Requirements for start training in a new club?

[marques]

The question is that: Requirements for start training in a new club/discipline? Relatively to your living country.

I realised that that it can be very different. I explain what I mean.
- In Portugal is required 1anual insurance and monthly payment (~30euro). No medical certificate (required long time ago). Never heard about annual contracts there.
- In France, paying 1year in advance (or the remaining until the summer holiday) is the main (more affordable) option, if not the only one! (300-500euros) Medical certificate mandatory. (Especific for the discipline - valid for 1 year, but clubs ask 3 months max, you miss part of a working day for asking it and finally it has little value - or none if you want to change to other discipline).
- In the UK, you pay as you go ~£5/h, or less if you pay monthly. No medical certificate.

Finally, as a personal apreciation, I think the French over-complicate (everything) and that the UK is the paradise for training. Just it is so easy changing club that the commitment to a club/instructor/group may be affected.

And in your country, how is it?

 

[MaMaD]

well, we pay monthly in iran, as far as i know.

 

[WaterGal]

By medical certificate, do you mean a note from your doctor saying that you're healthy enough for martial arts classes?

In the US, people usually pay monthly. A lot of dedicated full-time schools make you sign up for a one-year membership, or have that as a cheaper option. But they don't normally ask you to pay for it all upfront, you just pay every month for a year. Also, normally, you can start classes at any time.

One exception to this is if the class is offered through a community center (run by the local government). Where I live, the classes they offer are usually 10 or 12-week programs that offered each season, and when you sign up you pay for the whole 10 or 12 weeks at once. That also means you have to wait until the program starts in order to begin training. But, the rec center classes are much cheaper than classes at a full-time school.

 

[marques]

By medical certificate, do you mean a note from your doctor saying that you're healthy enough for martial arts classes?

That's it. It was my easy translation for Portuguese. In the UK (Scotland and England) no one asks for such think. Sorry if it is not the right name and thank you for your effort understanding.

As for the annual contract, in France they don't ask for 100's euro before the first class, but they ask for postdated checks (that name I verified - should be right), about 4... The tariff 300-500euro is obviously indicative. It can be lower, or higher. 250euro/year, paid in four times is a good tariff, assuming you will train there all the next year..
Example of only annual subscription: Tarifs

 

[wingchun100]

If it is that complicated for a student, I wonder what the instructors have to go through to be able to open the school in the first place.

 

[Tez3]

In the UK we don't ask for a medical certificate because we don't need one, it's also very expensive to get one from a doctor which has to be done privately. Certain driving licences need medical certificates and they cost upwards of fifty pounds ( about $62), too expensive for most people just for martial arts.

 

[marques]

In the UK we don't ask for a medical certificate because we don't need one, it's also very expensive to get one from a doctor which has to be done privately. Certain driving licences need medical certificates and they cost upwards of fifty pounds ( about $62), too expensive for most people just for martial arts.

€28 in France, I guess (=£28 very soon). Less if you have health insurance. And you need one per discipline. Valid for 1 year by law (but clubs don't want older than 3 months...).
But it is worthless. The doctor will Google (or they have some specific source) what your discipline is about and ask you if you have any disease. That's all.
(The same in Portugal. I asked it for the driving license and doctor never saw me before neither after, he just asked me if I was healthy... yes... and I got the medical certificate. Free, but you wait since 6am if you want to be served.)