I had an interesting email last month about when to pay for a class. It prompted a humorous post on my CPRMom Blog. But it also got me thinking about my payment policies in comparison to other instructors and schools.
The single sentence in this email that prompted the post was:
“it’s just that we don’t prepay anything we always wait to receive the services and then we pay just like anything else in life for the most part.”
So I did a quick Google search on when should I pay for my class?. Not surprisingly the first page of hits were colleges and universities. All of whom require some sort of payment before classes begin.
My payment policy for the community, or open-enrollment, courses is to require payment no later than the start of the class. Which means you can pay in advance, or when you arrive and sign in. I think I’m pretty flexible about this. For on-site courses for businesses and organizations, the policy is the same. On request I will invoice them, expecting payment within 15 days. Sometimes I will require a deposit. It depends on the course.
My Facebook post on the subject reinforced this, as most other instructors or friends who take classes all commented that they require, or have been required, to make payment in advance.
So if you’re wondering…. why do they need payment in advance? Because we have to buy stuff to hold the course. Mannequin lungs, barrier devices, textbooks. My business has grown to the point that I am able to keep a surplus of materials on hand for courses, which has given my flexibility to take payments on the day of the course. Pre-payment also ensures attendance. Students are less likely to no-show on a class when they have pre-paid.
However, if you are a business, sending your employees to an open-enrollment class CPR or First Aid course – payment is expected at the time of the class. Just like any other educational program. If you wish to be invoiced for your employees I am happy to send one in advance, but payment is still expected on the day of the course.
To view all my policies, including my payment policy, it is posted on my website at https://coastalcpr.com/yada-yada/.