Black belt test fees

I'm testing for 1st dan black belt this Saturday and was told that it will cost $500 and that this is a kukkiwon fee, not the choice of the school. I've been looking around online though and found that the prices different dojangs charge is drastically different -- anywhere from $150-$500. I was wondering what everyone else paid for their black belt tests and if anyone knows the breakdown of what the money is going to.

$500 for first dan is not kukkiwon.

At least not when I tested oh so long ago.

about 150-200 is Kukkiwon for 1st dan I believe.

They should have a website, maybe a faq is there.

By the way, why do you feel the need to get a kukkiwon blackbelt?

Plus the other dojos might just be doing studio or association black belts...thus the prices.

[This message has been edited by Uriel (edited 06-14-2004).]

I don't necessarily feel that i need to have kukkiwon, it's just that that's all my dojang is offering.
I looked on the kukkiwon website, but couldn't find any breakdown of fees.

I can see if I can contact someone about it today.

If you don't think you need a kukkiwon then maybe you can talk to your instructor about it.

$500 is a bit much. I mean I know *I* could use that money for other things than a piece of cloth that costs $3.50 at the store.

Just curiuos...what was the costs for your color belt tests and how many belts do you need to get to black belt?

Meanwhile you can look at this site. It shows the kukkiwon to be about $100.
http://members.tripod.com/~sabecker/truth_about_world_taekwondo_fede.htm

[This message has been edited by Uriel (edited 06-15-2004).]

Kukkiwon 1st Dan - $70.00
Kukkiwon 2nd Dan - $90.00
Kukkiwon 3rd Dan - $120.00
Kukkiwon 4th Dan - $150.00

Anything over and above these costs are at the discretion of your instructor. Only a Kukkiwon-certified 4th Dan and above can sign off on your application for a Kukkiwon certificate. So, is your instructor a 4th Dan, or does he need to have someone else sign your application? If so, it may be part of his $500 fee.

To answer your question, I paid $400 for my black belt test/certification 2 years ago.

Hope this helps and good luck on Saturday.

NancyP

$500.00 is not uncommon, hey don't you have to write some type of term paper relating to MA too. My BB was $300.00 for testing and a three page esay on how MA has changed my life. (1983)

schanne,

I, too, had to write an essay - that was the easy part :-).

NancyP

$500 for any test!

Go tell the kukkiwon to **** themselves.

You can't possibly be this gullible.

JohnL

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JohnL:
$500 for any test!

Go tell the kukkiwon to **** themselves.

You can't possibly be this gullible.

JohnL

[/QUOTE]

agreed. another amazing example of why TKD and the belting system in general is a joke.
why do you need a belt to tell you that youre a skilled martial artist? what does an essay have to do with anything?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 1st Round KO:
agreed. another amazing example of why TKD and the belting system in general is a joke.
why do you need a belt to tell you that youre a skilled martial artist? what does an essay have to do with anything?[/QUOTE]

That's what the Koreans do, take it up with them. (You wonder why I switched to Goju??!!)

Personally I had my kukkiwon belt so I could compete in international and national levels.

Now the rules have changed so that you don't need kukkiwon for most of it, even at international level.

So yeah, go buy yourself a belt at the store and get a denny's placemat. You'll have the same skill and you would have saved yourself a lot of money.

And I too had to do the essay. Why? So it can be shown that you can apply your head for more than blocking kicks with it.


[This message has been edited by Uriel (edited 06-15-2004).]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by schanne:
That's what the Koreans do, take it up with them. (You wonder why I switched to Goju??!!)[/QUOTE]

Hey Schanne

I hate to tell you, but the Japanese are just as bad!

JohnL

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JohnL:
Hey Schanne

I hate to tell you, but the Japanese are just as bad!

JohnL[/QUOTE]

I know, but the Koreans are notorious for high testing fees and the essay thing. Look on some of the TKD sites, they even have the essays posted to read?! It's just not your first Dan either, had to write one for my second and third too.Each one had to be longer and more in detail pertaining to your life and MA. I hated writing those essays.

