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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be shocked at the extras added to ballet exam costs?

71 replies

splishsplosh · 28/05/2013 17:33

One of my dds wants to go to ballet, so I asked my friend about the kind of costs that would be involved if I enrolled her.

She's recently paid £68 for a £38 exam. When she asked the lady running it what the extra costs were for she was told that they covered things like pianist fee, her own time, parking costs for herself and the pianist, money for lunches for herself, pianist, examiner, things to do the hair of anyone coming without their own and her time spent chasing up any late exam payments.

As the children take the exam in 2s or 3s, an exam takes about half an hour, and they have a full day of exams, surely charging an extra £30 per child per exam is excessive? The lady running it must make at least £600 in that 1 day - the costs of parking and lunch can't justify so much can it?

AIBU to be shocked at this? Or is this pretty standard, and what I should expect if my dd goes to ballet and ends up doing exams?

OP posts:
digerd · 28/05/2013 18:28

Cut short. Exam successes benefit her reputation and can advance her qualifications.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 28/05/2013 18:37

New shoes for exams! DD's ballet teacher would be horrified as she likes them to be 'worn in'.

No idea what we pay over and above the actual exam fee, but it definitely isn't as much as the OP, I think there is a running cost added. No extra lessons, no music to practice too at home. Lots of help with hair but if you haven't taken your own things you might be asked to take them out afterwards. I donated a pack of hairgrips last time as they were running short.

You are expected to have the right leotard and tights/socks though.

As for shows, costumes are provided free, the only cost to parents are the tickets and the DVD!

HollyBerryBush · 28/05/2013 18:40

I have to say, DS3 did gymnastics for a while and chatting to other parents about competitions, and hourly rates for choreographers, and outfits, makeup artists, hairdressers, it all totted up to about £12K (not joking) at the high end.

I was so glad when he got bored with that!

Jinty64 · 28/05/2013 18:44

My ds's 1&2 play violin and the cost for lessons, exams, orchestras, festivals, etc. is really scary. I had no idea.

Picturesinthefirelight · 28/05/2013 18:48

At dads dance school they wear the exam leotard for all classes - that way everyone has one and you get plenty if wear out if it. If you prefer you can buy a generic one in the same style and colour rather than the one with the RAD logo on. As these cost about £10 its no more expensive than having any other leotard.

Dd is going to be having done extra private lessons between now and September to prepare her for the standard at her new school as the Grade 3 work took do long. She's hugely excited though.

mummytowillow · 28/05/2013 18:52

Rent leotards and getting hair done Hmm

At my DD dance school, we do the hair, and I thought all exam uniforms were standard pale pink?

That woman is having a laugh expecting people to pay for her time and lunch! Shock

Picturesinthefirelight · 28/05/2013 18:57

Schools can choose their own colour out of a set range depending on the exam board.

For RAD Pre Primary & Primary it's either pink or lilac Leo with short sleeves & voile skirt

Grades 1-2 either p

Picturesinthefirelight · 28/05/2013 19:00

Grades 1-2 either pink, light blue, lavender, navy, mulberry etc leotard with short sleeves or sleeveless

Grades 3-5 they usually change to a slightly more mature style of ruched front in navy, mulberry etc rather than pastel colours.

DuttyWine · 28/05/2013 19:01

My dd goes to a ballet school where is no grading or exams at all, I'm really glad too after reading this! It's like they can just charge what they want because they know you will pay it!

Could you and some of the other parents get together and question it as a group?

DeWe · 28/05/2013 20:08

It is expensive, but not ridiculously so.
We were paying roughly £200 a term, for dd1 and dd2 to do two lessons a week, and ds to do 1 lesson.

Exams we pay very slightly more than the exact exam fees, so we'd probably pay £40 iif the exam was £38. That covers the pianist (although he's a lovely old chap, that I think does it because he enjoys doing it, and is paid by bottle of wine or something similar) They are expected to buy new shoes (satin ones apparently are much better for the exam) which cost around £8.
The teacher has "exam uniform" which she lends out at no extra cost. You provide hair things, although they'll have someone to do hair.

Uniform, as a basic is roughly £10 per item at the uniform shop. So you can get way with about £30 (leotard, skirt, socks shoes) but there are extras, like tracksuit, bags, hairbands, cardigan etc. that you an choose to have.

