How Do You Pay for Private Coaching

[AgnesNitt]

I've taken lessons at 4 rinks. Only at one have I paid the rink. At the other 3 I pay the coach at the time of the lesson. Yet, other posters talk about monthly bills, and pay the rink. I'm kind of curious as to how the payment systems are distributed. So I give you "My First Poll"!

If there's payment options other than the ones I posted, report on them. 

Thanks!

[sarahspins]

My coach's policies say I'm supposed to pay her monthly in advance to reserve my lesson spot, but I've always just paid her the day of, and that has been fine with her, but I've also never not paid or not shown up for a lesson without giving her ample notice. I think she prefers that parents of her younger students pay her in advance because while she's on the ice she doesn't want to have to go tracking everyone's parents down after a lesson to get paid.  Makes perfect sense to me.  I would also venture to say that most of the coaches at my rink prefer to be paid monthly - it just makes record keeping much simpler for them, and when you are self employed, simpler is better as far as record keeping goes.

Ages ago, at sort of the same rink but under much different management, I would pay the rink for my private lesson time, then you'd get a ticket (or tickets depending on how much time you bought) which you would give to the coach, and the coach would have to turn those in to get paid (minus the rink's commission) however there was a perpetual problem with those tickets getting lost or misplaced, coaches not getting paid for their time and getting mad because obviously the rink got paid, but they kept NO log of who the lesson time was being bought for, so it was very difficult to convince them to give the coaches credit for those missing tickets.  The rink eventually moved onto a logbook system, coaches log their private lessons, students pay the coaches directly, and the coaches pay the rink their commission.

In many ways the logbook system is much easier, and it accommodates coaches from other rinks coming in to teach if they need to (their ice is shut down, competition coming up soon, whatever) so long as they have appropriate credentials (mainly proof of liability insurance, plus PSA, USFS, or ISI coaching membership) since all of the coaches are considered private contractors, not employees (most coaches also teach LTS though, and technically are employed by the rink for that, and I think it also reduces their commission rate, since they get paid much less than their private lesson rate to teach classes, so it's a bit of compensation).  The front desk staff does somewhat monitor the logbook too, and if they notice a coach is teaching and hasn't logged anything, they remind them to mark down their time.

[jjane45]

Always directly to the coach. I doubt any of the rinks I skate(d) at charges commission for private coaching.

I think she prefers that parents of her younger students pay her in advance because while she's on the ice she doesn't want to have to go tracking everyone's parents down after a lesson to get paid. 

I prefer to pay multiple lessons in advance for a similar reason. Saves time for both of us after the lesson. I don't think any of my coaches expects it. Sometimes I even feel it's like a burden for them to track / remember how many prepaid lessons I have left.

I would also venture to say that most of the coaches at my rink prefer to be paid monthly.

In advance? I wonder how do coaches handle lessons when there are past due bills, and how frequently do such problems happen.

[Live2Sk8]

I pay my coach for 4 weeks of lessons at a time in advance.  I keep track on my calendar of how many lessons I've had and when I need to write a new check.  I haven't had any problem with this method.  When I have test or competition fees, I generally pay those a few days before (so I don't forget in the stress of the event) and make sure the coach knows this check is specific to the event. 

[SynchKat]

When I coached and skated we would be billed monthly after the lessons.

Where I skate now the coaches submit their time chits to the club and then the skaters are billed. 

[FigureSpins]

My current rink collects all private lesson fees and remits payments every two weeks to the coach, less commission.  I'm sure it's a matter of trust because I've heard stories about what went on when the rink was privately owned.  When we collect competition or test fees (which are paid directly to the coach) we are very discreet so as to not look like we're breaking the system.

My old rink used the log book system, but there were coaches who were always behind on paying their commissions.  The director had to dog them to log lessons and write checks.  It was nice to go home with cash in your pocket since students paid the coach directly.

Most rinks do charge a commission, although some require them to coach group lessons for free instead or pay admission.  Many of the clubs didn't charge commissions for lessons on club ice.  My old rink charged 10% commission for guest coaches, 5% for staff coaches who teach groups.  The current one has three-tiers: 2 or more groups/week=17.5%, 1 group=22%, no groups=25%. 

Most of my students pay by the lesson, but some of my students pay for several lessons in advance just out of convenience.  One family has a nanny bring the skater to the rink during the week, so paying in advance simplifies their life.

Some of the coaches at my rink invoice monthly.  As a parent, I hated getting those slips of paper and feeling that I owed someone something.

The ind. contractor status is getting a little muddled over time.  It allows coaches to take tax deductions for expenses but it also allows rinks to not provide insurance or collect taxes.

[Meli]

Currently paying the coach at time of lesson, though may change to just cutting a check each month in order to prevent the panicked trip to the ATM.  (I had an "oops" moment this week.)

