Tuition ts & cs

[AnotherCancelledLesson]

A quick one for anyone who has a regular weekly tutor for their DC. Would appreciate input on what are reasonable terms for payment and cancellations.

I was a teacher for years and then became a private tutor. It’s my sole income. Each child is allocated a slot which is booked up in my diary on a recurring weekly basis and isn’t available for anyone else to book. I teach English so most pupils are with me long term for entire school years, as opposed to having a short series of, say, ten lessons.

When I first set up, I was very accommodating about cancellations but people did take liberties. For example, I had one parent cancel 5 out of 7 lessons on the same day. It really hit me financially to have so many people just cancelling lessons at short notice. I also had some take the entire six weeks off for summer then expect to pick up again in summer.

I then changed my ts & cs to include a clause where anyone cancelling within 24 hours of the lesson would need to pay the full price. This massively reduced cancellations. I also put a clause in which said I’d only allow people to take a four week holiday break before offering their slot to another pupil. I do at least now get a bit of work over summer.

I’ve just had a parent message wanting to cancel Tuesday and I can’t put anyone else in the slot so I lose the income. I also still have lots of parents taking two weeks off for holidays.

If you’ve got this far, thank you! I’m not an unfair person and I want my clients to be happy. I just can’t afford to keep getting hit each week as my income each week is pretty unpredictable.

How do your tutors charge? What are their terms if you cancel? Would it be unreasonable to ask parents to pay for a half term of lessons which includes lessons over holidays, and retain the lesson money if they can’t make a lesson and I can’t fit them in elsewhere? My hourly rate is at the high end so I’m not sure if I should just be absorbing the cancellations. I think parents would resent paying for holiday lessons as they are so used to cancelling them, but with staggered term times I literally have about 12-14 weeks a year with barely any income.

YABU - continue to charge hourly each week and let people cancel for free with 24 hours’ notice

YANBU - move to charging in six half termly payments and still charge if people miss a lesson for any reason

[quote OnceaTeacherAlwaysOne]@AnotherCancelledLesson I tutored for almost 20 years as my sole income (English ). I sent all parents my T&Cs at the start of each term.
I invoiced them for the half term and expected full payment at the 1st lesson.

I made it clear that I gave no refunds except at my discretion for exceptional circs ( such as a car break down or something like that if it was a long term parent.)

Before that, I'd have parents cancelling so that their child could go to a party after school etc, or be on the footie team (why were sports given priority over my lessons?) and of course, term time holidays if they took them.

I was tutoring up to 15 hrs a week, and no way could I lose around £100 a week if pupils cancelled.

Make it business-like and they will respect you more.

Parents don't get refunds for ballet, swimming, or whatever else they book after-school.[/quote]
Absolutely- it’s surprising how many parents take the piss if you let them!

@underneaththeash

I suspect that you'll just lose clients if you impose a half termly minimum. We have an english tutor and we'd just chose someone else.

24hour cancellation is normal.

No, it's not.

24 hours is hopeless. No one else can fill that slot unless it's pupils wanting ad hoc lessons. It becomes far too complicated especially as each lesson is prepared especially for that pupil.

I always had a waiting list. Parents respect you more if you behave in a business like way. There is a shortage of good tutors. I never had to advertise and got pupils through word of mouth.

OP I'd not worry about carrying on lessons over the summer. I never ever did.

If you are offering a good service, parents will always come back or recommend you to their friends.

If you are desperate for the cash and need work over the summer, running a week's 'summer school' on one week is better than the odd lesson here and there.

Spot on @OnceaTeacherAlwaysOne

I don't charge for cancellations for genuine illness, Covid reasons or exceptional circumstances. But this is discretionary.

Anyone wasting my time is let go. And their slot is immediately filled. Tuition is a choice for the tutor as well as the tutee.

People cancel then and usually include the last week or two of the summer term and usually the first week or two of September. It’s often 8-10 weeks. I don’t see them for all that time but currently hold their slot open for September and have to turn other prospective pupils away as I’m technically booked up. I can’t expect them to pay for all of those lessons, but I also need to find a way to be sure they will actually pick up again in September

You need to change your fee structure. I don't think it's unreasonable for people to want to take a break during school holidays so you need to adjust your schedule to accommodate this and you need to think of ways to provide different holiday provision to keep your income stream open.

I used to teach English abroad and also did extra tutoring on the side. I charged a month in advance, so the parents weren't having to pay a whole term up front but also meant I wasn't having to chase people for payment every week (so my accounting was made easier) and it was much easier to charge people for missed lessons if you already had their money than if you had to ask them to pay when they cancelled/at the next class.