The color belt tests were all $50 except red 4, which was $100. There's 13 tests before your black belt, i think (we have 2 blue levels, 3 purple, and 4 red).

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Uriel:
I can see if I can contact someone about it today.

If you don't think you need a kukkiwon then maybe you can talk to your instructor about it.

$500 is a bit much. I mean I know *I* could use that money for other things than a piece of cloth that costs $3.50 at the store.

Just curiuos...what was the costs for your color belt tests and how many belts do you need to get to black belt?

Meanwhile you can look at this site. It shows the kukkiwon to be about $100.
http://members.tripod.com/~sabecker/truth_about_world_taekwondo_fede.htm

[This message has been edited by Uriel (edited 06-15-2004).][/QUOTE]

Monica,

You are getting screwed hun.

TKD under Kukkiwon has 10 kups.

10-everyone starts out here automatically
9th-1st test
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1st kup
1st Dan

So that is 9 tests before black belt, not 13.

You basically paid for 4 extra tests.
The increase in $$ for the other tests is absurd too. Nothing increases in value for color belts. You could get a color belt with certificate on the paper for about $15-20. Anything above that is profit for the instructor.

Bottom line is...unless you feel the need to pay for your instructors car payment...don't get your BB through him.

Shit for $500, I will send you *MY* Black Belt LOL.

As for the person that hates Essays...why?

Monica

If part of the fees are to "register" you at the Kukkuwon (sp) lets just say "the home office."

If you can, you need to make sure that its actually done.

Sad but true--many organizations that are based in other countries simply don't ever get you "registred."

Not just Korea, many of them.

If I were you I would double check.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Uriel:
Monica,

You are getting screwed hun.

TKD under Kukkiwon has 10 kups.

10-everyone starts out here automatically
9th-1st test
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1st kup
1st Dan

So that is 9 tests before black belt, not 13.

You basically paid for 4 extra tests.
The increase in $$ for the other tests is absurd too. Nothing increases in value for color belts. You could get a color belt with certificate on the paper for about $15-20. Anything above that is profit for the instructor.

Bottom line is...unless you feel the need to pay for your instructors car payment...don't get your BB through him.

Shit for $500, I will send you *MY* Black Belt LOL.

As for the person that hates Essays...why?[/QUOTE]

Uriel, I just don't like composing anything long and drawn out on paper, especially for MA. It's a persoanl thing.

Uriel, Thanks for your help. What is your position? Are you an instructor or something or did you just do a lot of research?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Uriel:
Monica,

You are getting screwed hun.

TKD under Kukkiwon has 10 kups.

10-everyone starts out here automatically
9th-1st test
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1st kup
1st Dan

So that is 9 tests before black belt, not 13.

You basically paid for 4 extra tests.
The increase in $$ for the other tests is absurd too. Nothing increases in value for color belts. You could get a color belt with certificate on the paper for about $15-20. Anything above that is profit for the instructor.

Bottom line is...unless you feel the need to pay for your instructors car payment...don't get your BB through him.

Shit for $500, I will send you *MY* Black Belt LOL.

As for the person that hates Essays...why?[/QUOTE]

We have 11 rank before BB and each test for the rank is $25.00 which includes your belt.
1. White
2. yellow
3. advanced yellow
4. green
5. advanced green
6. red
7. advanced red
8. purple
9. advanced purple
10. brown
11.advanced brown
black

Monica,

No problem. I've been around a bit to know what is what. That's all [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif[/IMG]

Schanne,

As for the essay test. Personal thing? Okay. I'll leave it at that. We all have our own personal things, so I understand where you are coming from.

11 belt levels before black? What "federation" do you train under?. All I can say is WTF is 10.

dang i hate money.

My school Black Belt fee is $150.

Colored belts are $35, and there's 10 of them.

