Surcharges & Reference Checks

Running a piano studio as a business is no different than running any other business. There are certain basic, practical considerations that piano teachers must take into account in running their studio, hiring teachers and turning a profit. Surcharges for mileage and reference checks for potential teachers are two critical elements of having a successful and thriving piano studio.

Mileage Surcharges
In today's piano teacher market, it is becoming more common for piano teachers to travel to students' homes to conduct piano lessons. We recommend adding a "mileage surcharge" to the student's lesson fee should you as a teacher have to travel to the student's home for a lesson.

At our piano studio, we reserve the right to charge a 15% mileage surcharge if we travel outside of Union County (Union County, NJ is where our main office is located). Now of course, we don't always charge a student this fee; we will sometimes waive the fee if the student is on a tight budget or is experiencing financial hardship. Nevertheless, as a general rule, a mileage fee is a good idea, and will help you cover costs associated with traveling outside of your home base for lessons.

Reference Checks
Another important element to running your piano studio successfully is conducting reference checks of piano teachers you plan to hire. In today's world, you can never be too safe. It is a good idea to request that the potential teacher supply you with a character reference.

In addition, it is not a bad idea to request a similar reference from a potential student. This is especially true if you find the majority of your students via the Internet or are unable to meet personally with each student. The Web can be a great place to find potential students; it can also be a dangerous place, as people's motives are not always sincere.

When conducting reference checks, it is also very important to know which questions you can ask, and which you cannot.

(Here's a list of good reference-check questions. )

Each state has laws on the type of questions that can be asked of a reference. For instance, in most states, a hiring manager cannot ask a reference personal questions such as marital status, race or religious preference. As with any business, it pays to know the laws of your state concerning your industry.

One question you can ask a reference is: "Describe X's moral character?"

This question allows the reference source to vouch for the good (or poor) character of the teacher or student, without requiring them to disclose personal details or religious views.

The purpose of reference checks is to ensure that both your teachers and students are safe. You want to make sure each party feels comfortable and secure. In addition, it is also wise to include legal stipulations in your contracts that absolve your company from liability should a student or teacher be harassed by the other, or should the student-teacher relationship be compromised in any way. Remember, we are a litigious society, and even one bad review or one legal faux pas can run a studio into the ground.

Surcharges & References: Conclusion
Always remember you are running a business. Therefore, it is important that you run it with the most professionalism you can bring to the table. Appropriate surcharges reference checks help to protect you, your students, your teachers - as well as your business assets. Additionally, having policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) in place for these items lends credibility to your business.