Private lessons

Private lessons are one-to-one lessons a student books with a teacher. You set up the kinds of lessons you offer and when each teacher is free to teach them. Staff book lessons at the front desk, and if you turn it on, families book and cancel lessons themselves in the portal.

Don't see it in the menu? An owner or admin can turn on Private lessons in Settings, under General › Sections.

Open private lessons#

Open Calendar in the menu, then choose Private lessons. The page has four tabs:

• Lessons: every booked lesson. Switch between Upcoming, Past and Cancelled, and filter by teacher.
• Standing lessons: lessons that repeat at the same time every week.
• Availability: when each teacher takes private lessons.
• Lesson types: the lessons you offer.

Add a lesson type#

A lesson type is what a family books: a length, a price and the teachers who offer it.

1. Choose the Lesson types tab and select New lesson type.
2. Enter a Name, like "Private ballet, 30 minutes".
3. Set the Length (minutes), in steps of 5, and the Price per lesson.
4. Add a Description if you like.
5. Under Offered by, tick the teachers who teach it.
6. Select Create lesson type.

To change a lesson type, open the menu at the end of its row and choose Edit. Lessons already booked keep the price they were booked at. Choose Archive to stop new bookings. Lessons already booked stay on the calendar.

Teachers need to be set up first. See Set up rooms and teachers.

Set when teachers are available#

1. Choose the Availability tab.
2. Select Edit on the teacher's card.
3. Select Add window and choose the day, the start and end times, and a room (or No room). Add a window for each block of time they teach lessons.
4. Select Save availability.

Lessons can only be booked inside these windows. Classes and other lessons inside a window still block their own time. A teacher with no windows can't be booked.

Book a lesson#

1. Select Book a lesson at the top of the page.
2. Search for the student under Find a student and choose them.
3. Choose the Lesson type and the Teacher.
4. Pick a time. You'll see the free start times two weeks at a time.
5. Choose the Payment:
   • Charge the account: the lesson's price is added to the family's balance.
   • Use a lesson credit or Use a lesson pack, if the student has one.
   • Paid in cash now or Paid by check now to record the payment against the charge.
6. Select the Book button, which shows the day and time.

Set up a standing lesson#

A standing lesson holds the same time every week for one student and is billed once a month.

1. Choose the Standing lessons tab and select New standing lesson.
2. Choose the Student, the Lesson type and the Teacher.
3. Choose the Day of the week and the Start time. Times come from the teacher's availability that day.
4. Pick the date it's Starting.
5. Select Set up standing lesson.

The family is billed once a month for the lessons in that month, due on the 1st. A week when the time is already taken is skipped and not billed. The Monthly bill column shows the next bill.

To stop a standing lesson, open the menu at the end of its row and choose End standing lesson. Pick the Last day (lessons up to and including that day stay), then select End standing lesson. Lessons after the last day are cancelled and come off the monthly bills, and a month already billed is credited.

Cancel a lesson#

1. On the Lessons tab, open the menu at the end of the lesson's row and choose Cancel lesson.
2. Under Who is cancelling, choose the family, or the teacher or studio.
3. If the family is cancelling inside your notice window, they're still charged. Tick Waive the late cancellation to let them off.
4. If the lesson was charged to the account or billed monthly, choose What to give back: Refund to the account or Credit to rebook. The choice starts on what your lesson rules say.
5. Add a Reason if you like and select Cancel lesson.

When the studio cancels, or the family cancels in time, what they paid comes back: a lesson paid from a pack goes back on the pack, and a lesson paid with a credit gets its credit back. Cancelled lessons show what happened, like Late cancel or Credit to rebook.

Set your lesson rules#

1. Select Lesson rules on the Private lessons page. You can also open Studio settings with the gear icon in the top bar, choose the Attendance tab and find Private lessons.
2. Switch on Book in the portal to let families book and cancel lessons themselves. With it off, lessons are booked at the front desk only.
3. Set your rules:
   • Free cancellation notice (hours): how far ahead a family must cancel to not be charged. 0 means any time before the lesson starts.
   • Start times every (minutes): how often a lesson can start, counted from the start of each availability window.
   • Book ahead (days): how far ahead the portal offers times.
   • A lesson cancelled in time gives back: The charge, off the account, or A credit to rebook another lesson of the same type.
   • Credit lasts (days): how long a credit can be used, counted from the cancellation.
4. Save your changes in the bar at the bottom.

Sell lesson packs#

A lesson pack is a class pack that pays for private lessons instead of classes.

1. Open Billing in the menu, then choose Packs & drop-ins.
2. Create a pack as usual, and under Lesson pack: pays for these private lessons, pick the lesson types it covers.
3. Sell it to a family the same way as a class pack.

When you or the family book one of those lessons, they can use the pack instead of paying. See Class packs and drop-ins.

What families see#

When Book in the portal is on (or the family has lessons booked), families see Lessons in the portal. There they can:

• See their upcoming lessons and cancel one. Before they confirm, they're told whether it's free to cancel, earns a credit, or is still charged.
• See any lesson credits and when to use them by.
• See their standing lessons. To stop one, they contact the studio.
• Book a lesson: choose who it's for, the lesson, the teacher and a time, then choose what to pay with: a lesson credit, a pack, or their account.

Who can do what#