I'm having beginner lessons at the moment. My teacher sits in front of me and look at me. Hands positioning, how I press the notes (he notices when I don't press near the fret), upstrokes/downstrokes and why in that particular time... He is there for me and not the opposite. From what you say I think you were unlucky with your teacher. About the money, playing and learning music is not that cheap. Here in Italy music lessons usually cost a bit more than lessons to help school boys with their homework, to give you a clue.