whats the most anyone of you would pay per month to be a member of a dojo

[andurilking2]

i would just like to hear all your thaughts on the subject, im looking to pay like 70-120 a mo and i just thaught that was a bit too pricy to pay per month. there is one that is 90 dollars per month and includes a crappy uniform, one is 60 dollars per month and seems like a better school, but still seems a little pricy, both have flexible schedules and full instruction 3-5 classes per week and access to the school 6 days a week, the one 60 dollar one sends teams to tournaments and is a tae kwon do (though not tex kwon do they follow the pat burlso nsystem fairly closely) and full contact hapkido. the one is kickboxing/tae kwon do.

 

[arnisador]

We've had some threads like this before. I'm hitting my limit now as I'm paying nearly $100/month for BJJ. That's not a bad price for BJJ (and I get JKD as part of the package), but it's near where I draw the line.

I know people who pay that or more per month for a single day of private instruction with an expert though.

 

[FiveSwords]

I don't think I'd pay more than $60-70 per month, but then again I'm not in one of those trendy areas like San Fran or Seattle where everything costs more anyway.

Right now I'm paying $35/mo for some of the best instruction in the region, IMO, so I'm very happy.

 

[andurilking2]

Originally posted by FiveSwords
I don't think I'd pay more than $60-70 per month, but then again I'm not in one of those trendy areas like San Fran or Seattle where everything costs more anyway.

Right now I'm paying $35/mo for some of the best intruction in the region, IMO, so I'm very happy.

im not really in a "trendy" area either and 35-50 sounds about right to me oh well i guess im just a cheap bastard, i am getting private instruction but i need a facility to be able to train in especially now winters coming and the average temp from dec.-marchh is like -10 to 15 degrees farenheit.

 

[theletch1]

I'm paying $100.00 a month for myself and 3 kids. The instructor cut me a big break for so many people... he calls it his family max. If my wife and oldest daughter decide to join in the price stays the same. I tried the class for a month or two on my own to check things out and it was $40.00.

 

[MJS]

I believe that $70-$80/month is standard at most places. Of course, I have seen higher prices. As for the uniform, yeah, its your typical Century standard white gi. You do have the option of getting your own if you want.

To answer the question-- I would personally like to go no higher than $100-$110.

Mike

 

[pknox]

The most I've ever personally paid is $120 a month for JKD training - plus about $400 or so for my own gear, which wasn't included in the tuition. I almost signed up with a dojo that, between required privates and seminars, would have amounted to between $180 and $200 a month - money was only one of the reasons I didn't pursue it. That's about the top range I could imagine paying. Anything more than that and I'd really have to wonder what I was paying for.

BTW, arnisador -- when I worked in NYC back in '99-'00, I remember some BJJ dojos charging up to $300 a month. I even remember one that charged $30 a class (not a private, either) and the rate didn't change no matter how often you went! I don't know how much that has changed, if at all. So I guess $100 isn't that bad after all. Here in my neck of the woods, most dojos charge around $100/month. The lowest I've ever seen in a full-time school here is $40.

 

[Cryozombie]

I guess it would depend how badly I wanted to train there...

If I went to 2 dojo's and both instructors seemed equally skilled, and one was 30 a month and one was 80... well...

But if the 80 a month guy has a better program...

I guess Id pay whatever it took to get whatever I wanted from a school...

 

[Cruentus]

The higher you go, the more expensive it gets.

Try $40 per hour for my training.:soapbox:

 

[arnisador]

Where I am the cost of living is very low--I'm not surpriseed it's higher in NYC.

 

[Kempojujutsu]

I have paid $80.00 a month which included 1 private a week and all group classes. That would probably be my max. I charge $32.00 mo. for 1 group class per week. and $50.00 mo. for up to 3 group classes per week. I have tried the $80.00 mo for privates people think that is too much around here. So I started $15.00 per private lessons which are from 30-40 min long. No privates yet. Really haven't advertise it yet.
Bob:asian:

 

[Seig]

Martial Arts school owners really get screwed in this deal. Prices for tuition have not dramatically gone up in over 20 years. However, our expenses have. When one is considering what to pay, one must look at location, facilities, and instruction, not necessarily in that order. Some people say they are not willing to pay more than 35-40 a month for instruction. If I charged that, I would have no business for several reasons. One, people will pay more as a general rule because they think they are getting something better, even when they are not. Two, at 35-40 a month, I would have to have a minimum of 20 people in each class, just to pay the rent. That doesn't include electric or phone or my gas to and from. Martial Artists as a whole are notoriously cheap, myself included. This stems from people saying, "Why should I pay so much for something I don't need?" Loo at how much people pay for cable. For what? My cable bill is $100 a month, I bought the complete package, and I wind up renting movies because there isn't a damn thing on. But I pay it because, there might be something on I want to see. I also like options. Do I need it? No. In some respects, Martial Arts are no different. It boils down to quality of instruction and facilities. What are you willing to pay to make sure your option of training there doesn't go away?

