Parent sent ill child to tutoring session, now I have scarlet fever

[GreenCaterpillarOnALeaf]

I’m literally just posting this to complain and because I haven’t actually emailed the parent yet as I need to calm down.

I am a maths tutor and last week one of my parents sent in a very obviously unwell child. She kind of dumped him at my door and ran off, pretty quickly I realised he was way too poorly for times tables so tried to call her and call her to come and get him. He’s 9 and kept asking where his mum was and I felt really bad for him. She eventually picked up and I said please don’t send your child to me when they’re unwell and to take him to the doctors. Long story short now I’ve got Scarlett Fever. I’m so angry and I feel horrible. I am very lucky that FIL has taken my kids so at least I have that but I actually just want my mum 😭. I have been to the doctors and I’m getting treated so that’s all good but I’m raging.

I obviously need to email her an address it but I don’t think I should do it now because it would definitely not be very professional I’d probably just tell her I’m going to hunt her down and cough on her. I’m also going to be out of action for a while so I’m going to lose a lot of money.

Oh, that’s awful OP.

The poor child, too.

Do you have a contract with your clients? Technically I suppose it would be with their parents. Going forward you could include something about expecting poorly children to cancel. Realistically it would probably help if you could offer to ‘endeavour to’ reschedule one cancelled session every X months, as I assume you rightly expect payment for cancellations or late cancellations.

I would use the wording ‘To maintain mutual trust, it is important that clients cancel when feeling poorly, with as much notice as practicable. Of course I will do the same.’ Or similar. It should be vaguely threatening.

Once this us in the contract you should drop anyone who tries this nonsense again.

For now, of course you are raging. The questions are (1) are you positive this client had scarlet fever or could you have picked it up somewhere else? (2) If positive, are you prepared to risk losing him?

If the answer to both questions is ‘yes’, can his parents afford to compensate (part of) your lost income? If so I would approach them in a business like manner and tell them they’ve caused you real harm. If the relationship is to go forward, they need to put it right.

Otherwise, I think all you can do is update your contract.

Very best wishes to you and this poor kid.

That is extremely immoral of that parent! If it is any comfort, DD was right was rain after 36 hrs of antibiotics with Scarlet Fever, but she was only 4.

@IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads This makes me feel a lot better because I was really worried I’ve given it to one of the kids.

@poetryandwine I don’t have a contract but I am definitely going to look into it. I am also definitely not allowing anyone to drop their child off and run anymore, that’s for sure.

Obviously you need a contract going forward and, unbelievably, it needs to cover health of the child.

This is not a family I’d want to deal with.

When I still did face to face tutoring, I had a student from a very high-pressure educational culture, and her son would arrive for tutoring at deaths door. No allowances were ever made for him. I'd give him hot drinks, tissues and sympathy. I'd happily have doled out medicine too but think that would have been over stepping. Poor, poor boy though.

Oh no! I’m so sorry OP. I’m a music teacher and some parents are so shameless!!

Definitely draw up a contract. Hope you’re feeling better soon.