wow...a $3000 1st poom exam!

[msmitht]

Had a new student join. She recently moved from pa. And is 1st poom. When her mom signed up she kept asking about exam price so I quoted her my prices and her jaw hit the floor. She said her old gm charged 3000 for her 1st poom exam. He did have guest gm examiners, rented a ballroom at hotel (on a top golf course) which, since it was a two day event, they had to stay at (extra expense). They spent 3700 when all was said and done and she still, 8months later, has not received her kkw cert.
Now I like the guest gm's and bringing it to a hotel adds value but 3000 dollars? She said that there were 50 kids there from 4 schools.

 

[jks9199]

Going to a resort or hotel like that runs around $1000 (or more) rent a day. Personally, I have to ask -- is it necessary? Does it change the value of the experience?

Guest instructors/evaluators makes sense and is reasonable. But I don't get the $3000 fee... plus hotel bills and other costs.

 

[WC_lun]

Rediculous.

 

[Aikicomp]

Unfortunately, that is why I have heard, more times than I can remember,


Tae Kwon do refered to as:



"Take your dough".

 

[Archtkd]

What's the saying about a sucker being born every second?

 

[Manny]

Jesus Christ!!!! U$D3,000.00 pir a poom/dba certificaction plus expenses OMG!!! I just paid for my second dan (not KKW) U$D450.00 plus U$D140.00 (bus to Mexico City,meals and one hotel night), that gives a grand total of U$D590.00.

In my examination I had 8 sinodals ranging from 5th degree to 8th degree black belt.

If some sensei,teacjer,sambonim or what ever wants to charge me U$D3,000.00 I would leve him/her in a heartbeat! that's my income of 2 months!!

Manny

 

[IcemanSK]

Had a new student join. She recently moved from pa. And is 1st poom. When her mom signed up she kept asking about exam price so I quoted her my prices and her jaw hit the floor. She said her old gm charged 3000 for her 1st poom exam. He did have guest gm examiners, rented a ballroom at hotel (on a top golf course) which, since it was a two day event, they had to stay at (extra expense). They spent 3700 when all was said and done and she still, 8months later, has not received her kkw cert.
Now I like the guest gm's and bringing it to a hotel adds value but 3000 dollars? She said that there were 50 kids there from 4 schools.

Too bad they didn't find you before they paid money.

I think that, for some of these instructors, they want to add to the prestidge of the rank. "BB is so valueable at our dojang that we charge a lot for it." Some folks figure that "if it costs so much, it's the Mercedes Benz of schools. So, my kids goes to the best school in town." It's really sad. Just sad.

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

Going to a resort or hotel like that runs around $1000 (or more) rent a day. Personally, I have to ask -- is it necessary? Does it change the value of the experience?

No and no.

Guest instructors/evaluators makes sense and is reasonable. But I don't get the $3000 fee... plus hotel bills and other costs.

I get it. The school owner probably makes five hundred to a thousand dollars per student after all is said and done. Fifty kids from four schools.

That's twenty five to fifty grand in profit over and above all of the tuition fees, club fees, and colored belt testing fees that students are already paying.

That's how you can make fifty grand a year as a school owner. All in one day.

Daniel

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

It is ridiculous!

 

[clfsean]

I can take my family on vacation to Mexico for a week (airfare included) for the cost of that rank. Jeez....

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

And they still haven't received the KKW pum cert after eight months.

For that kind of money, it should have been express delivered the next day!

Daniel

 

[msmitht]

Her name is still not in the kkw database as of this morning.

 

[granfire]

and there I thought I heard it all when a school owner friend accepted a crossover student: The guy was asked to pay 1400 bucks for his 2nd dan test...

 

[granfire]

Her name is still not in the kkw database as of this morning.

Maybe she needs to drop the 'L' word in the next convo with the instructor....tends to speed things up....

At that price, I would not have that much patience...

 

[Twin Fist]

do i need to say it?

seriously??

 

[andyjeffries]

Had a new student join. She recently moved from pa. And is 1st poom. When her mom signed up she kept asking about exam price so I quoted her my prices and her jaw hit the floor. She said her old gm charged 3000 for her 1st poom exam. He did have guest gm examiners, rented a ballroom at hotel (on a top golf course) which, since it was a two day event, they had to stay at (extra expense). They spent 3700 when all was said and done and she still, 8months later, has not received her kkw cert.
Now I like the guest gm's and bringing it to a hotel adds value but 3000 dollars? She said that there were 50 kids there from 4 schools.

This is terrible and disgusting and all that (I agree completely), but the question no one's asked yet is "is she worth 1st poom?".

It would make it all the worse if she was not very good and effectively just paid (a lot) to buy rank.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

I cant believe these people dont shop around. I mean, a kukkiwon certificate is going to look the same and have the same value irrespective of where you got it. If someone told me my kukkiwon certification was going to be $3000 the first thing I would do is ring other kukki clubs in my area and ask what they charge and if there was a huge difference in cost for the exact same thing then I would be suss. I can understand at a non affiliated club because the only way to get their cert is to test at their club, so you have no choice, but surely being a part of an org means you can shop around. If one car dealer was selling a brand new toyota landcruiser for $50 000 and the car dealer up the road had the exact same car for $45 000 then you would purchase it from the second dealer. Why do people not use this logic with martial arts? Isnt this the whole idea of having something like the kukkiwon, so there is a standardised curriculum and certification? If not, then I fail to see the value in an organisation.

 

[Master Dan]

Had a new student join. She recently moved from pa. And is 1st poom. When her mom signed up she kept asking about exam price so I quoted her my prices and her jaw hit the floor. She said her old gm charged 3000 for her 1st poom exam. He did have guest gm examiners, rented a ballroom at hotel (on a top golf course) which, since it was a two day event, they had to stay at (extra expense). They spent 3700 when all was said and done and she still, 8months later, has not received her kkw cert.
Now I like the guest gm's and bringing it to a hotel adds value but 3000 dollars? She said that there were 50 kids there from 4 schools.

SOUNDS LIKE ATU AND KOREAN BORN INSTRUCTORS TO ME BLEED THE NON KOREANS FOR ALL THEY ARE WORTH! ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY BOYS BUSINESS AND USE THEM STUPID NON KOREANS FOR ALL THEY ARE WORTH. Read the text of the Masters license all about commercialization of what was a traditiona art form gee you think the Olypics is any different why the cover up drug users and child abuers?

 

[Gorilla]

3k is sad!!! Outrageous!!!

 

[Archtkd]

SOUNDS LIKE ATU AND KOREAN BORN INSTRUCTORS TO ME BLEED THE NON KOREANS FOR ALL THEY ARE WORTH! ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY BOYS BUSINESS AND USE THEM STUPID NON KOREANS FOR ALL THEY ARE WORTH. Read the text of the Masters license all about commercialization of what was a traditiona art form gee you think the Olypics is any different why the cover up drug users and child abuers?

I don't know how this stupidy on a buyers part justifies a blanket statement indicting the ATU and Korean born instructors. I wonder where this debate would head if a similar statement was made about African, African-American or Hispanic Taekwondo instructors. Also, I don't think the OP identified the GM charging the exhorbitant fee as Korean.

The fact is this is a free Democratic country. We are not in some Communist state where price controls are set for everything by sinister figures in a dark Central Control Ministry. If a sly grandmaster has discovered that there are idiots who will dish out $3,000 for a Kukkiwon poom certificate -- which they might never get -- power to him. The GM would never charge such a a fee if he didn't know there are people who are willing to pay.