Parents not paying for tutoring, getting beyond a joke now

Go to the house and ask politely face to face for the money. I've done it several times and I have had cash immediately. The fact I'm 6ft 2 and big does have an advantage.

Failing that when the kids rock up just say no, your parents don't pay me without lots of chasing, it's embarrassing to repeatedly ask for cash so you need to go home

why not say - I have another client who wants this slot. In order to continue with X I will need to be prepaid the week in advance.

Your job is tutoring not debt collection. They will proably stiff you the last
weeks fee too.

Block payments in advance is the norm I thought. Six weeks or whatever a half term is if you work to term dates. With a reminder 48 hours before the first session if they’d like to keep their slots as you have a waiting list. They’ll soon pay if it’s important to them. If not then remove them from your list.

If she's charging £30 a lesson and they pay per lesson. Can she take them to small claims court for £30?

She would be better off putting them and herself out of this misery. They obviously struggle to budget their money. It would be easier to call it a day.

Surely the easiest solution is to take payment in advance. No experience with tutors, but my driving instructor last year wouldn't start the lesson until I've paid.

I would ask for it in advance. I may be about to embark on similar work but for undergrads and postgrads. dont tihnk id trust them to pay on time!

honestly my husabnd is like the parents you cite and it made my life unbearably stressful and I ended up having a terrible breakdwon

You can invoice for the month so you don't need to chase weekly. That's how my piano teacher invoiced me. If you are away or sick you omit a week in the next invoice that could be in your terms and conditions.

They need to pay in advance. That is what we do with the agency we use for tutoring.

My kids have had tutors and singing lessons in the past and we have always had to pay ahead of the lessons, usually at the start of the month. I would definitely move to this from now on. No payment means no lessons

I'd drop them tbh

Do block bookings! Pay X in advance for X number of weeks

Charge for at least 5 lessons in advance (preferably 10). Agree your terms for cancellation in writing and put these on the invoice. For instance, can they cancel a lesson with no charge if they give you 24 hours or 48 hours' notice? If not, make it clear that if they cancel or don't attend a lesson, it's charged for. Just think about what's the norm in your industry and how much these parents want you. Don't have a lesson if they haven't paid.

I tutor. My requirement is weekly payment, paid after tutoring and before the next lesson or I don't do the next lesson. I don’t charge for cancellations because it is not my main job and I can manage.the odd let down. It works for me.

I have had a tutor ask for payment for the month in advance, together with T&C's saying that any cancellations were still payable. As a self employed person you can make your own terms: I definitely would ask for advance payment in this situation.

I'm a tutor. I don't chase payments. First one is paid upfront. After that they can choose to pay on the day. Anyone I've had to chase more than twice I have let them go.
I'm fully booked

My child's tutor used to take payment in advance for each term. Stop letting people mess you around!

tell them that since they are so late in payments and owe you money you have been deliberately teaching their precious offspring all the wrong stuff

My DS has had several tutors in the past and I paid the month in advance and never thought anything of it! Everything else you have to pay in advance so I don't see why parents should find this an issue.
Also when he did piano lessons, I used to have to pay the term in advance. That's all quite normal

I would just ditch them if you've got others interested. They've had their chance.

Find another student to tutor. You'll spend more time chasing payments than you will give lessons with parents like that.

We pay a tutor for A-levels always paid the day before.
we were told by agency not to pay in block which I would prefer.

but we have a standing order set up so the payment goes out.

I’ve missed 1 payment as I forgot to set up the standing order again after the holidays - the payment was made on the day of the session - I was profusely apologetic.

agree they need you more as it’s their child’s education - starting again with a new tutor will be an absolute pain for them but they deserve the inconvenience.

drop them take the new customer and teach them a lesson they hadn’t paid for

Is Theusday Wednesday?

I like it 😀

(yes, I know, it's a typo)

I pay for a tutor for my grandchild. The tutor's terms are payment of one term's fees in advance, plus a refundable deposit. If we wish to cancel, we either need to give half a term's notice or forfeit the deposit. That seems fair enough, to me.

Maybe you could adopt a similar policy, OP?

You need prepayment for the month and 48 hours notice of cancellation to stop pisstakers like this.

You have bills to pay like everybody else.

Have you looked at other tutors terms and conditions.
Our sons tutor sent them to us before she started and required payment in advance for blocks of one month and also one months cancellation.
Yanbu for being annoyed with them not paying.
But yabu for not conducting your business properly and devaluing your time and experience.