[Elsa]

It depends on the coach. One I pay at the time of the lesson (random schedule, and I keep a book of checks in my skate bag), the other I paid monthly (weekly schedule, haven't worked with her for a while). 

As a kid, we bought punch type cards that were initialed by the coach the day of the lesson. We were responsible for making sure we had open spots on the cards for scheduled lessons, or a check in hand for a new card before taking the ice for that session.

[TreSk8sAZ]

I have three coaches at two different rinks. I only take one lesson with each of them per week, usually, so I hand them a check at the end of each session. If I have more than one in a week, I pay for the full week at one of the lessons.

[Neverdull44]

"My current rink collects all private lesson fees and remits payments every two weeks to the coach, less commission"

That's how my rink works.  i don't know how much the rink takes, but I think it's unfair.  The rink also gets our money for freestyle time during the coach's lesson.
At all other rinks, I directly paid the coach.

[ChristyRN]

My coach sends a bill at the end of the month and I pay her the first or second session after that (which ever one I have my act together enough to remember.)

[mamabear]

We pay the front desk at the time of lesson.  Each coach fills out an invoice they are filed by coach name.  I have no idea if the rink gets a commission or not.  It can get a bit annoying-they need to find the form, do something on the computer, there seem to always be new people training, then print a sticker which we need to write info on and post by the rink.   It sometimes takes longer than seem necessary.

[techskater]

I also pay "coach walk on fee" at the rinks that require it for my coach not on staff

[aussieskater]

I pay my daughter's coach into her bank account once a month in advance, to cover her lessons for the month.  I pay my coach cash once a week, to cover both my lessons for the week.

[Qarol]

I've just recently switched skating rinks. My former rink, years ago, I could pay the rink by credit card, but then that changed to paying the coach directly in cash or check. At my new rink, I'm getting the impression I pay the front desk (no one has told me this; I read it on the freestyle rules), but as I've yet to have a private lesson there, I'm not entirely sure yet how it works.

[PinkLaces]

I've always paid the coach directly. Usually I will get an e-mailed bill either on the 1st and 15th or monthly based on the length of lessons. Some specialty coaches like dance or jump specialist I would pay at the time of the lesson.

[fsk8r]

Both the rinks I skate at, you buy lesson tickets from the rink and these get handed to the coach. The coaches then submit these for processing so the rink automatically takes their ice fees. I always hand over tickets on the day of my lesson, but I know some taking lessons every day, might give a week's worth of tickets at a time.
I know other rinks where the ice fee isn't a percentage of the time worked, the coaches get paid cash/cheque (and as often as the coach demands) and then the coach pays the rink the ice fee.
I think at these rinks the coaches end up making more money if they're fulltime, but they're better off if they're parttime at a rink where it's a fixed percentage.

Personally I prefer paying the rink as I can pay by credit card and don't have to worry about cheques or cash.

[Sk8tmum]

All of our coaches invoice us; usually monthly, sometimes a bit less frequently.  Then, we pay them directly.  Canada ... anyways, they also charge us HST (which is like VAT for those in the UK).  They are all "independent contractors" so they are responsible for their own reporting of income and taxes to the government ...

[sarahspins]

Personally I prefer paying the rink as I can pay by credit card and don't have to worry about cheques or cash.

Yes, I keep waiting for the day my coach would accept something like square   I have to go out of my way to get cash to pay her, so it would be awesome if she could just swipe my bank card.

[alejeather]

At one rink, I pay to my coach at the time of lesson, and at the other rink, I pay to the rink at the time of lesson.

[alejeather]

Yes, I keep waiting for the day my coach would accept something like square   I have to go out of my way to get cash to pay her, so it would be awesome if she could just swipe my bank card.

Hmm, actually square is now adding a "send cash" service. It's brand new, I've never used it, but I just saw it now and thought of this comment. Here's a link: https://square.com/cash#how-to

[fsk8r]

Yes, I keep waiting for the day my coach would accept something like square   I have to go out of my way to get cash to pay her, so it would be awesome if she could just swipe my bank card.

I've not heard of square, but couldn't you do a bank transfer or pay with paypal? I pay my synchro fees to the club via bank transfer and that makes life really easy as they just need to check the club bank account to make sure we've all paid each month.

[PinkLaces]

I know people that pay the skating coach using on-line bill pay. It mails a check directly to the person. Wells Fargo also has sure pay where you can transfer funds to someone else's bank account (they don't have to bank with WF). I do this to transfer money to my kids at college.

[Kitten23]

"My current rink collects all private lesson fees and remits payments every two weeks to the coach, less commission"

That's how my rink works.  i don't know how much the rink takes, but I think it's unfair.  The rink also gets our money for freestyle time during the coach's lesson.
At all other rinks, I directly paid the coach.

The rink where I have my lessons does the same thing.  I too, think it's unfair.