Same here.

Group classes are about $6/hr through our Society and taught by ISTD or CDTA certified teachers or student teachers under the supervision of an Examiner.

http://www.vbds.org

Local private independent teachers charge around $8-$10/hr. for groups.

Certified teachers here are charging $50-$65/hr. for privates.

AM just moved into our town and on a straight fee for service comparison are double the cost to the student.

OB in Canada

In the Arthur Murray schools students do not pay extra for Group sessions or practice sessions. there is no monthy membership dues and your not charged differently depending on how high your teacher is certified. You can also use your lessons at an of the 300 plus studios world wide without extra charge. Most students in the Arthur Murray system attend 10-20 group classes a month while attending only 4-6 private lessons. A Student using the system the way it is inttended will find it is much more economical than the "pay at the Door" technique. Also being that the instructor supervised practice sessions run about an hour and a half the students find that the cost per hour of instruction is about 1/2 the independets.

I always marvel at this. If you are happy then stay, if not don't. That is all there is. If you believe the environment and teaching is great pay for it. That is why people by expensive cars.
It isn't illegal what AM does, just life, there is a reason they are one of the biggest franchises and it is not bad business practices. When you go to college you pay for sets of classes to get you to goals, not individual classes. So the idea is tried and true. Also, most people think they are already advanced because they can muddle through some steps, that doesn't mean they are actually ready for the next level. So again, if you are happy, pay for it...if not go somewhere else. You have the choice.

Also, all AM lessons are fully refundable,(as long as you don't cancel too late, which is rude) so it is only a commitment they ask for, not the money itself, since you never have to pay all of it up front.

RUN! Run as far from them as possible. There are other options out their that are as good if not better than them.

I am not employed by any chain school at this moment in time-- however -- the usual sweep with a large brush, paints everything in sight .

It would be unequvically incorrect , to make blanket statement about ANY chain of businesses, by the practices of one franchised unit .

Of course there are schools that are below par, that is far from the cry of all.
I , personally have taught and coached over many yrs, numerous A / M and Freds schools in the states .

The quality of the instruction does vary, thats a given. That can also occur in independant operations ( know many where that is the case ).

This topic seems to re appear with " newer " students, who have discovered alternate institutions for learning .

Yes, price, the main bone of contention-- is very often less ( not always ).

One should realise , the reasons many people attend the chain school, is as much for the social aspect, as it is for the lesson .

terence2, I know you want to make your point of view as unbias as it can be, but you are a coach for them and you have an interest in them. I agree that you cannot make a blanket statement by the practices of one franchise unit, but if you have a mass of people complaining about about each individual units, that speaks volume about the franchise that those individual units make up don't you think?

Actually, i havent worked for any franchise since 2002.

One can only speak of ones experiences.
As i said , there are good and bad operations, in all franchised establishments.
There are close to 7/800 franchise schools world wide . IF every one was as bad as people seem to think-- how come they have , and do , exist , as long as they have ?

its always the bad ones, that get the press. ! ( and deservedly so )

I have known some pretty bad independant operations-- they seldom seem to get a mention .( you are aware of the recent Hong Kong debacle ? )

Not to mention the independent tango teacher here in Denver that was fondling all of his students and went to jail.

Arthur Murray has a reputation for being sales-driven, while not provide a quality product. In the dance community, AM is seen as a joke.

Arthur Murray is known for hiring people with little or no dance background, training them for 2-4 weeks and then those are the instructors that you pay ridiculous amounts of money to take lessons from.

That's why everything in AM is inclusive. They try to keep their students sheltered from the "outside dance world." That's why they have their own competitions. Most (not all) Arthur Murray dancers have lots of variations, but lack any technique.

If you're serious about your dancing, stay away from AM. If you want to save money, stay away from AM. If you want to get quality instruction from a legitimate coach, stay away from AM.

Get the point?