The price for a private lesson?

[Flying Crane]

Hi everyone.

I have been contacted by a fellow who does not live in my area but used to, and had trained with a Sifu in my style for a brief period some years ago. His Sifu has passed away and he wishes to continue with his training. He still has personal contacts in the area and is proposing that he come and train with me when he travels back here, and is asking for private sessions. I have no idea what a reasonable price would be for that, my overhead is minimal, I hold class in the park and pay a small fee to the city park and recreation department for each class that I hold. I also realize that the regional cost of living will have an impact on what is perceived as reasonable.

I am dis-inclined to put the squeeze on anyone, but he is adamant about wanting to pay me for my time.

So, I am interested I hearing the full range of what people charge or have seen charged, where people have actually happily paid the fee. Please give me the low-down. Thanks!

 

[MetalBoar]

This is tough and in my experience it varies a lot even in the same city or similarly expensive cities.

I used to regularly split the cost of a $100/hour lesson with 2 other people to make it something I could afford. I thought that was expensive, but not unreasonable, considering how expensive Seattle is and the fact that the instructor had to travel to come to us. He didn't have to travel far, but Seattle traffic is murder, so he deserved compensation for that. On the other end of the spectrum, I used to pay $5 for a 30 minute private lesson with an ex-Olympic fencing coach and that included the cost of the drop in, group lesson, and open fencing afterwards in San Francisco. I've done semi-private, very small group, lessons with an amazing martial artist for $10 for a 2 1/2 hour class, and he offered me private lessons for the same price if I provided the space. I've had private Aikido, Hapkido, HEMA, and FMA lessons for free.

I've also bartered at a rate of 2 private strength training sessions for 1 hour of private instruction with several instructors, which comes out to ~$100-120/hour depending on how you slice it. For that, I got instruction from a successful ex-K1 fighter who was in the process of switching to the UFC, a low level pro-boxer, a 4th Dan in Aikido who was a really good teacher, and an ex-pro Muay Thai fighter from Thailand. I don't know what they charged ordinarily, but I did 30 minute bookings for my strength training sessions, so I figured trading an hour of my time for an hour of theirs was fair and they all seemed to think it was a good deal as well.

Things I've been offered but passed on include private lessons with a very well regarded BJJ instructor for $200/hour, $120/half hour (or something close to that, I'm not sure about the details now) for a guy who thought he was a great fencing instructor, and $60/hour from a pretty skilled Aikido instructor.

In Seattle, if I were making Seattle tech money, I'd be thrilled to pay $30/30 minutes (so $60/hour, I just prefer a 30 minute format) for private or semi-private lessons if they provided the space and probably willing to pay $100/hour, or even more for the right instructor, for fully private lessons. This is of course assuming that the quality of instruction was high and I was making good money. This is also based on the fact that I have a very strong belief that if you value something you should be willing to pay for it based on how you value it, not based on how society might see its appropriate cost.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

This depends a bit on the situation. In most situations, I'd be offering private lessons to people I know that would be willing to learn, so would offer free (or just enough to cover whatever overhead I had). If a stranger came up to me like this though, and you're looking for a fair price, I'd likely go with 2-3 times minimum wage, as it's a valued skill that you've trained. So in this case min. wage in seattle is just under $20, so 40-60 per hour.

In a lower cost of living area, where people make less as well (and minimum wage is something like $8-9 an hour, I'd charge about half that.

Note: there's no actual science behind my thought process. Just where I feel skilled labor of this sort should end up, in terms of value for both the laborer, and the person receiving skilled labor.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

- One of Cheng Man-Ching students told me that Cheng charged $4,000 (I don't know how long that may take) to correct his Taiji form back in the 70th.
- My senior SC brother David C. K. Lin used to charge $250 an hour for private lesson.
- If someone is willing to spar/wrestle with me, I will teach that person for free.

 

[Tony Dismukes]

I charge $50/hour, which is on the low side compared to my peers, but I enjoy teaching so I just charge enough to compensate for using my limited free time.

 

[Gyakuto]

I have a similar quandary. A young Physics student is moving down to my area, where there are no Iaido dojo, and she is coincidently from my old dojo in the north and they told me she is graceful and has a lot of potential. She contacted me to ask if I can help her find instruction and I happily agreed to teach her one-to-one. Thus I’m going to train her for free - no charge! I have ‘free’ access to a dance studio with my gym membership if she comes to my town and if I go to her town, she’ll cover the costs of the facilities she decides to use. I’ll even throw in lunch/dinner and lend her a sword!

I believe it’s a great privilege to teach others, especially the skills for what is essentially a hobby. It gives one a great sense of purpose and well-being, so I decide to go down this particular route because I am able.

 

[Christopher Adamchek]

Typically starting point for any private lesson is $60/hr

That price point moves up with overhead, experience, teaching skill, resources, reputation, etc.

It goes down when instructors are small time, little overhead, have a life long passion for the art.

