Am I? Money, Money, Money

[kappadelta]

After some advice please. My DD goes to a dance school. The lessons take place in various primary school's and are the venue is free to the dance teacher. In return the dance teacher gives a lesson in school time for free.

I pay for my DD's lessons. I also pay for new dance gear. I've just paid £30 for her to do 2 exams.
Every time she attends the lessons there are sponsor sheets for this, raffle tickets for that, trips here and there.

It's bloody expensive. Today I got a message from the dance teacher stating that there would be an awards ceremony for the exams they have just done. £5 for adults another £2.50 for the children. I messages back asking if I wasn't able to attend the presentation when would my DD get her certificates for her exams (have to pay for these too).

The answer was the week after the presentation. Am I being unreasonable to be completely pissed off at the money, money, money attitude of this teacher?

Ignore all the sponsor / raffle shite. Is she planning on charging for an awards 'ceremony' - seems very off!

Wipsglitter - I have managed to ignore most of the shit as I just cant afford it. The awards ceremony is chargeable - at least £7.50. I really would like to say something along the lines of "Fuck off you grabby twunt" 😉

What is she charging for???? And why isn't the certificate included in the exam cost???? Bloody hell, I'd expect a red carpet and ambassador style chocs for that!!!!

Sounds about right to me - exams cost, hiring venues cost & she needs to make a living!

Hobbies are expensive so YABU. Mydds dance & prices are very reasonable BUT we are looking at around £2000 a year all told!

Redhelen - no hiring venue costs they are all free in return for an in school dance lesson.

But that's not free then is it - giving a school lesson is time from the teacher ie - if she charged the school it would say be £20 same as the hire

Not really tho 1 lesson is exclusive use of school hall for 5 nights a week and some weekends too.

If you're not happy, find another dance school. However, be warned, dance classes, exams, kit and everything else that goes with it, are expensive.

Well, your perogative to try & find somewhere cheaper but I warn you it doesn't come cheap!

I know what you mean. My dd goes to ballet - it's £65 per term and we had to buy a ballet outfit which was about £30. That's not so bad but there is a show coming up and it is £12 to hire the costume plus £9 each for my dh and I to attend. I wouldn't mind but she is only 4 and will be on stage for a maximum of 3 minutes!!

If your dd gets a lot out of the lessons, enjoys them, and has a good teacher, I'd just go with it. Hobbies are always expensive, so I do think YABU to think the dance teacher is money grabbing and to start calling her names. She's trying to earn a living at something she has probably put years and a lot of work and money into herself.

It's a luxury leisure activity that you have chosen to allow your child to take part in, you don't have to pay for the extras like the exams or the award ceremony, they are just options that the teacher makes available to you if you want them.

I don't get it - will your daughter not actually find out how she did in her exams until the week after the presentation, or is it just the actual presentation she will miss out on if you don't go? Because if it's the former, that seems a little mean, but the dance teacher is entitled to make a living and charge whatever she wants. If it's the latter then I think YABU - the ceremony is for those who want to pay, and if you don't then you will just get your certificate slightly later, which isn't really a big deal in the great scheme of the actual result.

I work in a dance school. People do not understand the overheads teachers have. I am not a teacher, I do admin in exchange for money off the fees. I have four children who dance and if it were not for my position in the office I could never afford for them to do everything they do.

However; we also do "presentation" afternoons. We do not charge people to attend these and some children do demonstrations of festival work or exam work for parents/carers to watch. We do, however, sell cream teas/ cakes etc.

Exams do cost. £30 for two is quite reasonable! RAD and ISTD exams start at that for 1! Then we have extra exam classes which add on to the cost.

Shows and costumes also cost. Our school does a hire policy (usually approx £5 per costume) which is minimal believe me. New costumes are expensive and everyone wants their child to have something new or at least something they haven't worn before! 1 tutu for a senior is almost £200 and when you have to buy 12, and your only charging hire at even £20 it doesn't cover it. Every show we have done has barely covered costs!

Then you say no hire fee. What about insurance? I know for a fact that all our teachers have to be insured/ crb checked/ first aid trained the list goes on. Then we have to have public liability insurance. That was £2500 this year!

We do, however, have a very good second hand stall and do not insist on Tiny tots having "uniform".

Running a dance school is an expensive business. I think you are being a tiny bit unreasonable. Perhaps speak to the teacher about your concerns and see if some of it can be cut down. As it is you are getting a free lesson in school time.

Plus you have to pay to play music (twice)

DD starts a new class in September£500 a term plus the 11 classes she already does & 4 pairs of new dance shoes last week

Dancing is a nightmare, cost-wise but DD loves it

But I still don't get what the OP is paying for at the ceremony?!?

Yes, you pay for lessons, yes you pay for uniform, yes you pay for exams. But what/why are you paying to get a certificate at an evening?

My DD does ballet so I am not being precious about it. I also run a Beaver Colony (for free) and we have a presentation night at the end of term an I wouldn't dream of charging for it!!!