My policy was that if you cancelled with less than 48hrs notice I would offer a 50% refund and less than 24hrs notice would be no refund. If there was a genuine emergency I would waive the fee but not if "emergencies" were happening frequently (eh a broken leg vs the fourth "stuck in traffic" cancellation of the term). I also had a month notice period so that I could line up new students to take over their slot without being left without income. With regard to holidays, I would allow students two "authorised absences" per term, ie if they were going on holiday they could miss two classes without charge but I had no obligation to offer a replacement class, that way they could take holidays during term time but I wasn't losing out. If they wanted to miss more than 2 classes in a term then the 3rd class would be charged at a 50% retainer fee

I only held classes during term time - during the shorter holidays I would offer different classes and charge accordingly for those. I offered intensive classes to students which were always popular in the holidays before exam periods (eg a 1hr/90min class every day Mon-Fri for the half term); playschemes (small groups where we did fun/themed holiday projects and activities for a morning/afternoon) and extra one off classes either for new students or students who wanted help with specific issues (I tended to offer "taster sessions" during holidays, especially if I had a few gaps to fill in my schedule, as it meant they could try the class and then sign them up to start once term recommenced). This meant I could charge differently - I had a fee of €20 an hour for regular tutoring but for the "Holiday intensive classes" I would charge €130 for 5x daily 1-2-1 1hr classes and €50 per person, per session (max 6 students) for a 3hr morning/afternoon playscheme. Depending on the demographic of my students I would tailor what was offered each holiday (eg if I had a lot of secondary level students preparing for exams then I would prioritise the intensive classes, if I had more primary level students then I would prioritise playscheme sessions)

During the summer holiday I would charge parents a 25% "retainer" to hold their session time for the next school year, so for the 8 weeks holiday they paid me the equivalent of two classes which wasn't a massive amount but meant that people only paid to keep their class if they really wanted it and I wasn't turning new students away only for my existing students to cancel just before the new term started (and if they wanted to cancel in September then they needed to give a month's notice so I'd still be paid the sumer retainer and those classes while I found a new student to fill the gap so I wasn't too out of pocket). I worked in Span where the summer holidays are July/August so I always took 4 weeks off - usually the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August, which was funded by the extra income I made from holiday classes. For the first two weeks of July I would offer summer play schemes and intensive lessons like in the shorter holidays and in August I would offer one off "revision and review" sessions on a first come, first served basis. These were more relaxed classes to ease students back into the new term where we would review the stuff they had learned the previous year, see what needed a bit more practice and start looking at what their expectations were for the upcoming term. That meant that in our first "official" class of the new school year we could hit the ground running rather than taking a lesson or two to get back into the swing things.

Obviously your holiday provision will depend on your student demographic and their needs but offering separate holiday provision and term time provision is the best way to maximise your tutoring income.

Parent here. I pay for guides/Scouts termly and swimming monthly with no refunds if absent, but all are group sessions. I pay for a tutor which is a weekly session - but cancellable/movable at short notice but I know we are an add on rather than a relied on income and the flexibility works both ways.

I would look to a half termly or even termly contract - but I think you might need to look at payment terms as I would not be able to pay a full term in advance.

Or you could even do a school year contract from Sept to July taking into account certain times off - say 2 weeks at Chistmas 1 at Easter payable in monthly installments perhaps cancellation at a months notice. You could run that for 10 months with 2 free lessons in July for those who stay the course.

In terms of summer I'd offer bookings in June -deadline of 1st July if they want their usual slot over the summer. After that the book what they want around their holidays (and pay/sign contract to pay at time of booking) enabling you to take on others.

Bookings by 15th August (with deposit?) for guaranteed usual slot in September. After that you have spaces available to others and will fit them in if you can...

You've got to get a bit more determined to claim your living but at the same time be aware that life happens and sometimes things don't work out. You will also know your students and their parents. Some life is a calamity, some just take the piss!

@thewhatsit

I think it’s right for lessons to be term time only. That’s how most extra curricular activities work with extra holiday or short courses for those that want them.

We used tutors for two years and they worked on this basis. They offered daily group sessions within half term and other holidays, so you could have your child go to them every morning for a week with other children. (We did similar with swimming as dc progressed a lot faster with a daily lesson than weekly.)

We paid ours weekly with cash in an envelope but I wouldn't expect that now tbh, I would expect to book a half termly block and pay by bank transfer in advance. If child missed lesson through illness or whatever, tough on us.

We treated our child's tutors with respect and consideration but a lot of parents don't, some just take the piss and do what they like. I wouldn't blame you for tightening up your Ts & Cs, you do what you need to to protect your income stream.

My one of kids’ tutors charges termly and asks for a deposit at the end of the school year to hold the same slot for September. The other says any slot not used for two consecutive weeks will not be held (he accommodates illness on a discretionary basis). So with him, we have to find a new slot in September which has worked out okay but it’s a risk.

I think you’ll find parents happier on the whole if you accept most don’t want tutoring over the summer and adjust your fees to ensure you have enough income to see you through that fallow period.

