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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To question the price I'm being charged?

26 replies

Littlebluebird123 · 04/10/2018 21:26

My daughter recently decided to take up a musical instrument. It's quite unusual but I was able to find an instructor online.

On the website they advertised individual lessons as being £15 an hour. They don't have a studio or anything so would charge travel costs to come to our house. It's a 20 mile drive, mainly on country lanes so about 30 mins.

They came this week for the first time. We discussed length of lesson and agreed that 45 mins would be better.

DD really enjoyed the lesson and the instructor seemed enthusiastic, interested and just had a great way of teaching. All good.

Then I asked what he'd like to be paid and he said £25 for 45 mins or £30 if we decided to go for the hour.

AIBU to question this? It seems a huge amount of money added for travel costs!
It's quite specialised and I don't think I'll be able to get someone else but being double what I thought it would be does make me question whether we can afford it. :/

OP posts:
MyYoniFromHull · 04/10/2018 21:29

Sounds very reasonable tbh.
Travelling time and cost, specialist subject.

I wouldn't want to lose an hour and a half, two hours out of my day for less than that tbh

BringOnTheScience · 04/10/2018 21:29

They've got to cover the travel time as well as the cost I suppose?

mum11970 · 04/10/2018 21:30

Remember it’s 20 miles both ways. An hour’s travelling time and 45 minute lesson equals almost double. Simples.

Ferrisbuellersdayoff · 04/10/2018 21:30

Sounds pretty reasonable to me.

doodlejump1980 · 04/10/2018 21:30

£30 pH is under the standard Musician’s Union hourly rates without even taking the instructor’s travel time (there and back) into account. You’ve got yourself a bargain!

MyYoniFromHull · 04/10/2018 21:31

Tbh 40 miles at 40p a mile is £17 ish so it's very fair.

But it is a luxury. It doesn't have to be priced so that everyone can afford it (I doubt I'd be able to justify it either)

MyNameIsNotSteven · 04/10/2018 21:32

I would charge that for tutoring. I pay £7 for a 20 min clarinet lesson in school. Such a shame that instrumental lessons have to be privately funded but that's s different story.

The teacher has to be paid for their skills otherwise they might as well be in an ordinary full time job.

londonrach · 04/10/2018 21:33

I think hes under charging you. Thats very cheap.

Sparkletastic · 04/10/2018 21:33

Sounds absolutely reasonable to me.

2bigtossers · 04/10/2018 21:33

Ask if you can go to them?

honeysucklejasmine · 04/10/2018 21:35

£30 ph is cheap if you were going to him, let alone other way around.

user139328237 · 04/10/2018 21:35

So you're paying him £12.50 an hour taking into account travel time. As he is self employed he gets no holiday or sick pay has to pay national insurance and income tax and his expenses out of it (£18 just for travel at the governments maximum permitted rate). In reality it looks like you are already paying below minimum wage after costs and think this is too much...

LordNibbler · 04/10/2018 21:35

You're getting a bargain there believe me.

Namechanger55555 · 04/10/2018 21:36

Sounds very cheap to me!
So the teacher is spending at least an hour of their time travelling + 45 mins teaching?

Disquieted1 · 04/10/2018 21:36

The price is more than fair. If anything I think you're getting a great deal.

Namechanger55555 · 04/10/2018 21:36

Also take into account tax. That's vvvvvvv cheap

Original poster
Littlebluebird123 · 04/10/2018 21:36

Thanks for all of your replies.

I suppose it was just more because I'd budgeted based on 15, so 30 is a significant increase.

I'd be happy to travel to him but he doesn't have suitable facilities so I guess I'll just have to go with it. :)

OP posts:
budgiegirl · 04/10/2018 21:39

Sounds pretty good to me - my mum was a piano teacher and charged £15 per half hour over ten years ago.

So I would expect to pay quite a bit more than £30 for an hours lesson plus an hour traveling expenses - sounds like you’ve got a bit of a bargain!

greendale17 · 04/10/2018 21:40

As he is self employed he gets no holiday or sick pay has to pay national insurance and income tax and his expenses out of it (£18 just for travel at the governments maximum permitted rate).

^That isn’t the OPs problem

HairyPotter · 04/10/2018 21:44

Sounds like a bargain. I pay £32 an hour for my dds tutor and as he moved away from our town, I now have a 45 min drive each way to get to him. Absolutely worth it though. I’d be delighted at paying £30 with no travelling to do.

xyzandabc · 04/10/2018 21:46

If the quoted rate is £15 per hour. They want to charge you for an hour lesson and an hour travel time (there and back) that's £30 which is as you said. More than reasonable. Tbh if they could teach 2 hours nearer their home, they would earn the same and not have the travel expense, a much better prospect. I think you're quite lucky they've agreed to come to you at all.

annikin · 04/10/2018 21:46

We pay £16 per half hour plus we have to travel 30 mins each way ourselves. You have a bargain.

smallchanceofrain · 04/10/2018 21:48

Bargain! I pay £30 an hour for guitar tuition and we travel to the guitar teacher. I'd be delighted to pay that and not have to travel.

ChocolateWombat · 04/10/2018 22:05

I'm surprised they are willing to travel that far and for only £25 or £30 in total. It would make me wonder if they were desperate for students or work. Guess it depends where you are geographically and what usual fee for an hour of music lessons is - you absolutely need to double it for time travelled and add some for the cost of travelling - petrol,nrunning costs,mdepreciation.

ChocolateWombat · 04/10/2018 22:06

We pay £23 for 30 mins with no travel for teacher involved.

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