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

Then all the more reason why you need a proper written contract otherwise this family are going to do you over every summer!

[Edit you need a formal written contract that you've drafted for the provision of your services]

The language to use is that you need to offer the slots to others for the rest of term and summer.
I would not expect to pay a tutor over summer but I'd not be at all surprised if they filled a slot after I cancelled or stopped needing them, especially if there was no contract.
I'd only pay someone as a retainer, for work they aren't doing, if there was a contract in place or they were absolutely overbooked and essential to me. I guess I'm cheap that way compared to others.

This ^

The OP seems reluctant to let us know what is in the terms of their contrcat regarding notice, retainer, pay rates etc.

From this reluctance I suspect they don't have a proper written contract covering those areas and are relying on some vague oral contract that allows them to be exploited.

They need to get proper contract terms written up covering eg notice periods, sickness, holidays, annual/term/session rates and then make sure their clients comply with those terms.

OP might need to pay for some professional legal and costing advice...

You are at liberty to set your own terms&conditions.
Your customers are at liberty to choose a different tutor if they don't like your terms.

What would be reasonable would be to say - "Obviously you have decided you don't need my time as a tutor over the summer. I am sure you understand that I still need to eat and pay rent over the summer so I will be doing everything I can to recruit new students. That means I can't guarantee that I will have time in my schedule to re-start tutoring with you in September. It might be that all my time is booked with new students. If you want me to hold your weekly slot for you to guarantee you will be able to resume in September, then you'll need to pay a 50% retainer over the summer. If you choose not to do that, that's fine but you'll need to take your chances and contact me when you are ready to resume and I'll let you know if I have any availability."

They aren't wrong, though.

And if you're bothered about language, stop writing GCSE's with an unnecessary apostrophe. It doesn't inspire confidence in your ability to help with homework tutor.

If this is a yr11 child you were quite naive to think tutoring would continue beyond their exams!

Really every September you should be setting out the weeks that academic year in which you are teaching and you should be clear with parents from the off how many weeks they are expected to pay for. You should also set out a clear notice period eg 6 weeks. It sounds like you haven't operated very professionally - if you had done the above from the start the confusion would not have arisen.

Tutors generally charge high hourly rates of £30-£40 per hour, this reflects the fact it's insecure work and is factored in to the cost.

We pay our tutor for the hours he does. If he cancels or we cancel we do not pay him.
Same as the cleaner.
Cash in hand jobs are like that.

I feel sorry for this kid who has been tutored every single year for their entire school life from how it sounds. What a sheltered life - can't see them going very far in a workplace environment.

You keep ignoring the many, many contract questions so I'm assuming you don't have one which needs to be resolved asap otherwise this issue is the least of your potential problems.

It's not too late to introduce a contract to your current clients . In fact the end of the year is probably the perfect time. Just say you're formalising your way of working and planning for 2025/26, share the contract with them and ask them to confirm for next year.

I've never heard of a self employed tutor being paid holiday pay.

Tutors I have encountered charge for single pay as you go sessions or require a block booking of X amount of sessions. In addition they offer holiday sessions to get children ready for the next academic year which are open to everyone, not just clients already on their books.

You are lucky to already have one family that pay you when you're not actually tutoring as this is definitely not the norm.

I think you need to go back to the drawing board with your business plan, right down to the fundamentals:

• how much income do you need - day to day living, pension, sick pay, holidays
• what are your business expenses - insurance, equipment, travel, tax
• what is your working capacity - how many hours per week, how many clients can you reasonably fit in, peaks and troughs

The combination of these factors will result in an hourly rate, and a set of terms and conditions will make sure you can plan more securely for your income.

The amount you reach might seem high at first, and you can vary it by working more hours/diversifying/offering specialist services etc.

Unfortunately you can't really just go self-employed on a "I'm good at this and want to work flexibly" basis - you need to take responsibility for the cashflow.

What are the T&Cs in your contract though?

first reply nails it, what is in your contract?

If you want people to pay you a retainer over the summer, then it needs to be in your contract. You should also have a notice period in the contract.

Another reply also nails it - you are self employed, so you should be charging enough to cover the 13 weeks of school holidays.

I would assume that by default tutoring is only during term time, and in the case of end of year exams that the tutoring ends after the exams even if school is still on for a few weeks afterwards.
Every time we had a tutor, they have been proactive in confirming dates in advance. But never was I asked to pay for a retainer over the summer - this part is cheeky, especially is not agreed in advance, as most people don’t want tutoring during this period.

I'm confused and surprised by this. I'm also a tutor, I'm self-employed so I only get paid for whatever hours I teach my students. Most of them stop the moment their exams are over. Most like to continue over the shorter holidays and others prefer to take a break. Very few continue through the summer.
I don't make much in July and August but my income is very stable and sufficient September-June and I have bumper months in March, April and May.

You haven’t answered what your contract states? I’m assuming you didn’t bother with the retainer in the contract, nor did you price the job accordingly. So you’ll have to give them
notice, and if they want your services in the future will have to agree your new terms.

Rethink your contract so that next year is for a minimum number of weeks.

Meanwhile explain that if they want to keep their slot open, they'll need to pay until the end of term.

If they want to continue online, that's an option.

You just need to plan better. Talk to your customers about their requirements and then balance things out. If your income is seasonal you need to manage your money accordingly to keep savings to keep you going through the quiet times.