oh boy! that would never happen here - the one-year payment, or the post-dated cheques....<P>amazing! thanks for info. <P>the standard practice here is one term at a time, a term being approximately 10 weeks, usually organised to coincide with the school terms. <P>it is also standard practice to ask for one-term's notice if leaving, and that you "forfeit the fees" otherwise, BUT - of course no-one has ever paid the fees in advance by the time the term starts, if they're planing to leave, so they don't forfeit anything - and it's completely unenforceable, inasmuch as no dance school could afford to legally pursue the debt collection.....<P>if they commence the term with any thoughts of leaving, they just keep postponing paying the term fees, until they go, so then you end up having given them weeks of free tuition as well as getting no notice...is it any wonder that teachers get rather bitter about the fees they are owed and will never get, and the disrespect shown for their efforts, when they get treated like this?

One of the problems that dance studios are running into here - is that there is no longer an identifyable school year. Many schools here are on a year round track. It goes something like three months or so in school and then a month off. Even schools within the same district are on different tracks. So that means that there are children in school at all different times. This can be very difficult for parents with children in a couple of different schools. <P>It is also hard for a studio. It used to be that most studios would close for perhaps the month of August - or at least a couple of weeks in August and reopen just as the September term began. But now there is no set "beginning" of a term. The original thought, I believe, behind this was that the regular old fashioned summer vacation was too long and that teachers spent September reminding the children what they had learned the previous year.<P>It was also done to make greater use of the school facilities - rather than have them sit idle all summer. It also helped with school crowding - therefore making each class smaller. There may have been additional reasons - but I am not aware of them. <P>It also gave families a chance to go away for vacation trips at all different times of a year. But, it is difficult to run a studio with this kind of hodge podge. Even the holiday vacations have changed. They used to be fairly consistent - now they are not. Some are closed the week before Easter - some the week after Easter. And, of course to be politically correct it is now called Spring Break. It makes it very difficult to plan a dance studio recital.

My system is very similar to the one Grace mentioned - students pay termly and they are supposed to give me a terms notice if they are leaving. Some have been very good and do, others don't even bother and yes I have had some that come a few weeks into term and then leave having not paid anything. In England our school terms are relatively the same all over so it is quite easy to arrange our terms around the schools. I tend to break my terms down in 12 weeks (where possible) and ussually the term from September to December we start one week after the schools go back and then finish about a week and a half to two weeks before the schools break for Christmas. We also get half terms in England - a weeks break mid way through term so usually we have 6 weeks on, one week off, 6 weeks on.

thanks, joanne. basheva, i am quite confused - i know nothing about this - can you explain about this a little more - by starting at the beginning? when i went to high school in california, we started in september and went thru to june. july and august were holidays, same as in england.....what happens now, please?

It is true that for many years - and still at some schools, the regular school year is Sept. to June. But as early as 1980, the school at which I was teaching was already on this year round track.<P>And so, there are still many schools - even within the same district - that either are on the Sept-June system or the year round track. And, to confuse it even further the year round track is differnt from school to school. I am sure there must be some system in all this - but I am not aware of it. As for when my son was in school - it was all the traditional Sept-June. However, he graduated in 1982, so things have changed a great deal I am sure.<P>The schedule runs something like 12 weeks in school and 6 weeks off - that is not exact - just an example. So the school vacation can occur at all different times of the year. Some families really like this - it gives them a chance to vacation in the winter and go skiing, for instance. For others it's not convenient at all, especially if they have children in other schools on differnt schedules.<P>There are some very cogent arguments for the year round school idea as I tried to delineate in the above post. But trying to run a studio and plan recitals is made more difficult by these multiple schedules. <P>I have to run to ballet class - I hope I haven't muddled this...........<p>[This message has been edited by Basheva (edited November 22, 2000).]

OK guys we went to our unruly class tonight and we had another teacher. The first one was ill they sent in a replacement now we have our permanent replacement. I spoke to her before class and warned her that this class could be a handful and she said she was already warned by the first replacement. I did see her making quite an effort to get the girls to settle down I guess time will tell. The studio only offers 2 classes at her level so we will have to stay in it. I pay by the year because it is cheaper and having to pay for 3 classes is alot.<P>charlene

Char - I wish you and your daughter lots of luck - and hope this all works out. I wonder, if the class does not settle down, and you wish to leave - would there be any chance of getting your money back? After all you didn't pay for behavior problems to interfere with your daughter's desire to learn to dance.<P>When you pay for something - there is an implied contract - money in exchange for good and/or services. <p>[This message has been edited by Basheva (edited November 22, 2000).]