Parents not paying for tutoring, getting beyond a joke now

It’s difficult because you know if you get rid of them you get nothing, or you just put up with late payment. As a self employed person you do want to try and keep the clients

Our child has a tutor for a GCSE subject and we pay upfront in ten lesson blocks. I'd demand the payment or say you will be starting legal action and sack off this family. From then on, get your families to pay in advance.

Sorry that meant I run a kids club

Ugh bring a kids club and have this for the whole bloody term. I mean people owing me hundreds do weeks. It’s always the rich ones too

What are they learning that costs 100 am hour?
It's perfectly normal to expect to be paid within 24 hours

My husband has done this with our cleaner a few times and I remind him constantly. He’s like this with me when he owes me (we don’t shave joint accounts, we have costs each so we have similar disposable income) - I have to remind him over and over. It’s annoying. I’ve told him he can’t do that when people are self employed and it’s their wages - he’s better now.
I genuinely think people who are employed don’t realise how big of a deal this is. To them they compare it to a friend forgetting to send a bit of cash they owe.

Give them one last chance, explain you need payment in advance. That’s what my son’s driving instructor does - he does still send a remind though, it’s harder to remember ahead of the lesson I find!

Our tutors (we have a couple across the kids) either invoice at the end of the month (so normally after 4 lessons, we pay). Or they ask for a block up front and ask me to pay once it's run out for another chunk. They're all quite pricey (over 100 an hour) but really don't seem to need paying immediately. Their invoices state within 7 days and the tutor who we pay a chunk to, quite often does a couple of free lessons before he flags that we have emptied the account (i have checked he isnt expecting me to stay on top of this and he isnt, he forgets to check regularly himself).
I'm not defending the parents, you've clearly asked them and clearly work differently to our tutors, so do whatever you need to do to make it work for you. However, I think you're the only tutor I've heard of who needs paying afterwards but within 24 hrs. I'd probably forget too, every week, when parents are super busy and life admin is hard to be on top of, it's tough to balance things and I normally dedicate a couple of hours throughout the week to transferring to various activities, clubs, lessons etc. I think if you need it immediately, invoice for a block up front or ask for cash only.

@Sashavelour65 OP this is how my old boss started off.
She eventually stopped paying altogether.
And I don't mean just me - it turns out she'd done it to tens of people, amounting to millions.

It's a warning shot. Don't work for them.

My piano teacher does it like this - at the first lesson of each month writes an invoice for the rest of that month and I pay there and then by bank transfer for that month. He doesn't offer refunds but will accommodate a reschedule during the month for any lessons which I can't make due to illness etc (which is pretty rare). it works for both parties, puts it on a clear and unequivocal business-like footing and is fair. If you establish something like this from the beginning I'm sure it'd work work well for you. hope so.

Nope.

OP should insist on being paid up front going forward for families like this, or child won't be tutored.

I’d tell all parents that you have a 24 hour cancellation policy so payment be received 24 hours before the start of the lesson. And with pains in the arse, tell them that the slot isn’t their’s until they pay to secure it. They can have a refund if they give 24 hours’ notice.

I translate that as some families value their time far more yours

Get an online calendar such as Calendly. Put your availability in and in order to book a spot, they have to pay in advance. Very simple.

There's no excuse for this from parents. It's easy to set reminders and takes seconds to do a bank transfer
Definitely insist on payment upfront or just drop them if they are difficult.

I use lots of tutors (several children) and they all require payment in advance or within 24/hours and I would never pay late

Not for tutoring. Same as going to the shop. No payment= no goods.

You are now a business and need to act one. Almost all children’s activities are payment in advance - music lessons, scouts, swimming etc.

I’m a tutor and invoices go out on 25th using Tutorbird and payment is due by 1st of the month. It automatically sends out a reminder after 3 days

saves me so much time.

I had my own kid in gcse tutoring last year. I wouldn’t be able to cope with paying something weekly. I paid his tutors in advance.

you aren’t doing it for the kids anymore. It’s your business to pay your bills.

the kids are just a bonus to work with

I have new families starting after half term and just set them up for invoicing. If they don’t pay, no session. I don’t chase them. I don’t turn up. I make it clear in T&C that it is their responsibility to pay or contact me if difficulty

start making moves to monthly invoice. All made by bank transfer as then you don’t need to faff about finding a bank that’s open to pay it in.

many free business accounts offer free invoicing software.

if people mess me about. I no longer have space for them. They remember to pay their bills on time for other stuff. I’m not their PA

Screw that. I always valued my dc’s tutors and paid right away. They are taking you for granted. Either they pay in advance or you terminate the agreement. Good luck to them finding a GCSE tutor at this stage.

Well if they ignore the contract they are in breach of it and you stop providing the service surely? What's the problem?

You're not being very professional about this.

The vast majority of tutors who tutor as an alternative to working in schools and treat it as a proper job, take payment for half a term or even a term.

Parents can't walk out of a restaurant or the hairdresser because they are too busy to pay.

I made an exception once for a long term regular parent who was going through financial issues because of divorce and she asked to pay weekly.
I accepted that and she never missed a payment.

I issued an A4 size doc of T&Cs which made clear when payment was due, how cancellations could be managed. I didn't offer refunds because I had no time to offer another day if there was a cancellation.

I also had to be very tough about things like school trips etc because some parents thought they didn't need to pay for those lessons, or if their child had a sports match after school.

This is because I could easily have 3 of those in a week = lost income.

Explain you’re having to use your time to chase them up, so if payment is after 24 h you’re adding a late fee (1/4 of your hourly rate), and after 3 times you may decide to drop them as a client

This is why I packed in childminding. Some parents think caring for and teaching their children is an honour for you!

Absolutely payment in advance, ideally monthly.

I tutor too - some parents pay during the session and some take up to 7 days to pay. I sometimes send reminders but I don't get anxious about it not being within 24 hours. Some families are very busy, and I understand that.

@Sashavelour65 we pay the day before for tutoring and music. In the past we've had a tutor that preferred cash, so we paid upon leaving. Absolutely don't put up with it!