Can anyone share the belt testing costs for Combat Hapkido? I understand that each school structures its promotion costs differently. However, I am trying to get a feel of the costs that schools charge for promotion, in particular for the promotion to the rank of 1st Dan. Thanks.
Best bet is to ask your instructor. Testing fees can vary school by school. Each charter has to pay a certain amount to the Federation for test certificates and then they keep whatever they decide to tack on to the cost for the Federation. Some schools might figure testing costs into the tuition and give 'free tests'. Some schools add in the costs of belts and reference videos to the testing fee. It really depends on how the fee structure is set up.
I already know the fees charged by the school in question, I am more concerned about some red flags which would indicate how legitimate the school may be. For example, if most schools charge $100 to test for X belt, then this school charging $150 would still be in the ballpark, the same school charging $1,000 would seem excessive. Trust me when I say that I would not have raised the question if I were not familiar with the pricing structures at other (non-CHKD) schools. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks again.
What you have to rememebr about promotion and certification is that is essentially a service that schools or organizations provide. For example, an orgnaization can charge the school owner $100 (for example for a first Degree, lets say) and the school onwer can mark it up to $300, keeping $200 for themselves. Pretty much all Hapkido rank sanctioning organizations work this way. I don't think you can evaluate legitimacy just by looking at the price of promotions alone. You have to evaluate it with the overall services offered and the the other fees charged. For example, many instructors spend a lot of extra time preparing students for tests, and may offer private lessons or what not to prepare a student for testing. You also have to take into account what kind of amenities the palce has. I've seen a martial arts school with full locker rooms and a jacuzzi on one end, andpeople who teach in their garage on the other. Would you expect to pay the same at both places? However, one drawback about charging big bucks for black belt is that it gives instructors a financial incentive to promote, which can cause standards to lower. What kind of fees is this school charging anyway?
OK, I see. As I wrote earlier, it really depends on how the schools structures their fees and how much they include in the tuition cost or in testing cost and whatnot. Putting that aside, we've been running a small Combat Hapkido program now for quite a while (we have been involved since the mid 1990s and chartered up sometime around then). We are a earn-enough-to-cover-costs type of school and really don't generate any sort of profit (aside from a little for the leaner months). So, I think the cost estimates I am going to list will probably be about as low as any Combat Hapkido school - other that run to earn a profit or to pay instructors will charge more. Here's an approximation of what we would charge to reach 1st dan: We charge a yearly membership fee (through HQ - must be current or they won't record your promotions) - around $30 (USD) Tuition is around $40/month Color Belt tests run about $30 each (Yellow, Orange, Green, Purple, Blue, and 4 levels of brown - time in grade gets longer as the rank goes up) When a student has worked up to Brown (with 4 stripes), they can apply to test for 1st dan. There is a minimum 6 months wait period and they must be in good standing (membership-wise, and promotions). If I recall, the 1st dan fee runs somewhere between $100 and $200. Future dan promotions tend to average around $100/dan grade or so. We include belts with the test fee. Keep in mind that these numbers are approximations - I generally don't get involved in the money side of the school. To me, that should be the "low end" of what a school charges and should give you a good starting idea. As far as 'legitimacy' goes, that's a whole other issue. You would want to look at the instructors and school and see how they run class and what they teach. Since the requirements are available on DVD, it's easy to see if a school is teaching the basics and to look and see how well they do it. I would ask instructors what their lineage is - did they 'reconcile' rank from traditional HKD, come up through a CH program, or what. I would ask how they earned their CH rank (reconcile, seminars, full time instructor, etc). That's a whole other topic, though. The bottom line should really be whether you find the price(s) worth what you are getting and if you are happy paying that.
It's more than fee amounts that set off my BS alarm. But based on Thomas's amounts stated above, the numbers in question seem to be just out of the ballpark. My situation is that I am new to the area after having practiced CHKD elsewhere. I was happy to see that there was a school near my home. However, I was disappointed after checking them out. The monthly fees were high for a lousyplace. And there was very little training equipment, certainly less than my last school that charged less. The worst part was that the school didn't feel like it had any energy, like it was on life support. Needless to say, the prices charged struck me as outrageous especially based on what I saw. Regardless of anyone's answer, I will be looking for a different school even though it means halting my advancement in CHKD. There are plenty of complimentary styles so I am not overly bothered. Plus, variety is a good thing. I appreciate everyone's help.
