I think some sort of holding period for transferring is necessary, but .... -- Irish Dancing Topics

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Date Posted: Thursday, September 15, 10:41:41pm
Author:

Aine
Subject: I think some sort of holding period for transferring is necessary, but ....
In reply to: MAIDnID 's message, "Can anyone explain the justification for the six month ban on transferring? (more)" on Monday, September 12, 10:20:46pm

it could probably be shorter, or less hard on dancers...

The thing is, without any limits at all on transfers, you could literally switch schools a few weeks before a major competition, and switch back after, or switch to another school. Having a deterrent to this kind of school hopping is beneficial both to teachers, and dancers, as teachers have some degree of job security (imagine being fired or having your salary cut at the whim of children and teenagers...) and dancers are protected from "poaching" instructors who might promise a child any number of things to get them to dance for thier school at a major competition.

When you dance for a school, you are part of a team, even as a solo dancer, and its important to take very seriously the notion of changing to a different team. In other sports, you often dont even get to choose what team you are on, as they may be chosen by where you live, or what school you go to.

I think a less detrimental and more effective way for teachers to protect thier students is to have them under contract. For example, my martial arts school has 6 month contracts. We still can pay in monthly payments, but you are responsible for the whole 6 months tuition, even if you quit or go to another school. If you move, they transfer your contract to another school, or absolve it depending. Thus, the studio has the security of knowing that even if you quit or transfer, they still get paid (not always the whole point, but often a necessity for teachers) and you have this contract as a dterrent to just up and leaving, so if you want to leave, you think "oh, but I paid for 6 months, I better not just waste that money"

Perhaps a brief competition ban is also worthwhile, as it would serve as a different type of deterrent, but it is ideal if the deterrent is just enough to make you stop and think, but not so much that you will suffer unneccesarily for switching. I think the one we have is a tad long.

It would be beneficial for teachers, and Irish Dance as a whole if teachers had to provide good customer service to retain students, rather then having them feel stuck because of a competition ban. Teachers would have students who actually really want to be taught by them, and students would have teachers who fit thier needs. If teachers provide what students are looking for, those students will not look elsewhere. And, not all students are looking for the same thing, so there will be a place for niche teachers, ones who cater to the highly competitive, or ones who have superb performances and loads of high-class performing opportunities, ones that let everyone dance in shows and just have alot of fun, ones that cater to adult and teen dancers, ones that focus on fitness and an athletic dance style. Dancers could choose a school that suits thier niche, or change schools to one that fits them better, and teachers would not be expected to fit the needs of every student because they cant, or dont want to switch.

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Replies:

Good points made. Unfortunately, I have seen it used mostly as a tool for control and (more) -- becoming jaded, Saturday, September 17, 06:22:21am