Annual membership fee for our association - $9.00

I'm feeling that's a pretty decent value.

not bad. you said association fees? Which association?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Uriel:
Monica,

No problem. I've been around a bit to know what is what. That's all [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/wink.gif[/IMG]

Schanne,

As for the essay test. Personal thing? Okay. I'll leave it at that. We all have our own personal things, so I understand where you are coming from.

11 belt levels before black? What "federation" do you train under?. All I can say is WTF is 10.[/QUOTE]

Nop fed.eration

I didn't pay for my black belt. I earned it.
The only money you shold have to pay is if you are getting some sort of certification of rank through any org. Kukkiwan is out of Korea, so it's gonna be expensive, but you'll get a little card with your pic and name on it!

Hello Everyone, I'm new to this forum.

Yes, I believe that the Black Belt testing fees are outragous, especially here in So Cal. I have spoken to other parents about their fees and it seems at par with my son's studio.

His fee was $480 for his 1st Poom Certification (incl. certificate, ID card, belt w/his name and school), PLUS 3 or 4 private lessons at $80- each (or as they put it, "exam preparation" classes) were mandatory.

Now, he's coming up for his 2nd Poom, but this time for a $580 fee (plus 3-5 prep classes). Part of me says to screw it, but then again my son has invested his time to go to the next level (and tuition) only to quit(?).

I may bite the bullit one last time and have him quit once he gets the 2nd Poom cert in his hands. The Kukkiwon cert is only important to me because if he ever takes up TKD again, no matter what school, he can still retain his belt and rank.

Let me tell you, at the Gracie Academy there is no mass group testing, promotion/testing fees (other that tuition) or any other fees. An individual is only promoted when the instructor see's that they are ready. We all see it everyday in our TKD studios, people being promoted to the next level when thay are clearly NOT ready.

Bottom line, it's a business.

I agree the fees vary quite a bit.

I paid
$190 for my first dan
$290 for my 2nd dan
and $390 for my 3rd dan, the tests were all in from 1990 to 2001 and I understand they have risen since then. We also have to test through Kukkiwon so perhaps this helps a little.

and I only have recieved an actual Kukkiwon certificate for my 3rd dan (I got the ID card as well). But our organization has went through a number of political advancements as our Kwa Jang advanced to 9th dan. But my wife is a 1st dan and did not get a Kukkiwon certificate.
That I think is indicative of the problem with the Korean system.
There was an excellent article link posted on another thread that explains the history of the ranks and of TKD in general that helps to explain the system and its geneology. Here it is http://www.sos.mtu.edu/husky/tkdhist.htm

When I took TSD/Tang Soo Do the testing fee was (I don't remember now) somewhere between $50 and $150 because I don't remember it being extreme. But I took it at a 'McDojo' type place so the fee was fairly low. I'm taking TKD now and have a few years from testing for black. So , I'm not sure what the fee is where I'm at. But 500 is pretty extreme...

I read not long ago that the WTF president had misdirected over $3,000,000 in association funds. I wondered how a tae kwon do organization would have a spare 3 million to loose. Now I can see. With those kind of promotion fees multipled by thousands of students they are are making millions. I don't think it is necessary to charge such high fees.
Jerry Beasley

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JohnL:
$500 for any test!

Go tell the kukkiwon to **** themselves.[/QUOTE]

Ditto!!!

That's crazy!....and I'm in the wrong job!

Our school has 8 tests to achieve your black belt.

White
Yellow
Orange
Green
Blue
Blue with Red stripe
Red
Red with Black stripe
Black

The cost for each belt varies. Beginner levels (Yellow, Orange, Green) about $40 CDN. The intermediate levels (Blue, Red Stripe) about $50 and advanced levels ?????.

We have discounts for families, that is if more than one family member is testing.

I have been told that the black belt test was about $500 CDN ($350 US).

It seems reasonable to me to spend $500 bucks for a professional to spend 3.5 hours evaluating your skills, about $140/hr.

That's about the rate for a good dentist or a cheap lawyer isn't it.

