How much to charge for lessons?

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Okay so I have a degree in performance which makes me magically more qualified to teach than someone who doesn't have one (I know it's stupid).  My teaching experience is overall pretty limited but I'm confident that I know what I'm doing.

I'm gonna be in rich Chicago/Chicago suburb area so I'm thinking 25 for the half hour and 50 for the hour?  Is that too much?

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Wouldn't hurt to check out the competition, but as you're talking in $ and not £, I'd say (based on London rates) that's cheap, not pricy.

[timothy42b]

Good teachers charge twice that even in more modest areas.

But good performers don't necessarily mean good teachers.  If you're worth it, charge it. 

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Rad 25 and 50 it is then

[ted]

A quick conversion calculation tells me your charges are considerably higher than the average where I live, which is interesting in the light of Andrew's and Timothy's comments. Mind you, there appears to be an obvious glut here of young, classical concert players with strings of letters and achievements after their names, all advertising for pupils, so that could have something to do with it.

[pianoman1349]

I'm in Canada (Vancouver), and $40 - 50 per hour seems is the average that most teachers get paid, especially in the earlier stages of their teaching career, after the completion of formal training.  I'd assume that Chicago situation might be similar, so it's a good rate to start off with

[Bob]

Sounds fine.  I can think of one performer who takes/"teaches" students but I think is more of a performer than a teacher.  People just want to get lessons.  The performance is higher-level.  The student who go to that person are already higher-level.  Instantly a good teacher.  Who knows whether the person actually has an effect.

Another teacher I know will charge or ask whatever they can if they know the person is rich.  Sometimes they pay.  They don't care.  Money's not important.  So if teacher thinks they have money, they get billed a lot more.  If they say anything, then they negotiate, but they're already starting off really high.

Also add in that some people already plan on taking lessons, may already want to take lessons specifically from you, and already have an amount in mind.  Or parents just want their kids to take music lessons, to go through the act of taking music lessons.  Doesn't matter if the kids learn anything.  The parents just want to ship them off, pay x amount, and then that's another notch in the kid's resume.

From what I've heard rich kids might work hard, but to a point.  Maybe they just like music.  Part is expectation.  But their parents wouldn't allow them to do music as a career so at some point their efforts are reigned in, either by themselves thinking of their future or by their parents.

[ajlongspiano]

Hi @rachmaninoff_forever

  Hope you've been well. You could definitely charge more than that. I don't have a degree and people are willing to pay me $25 for 30 minutes and $40 an hour. Since you do have a degree and live in a rich area, you could probably charge $60-$70 an hour. Also, maybe consider opening a Skype studio? Wishing you the best!

Best,

AJ