Gia
What do you think about teachers who raise the session cost out of the blue?

I don't care if a teacher is relatively more expensive, it's a free market after all. 

 

But what about teachers who all of a sudden raise 20% or more their prices? When you choose a teacher, either for 100ITC or 500ITC a lesson, there is an understanding -I guess -that you took the price into consideration as well. So, after a few lessons, when you are used to the specific teacher, is it really ok for them to raise their prices like that?

 

I guess you'll say to book packages, but the same applies there. Packages are 10 sessions at most, and you can't learn a language in 10 sessions. So, once you finish a package, the next one will cost significantly more. 

 

I believe existing students should have a price control option, or else a teacher could raise their cost by 500% just before your exam.

 

I repeat I don't really mind high prices, I just don't like the sudden raises. 

Mar 26, 2015 9:43 PM
Comments · 39
5

I don't see anything wrong with it so long as they honor classes that were already paid for.  You could look at it another way... how do you feel about a student who stops taking classes with a teacher?  I doubt anyone would have a problem with that, it's up to the student's discretion.  But the effect is the same for the teacher, it adversely affects their cashflow unexpectedly. 

March 27, 2015
4

I've taken Spanish classes with several teachers at a time and Gia is learning 7 languages! She never said she was talking about a German teacher. That makes the pool of teachers that she MIGHT be referring to extremely large and besides, what she is talking about is a GENERAL TOPIC that can be just as useful to all teachers to think about as much as students. 

 

Every teacher has to think about how they are going to raise their prices and how it will affect their current rosters and overall income. This kind of discussion is good feedback for the Italki teachers to take into consideratin and a perfectly legit topic. The teachers will get to see if and how they raise their prices by certain amounts the Italki students likely will respond. 

 

This isn't about any particular teacher even if it got started by thinking about one particular experience a particular student had and there is no good in speculating who that teacher might be since Gia has already said that she likes the teacher, just might not now be able to afford the lessons.   

March 28, 2015
4

Hi Gia!

I agree with you, it's not too nice of teachers too raise their prices unexpectedly and drastically. I don't teach on italki, but I teach in my home and I never raise the price of my classes for existing students. I do it sometimes for new students, but if a student starts the classes for a certain price, they can be sure I will not raise that. I would do the same if I was teaching at italki. It is indeed a free market, but I think that if students attend classes regularly, they should be able to do so at the original price.

March 28, 2015
4

Ok Gia, I don't want to argue with you.  I agree with you that it would trouble me if a teacher I liked suddenly became unaffordable. The point I'm trying to make is that any student can leave any teacher for whatever reason they wish. Perhaps they become disinterested in learning, maybe they lose their job, maybe they decide they don't like the teacher.  In any case, they can leave and the teacher loses a student... loses 100% of their teaching fee for that student.

 

Similarly, any teacher can charge any rate they wish and can alter their rates whenever they wish.  If they price themselves too high they won't get many students.  Personally I don't see an increase from $10/hour to $12/hour drastic but we all have different comfort levels.

 

As for the free market, there is absolutely no obligation of a teacher to meet the expectations of the customer.  If they fail to meet these expectations the market will punish them & they will suffer. If they are really good, perhaps they feel their rates are justified.  If their personal costs increase, perhaps they feel they have no choice but to raise their rates. It's their choice to make & their students will react individually.

March 27, 2015
4

I can see your point. Maybe I'm not so comfortable with the idea of changing teachers for no reason other than going to the cheaper one each time (I see people do that).

Like in traditional tutoring, where there is an unofficial agreement that the lessons go on until something changes and a raise will come eventually. 

 

I believe that most students stop taking classes because they are not satisfied with the teacher and this is perfectly ok.

 

I guess we do see things differently, but I asked to hear other people's opinions, after all. :-)

 

 

March 27, 2015
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Gia
Language Skills
English, French, Gaelic (Irish), German, Greek, hawaiian, Korean, Portuguese, Sign Language, Yoruba
Learning Language
French, Gaelic (Irish), German, hawaiian, Korean, Portuguese, Sign Language, Yoruba