanted to learn Wing Chun didn't mind paying it.

 

[JowGaWolf]

Unfortunately, there's no second instructor available.

There's no second instructor yet. One of your student may reach the role of instructor one day.

 

[wingchun100]

Just the thought of all the receipt books you would tear through, or all the time you would spend at your computer entering things into Quickbooks...yikes.

 

[wckf92]

It doesn't require a lot of management to charge peope when they show up

Agreed. This is how I instruct. You show up, you pay, you learn. Simple.
I'm like a vending machine! Put money in...get something out! haha

 

[JowGaWolf]

Agreed. This is how I instruct. You show up, you pay, you learn. Simple.
I'm like a vending machine! Put money in...get something out! haha

You still have to track it. From a business and marketing side of things, knowing who shows up how often and and when becomes more important because now your monthly revenue is based on how much you make daily. Each month your business revenue will rise or fall based on how many days someone shows up.

 

[wckf92]

You still have to track it.

I disagree. Says who? You may be correct if you teach for a living...I don't...

From a business and marketing side of things, knowing who shows up how often and and when becomes more important because now your monthly revenue is based on how much you make daily. Each month your business revenue will rise or fall based on how many days someone shows up.

I know who shows up and how often.... when they contact me for a lesson and walk in! haha.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

But people take martial arts for martial arts and not a financial gain. If anything they don't mind paying for quality training. If the school is really good then the student will be getting a lot more than training out of being a part of the school. Just like you and I were talking about the value of the social interaction. Other things like staying fit, learning self-defense, getting stronger, gaining confidence, being able to compete in tournaments, making friends, having cookouts, school trips. If the school is full of adults then things like traveling as a group to tourist places, are things that would be worth the small price of paying membership fees. People also know that membership fees help support the school, without the fees, there is no school.

True enough. All that aside, what he's suggesting would have a significant burden on the instructor (though he doesn't seem to recognize it) to manage the extra paperwork (oh, and if it's not run as a business, you don't get to write off the expenses, so every penny you take in is taxable income). And the amount of financial gain someone could potentially make would be so negligible as to be more than offset by the extra time it would take to access the money and make those weekly or per-class payments.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I disagree. Says who? You may be correct if you teach for a living...I don't...



I know who shows up and how often.... when they contact me for a lesson and walk in! haha.

If you're okay with paying taxes on every penny that comes in (no expense offset, if you don't run it as a business), then you could just not track it. Of course, if you aren't tracking it, it's possible that revenue will fall below expenses (you're still stuck paying taxes on all that revenue). Unless you're willing to take those losses, that can make it less likely the program continues. Anytime you have expenses to deal with, and revenue to deal with, you are best served by treating it at least a little like a business, even if you do it for the love of teaching (which is why I do it).

 

[Hazardi172]

Agreed. This is how I instruct. You show up, you pay, you learn. Simple.
I'm like a vending machine! Put money in...get something out! haha

Glad someone does the same, seems a lot of very serous martial arts business owners here on the forum. I am not suggesting doing it this way for profit

 

[Hazardi172]

True enough. All that aside, what he's suggesting would have a significant burden on the instructor (though he doesn't seem to recognize it) to manage the extra paperwork (oh, and if it's not run as a business, you don't get to write off the expenses, so every penny you take in is taxable income). And the amount of financial gain someone could potentially make would be so negligible as to be more than offset by the extra time it would take to access the money and make those weekly or per-class payments.

No burden on the instructor that I can think of apart from turning up and delivering the lesson

 

[Gerry Seymour]

No need to track anything . Accounting?

Just take cash and put what remains after hiring the room in your pocket. If not enough to cover hiring the room then stop.

I don't know the tax laws where you are, but you have to track it in the US. Any money coming in that's not offset by business expenses is taxable. If you don't run it as a business, there are no "business expenses" allowed (including the cost of the space), so you pay taxes on it all. And that "then stop" means the students aren't getting taught. How's that helping them out? Running it like a business helps keep the program open.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

No burden on the instructor that I can think of apart from turning up and delivering the lesson

Yes. Remember, you are not in the US. Taxes are payable on that income here. That means paperwork.

 

[Hazardi172]

I don't know the tax laws where you are, but you have to track it in the US. Any money coming in that's not offset by business expenses is taxable. If you don't run it as a business, there are no "business expenses" allowed (including the cost of the space), so you pay taxes on it all. And that "then stop" means the students aren't getting taught. How's that helping them out? Running it like a business helps keep the program open.

When we talk about teaching some hobby like martial arts, I would ask "what is tax"?

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I know who shows up and how often.... when they contact me for a lesson and walk in! haha.

If you're talking about private lessons, that's a different matter. I've always charged per-lesson on those, because those aren't an ongoing thing I offer on a regular basis. Those have to be scheduled separately.

 

[wckf92]

If you're talking about private lessons, that's a different matter. I've always charged per-lesson on those, because those aren't an ongoing thing I offer on a regular basis. Those have to be scheduled separately.

Yes, those too.
Group classes, privates, etc ...all are "on call" and paid 'per lesson' and per person. For me and my hectic life...it's just easier that way. I track nothing.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

When we talk about teaching some hobby like martial arts, I would ask "what is tax"?

In the US, it being a hobby doesn't exempt you from paying tax on the income.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Yes, those too.
Group classes, privates, etc ...all are "on call" and paid 'per lesson' and per person. For me and my hectic life...it's just easier that way. I track nothing.

How can group classes be "on call"? I don't understand that. If it's a regularly scheduled class, that doesn't seem to be "on call". Or are we using the term differently.

As for tracking nothing, if you're in the US, you have to track that income. It's taxable.

 

[wckf92]

How can group classes be "on call"? I don't understand that. If it's a regularly scheduled class, that doesn't seem to be "on call". Or are we using the term differently.

As for tracking nothing, if you're in the US, you have to track that income. It's taxable.

Yeah, to be more clear...it's not a regularly scheduled class at all...in fact it's quite sporadic. When a small group gets together...and schedules align...I hold class. And that holds true for privates etc. I realize it may not be optimal, but it is what it is for my life.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Yeah, to be more clear...it's not a regularly scheduled class at all...in fact it's quite sporadic. When a small group gets together...and schedules align...I hold class. And that holds true for privates etc. I realize it may not be optimal, but it is what it is for my life.

Ah. Of course, if it's not regularly scheduled, there's really no way to make monthly payments make sense. And I understand the "not optimal, but what I can do" approach. My distractions are different from yours, and I have to make a different set of compromises. We do what we can, do the best we can for our students.