The show they do every couple of years, everyone pays around £30 and that covers the entire costume. Sometimes you get lots for that (dd1 has tutu, spanish costume, jazz pants), other times you don't get as much (last time she had a leotard and home made skirt), but it evens out. And you get to keep the costume, great for the tinies who want to wear the tutu for the next 6 months!

Bingdweller · 28/05/2013 20:12

Do the examiner and teacher have a table booked at The Ivy for lunch?

cronullansw · 28/05/2013 20:18

So the examiner, teacher, instructor et al aren't allowed to earn from this?

Their time is for free is it?

If it bugs you that much, set up your own school, pay the advertising and running costs - can you imagine what the insurance fees would be for the poor little darlings?

Ledkr · 28/05/2013 20:22

I've never heard of the teacher charging for their parking Hmm
We've always paid one sum which covers lessons and a cd they wear class leotards and shoes and we do their hair.
Exams are important if they want to try for a vocational school later and I also feel they are a good marker for how they are doing.

DorisIsWaiting · 28/05/2013 20:26

God god! when dd did her primary grade we paid a small amount extra for sat morning classes (I think £20-30) that was it, we fere allowed to film the teacher so she knew what to practice at home and had a copy of the music (passed around).

The dance teacher did hair and supplied the appropriate ribbons we just had to ensure their uniform was of a reasonable standard and shoes were clean (iirc they did need the satin shoes).

D's now all go to a different ballet shoes, which doesn't (yet) do exams (big relief!). They do have a show which will add up a bit (£12 costume rental fee, which allows the school to build up a range of costumes for future shows) and tickets and DVD's. But they do love it and get alot out of it...

Picturesinthefirelight · 28/05/2013 20:32

The last exam dd did her teacher sent me out for soup & sandwiches for the examiner from Costa.

Picturesinthefirelight · 28/05/2013 20:33

I also have to say there were a high proportion of distinctions in leather shoes.

Satin are nowhere near as hardwearing, they just look pretty on stage.

Original poster
splishsplosh · 28/05/2013 21:19

Cronullansw - well, I presume the examiner is paid from the fixed cost of the exam? The pianist apparently gets about £30 an hour, but if 4-6 girls are paying £30 each every hour, that covers the pianist easily. The teacher I assume makes most of her money from regular classes rather than just exams, so am a bit surprised at such a big difference between exam cost and what is charged. So I wondered if it was unusually high, or fairly standard.

Thanks for everyone's feedback, it does sound like it varies quite a bit.

OP posts:
Scholes34 · 28/05/2013 22:34

Ballet exams = UCAS points. Could be quite useful if you stick with it.

They're worth doing and can actually be fun and fulfilling for the little darlings. DD now onto Grade 7, pointe work and enjoying it more than ever. It's definitely being done for fun, and is not vocational.

FreyaSnow · 28/05/2013 22:50

DD's ballet teacher also said they provide lunch for the examiner. She said to make sure the RAD syllabus is taught and examined to the same standard everywhere, the examiners are international. The examiner DD had was from China, and was the examiner for all the exams in the region, then went back to China. So it doesn't seem a big deal that the ballet schools were expected to provide lunch, as she was on some ridiculously tight schedule.

Apparently the examiners don't make any money from it. It just covers their expenses but it helps their careers to have been an examiner.

ExitPursuedByABear · 28/05/2013 22:54

She is taking the piss.

olidusUrsus · 28/05/2013 22:59

So glad DSS will never need me to pay for him to have a fancy ballet barnet - he goes to exams in his normal kit and everything Grin

FreyaSnow · 28/05/2013 23:04

Boys have to wear the specified clothes for the exam too.

dementedma · 28/05/2013 23:05

Wow, all sounds horribly complicated and expensive. Dd2 used to do Irish dancing though and the price of competition dresses was horrendous! We were then shunned for refusing to buy one of those stupid curly wigs and plaster her in make up so we gave it up.
Little beggar then discovered she had a voice too and went into musical theatre - so now we have tap shoes, jazz shoes, pointe shoes and a million and one other shoes.....
God, its an expensive world out there

QOD · 28/05/2013 23:06

I just paid £78 for a grade 5 tap exam. Eek

Ledkr · 28/05/2013 23:09

My ds lost his dance bag once. We estimated it as about four hundred quid and luckily then found it.
At the royal they had to wear blue shirts over white leotards. Just as expensive as dd wears now.
Loving that now she is currently wearing my old tap shoes and has her brothers for the next size up.