Legal aspects in UK

ney

New member
Hello!

I’m a spanish belly dancer instructor, I came to UK in september and i would like to impart classes here in London, but I have a important question,I don't know if you will be able to answer me but I need to ask somebody! I have been talking with people who said me that here in UK it is necessary a licence to teach dance classes or something similar, and to pay for the music used in the classes and the performances. Is it true?
I would like to know all the legal aspects to be instructor here and if I need some permission to dance in restaurants or similars in England please!

Best wishesss
 

lizaj

New member
Hello!

I’m a spanish belly dancer instructor, I came to UK in september and i would like to impart classes here in London, but I have a important question,I don't know if you will be able to answer me but I need to ask somebody! I have been talking with people who said me that here in UK it is necessary a licence to teach dance classes or something similar, and to pay for the music used in the classes and the performances. Is it true?
I would like to know all the legal aspects to be instructor here and if I need some permission to dance in restaurants or similars in England please!

Best wishesss

Some dance teachers have taken training courses but by no means all. If you are employed by a college or health club they may ask for some kind of proof of expertise. They may also ask that you are checked and passed by the Criminal Records Board. You might be asked to prove that you have First Aid Training. But setting up on your own, if you have the right to work in the UK and you have as a European surely, there is nothing to stop you.No licence I have ever heard of.
One thing you must do is get Public Liability Insurance. Our dance association NADA www.nada.co.uk is starting up an insurance scheme that will cover you for belly dance and fusion and tribal teaching. If you would like details PM me and I will put you in touch with the Insurnce co-ordinator.
 

onela

New member
The UK doesn't have a licensing fee to use recorded music for performance art? Here in Canada we have SOCAN. I thought that the UK loved making people wait in lines and apply for things and pay fees (tv licensing fees anybody?).
 

Aniseteph

New member
Someone has to have a license to use recorded music (just look at all the legal notes on a CD or download where they restrict what you are allowed to do with it...).

I found this: PPL licence but I don't know if they are the only licensing people, and I wonder if in many cases the employer/venue has the license and that covers you - a studio might have a license and you'd contribute towards it with your hire fees. I don't know how it works in practice.

PS Onela - we don't do so much waiting in lines nowadays, they've shut all the good queuing venues like local post offices. Instead you get to thrash about with annoying websites where you can't find the answer, or being on-hold or lost in the automated switchboard with call centres. Progress!!!!!
 
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lizaj

New member
The UK doesn't have a licensing fee to use recorded music for performance art? Here in Canada we have SOCAN. I thought that the UK loved making people wait in lines and apply for things and pay fees (tv licensing fees anybody?).

If the premises has the licence you're OK but that's not a licence to teach just to pay recorded music. If you hire a room you have to check. I used to teach in a church hall and they mostly have them. Dance schools and colleges should have the licences.
 

ney

New member
If the premises has the licence you're OK but that's not a licence to teach just to pay recorded music. If you hire a room you have to check. I used to teach in a church hall and they mostly have them. Dance schools and colleges should have the licences.

Ok yes, in the church you hire they have the licence to play recorded music, but you have to pay them for it besides de rent to hire the church?



Thank you for all answers, they are very useful to me, I'm very lost here and I need work and people said me a lot of different things :confused:
 

onela

New member
PS Onela - we don't do so much waiting in lines nowadays, they've shut all the good queuing venues like local post offices. Instead you get to thrash about with annoying websites where you can't find the answer, or being on-hold or lost in the automated switchboard with call centres. Progress!!!!!

What?!? England is going to the dogs, what is it without the institution of the queue? In my day, it was charming to be a Canadian queueing to use the post office or get a seat in the tea room ;) Where else would English people tell me about their cousin who lives in Ottawa, or sing the Lumberjack song from Monty Python at me? I don't recognize England any more, I don't know if all this so-called progress is worth it :p

@lizaj I would have thought that music licensing programmes would want all persons using recorded music to be individually licensed as a bit of a cash grab, nice to know that it is not necessarily the case.
 

lizaj

New member
Ok yes, in the church you hire they have the licence to play recorded music, but you have to pay them for it besides de rent to hire the church?



Thank you for all answers, they are very useful to me, I'm very lost here and I need work and people said me a lot of different things :confused:

You have to check they( the church's hall ) have the licence. You only pay them rent . They will need the licence for all the events they hold like dances and socials nd other classes. They shouldn't want to pass on the cost directly just within the rent . these are the kind of issues that haave caused venues to raise their rents.
 

lizaj

New member
What?!? England is going to the dogs, what is it without the institution of the queue? In my day, it was charming to be a Canadian queueing to use the post office or get a seat in the tea room ;) Where else would English people tell me about their cousin who lives in Ottawa, or sing the Lumberjack song from Monty Python at me? I don't recognize England any more, I don't know if all this so-called progress is worth it :p

@lizaj I would have thought that music licensing programmes would want all persons using recorded music to be individually licensed as a bit of a cash grab, nice to know that it is not necessarily the case.

Woof woof...
Ruff Ruff;)

No I have never been asked for an individual licence...the licence has on it..Recorded music is played on the premises
I do know teachers who have ought the licence ut that was ecause there wasn't one n the hall they were using.
 

Tezirah

New member
Music License

My understanding is that there are two types of license. PRS Licence (performing rights society) should be held by owner of any premises that allows recorded music to be played (church hall, sports centre etc), PPL (phonographic performance Limited) License is more personal and you need to have this if you plan to use music to teach a class. You could be fined up to £2,000 if caught without one (even if the premises you are using has PRS). On the bright side, it only costs about £90 for the year.
 

ney

New member
My understanding is that there are two types of license. PRS Licence (performing rights society) should be held by owner of any premises that allows recorded music to be played (church hall, sports centre etc), PPL (phonographic performance Limited) License is more personal and you need to have this if you plan to use music to teach a class. You could be fined up to £2,000 if caught without one (even if the premises you are using has PRS). On the bright side, it only costs about £90 for the year.

But I don't understand, the owner of the hall i want to hire is asking me to pay a percent more of the rent for PRS for the music I'm going to use in the hall, and then, I have to pay the PPL too for the same purpose?

And one more thing guys i need to know, when you are working as teacher 2hours per week you has to pay the National Insurance and resgister you for a NI number?
Thank you all
 

jenc

New member
If you buy your own licence you would explain to the hall owner that you have licence and negotiate - as no you wouldn't need 2.

NI is payable if you earn over a certain amount each week. even if you don't earn this much you should register for Ni and declare yourself to the Inland Revenue in case they coma and investigate you. you would then need to fill in tax form at the end of the financial year. Is that 6th April in Spain as well?
 

Eshta

New member
Ney, if you do any kind of work, you must register as self-employed and fill in a tax return. Even if it is only for 2 hours a week.

Good news is that you can offset some of your expenses against it so you won't pay much/any tax!
 

Tezirah

New member
It doesn't seem fair you have to pay extra in rent to cover the hall's license, as this is something they should have as a matter of course and should have built into the hire fee (just as you will allow for the cost of your PPL, liability insurance etc when you work out what to charge for your classes)
 
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