Gift ideas for taekwondo instructor at promotions

[rnorwo1]

Hi,
My DS 10 will be promoting to black belt, and evidently it is customary/required for the child to write a letter and give a gift to the instructor in order to promote I talked to someone who has her blackbelt already and she said most people give taekwondo posters and things like that. However, his walls are filled already, so that's not something I really want to do. I have been googling Korean gifts and there are some pretty boxes out there, but they can be kind of pricey too.

Any recommendations for something, hopefully less than $25-30? Thanks for any ideas!

 

[Singinglizzie]

I think your taekwondo studio is unique. I have heard of some Do Jhangs where the instructors give each new black belt a gift! Our studio does not have the custom that yours does. I think the gift is symbolic. I'm sure a food basket would be appreciated. How a bout a gift card? We gave starbucks cards one year, and that turned out to be a hit.

 

[averill94]

WHen my son went for his blackbelt he had to write the letter but did not give a gift.

May I ask how much it is costing for the black belt test? If I knew how much it was I really do not think I would have done TKD for so long! My son does not go anymore- middle school just got to heavy for him. The test was $500!!!!!!! I really questioned the master on this but was told that is how much it is for them to send to Korea bla blah blah.

So big fat check but no gift

 

[mommyjam]

WHen my son went for his blackbelt he had to write the letter but did not give a gift.

May I ask how much it is costing for the black belt test? If I knew how much it was I really do not think I would have done TKD for so long! My son does not go anymore- middle school just got to heavy for him. The test was $500!!!!!!! I really questioned the master on this but was told that is how much it is for them to send to Korea bla blah blah.

So big fat check but no gift

Wow!!! It is only $175 for the 1st dan black belt at my daughters studio, and that includes the new uniform with their name embroidered on the belt. But we are a very low key studio, we dont have a dedicated studio, they use one of the meeting rooms in the local hospital.

 

[rnorwo1]

Thanks for the responses. Yes, the gift should definitely be symbolic, so I guess I should just choose something and stop stressing about it. I just didn't want to do the poster thing that everyone else has done.

I honestly don't know about the cost yet... the tuition is more each month than most studios because all of the promotion costs have been included in it. This will be the first one we'll have to pay for. For some reason I think it'll be in the $100 range, but not sure. No way we can do $500!!

If anyone has additional ideas, I would love to hear them!

 

[Cindyrellablue]

I'm 1/2 Korean...and live in a community that is mostly Korean. It is very common to give someone a box of fruit as a gift, especially teachers or when you visit someone in their home. I don't know that I've seen many boxes of fruits in American grocery stores, but we have many Korean ones around here that we can go to. I would put together a nice basket of large Fiji Apples or Persimmons..as they tend to be more popular.

 

[rnorwo1]

I'm 1/2 Korean...and live in a community that is mostly Korean. It is very common to give someone a box of fruit as a gift, especially teachers or when you visit someone in their home. I don't know that I've seen many boxes of fruits in American grocery stores, but we have many Korean ones around here that we can go to. I would put together a nice basket of large Fiji Apples or Persimmons..as they tend to be more popular.

Thanks, I love the idea of staying "traditional", and it's affordable!

 

[cam&phoebsmom]

My son is testing this fall for his black belt. Here we do not pay for any of the tests nor is gift giving customary. Each student does get a plain black belt and then you can order an embroidered one.

One neat thing I think they do is they give red roses wrapped in black satin ribbon to the mothers for their dedication to their children and the sport.

 

[PrincessIsis]

I have been in Tae Kwon Do for 3 1/2 years now. Have tested for 1st and 2nd degree black belts. I have never seen or heard of anyone giving a gift at black belt promotions, but I'm sure this tradition varies in different areas. The most I have done is giving the younger instructors small gift cards at Christmas.

For what it's worth, my first degree test was $350 and second was $425. This included belts but had to buy the black belt uniform separately.

 

[chiefdragon]

My DH and I own a TaeKwon-Do Studio in the town. We do charge for the black belt test. The fee is $400, but it does include the following: a heavey duty black belt with their name and rank, a a new trimed uniform, locale certificate, a national organization certificate number and signed by a grandmaster, and we purchase all the boards. We don't accept gifts from the students for testing, we feel that they day is all about them and it should shine not anyone else.

 

[hurtfam]

My instructor is celebrating 10 years of business this year, and I too have been considering a token to show appreciation. I've been trying to come up with something symbolic and am considering a Korean hand plow (small gardening tool) because of all the "seeds he has planted." Too corney? Thanks for the feedback.

 

[rnorwo1]

My instructor is celebrating 10 years of business this year, and I too have been considering a token to show appreciation. I've been trying to come up with something symbolic and am considering a Korean hand plow (small gardening tool) because of all the "seeds he has planted." Too corney? Thanks for the feedback.

OP here: I spoke to our instructor after stressing about this, since it was "required" for the black belt. He stressed that it should be completely symbolic, and he suggested something homemade like a picture, so my DS10 ended up painting two koi fish swimming in the yin-yang pattern... he's a pretty good artist, I think, so it came out really well and it just cost me the canvas (half price at Michael's!) The instructor seemed to really like it.

So, I personally think the plow idea is very nice. If he is as caring/involved with the kids as our instructor is, then he should be touched by it.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Wow I can't believe how pricey it is for some of you! My 11 yr old DS got his black belt last spring. It was $100 for testing and that included the new belt and the black belt uniform. He did have to write an essay answering a question but to my knowledge there was never any gifts offered?

For normal monthly cost I pay $133 per month for my 11 yr old black belt DS and 9 year old green belt DD. Belt testing for the lower than black belts has run about $40-$50 each time.

 

[MineMail]

My DDs became "Deputy Black Belts" at 11 yo. The studio said that they couldn't take the formal black belt test until they were 13 years old.

Our studio charged a flat fee ($25) for all the tests, which covered the studio time (cancelled lessons), boards and new belts. There was a "Black Belt Club" for the highest-level students, which was an $20/month additional fee, but had dedicated group classes each week. Maybe Master C. built most of the black belt cost into those classes? I think the actual black belt test fee was supposed to be $100, but the uniform had to be purchased separately.

I really liked the kids' involvement with TKD, mainly because the owner/master was excellent in managing his classes and the students. We still thank each other in Korean, lol.

When they reached the Deputy Black Belt stage, the girls lost interest since they would have had to train for an additional 2 years before being eligible for the full belt test. They weren't that invested in the sport, didn't want to compete and they never enjoyed sparring at all.

I love the idea of the student writing a letter and a gift of fruit is charming! Great suggestion.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Thank you for the idea of giving a fruit basket. For black belt tests, our instructor (9th degree) comes from Korea once a year. We do not give gifts but I think it might be a nice gesture and certainly one that will make him stand out!