It’s no secret that teachers often feel unfairly paid for the amount that they do.
For instrumental teachers, it’s a similar story: you’re at the mercy of a disorganised and chaotic system – generally paid an hourly lesson rate, but parents and schools demand a lot of your unpaid time.
Rearranging missed lessons can leave you out of pocket and, frankly, the amount you do is not reflected in the amount you are paid. Pay also doesn’t necessarily relate to how musically qualified you are. So naturally, you’re frustrated.
Here are three things you can do to find out how much you’re actually worth as a music instructor , and how to make yourself more valuable:
1. Talk to other private teachers
No one likes to talk about it, but we have to support one another when it comes to pay – especially when we know how tough the climate is.
Rather than undercutting each other, we should be helping fellow teachers earn what they deserve to earn.
The Musician’s Union rate for individual or small group lessons is £35 an hour*, but location and teaching experience should be taken into consideration.
*correct as of MU rates 2020/2021
2. Be in demand
One reason that teaching pay is so inconsistent is because of the demand for you as a teacher.
Parents are in a prime position to see which instrumental teachers consistently produce the best players. The names of their favoured teachers get passed around from person to person, which means the teacher spends their career being sought after and ends up with waiting lists.
If the demand for you is high you can increase your pay. Ask parents to recommend you to their friends, colleagues and other parents at the school. You could even test your fee by charging a higher rate for new students and measuring the response.
3. Streamline your pay
Okay, so this one may not actually earn you more money, but it will make sure that you:
Get paid on time and
Seriously cut down on needless admin time
By setting up your online payments with Practice Pal, we automatically send out invoices and follow-up requests for payments until they’re received.
None of us want to spend extra time awkwardly chasing after unpaid invoices, so this much-loved feature is here to make your finances much easier.
4. Sign up to our mailing list
We want to help you earn what you deserve to earn.
With our help, it’s not only possible, it’s smooth and straightforward. By signing up to our mailing list, you’ll gain access to our music teachers’ community, complete with tips, tricks and support for your music teaching business.
Your music teaching practice made perfect
Whenever broaching the subject of pay, people are always likely to expect to pay more if you operate a professional outfit. If you are organised, you can appear premium. At Practice Pal, we give you the tools to make your business look as professional as you want it to be. With automated scheduling and lesson notes, online billing and revolutionary teaching tools for online and in-person lessons, a music teacher using Practice Pal is a music teacher who knows what they’re doing.
Take a look at how Practice Pal can change the way you teach and the way you charge for your teaching – for good.
