hidden costs of auditions

[cornishprincess]

Not sure if this merits a whole new thread but wasn't sure where to put it.......moderators?????

 

I am just having a panic about the expense of the whole thing..not just the audition fees but the overnights and the train fares. I don't mind and I have seen bits of the UK I had never visited before but I am still coming out in a hot sweat (not because of my age either!!)

 

DD needed new pointe shoes just before this whole thing plus a nice leotard which wasn't faded plus all the other things..new tights etc etc. Add onto that the coffees I have had to drink while waiting.

 

Again, I don't mind for a minute...but my credit card is wilting under the strain.

 

I hadn't considered all these hidden costs, these extras.

 

That's it. Small panic passed on.

 

Thanks for being here, you supportive group you!

[Kat09]

I'm with you CP ...... Feeling the pain x

[Lisa O`Brien]

The only consolation i suppose,is when it`s all over ,it`s all over and will never have to be funded again.That goes of course,for any place at vocational school and the additional costs that come with that. My son recently had 2 weeks placement through his college course at an alcohol and drug detox centre. I don`t have a car and there were no buses. It cost me £10 for him to get there and £10 to get home again.He was there for 2 full weeks,Mon to Fri; that`s £100 a week on taxis. While i grit my teeth and beared it,i realised it was only for a short while,and the experience he gained was invaluable.Even his college tutor at parent`s evening said so. She explained to me the vast majority of the students had picked a creche or an old people`s home for their placement.But because Sean had picked somewhere challenging and "not as nice" shall we say,she told me his CV will just leap out ahead of other Health and Social Care students applying to uni or work.I know it`s not the same thing at all,and mine was only for 2 weeks [i`ve told him for his next placement next term to pick somewhere on the bus route!],but I see that £200 spent on taxis in 2 weeks as an investment in his future. All I would say is,it won`t last forever,if that`s any consolation.!

[Lildancer96]

From what I hear , the cost of jetting all over Europe for company auditions at the end of the training will be far worse

[Katymac]

It's the little things they have snuck in during the auditions/open days like:

 

Uniform

Health insurance

Registration fees

 

& I'm sure more will turn up - plus I'd forgotten about deposits for accommodation & TV licenses (although if you only watch TV on a laptop on catchup/iplayer you don't need one)

[Tulip]

For ladies it is new point shoes every four weeks tops. They do so much point work in the upper schools.

[Dance2013]

I am starting to panic as my dd has offers but not had information from any of the colleges about uniform, accommodation etc yet like katymac. So far we have it had to pay any money out!

[Katymac]

For us it was pay £250 & get uniform list

 

No accommodation stuff yet....but we don't know where she is going so that's fair enough

 

I just panic

[Fiz]

Ah, KatyMac, it will all come out in the wash as will the chaos of our move! Roll on the summer!

[Its her Life]

I can sympathize with you all ..... this time last year I spent a small fortune on my credit card on hotel accommodation & travel costs for auditions. If I count all the auditions we had to have a hotel stay for, plus then any further finals/Dada auditions, it came to 9 hotel bookings!! A lot of it I found was down to bad luck if you got an early morning time slot.

 

I'm afraid it doesn't get any easier though once they get in somewhere. On top of any fees to pay (as even with a FULL Dada there will still be accommodation to pay for), the initial outlay to get your dc set up with everything is horrendous. Then of course there's the monthly medical insurance premium, the ongoing cost of pointe shoes (as Tulip said, they need new ones approx every 4 weeks due to the amount of pointe work), other items of dancewear needed as time goes on, travel costs when they travel back & forth home for exeat weekends & holidays, any costs for trips the school may organise, & so on.

 

It certainly is a huge commitment financially.

[Its her Life]

I can sympathize with you all ..... this time last year I spent a small fortune on my credit card on hotel accommodation & travel costs for auditions. If I count all the auditions we had to have a hotel stay for, plus then any further finals/Dada auditions, it came to 9 hotel bookings!! A lot of it I found was down to bad luck if you got an early morning time slot.

 

I'm afraid it doesn't get any easier though once they get in somewhere. On top of any fees to pay (as even with a FULL Dada there will still be accommodation to pay for), the initial outlay to get your dc set up with everything is horrendous. Then of course there's the monthly medical insurance premium, the ongoing cost of pointe shoes (as Tulip said, they need new ones approx every 4 weeks due to the amount of pointe work), other items of dancewear needed as time goes on, travel costs when they travel back & forth home for exeat weekends & holidays, any costs for trips the school may organise, & so on.

 

It certainly is a huge commitment financially.

[Billyelliott]

 

The auditions are just the start if it !

Once in school there are loads of other costs apart from your contribution to the fees .

The travel was the main shocker for us we have to collect DS about every 3 weeks that's 24 trips a year at least from Worthing to Birmingham and back . Expensive , not to mention exhausting as the school closes for a long weekend regularly !

Then there are the "optional outings "most weekends - so you don't want your child to be the only one not going etc . Not to mention the team building camps at the start if the school year .

Then there is the house funds and the pocket money ! I don't see how we can ever afford a summer school / intensive !!

It's like a black hole !!!

[Katymac]

Well I have a spreadsheet.....

