Test Fee

[Kempojujutsu]

The question here is how many of you charge for test at any belt rank, and do you think it is good for the industy of karate to do so? Please list your reasons why.

Bob :asian:

 

[Rich Parsons]

Originally posted by Kempojujutsu

The question here is how many of you charge for test at any belt rank, and do you think it is good for the industy of karate to do so? Please list your reasons why.

Bob :asian:

Well, in my club we charge testing fees. If you
pass, if you do not wait until you have passed
then pay. Do you have to pay for each belt even
if you get double promoted. Nope. We do not test
on a regular schedule and therefore the technique
level and time could easily align with a double
promotion.

Why do you test, we use the money for gear for
the club, or to cover time at the co-op for
the month of July when we are off from training,
but we still pay our rent.

I also believe that people do not appriciate
something they do not pay for. Just my opinion
of the average American. Free??? It must not
be worth anything?!? Now does this allow people
to charge out rageous amounts? Well this is a free
market and peopel will pay. "There is one born
every minute." W.C. Fields. Not my plan, nor my
style, but it is the U.S.A.

Is it good for the market? - That I do not know.
If you charge too much people will value it but
not be able to participate. If you charge too
little then people may not value the knowledge,
nor be willing to spend the time to learn. Yet
this will allow the for the serious students to
train.

So, Is it good for the Market? in a Free Market
society, selling something that has value or
a service is how the economy works.

Is it good for Martial Art over all? I am still
out on this one. Many of the old timers would
except 'Gifts' for the training and lessons they
gave. Is not the Money a stardard for the gift?
Does this not allow the student to pay in cash
for his/her gift and the instructor can obtain
their own gift as they please. Yet, does Cash
truly equate to a gift???

I guess I ended up asking more questions then
answering.

My Apologies

Rich

 

[Kirk]

Some charge rising fees per belt. Start at 30 for first colored belt
and go up to 500 for black. I certainly don't begrudge a school
charging ... but make it reasonable. My school charges 20 bucks
per belt, regardless of rank. We don't have double promos. My
instructor basically has a 10-12 hour day on test days (kids test,
then adults) depending on the highest belt being tested. He
deserves something for HIS time on that day, don'tcha think?

 

[Blindside]

We don't use testing fees, but our studio isn't trying to support a full time instructor, we all have "real" jobs. Don't get me wrong I respect anyone who is trying to make a living being a martial arts instructor, I just think it is too risky for my blood. We test all students individually, using a panel with at least two black belts on it for orange on up. Brown and Black tests usually have a minimum of five blackbelts present. The five hours that the five of us spent a judges on the last student who tested for brown belt was our contribution to our student, no recompense needed.

In general I don't like them because it makes such a slippery slope for rank advancement. Now there is a lure of money for the instructor, and the student may feel that since they paid, they should receive the rank.

Of course none of my instructors (kajukenbo, bjj, kenpo) had ever used a belt testing fee, so my opinion may be biased.

Lamont

 

[karatekid1975]

I think it should be included in the "monthly" fee.

My TSD school, I paid $80 a month, blus $35 every three to four months for testing. They didn't make you pay testing fees again if you failed.

This school, I pay $99 a month, but I don't pay testing fees (I will have to for black, though).

 

[Cthulhu]

We didn't have regularly scheduled tests; we tested when our instructor thought we were ready. Test fees were $5 for a stripe test (2 per belt) and $20 for a belt test. If you did well enough at a stripe test to qualify for a higher level, you paid for the test of that higher level. For instance, if you were taking a test for your first stripe, but did well enough to earn the next belt rank, you just paid the $20 for a belt test and didn't worry about the two $5 fees for the stripe tests. This fee schedule stayed the same no matter how high the rank, until black belt.



Black belt test was free.

Cthulhu

 

[Kirk]

Originally posted by Cthulhu

We didn't have regularly scheduled tests; we tested when our instructor thought we were ready. Test fees were $5 for a stripe test (2 per belt) and $20 for a belt test. If you did well enough at a stripe test to qualify for a higher level, you paid for the test of that higher level. For instance, if you were taking a test for your first stripe, but did well enough to earn the next belt rank, you just paid the $20 for a belt test and didn't worry about the two $5 fees for the stripe tests. This fee schedule stayed the same no matter how high the rank, until black belt.



