Is it cheeky to ask to be paid over the holidays?

I work in a similar field. I send an email to my clients offering two options. Either continue over the summer (Albeit on a reduced schedule around holidays etc) to guarantee their space in September or take a break over the summer on the understanding that I may not be able to hold their space. Totally reasonable and fair.

It’s mind blowing to me that children/ teens would be tutored over holidays!!!

I work in a similar field. I send an email to my clients offering two options. Either continue over the summer (Albeit on a reduced schedule around holidays etc) to guarantee their space in September or take a break over the summer on the understanding that I may not be able to hold their space. Totally reasonable and fair.

Why aren’t you being paid per session? No other arrangement makes sense in this scenario, surely?

I think it's fair to explain the situation that you'd love to continue working with them etc. But it leaves you in an unfortunate position of not being able to accept other clients and rejecting other work holding the gap for them and you can't promise that youll have the same availability in September. Explain that other clients pay for the missed sessions to hold the space and you can also do this for them if they'd like or they can see your availabilityin september. If you had a cleaner who cleaned every Tuesday and you went away for 3 months i'd not expect that cleaner to be available when i return for every Tuesday. Why would you be any different

What does your contract say?
Our tutor is every Wednesday in term time and £28ph so £56 a week. There are 39 weeks in the term and we are given the option of paying weekly (£56) or monthly (56x39 /12 making £182 over 12 months). Monthly is our tutors preferred method.

Unfortunately OP, if you don't have a contract you don't have a leg to stand on with regards to charging a retainer. Everything needs to be set out clearly when you first start tutoring a child and not making it up as you go along.

If you don't currently use contracts, you could start using them from September for current and new clients. Explain that you need to make your business financially viable and that clients will need to sign up termly. Or whatever conditions you want to impose.

Exactly this!

make your mind up.

why didn't you sort this out after what happened last summer.??

You are being unreasonable to mainly work with one family. I would not want to pay for tutoring in the holidays. It would put me off having you back. I suggest you get a temporary summer job to cover your shortfalls. There's lots of temp work around in many places.

What does your contract say? Do they have to give a months notice?

People who say it’s like paying your cleaner during the hols.
What about your physio you see every 2 weeks, do you pay them when they’re on hols or you are on hols?

It’s called being self employed. 🤷‍♀️
If you’re asking for payment session (which is what I’ve always seen first tutors) then you dint get paid when there’s no session. Up to you to plan around the hols/adjust your prices etc….
Or review the type of contract you have with your clients.

Also if one client makes the majority of your income, that’s a really unsafe place to be as a self employed person. You might want to review that too.

This exactly as we have with our tutors. Any extra holiday tutoring for exam prep is done outside of normal payment blocks and we pay per half term.

Omg such aggressive replies! What's wrong with people.
I've used all manner of tutors from totally flexible as and when, pay as you go, and one with a contract for a short time.

Absolutely! I’ve not known a private tutor do anything other than this….

Please answer the questions regarding the contract you have. If -as I’m starting to suspect- you don’t have one I’m not surprised you are so unorganised.

Everyone I know who uses a tutor agrees upfront :

1. If lessons are term time only or year round
2. Whether lessons are for a fixed period (eg until GCSE, 11+ exam etc)
3. Cancellation period if the student can't make a scheduled lesson (usually 100% fee if they cancel within 24 hours of the lesson, 50% within 3 days or nothing if further out than that).

That's the clearest way for all concerned.

You keep saying this, but your opening post said
"Their child finishes their exams in a couple of weeks"

so you should be able to see why people refer to them!

I don't know. I'm not you and I'm not your accountant.

I don't know what your annual business and personal costs are and I don't know what your income is from your three client families.

Only you can work out what you need, but professional help from an accountant would help you.

[Edit plus I don't know what the going rate of your competitors is and what your market will stand]

(I've always worked as an employee as I had no desire to lead a precarious self-employed or freelance career. But if you wany to do that you need to work out what your costs are and how much profit you want to make)

When I tutor I charge for the sessions I am providing and the price includes planning and marking. I charge if they cancel without 24 hours notice but do not charge if they have a week's holiday for half term. Most have continued some tutoring over the summer break from school but if they didn't then I wouldn't charge them but would let them know the time and day they currently have may be filled and they may have to have a different day and time when they return.

You can ask them to pay some kind of retainer but they may say no and take their chances on their return
I have all this sorted when I discuss tutoring with them and they sign an agreement.

How can you not know that tutoring will end when the child has done exams?

Never rely on one family for main earnings. As PP have said, the hourly rate should cover holiday pay, prep, admin etc which is why it seems a lot to people who don't understand how many unpaid background hours there are.

Talk to families way in advance and book in summer sessions. If they are away, then you can't get them to pay you. But if they book a session and then don't use it, because they go off at the last minute, they need to pay. You can also explain that to ensure they can get a slot with you once summer is over, they will need to pay a retainer, otherwise you have to accept new clients and your books might be full. That is only fair!

Plan for quiet times by advertising summer catch up sessions and group workshops for children who are falling behind. Send these to your existing clients. They may spread the word among friends.

You need to be way more proactive in how you generate work. Good tutors have long waiting lists.

I can only speak from back when I was the student but we always only paid as needed - my tutors charged by the hour, got paid by the hour, if they weren’t needed there were no hours to be paid.

I don’t see how it makes sense unless you have a contract and are exclusive to these students? Might be different nowadays.

This too ^

Plus I agree with other posters that you need to suggest to this family that if they don't want you over the summer then you will have to find other clients to replace the income lost from them, and may not be available to them again after the summer - unless they want to retain your services for a fee...

You need to make it clear in your contract that they pay a retainer over the summer even if no lessons, or potentially forfeit the space in September. Equally if income is important all year round perhaps offer short term sessions or workshops in summer to other children to be “school ready” or maintain progress to offset the loss of individual lessons.