 

I have added in trips home each weekend (but hopefully they will reduce over time) & have you see how much a girl can eat? The budget for that is enormous!! Plus uniform (which I intend to start pricing this evening but watched White Nights instead) & an audit of what kit she already has

 

I do like a good spreadsheet

[Picturesinthefirelight]

The famous katymac spreadsheet!

 

I'm failing on mine - can't get excel functions working on my new tablet

[All4dancers]

I completely agree Billyelliot. For me the biggest shock was the cost of travel every few weeks I think I had just about accounted for everything else.

[cornishprincess]

Oh my!!!!!

 

I feel I need a little lie down now!!!!!

 

The local BTec looks increasingly attractive (to me)!!!

 

If only I knew how to do a spreadsheet................

 

onward.

 

DD has her next flurry of auditions soon. Roll on Easter.No actually roll on June when the GCSEs are over too.

[Lifeafterballet?]

One college actually specifies a colour of Leo for the audition - rather than plain, dark, classical etc .... I know it's only black they require but DD doesn't own a black one! I am sure we aren't the only ones either .....

[swanprincess]

Lifeafterballet I am guessing you mean ballet theatre uk? If so, I have plenty of black leotards - if dd wants I can send her Facebook pictures of each one so she can pick which one she would like to borrow

[Lifeafterballet?]

Oh bless you that's very kind Swanprincess. Hope we get to meet up one day! I was using this as an example and highlighting to others the full extent of hidden costs. X

[2dancersmum]

Don't panic about lack of uniform list or accommodation details.  Uniform varies according to school so you don't want to buy anything until you know where your DCs are actually going and likewise for accommodation.  Look at it from the point of landlords, boarding houses etc who do not want to be flooded with potentially hundreds of enquiries from people who might not even attend the school.  I know DDs landlady last year had numerous phone calls and emails from a family to secure accommodation, check various details out etc but checking with the school, said child had not even be offered a place at the school.

 

Re trips, travel home etc.  For upper schools I think there is less expense.  Many do not go home weekends and the organised trips and outings are mostly also for lower school.

 

And this paying out of sums of money to hold a place prior to funding auditions/final auditions seems to be more for the dance/MT colleges rather than the ballet schools.

 

All in all a very expensive time - though as someone already said it probably pales into significance in comparison to costs for auditioning for companies at graduation.

[Anna C]

One college actually specifies a colour of Leo for the audition - rather than plain, dark, classical etc .... I know it's only black they require but DD doesn't own a black one! I am sure we aren't the only ones either .....

Crikey! I've never heard of that before; actually specifying a colour for auditions!

[Lifeafterballet?]

Crikey! I've never heard of that before; actually specifying a colour for auditions!

I know Spanner - most just say "dark coloured" or "plain classical" . DD uniform isn't black and I bought a degas Leo as a special treat for her auditions .... That's not black either!!! I know I a fairly new to this but didn't realise the colour you wear affects how you pointe your toes!!!!

[Katymac]

I know it's MT but at Italia Conti 3 girls were sent out of the Ballet class to put their hair in a bun & half the class had black tights - DD was very shocked!

[afab]

It's interesting as in France auditions, black is a total no-no as one cannot see the shape of the body properly. Leotards have to be pale colours... 

[CeliB]

The travel was the main shocker for us we have to collect DS about every 3 weeks that's 24 trips a year at least from Worthing to Birmingham and back . Expensive , not to mention exhausting as the school closes for a long weekend regularly 

 

Last travel bill for DSs return flight to school- £640.00 

 

Of course we only have ourselves to blame for agreeing he could go- but thank heavens for the full scholarship as his flight costs alone rack up to much the same as funding a UK vocational place....

[Anna C]

I know it's MT but at Italia Conti 3 girls were sent out of the Ballet class to put their hair in a bun & half the class had black tights - DD was very shocked!

Shocked at the black tights? Or shocked that 3 girls didn't put their hair in a bun?

[Legseleven]

DD would have been shocked at both things in a ballet class audition, regardless of whether it was for a ballet school or for Italian Conti ;-)

[Katymac]

 

spannerandpony, shocked that, despite being given instructions on what to wear and how to have their hair, they turned up at an audition inappropriately dressed.

 

 

 

She was surprised they were allowed to audition

 

[BankruptMum]

When thinking about costs of vocational school, also factor in - money for entertainment, shopping trips at the weekend are lovely but they arent going to be happy wandering around shopping centres without money in their pocket.  My DD never had time for shopping when she was home (dance does have its uses) - opened up a whole new can of worms ;-).

 

Trips to the theatre, theme parks, wildlife parks which are put on by the houseparents - all lovely but need to be funded.  It never stops!!  Petrol/train costs for weekend tips home.  Its also great to visit and take them out for the day but that ends up with 'treating them and lunch out'.  Its not a cheap business.  Plus there is usually a 'house fund' payment per term (think that was around £60).

[Vonrothbart]

You have to remember though that you won't have the expense of the local dance school, festivals, travelling to Mids etc etc, which add up to a pretty substantial amount, either way it's not going to come cheap, but we all think it's worth it or we wouldn't be in the ball game.