Most stables don't choose how they pay instructors. The first instructor was a friend, so she got a flat amount. The second wanted per lesson. The third came from a stable that paid per rider, and you said yes because you needed Saturdays covered.
The trouble starts on the last evening of the month, when three deals have to turn into three numbers.
TL;DR
There are three common ways to pay riding instructors: a monthly salary, a flat fee per lesson, or a rate for every rider who comes. Whichever you choose, write the rule down once and work out month-end from rides that were taught and paid for.
The three models and who they suit
Salary
A fixed amount every month, however many lessons are taught.
- Suits: a head instructor or yard manager whose job is bigger than teaching.
- Watch out for: it doesn't move when the work does. In a busy summer they carry more for the same pay; in a quiet month, you carry the cost.
Per lesson
A flat fee for every lesson taught, whether one rider turns up or five. Private and group lessons usually get different fees.
- Suits: regular instructors who teach a steady weekly schedule.
- Watch out for: a group of two costs you the same as a group of five, so thin groups can quietly eat the margin.
Per rider
A rate for every rider who actually rides.
- Suits: experienced instructors who help fill their own lessons, and stables whose groups swing a lot in size.
- Watch out for: a group of one or two can pay less than the instructor's time is worth. Many stables add a minimum per lesson: the instructor gets whichever is higher, the per rider total or the minimum.
Write each deal down in one sentence. "Rosa: $30 for a private, $15 a rider in groups, never less than $35 for a group." If you can't write it in one sentence, it will be argued about later.
Whether an instructor belongs on payroll or invoices you as a contractor is a question for your accountant.
The month-end math, worked through
Here's one October at a small lesson stable. All figures are example US dollars, not a recommendation of what to pay.
| Instructor | How they're paid | What they taught in October | Pay for October |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maya | Salary, $2,400 a month | Runs the stable, teaches as needed | $2,400 |
| Jake | Per lesson: $30 a private, $40 a group | 20 privates, 18 groups | $600 + $720 = $1,320 |
| Rosa | Per rider: $30 a private, $15 a rider in groups, never less than $35 a group | 12 privates, 16 groups of 3, 6 groups of 2 | $360 + $720 + $210 = $1,290 |
Look at Rosa's six groups of two: per rider they'd pay $30, and the minimum lifts each to $35.
Now the part most month-end headaches come from: cash. Instructors often take cash at the lesson, so what changes hands at month-end isn't their pay. It's the cash they collected minus what they're owed.
| Jake | Rosa | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash collected at lessons | $1,500 | $640 |
| Pay for October | $1,320 | $1,290 |
| Cash minus pay | $180 | –$650 |
| What happens | Jake hands $180 to the stable | The stable pays Rosa $650 |
A few rules that make this math hold up:
- Count lessons that were taught and paid for.
- Count riders who rode. A no-show doesn't add to a per rider total, unless your written deal says so.
- Decide what a package lesson pays. Either the instructor's rate stays the same and the stable absorbs the discount, or package riders carry a slightly lower rate.
- Close the month, then leave it closed. Once you've paid out, mark those lessons settled so nobody counts them twice.
Doing it without a spreadsheet
Set each deal once. Under Settings → Instructor compensation you build up to three active rate templates, called sets. Each set works one of three ways: Per participant, Per lesson, or Floor, which pays the higher of the lesson fee or the per rider total.
Then you assign each instructor a Monthly salary, a Per ride (earning set), a Floor (per-ride minimum), or any combination.
Month-end is one screen. Open Earnings. On the To settle tab, pick an instructor. Click the button with their name on it (Settle Rosa), check the summary and confirm. Those lessons leave To settle and the settlement is logged under Settled, so nothing is counted twice.
The full detail is in the help centre: Instructor compensation and Earnings. Selling packages too? Lesson packages without the punch card covers how they're counted.
Pick a model, write it down, and let the month add itself up
A salary buys predictability, per lesson pay buys simplicity, and per rider pay shares the ups and downs.
Want to see it with real lessons in it? Nose is free to start, no card. Set up one instructor's deal, settle a week of rides, and check the number against your own.
