It's all of your business - Professional Resources

American Music Teacher, August-Sept, 2002 by Beth Gigante Klingenstein

Even when rates have been set adequately, they must be raised yearly to match the increase in the annual cost of living. A simple statement in the policy sheet can help parents know to expect an annual raise. "Tuition will be increased annually."

An actual raise should be higher than the cost of living, and is taken to reflect additional years of experience, additional skills, continuing education or just because it is time for a raise. Avoid those "itty-bitty" raises that cause our income level to fall behind. We can develop a logical, steady and fair rate of increase--and that doesn't just mean fair to our students, but also fair to us.

Lack of Benefits

The average salary for an elementary school teacher in this country is $41,980, according to the Occupational Employment Statistics. When benefits are added to that salary, it becomes a great deal more. My questionnaire revealed that the IMT has an average gross annual salary of only $17,893 without health, dental and retirement benefits. The lack of these benefits present the IMT with an additional burden that must be considered when setting rates. When we set our tuition, we must compensate for the lack of benefits.

Business Expenses and Tax Deductions

I have been referring to gross annual salary--what we make before deductions and taxes. It is important for us to realize that, in reality, our salaries are even lower once they reflect the business expenses we incur. Travel, studio space and maintenance, instruments and instrument maintenance and much more become legitimate tax deductions. When we consider our actual net salary after all these deductions, we fall even farther behind the professions that do not incur such expenses. These extra expenses and the resulting lower net income must be measured before deciding our tuition rates.

Studio Literature

Printed material helps project the professional image necessary to be seen as deserving of a professional salary. Before starting lessons in our studio, parents don't know what we are worth unless we tell them. A studio brochure can list things such as education, including any continuing education, teaching philosophy and a summary of teaching areas and students' achievements.

A studio policy sheet clarifies all policies for parents, while a registration form aids with accurate record keeping. Printed studio materials help project that we are serious about our work, have thought clearly about our policies and deserve to be well paid.

Planning an Income Level

We can pre-plan our financial level based on the above factors, but we also must decide on the purpose of our income. Do we wish to barely survive? Do we expect to live at a comfortable level? Do we deserve to thrive? Should excellence be reflected in income? Are there steps to take in order to be better paid? Yes. Does it take planning? Yes. Does it take courage? It can. Do we deserve a better salary? Really think about that one--think about how hard we work, the hours we put into the many facets of our job, the economy in 2002 and the health of our profession. Then think about who controls our income and take action!