Black belt test was free.

Cthulhu

That sounds totally fair to me.

 

[tonbo]

At our school, you just pay the monthly fee (about $75 per month). All testing, belts, certificates, etc. is included in that.

Keeps everything nice and simple......at least from what I've seen....

Peace--

 

[Bujingodai]

The opinion in our school (which charge 15 a month) is that why should you pay for a grade if you earned it, it is a gift in return for a job well done so to speak. My teacher refuses to accept cash for such, and has instructed me as well not to.
But we have benefits such as not having to pay rent for a dojo. But if we did charge more, the testing fees would be included. Also in our school, tests are suprises sometimes. Keeping a student on their toes, it would be hard to do that if money had to be exchanged prior.

 

[Nightingale]

my instructor charged $25 per test (we don't have stripes on colored belts, 3 stripes for brown belt), and $100 for a black belt test. Usually five or six people will test at the same time

the $25 goes to...

buying you your new belt
paying someone to print up your certificate (we have really nice ones)
compensating outside black belts who gave up their saturday to come help with your test (if necessary)

there is usually only one or two people testing for black belt, and we don't combine a black belt and a colored belt test, hence the higher fee.

this was the policy at the old studio... he opened someplace new and there hasn't been a test yet, so not sure if this is gonna change or not.

 

[Bujingodai]

OK, pardon me we do charge 75 for a Shodan, when this is paid however the money is put into the pot for celebratory party. Usually pays for a case or 2 of beer etc. And a congrats gift.

 

[Nightingale]

for black belt tests, I think some of the test fee money goes to the party after... however, the new black belt is usually too wiped out to enjoy it. LOL.

 

[Kempojujutsu]

Some of the BJJ Schools don't have formal test for there students. You just get your belt when the Instructor feels like you have earn it. Do you like this way of testing students.
Bob:asian:

 

[Damian Mavis]

I do charge testing fees but my tuition is only $40 a month, which in my neighbourhood is one third what all the other schools charge on top of testing fees. I have to pay rent to run my school and without testing fees to help supplement the lower tuition rates I wouldn't be able to operate. I was thinking most people prefer a low tuition and then optional tests that cost money then a high tuition rate all the time and free tests.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[Yari]

I not sure. I feel a fee is OK. But the size is difficult to decide.

Most people think twice if there is a fee, no matter the size. Of course a bigger fee the more you think, but that's my point. I just want the student to think about the grading. To give him that little extra to let himself make up his mind to if he wants to do it.

Some black belt fees are to much. I don't mind paying tribute to the org. I'm with, and maybe something to the dojo I'm in. They are giving me something, unless I'm already paying my pants off for normal practice.

Maybe I'm saying that I don't mind fees aslong as they are OK in size.


/Yari

 

[Damian Mavis]

Our black belt tests are $350. Now to some people thats actually small (there are groups that pay up to and over $1000 for black belt test, yes believe it) and to others $350 is outrageous. What you gotta keep in mind is my organisation is international. So your kinda paying extra for international recognition and oppurtunities to compete at huge international competitions and become a world champion that actually means something. (you have to be pretty good to be better than thousands of others across the world to make it to the world championships) I bring up the last point because of the $350, most of it is sent to the headquarters for an international certificate. We arent allowed to operate without getting those certificates, if we brought up a black belt and didnt get them a certificate we would be promptly kicked out of the federation.

Kind of off topic but I dont mind the somewhat high black belt fee to belong to my federation because it is very strict. Discipline, ethics, morality and honourable behaviour are all enforced. I've gone to open karate tournaments and was horrified at the lack of respect and honour among the competitors, some were swearing, fighting on the ground and brawling with onlookers! At our events if you so much as give an attitude you can be kicked out of the tournament and your instructor is ragged out.

Damian Mavis
Honour TKD

 

[LanceWildcat1]

The question here is how many of you charge for test at any belt rank, and do you think it is good for the industy of karate to do so? Please list your reasons why.
Bob

We have a rank test fee of $60. This goes toward the certificate, belt, and a small portion to the training hall upkeep. :rtfm: