Belt fees

[SammyB57]

How much did you pay for your black belt test?

[Zepp]

$270.

Before that, each increase in colored rank was $50.

[Andrew Green]

Suppose you where taking a university exam, or any kind of exam elsewhere. It came time for the test, you'd paid your tuition, bought the books, studied hard, and done your work. They slap you with a "testing fee"

I don't think they'd get away with it...

But then we're unregulated so what the heck. I've heard of them ranging in the thousands...

[SammyB57]

They aren't going to "slap" me with any fee.... either they tell me the fees up front, or I am not going to train at their place. There is no need for dishonesty. It is for me, the consumer, to decide if the product is worthy of the price.

[Marginal]

Suppose you where taking a university exam, or any kind of exam elsewhere. It came time for the test, you'd paid your tuition, bought the books, studied hard, and done your work. They slap you with a "testing fee"

I don't think they'd get away with it...

http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/calenfees/fees.html

Guess they already do.

[rcw23]

It was $275 for the black belt when I tested.

[Galvatron]

I paid $250 for 3rd Dan (Tang Soo Do), and $95 for 1st Dan (Taekwondo-Kukkiwon)

[shane23ss]

Wow, some of this sounds expensive. I didn't pay a testing fee for any belt. What happens if some one trains and puts in their time, and is ready to be a BB, but is not financially able to pay for a testing fee? What happens if even a few years go by and they are still not financially able? Do they just train and train, but never become a BB?

[Zepp]

Wow, some of this sounds expensive. I didn't pay a testing fee for any belt. What happens if some one trains and puts in their time, and is ready to be a BB, but is not financially able to pay for a testing fee? What happens if even a few years go by and they are still not financially able? Do they just train and train, but never become a BB?

I've known some instructors to occassionally pay the testing fee for some of their students who were financially unable to do so, provided they knew that the student planned on continuing to train. I've also heard of some organizations waiving the fee in similar instances.

[shane23ss]

I've known some instructors to occassionally pay the testing fee for some of their students who were financially unable to do so, provided they knew that the student planned on continuing to train. I've also heard of some organizations waiving the fee in similar instances.It's good to hear of situations where the person wouldn't be left just hanging out there with no support. I was lucky in my school, but I have heard of some schools/systems becoming very expensive by the time you reach some rank.

[Zepp]

Yes, sadly some schools really are all about the money. But for most people, martial arts are a leisure activity. The average person doesn't usually commit to training unless they have some money to spend on it in the first place.

[shane23ss]

Yes, sadly some schools really are all about the money. But for most people, martial arts are a leisure activity. The average person doesn't usually commit to training unless they have some money to spend on it in the first place.Yeah, I guess I can see that point. You said it exactly. I once asked my instructor why we had no contracts and no testing fees. His words were "if I start making money, then people will think I'm here to make money". I could see his point.

[SammyB57]

The belt fees are tres expensive at the school I plan to go to.... so here's my plan

I am doing TKD mainly for sport so....
Compete at tournament, win that tournament, go up a belt level.
Meaning... compete at white belt, beat white belts.... next tournament keep wearing a white belt but compete against yellow belts.... all the way up to still wearing a white belt and knocking out black belts.

I'd rather have skills on the mat than a certificate anyway. Besides, maybe if I work hard enough, the instructor will look upon my financial plight and realise I can't spend +$500 just to buy belts that I could buy at the MA store for 10 bucks.

[shane23ss]

Sounds like a good plan Sammy

[Zepp]

I am doing TKD mainly for sport so....
Compete at tournament, win that tournament, go up a belt level.
Meaning... compete at white belt, beat white belts.... next tournament keep wearing a white belt but compete against yellow belts.... all the way up to still wearing a white belt and knocking out black belts.

Keep in mind, tournaments usually try to prevent that kind of thing by forcing particpants to compete at their belt level, or within a certain group of belt levels. It's unlikely you'd be able to spar any black belts in a TKD tournament without being at least close to black in rank.

[rcw23]

Unfortunately, my experience at tournaments has been similar to Zepp's in that large open tournaments often want you to actually be in a belt group before they will let you spar in it (I wonder if it is liability related?). On the other hand I have been to smaller tournaments and in particular intra or interschool tournaments that have no problem letting a student spar up several divisions if the student's master is ok with it.

On the subject of testing fees, I have witnessed several masters quietly waive testing fees when a student cannot afford to pay. In fact, my roomate who got his black belt from the same master as I did was unable to pay the testing fee until 5 years later. Our sabomnim never brought it up and I assume he just paid for the kukkiwon certification himself since my roomate got his id card. If my roomate hadn't given him the money five years later I doubt that it ever would have been mentioned.

On the other hand, the school I work out at now wants $1000 for a second dan testing fee (as well as several interim tests that are a few hundred each) and it seems to me that unless they are willing to waive (or substantially waive) the fees I am destined to be a first dan indefinitly.

[Miles]

I think my 1st dan test was $100...my folks paid for it...I was a mere lad of 16 in 1979. :)

Miles

[rainbows]

My first dan test will be 100 euro.

[ave_turuta]

xx

[Galvatron]

I am doing TKD mainly for sport so....
Compete at tournament, win that tournament, go up a belt level.
Meaning... compete at white belt, beat white belts.... next tournament keep wearing a white belt but compete against yellow belts.... all the way up to still wearing a white belt and knocking out black belts.



If you're talking about competing in TKD tournaments (USTU or AAU) Only advanced colored belts (brown-red) have the option to compete in the black belt division.
If you got to that point to where your skills were sufficient to compete in the black belt division, I'm sure you could find someone to "help you out" in the rank department.

[FearlessFreep]

It was once explained to me basically that as you advance in rank, that your responsibiity and expectations also rise. Part of the motivation behind having a fee in the first place is to make sure you take the responsibility seriously and can make the commitment.

Granted, some places use the fees as a money-maker and charge more than probably should and award people belts that should not get them, just to get the fee

However, the fee doesn't bother me in itself, it's rather small to pay an occasional fee, compared to the monthly cost and the cost of safety gear and the time and money I put into just being there.

My instructor said "I'm not into belt fees to make money; I try to set them low enough to be reasonable but high enough that you take it seriously"

[MichiganTKD]

Our 1st Dan testing fee will be $389 this year. Sounds expensive. However, Harvard University is expensive as well and they don't seem to have a problem maintaining enrollment.
I look at it like this: If you are serious about wanting a black belt from this organization, and you know the testing fee in advance, you will save for it. Additionally, a new rule (I think from Kukkiwon) is that if an Instructor recommends a student to test for Dan level, and that student fails, the Instructor forfeits part of the testing fee himself. Therefore, Instructors better be damned sure their student is ready.
In all honesty, I'd rather pay the high amount and get a black belt from our organization than pay $70 to get a black belt from the McDojangs I see (who often charge more than we do anyway). If you want quality, why shouldn't you pay for it?

[bignick]

My first dan test was just over $300.

Just as a comparison, I believe first dan in my jujutsu style is under $20. And my jujutsu instructor paid $125 for his 5th dan test. He said once that a lot of taekwondo schools were basically a pyramid scheme and I couldn't really argue with him.

[TigerWoman]

My recommended BB test was $150. And 1st Dan was another 185. My second dan was $250. Considering I had to teach myself the last three forms and no help on anything else, I should have gotten a discount on that 2nd. TW

[Galvatron]

He said once that a lot of taekwondo schools were basically a pyramid scheme and I couldn't really argue with him.

It ain't just Taekwondo schools, my friend.