quote:

---

Originally posted by Uncle Rico

Can someone tell me why kitesurfing lessons cost so much?

$100 per hour?

---

dduuuddeeee. I hate to break it to you, but if you paid $100 p/h for a lesson wow!

Here they range from around $50 to $80 p/h.

Hi Uncle Rico,

Sure, overheads and costs. Our lessons are $100 per hour. a good percentage of this goes directly to the instructor for his or her payment and the rest is for the school.

The school has costs like new kites, boards and safety gear which all get trashed and need renewing each year. Torn and damaged kites and lost boards are not costed onto the customer, the school wears it.

Insurance (the big killer), council permits and other government bodies charge to use the land and or water which costs a fair amount of money. Then there is latest technology of radio helmets and the likes which are extraordinarily expensive and must be maintained. There are also affiliation fees and other ongoing costs.

Add to this that most schools are seasonal and need to try and make a years worth income in 6 or 7 months. Reputable schools also have to pay taxes, telecommunications, and marketing like every other business so what seems like a lot of money to students is enough for most school owners to eek out an existance rather than make a heap of money.

No one I know only works their school, most school owners have alternative employment to make ends meet over the down season to keep the bills at bay. Personally I do labouring work or handyman work with friends to keep an income stream, I also teach instructors in the off season.

Running a school for most is a lifestyle choice, not a money spinner unfortunately. Unless you can operate 12 months of the year when of course you can make a good living.

If you are only paying $50 per hour it is probably because you are being taught by someone who doesn't pay their fees or operates illegally without permits and fair dinkum insurance.

Easiest way to reduce price is to lower costs, use older gear and renew every couple of years. Don't use a boat or a jet ski, dont use fancy helmets. Run a reduced range of equipment. It's all good until someone is hurt, then your in deep doo doo. You always get what you pay for.

There will always be the ones who knock the price of lessons, but I suggest you work in a school for a while and tell me if you are overpaid? I hope this goes some way to giving you understanding of how lesson prices are derived.

Good winds,

have to agree with kitehard wholeheartadly, i have taught in various schools for a few years and the ones which charged gave a thousand times better service, the cheaper ones had to keep using sh#t gear, stack on the student no, and generally cut corners and they still whinged about their low margins.
like anything in this world, you get what you pay for!

Back in the day, Kite School Maui was charging well over that. Was nearer 240 US for 3 hours. And for that, you had no safety, no backup, no radio, and if you are lucky, nothing too bruised at the end of the day. The cost of lessons has come down and quality up.

good replies guys,

i guess the lesson here is you get what you pay for, just dont go paying 100 bucks an hour for some guy to stand on the beach and watch you crash a 5 year old kite (something I see often at my local) maybe ill ask what they are charging next time :)

I had a lesson in Hawaii last year. Not very well organised. 2hr lesson but by the time we got an appropriate kite for the wind up ( he pumped up a kite , stuffed around and found the kite was faulty) and going it was less than an hr instruction.

$150 US and the owner asked me to tip his instuctor as well.

IKo instructors here offer a good deal

quote:

---

Originally posted by Kitehard

Hey guys,
...
So I sat down wrote down the numbers and checked it out. With all the costs and what not removed from the lesson fee, the school itself only makes about $20 per lesson clear profit (about 10-15%).
I figured out the income I do earn is mostly from working in the school as an instructor, not from the school itself. If you work out the hours that go into the behind the scenes stuff outside of beach hours, the hourly rate is absolutely crap and I'm way ahead stacking shelves in Coles.
....

---

Totally with you there Darren
A lot of people think instructors make truck loads of money due to the cost of lessons, but I've spent 3 years instructing, and if it was 3 years of absolute ball, it also was 3 years perfectly broke (hence the change...).
Good way here to warn people considering becoming instructors: no, you won't become rich from it, and no, you won't get paid to kitesurf! Yes, you will have the best lifestyle one can dream of and you should only go for it if you truly LOVE teaching, otherwise you will end up hating your job in no time.
I've loved teaching (still do) but the financial aspect eventually took over for me.
So to all the newbies, lessons price are what they are because otherwise instructors earn... nothing....
Lessons are expensive, essentially due to equipment and insurance cost.
I gave up opening a school even though it was a project I was really keen on, after having taken my calculator and done the addition.
So I want here to congratulate all the people who went for it and took the gamble under the name of their passion... Running a kitesurfing school is a tough business and it takes dedication for very little financial benefit (not saying they don't make money, but they just don't make as much as the public seems to think... at least, not the ones with proper and legal insurance...)...
I'm still missing the lifestyle big time, (and the satisfaction at the end of the day... Used to love thinking I was paid to make people happy... was making my day each time!) even 9 months after having done my career change, but at last, my rent's paid on time now...
All of this to say: guys, if you want the service, don't argue the price. It is what it is for a reason, not because instructors are trying to rip you off....
GOOD instructors are rare, so do give credit (and their salary) to the ones who do their job well....

quote:

---

Originally posted by moffchar

Why have lessons. get out there, have a crack and learn from your mistakes (hurt yourself enough doing Something wrong and you quickly learn the right way to do things)!!

---

It's smarter to learn from 'others' mistakes.

Just done a Hang gliding lesson ------ $1500------ It was easier to pick up than kite surfing ever was
$100 for a kite lesson -------CHEAP------.