what would you do?????

[malta blue]

So Little MB has been taking Tae Kwon Do at the same location for since kindergarten - she is now in 3rd grade. She is one level below black belt and is on track to receive her black belt in November of this year.

I have always been happy with the instructors, etc.

The TDK Master who owns the place is all about the money - he looks at the kids and sees dollar signs. We have 15 months of payments left on our "black belt club" contract and he wants us to join a different "club" which would add $4000 to the already existing balance of the current contract. :wow:

He approached Little MB and "invited" her to be in the club and on the demo team (they do performances, etc) but now that I don't want to commit to another 40 months of payments at $60 more each month than I am currently paying, she may not join the demo team.

This really pisses me off. If the kid is good enough to be on your demo team, why should the fact that his/her parents don't have an extra $60 floating around to pay each month (on top of the $500 down payment he requested AND new uniforms, equipment, etc) prevent the kid from being on the squad? It just feels like a money grab to me and I don't like the fact that he got her hopes up to be on the team and now she may not be able to because I can't afford the extra 40 months of payments....

Does this seem right to you?

[Midlodemocrat]

1. That is a boatload for TKD. All three midlets took

and the cost for the three of them per month was $175. Included uniform. Did not include testing, which was $45 every time they tested for a different stripe or belt.

That seems like a huge amount to me.

[malta blue]

3. I already pay his $107 a month - now he wants to add $60

to that :wow:

I want her to get her black belt because she really wants to, but I am thinking of switching to another place...

:hi:

[Midlodemocrat]

5. I think that is way too much.

When I only had one in TKD it was somewhere around $70 a month, even if the child was on the demo team.

Definitely look into other places; I think you're getting ripped off.

:hi:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

15. midlets??? you call them midlets? no wonder you have to go to the prom.

serves you right.

[Midlodemocrat]

21. LOL. sasquatch coined that term.

I generally call them by their names.

[fight4my3sons]

2. no, that sucks

We had to take our oldest son out of his Shotokan Karate classes because we could not afford the $89/mo. The Sensei was very understanding and kind about it. He said that if little guy ever wanted to drop by for a visit and free class to have a refresher he was more than welcome. We just can't afford it right now and our other two kids wanted to start, even with the sibling dicount it would be $150/mo for all three kids.

I agree that if Little MB is good enough and has the skills to be on the demo team then she should be on the team. Why did he even ask her first? My thought is that he should not have asked her if it was dependant on whether or not you were going to pay for the extra stuff. Why not find out first without getting your kid involved? (hope this all made sense, my twins are playing loudly behind me)

[malta blue]

6. My point exactly - now he got her hopes up and

we just cannot afford it. I already dish out money for piano lessons too.

I think it was crappy of him to approach her with it in the first place, and he seems like a hustler to me now.

Plus, there are two TKD schools closer to our house than this one (we moved but kept her in the same place) - I should look into them....

[fight4my3sons]

10. I think you should.

I hope that she is able to get her black belt. :hug: A lot of hard work goes into those belts.

[malta blue]

11. She does work so hard in class.

And she was so proud of herself when he mentioned the Demo team.

I think she will do well anywhere, she just may need a little extra encouragement because it will be new.

Thanks for your input...my mom thought I was overreacting but I really consider him a hustler now.

[Orsino]

4. Scam?

Without knowing more, I'm not entitled to say that this is like TV commercials (in kids' shows) for toys parents can't afford. If you can't afford to buy a place on the team, your daughter doesn't get the prestige?

There's a lot you're not telling us, but it smells very, very wrong.

[malta blue]

7. You've got the jist of it.

I can't afford to buy her spot on the team so she can't do it.

I am so mad at this man - and I can't even yell 'cause he might hurt me :rofl:

[Orsino]

8. I would hope that belts from this dojo are respected...

...and that you could find another instructor less fixated on money.

[malta blue]

9. I would think the are....

The guy and his siblings own 7 schools in our area and it is consistently ranked high on the list of martial arts schools, so I am thinking that a belt from his place would be good at another. And if she had to go back one, it would not kill her...

[Fleshdancer]

12. 2 things:

1. Him inviting Little MB to be in the club and on the demo team without talking to you about it first was in very bad form. She probably doesn't understand the financial implications of this and for him to get her hopes up is very manipulative. I would tell him not to do this again and if there's any change with how Little MB is treated because of this, then she'll be pulled out of the school and placed in a different one.

2. This is how he makes his living so I understand if he can't afford to (or doesn't want to) include students on the demo team without charging for it. I must admit though that the charges seem ridiculously high and I wouldn't pay for it either. It sounds like a status thing that parents fall for to make them think their kids are in the "cool program".

[malta blue]

13. thanks for your input Gloria....

and yes, it was in bad form for him to mention it to her without consulting with us first.

I do think, however, that he should not charge extra for the demo team. If a kid is good enough, then the kid is good enough. S/he should not be limited by what the parents can afford as far as an extra contract. I think that would be contrary to the message that the school is promoting - work hard and you will succeed. It's not work hard and if mom/dad can afford it, you can be in the show. :shrug: IMHO.

[Fleshdancer]

14. what all does the demo team do?

do they travel around to demo their talent? All in all, I agree with you. I'm just attempting to play devil's advocate here. Do you know what the demo team does that might justify extra costs?

[malta blue]

16. The demo team does performances at the belt

ceremonies (at the school) and at the TDK championships that the school has twice a year (this family runs 7 schools in the area and they have competitions among them).

He does not transport them anywhere- that is all the parent's responsibility. We pay for our own equipment - even the wooden boards the kids break....I spent about $50 last spring because Little MB wanted to compete in the championship and I had to buy the boards from the school for her to practice and to use at the competition.

They get you coming and going with expenses....

[Fleshdancer]

17. total scam

I originally thought there would be much more to the demo team. Wow, this is ridiculous.

[malta blue]

19. see - that is what I am saying.....

I think he is scamming me and it really pisses me off that he disappointed my kid that way.

[otherlander]

18. I would kind of be suspicious of any place

that would give a blackbelt to a 3rd grader. Four years doesn't really sound like enough time to advance that quickly.

[malta blue]

20. She is not a black belt yet....

She is on track to get it in November after five years of study.

She is surprisingly good at it...