Should a sensei charge a you fee for taking an exam to go up in rank even though your paying him monthly?

Question

I am study aikido in an academy where i pay a monthly fee of about $30, however the sensei (and owner of the dojo) charges people money when they take an exam to try to advance in rank, and this exam price goes up when the rank does, 8th kyu costs about $25 but by 5th kyu or so its about $50-$75
is this how it is suppose to be done? how is it done in japan?

ok granted its not as expensive, in reality is not my dojo but one i go take the exams to just to advance in rank, my dojo belong to an university and charges 10$/month for 3 clases/week...
anyway the shihan who run the other dojo (the one i was initially talking about) is afiliated to no one, teaches 'his own' style and is recognized by no organization, this is the problem, because he told none of his students about this, some just found out

Answer 1

I also study Aikido. Our sensei does not charge for exams. He even gives out burned preparation DVDs free of charge!
Your price doesn't sound very expensive, though, depending how much you train. If it's once a week, that's average. If it's more than once a week, it's pretty cheap. That's the first time I heard about charging for exams outside of... Well, McDojos.

Besides, my sensei is more of the "belts are to hold up your pants" school of thought.

Answer 2

The world has changed and rent, utilities, mailing, printing costs, and other associated costs have increased. Many schools that are members of an organization headquartered halfway around the world in Japan or China have fees for diplomas, as well as annual membership fees. Most Aikido schools fall into this category. Also it is not unusual for the fees to go up slightly but many martial arts organizations as well as independent schools and instructors have seen a way to add to their income by raising the fees ever higher and at a steeper rate of increase. This is one of the many "hidden costs" that old timers like me who have been around for a while tell people to ask about when selecting a school and art to study. I would ask for a complete list of testing fees so that you know what it will cost for each promotion from your instructor if this is a sore point. I would also look at the quality of instruction that I was receiving and balance that also against your monthly fee and the testing fees. I will also tell you that $30.00 per month for lessons is a very modest price so you may want to take that into special consideration especially if testing is only occurring every four or six months.

In Japan testing fees are not unusual but they usually only go up when you test for black belt or higher degrees of blackbelt. Also some testings do not always take place in a tradtional setting per say and it's not unusual to test before an entire board of higher ranked balckbelts when you test for higher black belt ranks.

Answer 3

It sounds like you get a pretty good deal on your tuition and your sensei is making it up on the testing fees. Some other dojos don't charge for testing, but you'll pay a lot more than $30/month for tuition.

None of it is right or wrong, it's just different business models. Don't forget that this is your sensei's means to put food on his table. He needs to make some profit or you no longer have a place to train.

Answer 4

Some schools charge a higher monthly fee to include the cost of the promotion test. It is a common practice and some martial arts styles justify the cost for new belts, rank certificates and for the instructor time. Some schools make promotion testing mandatory, some don't.

Answer 5

If the sensei allows testing upon request then there is good reason to charge for it. Sensei is taking time to test a single student. This allows for a lot of flexibility. A sensei that does tests on specific days for all qualifying students won't need to charge as much or at all because many are getting tested at once.

In Japan, you have to wash and wax sensei's floor.

Answer 6

Wow, you get a really good deal for your Aikido! Here, Martial Arts costs $100 per month, but some places like AMA and Cheung's charge $150, plus grading fees.

Where I used to go, it was $100 per month, but we got a two year price, so it was a better deal. We also paid $50 per month for grading as well as $5 per board. That came out to $60 per grading, but after red belt, it was $65 since you had to break two boards. We also had board breaking days before the grading so you knew how to do it, which was $10.

SO. You're getting a pretty good deal only paying $30 a month plus $50 for grading! At the Karate place I'm at now, it's something like $53.63 for grading plus the fees you pay upfront.

A lot of places here charge for the grading fees, since they have to pay the instructors to come out on days they wouldn't normally be there for, I believe. And it's a good way to get your money, of course.

Answer 7

My instructor charges a small amount for tests. Usually to help pay for the extra people who come in to help him test a student. And it's low because he tests multiple students at once. Some of the money also buys lunch and refreshments. Because your test is a minimum of an hour and a half (even at your first belt), up to six and a half hours for first Dan.

So while your test might seem expensive your tuition is low. So it's probably working out fairly.

Answer 8

There should never be a fee to test for rank.
I notice that schools that practice this tend to add ranks to increase their profit. They also tend to fail people a couple of times to increase profit.
There should be no cost associated with the testing. I mean it doesn't cost anything to test people except time, and a teachers time should not be sold.

Answer 9

In my opinion rank is lame and a way to keep people coming back to get their coveted BLACK BELT and keep spending the money month after month.

Answer 10

my BJJ is over a hundred a month so your price is nothing to complain about. be happy