Retaining students during summer months

[O'Neill]

A very hot season is upon us and I am interested in what various dojo do in order to stay afloat during this season that is filled with many other temptations for the students. Swimming, sports, travel, etc- all pull the students away from the dojo. How does one survive this- financially. Thank you.

[Rogier]

In our dojo students pay a yearly or quarterly fee (whichever they like best) so they also pay for the 2 months June/July if they come or not.... mind you they lessons they've missed due to vacation can always be done in the months there after so they can train extra to make up for those lessons

[O'Neill]

I have been told that contracts (annual) can be a tough sell and also have caused problems in the past for others. Sounds great though if you can get enough students to do that but aren't you limiting your monthly intake of cash later down the line?

Do you have a private or commercial dojo? Thanks for your input.

[Rogier]

well our teacher isn't interesting in making a lot of money, no advertisements and such, it's just that he needs to make a living.

Prices are quite low compared to other dojo's in the surrounding cities. The dojo is all he has so, so there has to be some certainty that there is constant flow of money. And one of the few ways to do that is to have contracts.

But as I understand it the contract thing can be quite a problem in the US, here in the Netherlands it's actually quite normal.

[O'Neill]

Yes, there have been many problems and abuses here with the contracts. The "black belt clubs" have been abused and people end up getting stiffed alot. I agree that a full time sensei has to eat but maybe there are some creative ways to get through the summer for dojo that cannot charge annually.

[Rogier]

well I don't know if it is possible for you but when the weather gets warmer here we see lot's of dojo's go and have some classes on the beach and in parks.

Other than that I really wouldn't know any other options, maybe someone else from the US has some experience with these things..

[Shitoryu Dude]

The dojo I attend doesn't seem to suffer very much during the summer, unless you count the lack of A/C Offhand, I'd say that dojo membership is something that has just kept steadily rising over the last 3 years - seasons just don't seem to affect it that much.

What we do have is a partial switch over of who's showing up. College kids suddenly show up for the summer and a few people are gone, but I think it evens out. We also hold a two week "karate kamp" for the kids that gets a lot of attention.

[shinbushi]

I only do one-year contracts(with monthly payments) so I never have seasonal problems. Enrollment down in the summer yes but not decline in my base.
we also use a billing company that does EFTs each month so. It is never difficult collecting.

[bgb]

Originally posted by O'Neill
"maybe there are some creative ways to get through the summer for dojo that cannot charge annually."


Cannot or will not?

The place I go to uses annual contacts with monthly payments. It seems to work well and to be accepted by the students.

Being the bean counter I am, I insisted an exit clause be added to my contact. The contact can be terminated by either party with a 30 day notice. I now realize this clause was unnecessary. The head instructor routinely lets students out of the contact. His take seems to be that if he is not meeting the students' needs it is in everyone's best interest that the students look elsewhere. He also happily accepts students back, if that is what they chose.

Unfortunately, some people abuse this situation by dropping out each spring and magically reappearing each fall. I understand this for college students but not for others. Ways around this could include having a re-enrollment fee or a termination fee but this could hurt innocent students. One interesting idea is to write a "sabbatical" rate into the contract. If a student will not be around for longer than a month they pay a reduced rate for the period. Putting this upfront would remind everyone that the rent needs to be paid year 'round. I'm not sure how hard it would be to administrate this.

My instructor also uses a billing/collection company. He said the biggest advantage of this is that students see him to stop the collection process rather than just quit showing up. This allows him to conduct informal exit conferences. He says he has collected valuable feedback on his teaching and the place itself that he might not have otherwise heard.

To keep people interested in the summer...
Train outside in parks.
Train in a lake.
Have special monthly "fun" nights for kids to socialize so they want to keep coming.

Barb Bloom

[Yojimbo558]

Hi there,

Regardless of what promotions you might or might not do...summer like Christmas is a time when people in large numbers either go on solo or family vacations.

The marial art dojo's that get hit among the hardest would be among those towns which are small enough that they are largely built up around their local colleges & as a result most of the student populations themselves are leaving during these periods.

I like taking advantage of the warmer weather & their are other instructors I know that take their classes into the local parts. This is fun as you get to train in a different environment -- and at the same time you get exposure to others who might not travel past where your dojo is located.

My best recommendation would be to use the Summer & Winter Breaks to bring in guest instructors for seminars. This way students in your school if they are inclined to go on vactation are less likely to disappear during these periods.

Just my 2 cents.

Eric L. Bookin

[TomMarker]

Our outdoor classes tend to be a lot more popular in the summer than the winter Sunscreen on the feet is almost mandatory.

[couch]

At my Wing Chun school, we have a summer camp that's available. I'm definately excited about it, as we train outside for a whole weekend straight.

It does cost some, but nothing more than a couple of private lessons bunched into one payment.

Good luck!

[Didaskalos]

The best advice I can give is for the instructor to get a second job so that slow months won't matter. Yes it's more work away from the Dojo, but there is also less work IN the dojo. I agree with holding seminars, and also holding required events during weak months so that students will want to stay.

I don't like contracts, they not only hold you to the students, but it's a year long trap. Your students will stay if you're giving them what they want, and they will go if you're not.

Overall, get a second job like school teachers do in Public High schools etc...