Has anyone here factored the cost of running a school, the smaller schools need some cash to cover the proportionately higher overheads. Up here in the Great White North heating and electric bills can add up particularly in the long dark winters.

[This message has been edited by tkddad (edited 10-21-2004).]

[This message has been edited by tkddad (edited 10-21-2004).]

I wonder what the fees are for a JKA bb certification from the honbu dojo or Aikido honbu also. Any ideas

oldman

Testing fee's..... This is an upsetting topic for me. As I have lost students from parents not understanding the BB test Fee. But this does not worry me as these people learn their lesson when they move to a new town/school and see the differances in the type of training most american schools offer and fee's. The Kukkiwan fee for first don should only be $90 dollars.
It is at the discretion of the instructor to charge what he/she belives is right. Some instructors dont charge to much for monthly fee's so your testing maybe more, maybe an instructor will charge allot for monthly and little or no testing fee, Or maybe the instructor doesnt charge at all and hits you with a big black belt fee or maybe your in a Belt factory school where you pay for every little thing allways having to buy a new uniform test all the time 2-ten stripes for each belt. So many different backgrounds and ways to do things, some schools have stripes and and tripple stripes, some stick to traditon and just wear a white belt until their white belt becomes black.
With todays society it waters down the ancient traditions of the arts. Back in time Students did manual labor for training brought gifts to the instructor for their lessons.
Now in the present people have food stores to get their needs and dont need gardens worked on for training etc. So now people pay for classes and belt fee's. I paid $40 bucks a month for my training, from 4pm-10pm at night 6 days a week I trained & I only paid $300 for my 1st BB test's, Hapkido,Taekwondo.
I didnt argue, I didnt investigate, I remained loyal and trained, I would of paid a 1000, who cares its only money. From the arts I have received and vigourus hardcore military style combat training, their is no amount of money that could pay back the guri to my master for what he has passed down to me. If it's something you want you will pay for it. I am fortunate to have trained under 3rd generation HKD, And I tell you as an Instructor now if you want a black belt from me you will pay for or Work it off. Their are not many Black Belts in our art, Their are few, they are ellite. If you obtain a BB in our art you definetly become. Their is no doubt's, no faulse hopes. So all of you arguing about your testing fee's stop being the everyday americans trying to find the best deal for your buck, Cuzz their is no amount of money that can pay for the knowledge, ancient knowledge you receive. If you have a good instructor you should know, become martial artists, Remain loyal, pay your dues, manually work it off. Cuzz if all your worried about is money, or how much you pay for the belt you obvisously dont get the understanding of that BB level.

[This message has been edited by Ajacks (edited 10-22-2004).]

Aaack! Where to start? I'm so grateful I don't have to grow my own vegetables...and what's so bad about being an American? Yikes. It is kind of hard to for me to find your point, but I do agree with what I think may be your point, Ajacks, (unless the fact that you are elite is your point. That I could never ascertain over the web [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif[/IMG]).
I paid very little at my instructor's school, and could afford only that little. At the same time I was so grateful for the training because I was impressed with the quality of it. I saw other people paying much more and getting what I considered less quality instruction and training. I am also sad to see my instructor struggle each year, not gaining the financial success of those other instructors. I now train in another art in which there are no test fees. This instructor, too, doesn't make any money teaching. In fact, I think the school is losing money. He luckily has a benefactor in a high ranking student.
I think the problem is not in paying for what we get as martial artists (I consider what I have gained from my teachers priceless), it is in paying through the nose for something that later seems is poor quality training. That's what I see when I read threads like this.

[This message has been edited by hkphooey (edited 10-30-2004).]

my instructor really trains us out in both things, (we do taekwondo and also alot of hapkido)a black belt test in our school can take anywhere from 3 hours to 5 hours or more. i had to pay 500 for my black belt test, soon im coming up on 2nd degree im not sure how much its gona cost. but we get marble certificates with our picture school etc etc