Music teacher - unpaid fees. (asking for friend)

[supersop60]

My friend, like me is a peripatetic, self employed music teacher, working in several local schools.
She has an issue with a parent refusing to pay for music lessons (already received) because the parent is not happy with the child's progress. My friend says that said child never practises at home.
I think that she should take (or threaten to take) the parent to the small claims court. The school is refusing to back the teacher and refusing to give the parent's home address. All my friend has is an email contact.
Any suggestions?

[Slightlyperturbedowlagain]

Our school lesson payments are administered and by the school, it sounds like an odd system for the parents to pay directly. Does she have any sort of contract? If so who is that with? And even with a verbal contract, surely the deal is obvious that she delivers lessons not progress. If the school is not an academy she could approach the LEA. If it's an academy then I think I would be tempted to threaten the school with the small claims court, as I suspect the pupils parents details might be forthcoming then. Next time I would suggest termly payment up front or no lessons.

[ellesbellesxxx]

Does your friend give the parents terms and conditions or a contract?
I am surprised she did the course of lessons without payment.. I refuse to teach a child without payment upfront as been stung by cheeky people before

[ellesbellesxxx]

A lot of schools locally don't deal with pAyment.. we deal with parents direct

[supersop60]

I don't know about a contract. In this school, the agreement is that payment is in arrears. At other schools, it's in advance. I teach at 3 schools and they all have different ways of paying.
It seems that the school have washed their hands of the matter, which seems desperately unfair.
My friend has agreed to waive the term's notice period (the child is giving up lessons), and the mother is still refusing to pay.

[AlexanderHamilton]

Is your friend in the MU? They have helped a friend of mine with similar non payment issues.

[CauliflowerSqueeze]

It's a mess. Friend needs to insist on lessons being paid for in advance and not retrospectively. It depends on the contract which has been created. Normally the contract is between the music teacher and the parents and therefore the school will not give over any contact details or be involved. It's not unfair that the school have washed their hands of the matter - it's nothing to do with them. The teacher only uses the school for ease.

[FlowerFairyLights]

Our school days a term in advance and have to sign up for a year.

Although cheques are takenninto school they are payable to the teacher.

[supersop60]

cauli friend can't insist if it's going against what the school has always done.
It IS a mess.
Anybody have any thoughts or knowledge of small claims court?

[Buggerlugs123]

Where I work the school receives payment in advance and then I invoice school. I would be very worried if school didn't back me! I also have the contact details of every pupil so can contact if necessary. What have the parents signed up to? I have taken one parent to small claims-I won!
Good luck

[CauliflowerSqueeze]

She can insist, absolutely. Just because they've always done it doesn't mean it should continue. She puts herself in a very risky position if the situation is that she provides a service and has no way of collecting the money.

[thisismadness77]

I would hope she is an MU member.

[Slightlyperturbedowlagain]

The teacher only uses the school for ease.
I'm not convinced that is the case if (a) the school are using peripatetic music teachers to partly meet their varied curriculum requirements for ofsted and (b) the teaching is in lesson time on school premises.
However I suspect that unless the MU can help it won't be cost-effective to pursue legally, (which maybe what they are all counting on)

[thisismadness77]

The MU have ways of finding the address, often they pay after an MU letter/email.