Is this legal? Agency is banning me from taking private piano pupils

Biska

Owain_Moneysaver said:

Does the agency contract cover both in-person and online tuition? Does it cover all online tuition or just one-to-one? Because if they haven't worded it carefully you might find that, eg, making video lessons not aimed at one-to-one isn't covered. 
As a business-to-business (not employment or consumer) contract there is an assumption that you'll have read and understood it before signing. 

Thanks very much Owain. That's an interesting point, I will be checking it out.  There are other issues in that the agency doesn't like me advertising myself on my own website or social media to get pupils even though I make it VERY clear to potential students that I will be teaching under the agency banner, and I showed the material to the agency. They frightened me into removing my site.  So I have to rely on them for new pupils but they are not finding me any!  I was told that could be "restraint of trade". TBH I didn't realise they would be so difficult to work for.   Thanks for taking the time to respond. 

steampowered

I don't see how the agency could know who you are teaching privately, if they didn't make the introduction? I would be tempted just to not tell them. 

I would just keep the website and twitter up. It sounds like you might be caving in too easily to the agency's demands - when they "jump" you can just ignore them or refuse, you don't have to say "how high". You could just block them on twitter for example !

If the agency was providing you with a steady stream of pupils so that you could teach full time it would make sense for them to require exclusivity, if they aren't providing pupils that doesn't make sense. 

Of course it is open to the agency to withdraw their services if they are unhappy but that's a relationship issue to manage, and if they are making money from you I don't see why they would withdraw.

Dox

Biska said:

Owain_Moneysaver said:

Does the agency contract cover both in-person and online tuition? Does it cover all online tuition or just one-to-one? Because if they haven't worded it carefully you might find that, eg, making video lessons not aimed at one-to-one isn't covered. 
As a business-to-business (not employment or consumer) contract there is an assumption that you'll have read and understood it before signing. 

Thanks very much Owain. That's an interesting point, I will be checking it out.  There are other issues in that the agency doesn't like me advertising myself on my own website or social media to get pupils even though I make it VERY clear to potential students that I will be teaching under the agency banner, and I showed the material to the agency. They frightened me into removing my site.  So I have to rely on them for new pupils but they are not finding me any!  I was told that could be "restraint of trade". TBH I didn't realise they would be so difficult to work for.   Thanks for taking the time to respond. 

Not clear to me why you'd advertise on their behalf - why aren't they doing that? 

Sack them and get another agency - and read the contract before you sign up. Also read the current contract before you terminate it, to see what ongoing obligations you've signed up to.

Smodlet

... And definitely get the MU involved if you are a member.  Why did I not think of that?