 

[MartialArtsGuy]

60 dollars a month is my cut off.

 

[don bohrer]

My confidence in instruction alone stops at $100. My brain can only obsorb so much of the expensive stuff anyway.

C-note it is!

 

[Touch Of Death]

Originally posted by MartialArtsGuy
60 dollars a month is my cut off.

Yeah, sure it is. Tell us that in five years or so. I pay $190 for three people per month. When I started paying for lessons in 84 I payed $30 per month. I passed my cut off a long time ago.

 

[bart]

I think it depends on somewhat on where you live. When I lived in Los Angeles it cost sometimes $60 an hour to rent a room to teach in. So at 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, you're looking at $2,400 a month. With 20 students that comes out to about $120 monthly for each and that's without insurance or profit.

When I was a student at the Inosanto Academy it was pretty expensive. $200+ just to join and then about $150 a month to go to three classes. But I did get a free Inosanto Academy t-shirt


I'm currently hooked up with a park and rec here in Sacramento and I can charge $45 a month for 3 times a week. I feel more comfortable.

It also depends too on who you're learning from. In a lot of ways, you get what you pay for. If you want to learn from a person who only does MA, then you're going to have to pay for the cost to support him or her.

For my own training I measure my expense versus benefit. If the cost doesn't exceed my enjoyment, then it's all good. For me that comes out to about $20 a lesson for quality instruction.

 

[lvwhitebir]

Originally posted by Seig
Martial Arts school owners really get screwed in this deal.
...
Look at how much people pay for cable. For what? My cable bill is $100 a month, I bought the complete package, and I wind up renting movies because there isn't a damn thing on.
...
It boils down to quality of instruction and facilities. What are you willing to pay to make sure your option of training there doesn't go away?

I agree. People pay $70 a month to learn to play the piano or $70 for gymnastics classes. How much per credit hour at your local college? What about car insurance? I'm paying over $1000 a year.

I see the martial arts as insurance since it's good for my health and for self defense. I would pay over $100 for good instruction at a good facility.

WhiteBirch

 

[pknox]

lvwhitebir:

Agreed. A friend of mine takes guitar lessons with what he terms an average teacher for $15/ hour, 3 hours/week. That would be $180 a month. According to him, his teacher has studied guitar about 5 years. I asked him once what he would pay for someone with 15 years experience, and he said maybe twice that. Think about how many instructors have much more than that and charge much less.

There is a guy by me who has been studying for more than 40 years, has a full time dojo, and charges $50/month. He says he hasn't changed his rates in years. Too bad he's not a guitar teacher.

 

[FiveSwords]

A friend of mine takes guitar lessons with what he terms an average teacher for $15/ hour, 3 hours/week. That would be $180 a month. According to him, his teacher has studied guitar about 5 years. I asked him once what he would pay for someone with 15 years experience, and he said maybe twice that. Think about how many instructors have much more than that and charge much less.

Excellent point. I couldn't really afford to pay that much for either guitar or MA right now, but I could definitely see why it's a reasonable figure.

Do you think the city someone lives in also factors into how much they pay, on average?

 

[pknox]

Originally posted by FiveSwords
Do you think the city someone lives in also factors into how much they pay, on average?

Absolutely. I think it is a huge factor. When I worked in NYC, the prices were higher on average than they are here in NJ. Where I live in NJ (central) is higher than in the southern part of the state, and also Penna. and Delaware (on average). At one point I was looking to move south (NC/SC), and noted that the rates on average seem to be even lower there. My guess is that the cost of doing business is just lower in those areas.

It's all a matter of supply and demand, and what the market will bear -- 3 night a week karate in San Fran might be a bargain at $100, but I doubt that rate would fly in rural Pennsylvania. Remember - people in those more urban areas tend to make a higher salary (obviously there are exceptions, but as a general rule), so an instructor may feel he/she can get away with charging a bit more.