I myself charge $45/hr

 

[JowGaWolf]

- One of Cheng Man-Ching students told me that Cheng charged $4,000 (I don't know how long that may take) to correct his Taiji form back in the 70th.
- My senior SC brother David C. K. Lin used to charge $250 an hour for private lesson.
- If someone is willing to spar/wrestle with me, I will teach that person for free.

ha ha ha.. I was reading this and thought you were going to say that you'll charge a lot.

So, I am interested I hearing the full range of what people charge or have seen charged, where people have actually happily paid the fee. Please give me the low-down. Thanks!

Depending on what you hope to get out of it. A couple of bucks or just gas money. If that isn't of concern to you then you can use that money to help give the person a pleasant experience training with you. If there is any equipment that you want to use in the training, then that money can be used to provide that student with what they need. Either way base the cost on what you are offering.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Private lesson, it depends on what the going price for those are in your area. The last time I taught any private lessons it was over 20 years ago and I think all I charged was $10 or $20. But then I may be doing some push hands soon and teaching someone what I know...I plan on charging nothing at all. But then I am benefitting from the training as much as the other guy.

But in my area the prices vary from $75 to $150. And if you head on down to NYC I believe the prices start at $150. But with that said, the last private lessons I took where with my Wing Chun Shifu, and he only charged $30/hr, and did not really pay that attention to the time. I had 1 hour, 1.5 and 1.75 hour lessons with him.

Now if you talk folks like Chen Family, those prices, I believe are a whole lot higher

 

[jks9199]

You absolutely deserve to be paid for your time -- though payment doesn't have to be in currency. I've learned not to discount that concept, because, at best, your time is abused and taken advantage of (used too often), and at worst, your time is disrespected because they don't feel obligated since it's "free."

I'd figure around the price of a nice dinner out with your spouse/significant other/family is a reasonable starting point for comparison. In my area -- $75 to $100. And that's probably what I'd charge for a private session. I'd take any overhead out of what I charged.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

You absolutely deserve to be paid for your time -- though payment doesn't have to be in currency. I've learned not to discount that concept, because, at best, your time is abused and taken advantage of (used too often), and at worst, your time is disrespected because they don't feel obligated since it's "free."

I'd figure around the price of a nice dinner out with your spouse/significant other/family is a reasonable starting point for comparison. In my area -- $75 to $100. And that's probably what I'd charge for a private session. I'd take any overhead out of what I charged.

You reminded me of a quote from an old MA mentor when I tried refusing pay for helping him. "You're at the highest risk of injury when teaching something new, and even if you don't value your time/labor, you should value your health". And it's borne true to me, the injuries I remember mostly involve teaching/sparring with people who were either new or trying something new, and taking that risk for someone else deserves money.

Now the question is if I'll remember that the next time I teach someone.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Hi everyone.

I have been contacted by a fellow who does not live in my area but used to, and had trained with a Sifu in my style for a brief period some years ago. His Sifu has passed away and he wishes to continue with his training. He still has personal contacts in the area and is proposing that he come and train with me when he travels back here, and is asking for private sessions. I have no idea what a reasonable price would be for that, my overhead is minimal, I hold class in the park and pay a small fee to the city park and recreation department for each class that I hold. I also realize that the regional cost of living will have an impact on what is perceived as reasonable.

I am dis-inclined to put the squeeze on anyone, but he is adamant about wanting to pay me for my time.

So, I am interested I hearing the full range of what people charge or have seen charged, where people have actually happily paid the fee. Please give me the low-down. Thanks!

I’ll share the full range of what I’ve done.

At my instructor’s school, private lessons were meant as a supplement, so a single lesson was almost as much as a full month ($60 or 70 per lesson at the time).

I later offered private lessons at twice what my single-lesson price was for group classes (so $20).

I’ve also taught private lessons at $10/person, minimum $20/lesson (to encourage them to bring a partner).

Most folks charge more than I did, and I think they are right to.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

So, I am interested I hearing the full range of what people charge or have seen charged, where people have actually happily paid the fee. Please give me the low-down. Thanks!

During the 80th, I invited my SC teacher to live in my house to teach me privately. I paid him room and board, round trip air fare between US and Taiwan, plus $1,600 per month.

Those were some good old days. QAQ

 

[Oily Dragon]

My first and best sifu currently lives about 500 miles away, but I keep him on retainer for $150 a month just to meet up on Zoom a few times a month. Way back in the 2000s, I would pay $250 a month for 3-4 in person lessons a week, which was worth it, but it added up over time. More recently, $50 a zoom session, but I hated nickle and diming him so we agreed I would just keep him on retainer. We don't even need to Zoom, he's great at teaching over the phone, and I know enough of the styles he teaches (and a mix of Taoist and Buddhist practices), to follow.

Locally I still find very good private lessons in Chinese arts for between $50-$100. Tai Chi group lessons around $20-$30, but those are mostly health based groups, and I'm still in the Quan phase of my life, so I tend to prefer private.

Lots of local MMA, BJJ, and boxing, the first two of which tend towards $$$ monthly gym contracts, whereas the boxing is typically the cheapest, as little as $50 a month (and most of those places are not worth more than that, they tend to be dirty, beat down places).

Down the road from me is one of the top TKD schools in the state. $2000-$3000 for a yearly contract (mostly young kids with parents willing to pay in advance...a racket if you ask me).

 

[Buka]

The cost of private lessons depends on the market and what people will pay, who’s teaching, where it is, what’s being taught and who’s receiving the instruction. I always liked teaching privates for free. But some people do not want free. Maybe they think it’s not worth anything if it’s free.

All the privates I taught were per hour. But I always went at least two hours (no extra charge) or until the student needed to leave. Back in the nineties I used to teach a lot of privates in L.A. One hundred bucks an hour. But the privates were always longer than an hour. Sometimes I taught a couple of them, then spent the rest of the day giving free one on one instruction for the remainder of the day. Didn’t matter, I was going to be there all day and night and was going to be working out anyway.

I would always ask “what would you like to work on, specifically?” But sometimes we had to detour if their stance was weak, or one of their basic skills needed work in order to work on whatever it was they wanted. Never had a complaint from that, just thanks.

A few times I’d be giving a private to a student when a fellow student or two would start watching. I’d include them, pair us up, we’d all work and tell the first guy “forget the money, let’s get some work done.” And that's what we’d do. And that first student got way more than they could have gotten with just him and I.

 

[Kung Fu Wang]

The last 3 hours workshop that I taught, I charged $120. It includes 45 different techniques.

$120 / 45 = $2.66 per technique.

It's pretty much the Walmart price.

1. Warm up, break fall

2. Rhino guard

3. Double spears (double inward circles)
- Head lock
- Under hook
- Over hook
- Waist wrap (arm circle, arm drag)
- Bear hug

4. Octopus (double wrists control)

5. Mantis arm, arms raise
...

 

[Taiji Rebel]

The American way is different than the oriental approach. A lot of martial arts have become affected by the commodity-based mindset. Most of my instructors charged a fixed-price and membership fee for joining their classes, but a smaller number used the older donation-based system for their tuition. My preference has always been to seek out the smaller classes with an instructor who is more genuine about passing on the skills rather than making money from the art.

A martial person must make their living away from the martial arts so as not to contaminate it through the influence of 'making money' in order to 'make a living'. This is the Okinawan way - Chibana Chosin Sensei

 

[Gerry Seymour]

The last 3 hours workshop that I taught, I charged $120. It includes 45 different techniques.

$120 / 45 = $2.66 per technique.

It's pretty much the Walmart price.

1. Warm up, break fall

2. Rhino guard

3. Double spears (double inward circles)
- Head lock
- Under hook
- Over hook
- Waist wrap (arm circle, arm drag)
- Bear hug

4. Octopus (double wrists control)

5. Mantis arm, arms raise
...

45 techniques in 3 hours seems like too much, IMO. That's an average of about 4 minutes per technique. It'd be difficult to retain much, at all, at that pace.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

The American way is different than the oriental approach. A lot of martial arts have become affected by the commodity-based mindset. Most of my instructors charged a fixed-price and membership fee for joining their classes, but a smaller number used the older donation-based system for their tuition. My preference has always been to seek out the smaller classes with an instructor who is more genuine about passing on the skills rather than making money from the art.

A martial person must make their living away from the martial arts so as not to contaminate it through the influence of 'making money' in order to 'make a living'. This is the Okinawan way - Chibana Chosin Sensei

I think it's a false spectrum of "genuine about passing on the skills" versus "making money from the art". People have to live. If an instructor can make his living off teaching, he can devote more time to teaching and training than if he has to also hold down a full-time job (with all the skill maintenance involved in that pursuit).

I loved not needing to charge much (I never had much cost, and was basically just trying to make enough profit to make it a legitimate business for tax purposes, so I could write off the expenses). But not needing to charge much also meant I could only offer a very limited number of classes, and didn't really have time (or money) to also attend a lot of seminars or such. The lack of a fixed location also meant it was more difficult to get students (easier to market if you at least have a sign), so my students had a more limited exposure to other partners. If I'd had the opportunity to teach at a commercial dojo with a thriving student body (but had to charge more), I'd have jumped at it, for the benefits it would bring to the students.

 

[Monkey Turned Wolf]

45 techniques in 3 hours seems like too much, IMO. That's an average of about 4 minutes per technique. It'd be difficult to retain much, at all, at that pace.

I could see it being useful, in select circumstances. The first is if it's meant as more of a showcase, if you are trying to decide what interests you and what type of art you are going to pursue (normally I'd say this to be broken between different people, but John has experience in a lot of different chinese arts, so he could accomplish that on his own).

The second is if you are working with that instructor regularly, or another instructor who has similar knowledge, so you can later delve deep into the techniques that interest you.

My preference, though, would still be significantly less techniques - maybe 10 so you get 15 minutes per technique (with some built-in buffer time).