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

🙄

Well, i guess that makes you every bit the entitled child that I feared you might be.

You need to work out a decent contract as a self employed tutor - one which means that you can take on other students over the holiday period and that perhaps allows for a retainer if the client wants to be sure of resuming their classes after the holidays. Otherwise, they'll have to take their chances that you may not be available. Mainly, you have to get your head round the fact that you are running a usiness. Local councils often have small business development advisors, so you may be able to get some help.

Good luck @Dogswimmingcompetition you've had some great advice here from experienced tutors. They've given me a few ideas as well x

It sounds like a lack of communication. The family need to know what you are offering and how much you charge and you need to know what they require and for how long.
Could you write a contract out in specific terms so that everyone involved knows what the terms are?

Have you not been a tutor for very long. It’s totally standard to not be needed once exams begin and no, you don’t get paid over periods you don’t work. You are self employed. Presumably your hourly rate is higher than what teachers get paid because of this. .

Don't worry, this is all stuff you learn as you go along. You could, as I have done in the past, offer some sort of summer holidays coaching making it clear that it is for a limited period?

This. I'm a self employed music teacher and 90% of my students don't have lessons in the 6 weeks summer break. So I save approx 10% of my earnings each month so I can pretty much take August off.

😂

That will put a bee in their bonnet, OP

To be fair, the OP asked the question:

CF is a defined abbreviation on mumsnet.

When I started my businesses I made many mistakes. But the biggest mistake anyone can make is to hide from questions that you don't like, or fail to consider advice because you don't like the way the advice is phrased.

In Self Employment, you have to grow a thicker skin. The OP is 26 - should one be considered a proper adult at that age, and not be triggered (given that none of the criticism is personal, only aimed at actions and behaviurs), or at what age do you think people should no longer expect kid gloves

Your initial post asked for commentary on how it would be seen to ask for payment for a period that you are not working.

Your responses to anyone who suggest that you behaviour is that of:
a) CF
b) immature
c) disorganised
d) uninformed
has been to lash out at the poster.

That, and your original question, makes you come across as quite self-entitled.

If you can't take criticism (on-topic but perhaps not what you want to hear), or be organised enough to have discussed this previously, or have been tutoring for 3+ years without understanding how self-employment works, then I fear for your long-term future in the SE world. Asking how much your retainer should be is a naive question.

It makes we want to ask whether you have setup the necessary structures for self-employment (including liability insurance, for instance), and whether you are properly accounting for Income Tax and Class 2 NICs, or completing Self-Assessment.

If you are just spending the money as though it is nett salary then you are heading for trouble. The lack of a contract makes me suspect that might be the case.

I hope you get it resolved, but I'd advise you to ponder all advice given, not just lash out at the stuff you don't want to hear and ignore it.

Sounds like you need to communicate better with your clients. Unfortunately you will probably have to take the hit this time. For new clients you need to have agreements in place that are written down, eg tutoring is £ per hour, your regular hours are 3-4 Mon- Fri (or whatever) and this runs from x date to x date. You also need to make it clear that if they take holidays etc during the contract the time must still be paid for but if you cancel a session you will either try to rearrange or refund the time.

These terms would be standard for anything like tutoring/dance classes/karate classes etc.

You also need to specify if they won’t be continuing at the end of the contract they need to give you x weeks/months notice to allow you time to fill the slot.

This set up will hopefully avoid you being in their situation again. It is all about communication and setting expectations.

Self employment is all zero hours I’m afraid (as I know only too well). You risk ruining a reliable client relationship if you ask.

Independent contractors generally don’t get paid for not working.

Tutoring is a session-based arrangement and you’re self-employed. You can’t expect them to pay you for sessions they don’t have. You need to build your holidays and their holidays - expect four weeks off as a minimum - into your business model and prices so you aren’t skint and reliant on one family having lessons every week. I tutor and nobody pays me in the school holidays unless they book additional holiday sessions. My lesson charges are higher all year round because I need to balance the dry spells so I can pay myself a working wage.

to be honest if you can fill their slot with a full paying person, - full fee!
if you can manage it possible 20% reduction to hold their place?

In my job, I have people who want similar (differnt field) but theory is the same, but they pay or find someone else - i am that savage with my response!

I tutor online from home and do the other bits in between and in holidays. Fell into it post covid.

I work a lot, but nowhere near as much as the 70/80 hours a week I put in as a teacher. Just find it hard to say no really. You can work as much or as little as you like.

The thing I've got my eye on at the moment is possible examining of digital mocks. This is a service being provided to schools (probably mostly international at the moment) who don't want to set, administrate or mark their own mocks. I'm assuming they'll need examiners although expect some of the work will be done by AI, But could be a nice little earner for flesh-and-blood examiners too.

If that was directed at me I'm not being ageist in saying she won't have much experience. How many years will she have? And she's just said she only works part time. So even less.

It's not ageist to point this out.