Advice needed. Feeling troubled. =(

Hi everyone I am a piano teacher. Recently I was approached by this tuition agency for a piano assignment..I think it's a new agency and I am bothered by the way the commission works. At first the agent told me they take 60% from the teacher's 1st 4 lessons... I know other agencies all charge only 50% which means they take the 1st 2 sessions.. but I think never mind with the 10% more since I get to keep the student eventually so I went ahead with the assignment..
The assignment was for 2 young foreign kids at $300. The parent had requested for both children to take the class together as much possible instead of back to back arrangement, leaving minimal time to work on the playing 1 by 1. It was a 1.5 hours duration class per session thus. After the 1st class, and upon a discussion with the parent of the kids, we both felt that 1 of the younger kids isn't ready for class at all. She can't even sit still... So the parent and I think going forward only 1 of the kid will do class and she seems really interested so the parent wanted her to do a 1 hour session weekly. And when the parent asked me how much it'll be, I quoted 180. I was thinking if I should quote 200 but I think it is too high for a child beginner.
May I ask usually how tuition agency will proceed with the commission since there is a change of plan here? From what I know, it's only fair that either the agent take the 1st session as a trial and give it to the teacher without charge and take payment from the next 2 sessions, or, charge the 1st 2 sessions conducted.. I may be wrong here, but if u were to take the 1st session as a trial, I believe teachers are not charged for it.
So after the lesson adjustment, I got a message from the agent that he'll be taking the 1st 1.5 hours session as a trial class and charging me 60% for that trial class, and also, 60% for the next 4 sessions of 1 hour lessons with that 1 girl... and that any classes postponed by teacher or parent even is charged as a trial class even after having make up for that class on another day in that month ( which means if u cancel a class, u got to conduct not 4 but 5 classes for that starting month to which he will entitle 60% of all 5 lessons ).. And I wasn't even informed of this last regulation till today. I wasn't told this when he approached me. And I really have not come across such a weird regulation in my 20 years of piano teaching.
The worse thing I am having problem coming to terms with is my pride as a professional. I was sort of ' put to place' for not letting him discuss and handle the fee for the 1 hour weekly sessions. I was told that he was my agent and I should leave it to him.... I have worked with piano agents before but never had I been given the connotation that I belonged to the agency? I am a freelance. And I was asked how much it'll be for 4 hourly lessons by the parent herself on the spot after the 1st class, as a professional and I am the one conducting classes why can't I discuss with the parent what I felt was a reasonable rate..
I really don't know if I should continue with this assignment. I am struggling against my professional pride but I really love teaching that young kid. She's so cooperative.
Hais...since when has teaching music became so complicated.

did you sign a formal contract? if not, tell the agent to go pound sand. charging you for a sample class? forget it.

Hey Catherine

Hope you are feeling better now. I think the 'agent' is asking too much.

I have an idea, write a song about the situation and teach it to the kids, or even better, publish it and make your money back : )

"The piano teacher blues"

Thanks all. I just want confirm that my sentiments were not wrong..I may be ignorant about how agency works but hearing the same views from forummers assures me that there is no such thing as taking commission out of trials and taking commission from 5 classes instead of 4 classes etc.
It's disheartening. It's not easy getting new students nowadays with so many freelance piano teachers around, especially kids who are so cooperative and whom you really enjoy teaching...
I didn't sign anything. He texted me all the regulations and I thought it was just the 60% initially and I replied ok. But now funny regulations pop up last minute including turning the 1st class into a trial which I am not getting full payment for and this and that. And is like if I want the student I got to travel and work for almost nothing for 5 lessons..I can't approach the parent myself and suggest dropping the agent cause it'll only look bad on me.. =( Is not the money issue that really bothers me, is how disheartening it is when u trying your best to look for new students, do your job well and agents leech on u like this without having to do anything.. I m appreciative they help us match new students and most agents are really good.
How I wish Singapore is like the States. I m sure music teachers don't face this kind of issues there. =(

Oh ya..and I can't afford to fall sick and I need pray hard the parent doesn't reschedule any classes, else he will be entitled to 60% of 6 lessons, inclusive of the 1st lesson which he turned it into a trial..
So disheartening. I got to put up with this kind of stuff just cause I want keep the student...

[ Please note that in any case that lessons that are canceled postpone etc on agreement by both parent and tutor within the first month, please inform us and the tuition assignment will stick it as 5 lessons (trial + 4 normal lesson) ]

This was what the agent texted me. He didn't inform me about this funny regulation at all when he initially approached me. I feel this regulation is way too over. I have ever missed classes with new students assigned by agents due to falling sick...but none of the agents I worked with came up with this 5 lessons thing..And he is taking 60% of my first lesson which he later self proclaimed as trial.. that means he expects to earn 60% of the teacher's 5 to 6 classes...

How u feel if u were me... =(
But what bothers me the most is still what he said to me over the phone trying to put me in place, " I am your agent "...
I would not be so bothered if he said I am an agent. I feel I am robbed of my professional pride when he told me I am your agent..
I don't even know if I should continue with the assignment but the student is innocent.

=( =( =(

Is it possible to explain how unreasonable your agent is to the parent and you two go from there without the agent? Or is it a no-no thing to do? Hope your situation becomes better.

I think very difficult to explain to the parent. I am worried it might make me look bad to the parent instead of the agent. And also cause the parents are foreigners, it will leave them a bad impression.
=( thank you for your concern.

money and music mixed up is a sad story :twisted:

quit la.......

2 options:
-Join yamaha
-tell the parents pay you direct, then text your agent you jumping to another agency.

When it comes to exploitation, the most important thing is to stand your ground, and argue based on black and white.

The rules that were not formally laid out in a signed contract, can be debated. Chances are he is completely making use of you so to prevent that from happening, you have to raise up the ORIGINAL agreement and hold him accountable to that agreement.

If you are not satisfied with that, or if he is unfazed, you should leave the services from the "agency". In all honesty, we as proletariat workers own our own labour and sell labour for wages. As an agent, he is simply the owner of a network and not your boss to be able to dictate the dynamics of the transaction (the service of matching a client to a teacher). Agents today misunderstand their role in the system and give themselves too much credit; at the end of the day the client and the teacher are the most important actors in this equation, not the middle man. The middle man cannot function without the supply of students nor the supply of teachers, but uses asymmetric information in the network to capitalise on it.

If I were you though, I won't be so patient with these sorta people, but neither will I back down. I'd ask the parent to disengage the services of the agent (unless they are friends or is already contracted) and contact you directly as a point of contact.