I'm a tutor.

I charge half termly in advance. Each half term is payable in full for all lessons. If families don't attend, they get a video lesson made for them to do at home.

School holidays are completely optional and parents just pay for what they want. I also run booster camps and mock exam days which are a good earner. I have some students who only attend in the holidays.

Before this arrangement I had a 24 hour cancelation policy which really didn't work. Everyone wants a set weekly slot so it's unusual to be able to sell odd sessions.

@CagneyNYPD1

Spot on *@OnceaTeacherAlwaysOne*

I don't charge for cancellations for genuine illness, Covid reasons or exceptional circumstances. But this is discretionary.

Anyone wasting my time is let go. And their slot is immediately filled. Tuition is a choice for the tutor as well as the tutee.

What I used to do, @AnotherCancelledLesson like @CagneyNYPD1, was to be flexible with loyal parents.

My tutoring days excluded Fridays (that was my 'day off'.) If a loyal parent had missed their lesson for a genuine reasons I'd fit them in if it suited me on a Friday, or I might extend my working day to fit them in.

I included this in my T&Cs saying that where possible I'd offer than another day /time but no guarantees.

Sadly, some parents think that tutoring is the poor man's relation (in teaching) and regard it as 'pin money' especially if they see your home and think it's nice/ better than theirs!

They rarely appreciate it's the equivalent of a teaching salary, but without the perks of pensions, paid holidays and so on.

Oh, and I charge a retainer deposit over the summer to hold spaces. It stops people disappearing and leaving you in the lurch.

We've had a tutor for 18 months now. It is term time only, but we do also have sessions sometimes in the holidays. The holiday sessions are booked for different mutually agreeable times/days to our usual slot (we both prefer it to be mornings so we have the rest of the day free). Some holidays DD needs a rest from it all or we/she are away, others DD actively wants to go.
I pay weekly by standing order. I haven't had to cancel a session yet and have no idea what her policy is on this, but she has cancelled a week ahead a few times (and I cancel the payment for that week), so I would expect a similar level of flexibility in return. If it was shorter notice than a week I would expect to pay. I am self-employed in a different field, and this seems fair to me (and better than what I get when clients cancel). If I was a serial cancel-er I would expect a stricter cancellation policy to be in place though. It would be sensible to have a strict cancellation policy, which can then be waived for otherwise good clients who need to cancel once in a blue moon.
When DD or tutor have needed to isolate, we have run the sessions via Zoom. DD doesn't get as much out of Zoom, but it is a reasonably compromise in the circumstances.

Fellow tutor here. I invoice monthly for tutoring and I check beforehand if there are any dates they can't do and try to move it when possible. I expect invoices to be paid within a week and I ask for 24 hours notice otherwise I charge. By invoicing monthly, they tend to stick to their slots and not cancel unless it's short notice, in which case, no refund.

I also run courses for HE families, in which case they pay termly or, if it's a fixed length course for the whole course in advance. No refunds are offered on these.

It definitely pays to be business-like and set out your expectations up front. I don't insist on lessons in the holidays but do offer them to anyone interested. A lot have lessons in half terms and maybe a couple over the summer. Christmas and Easter I now take off unless I have exam candidates who are really keen!

@melj1213 So many good tips here! Thank you.

Mine sends me a message 48 hours in advance of the class asking for payment. Once paid, you won't get it refunded, however you just don't pay if you don't want to attend that week. If you miss a couple of lessons, she won't guarantee your spot anymore. I personally wouldn't use someone who asks for several weeks up front as I simply couldn't afford it. I also wouldn't use someone who insists we continue over the summer holidays.

DS uses a language tutor- abroad, so tutoring is all online. We buy blocks of hours and use them as and when. It suits us to have a lesson each week at the same time, so he has a recurring slot booked. We can cancel without penalty on the same day (although we wouldn’t unless a dire emergency came up).
But we know that this is not his sole source of income, so a little different I suppose.

Thanks everyone. Having read all of your ideas, I definitely think I need to be charging for a half term in advance, assuming holidays will be taken off and won’t generate income, and offering refunds on a discretionary basis.

I’m still not sure what to do about not seeing pupils for two months over summer and then having them resume their slots in September. It means I’m holding slots open (unpaid) despite having a waiting list of pupils keen to start.

Option 1: no fees or retainers over summer. Just book them in on a ‘first to confirm and pay for the half term’ basis in September.
Option 2: after a month of no lessons, charge them 50% of the cost of remaining lessons (probably a couple of weeks) to reserve their slot.
Option 3: charge a retainer deposit over the whole of summer to hold the slot in September, deductible from the first half term’s payment
Option 4: once they’ve missed 4 consecutive lessons over summer, allocate the slot to another pupil

My mum tutored for years and not once did a parent offer to pay when cancelling a lesson. Her friend used to sell blocks of lessons and if you missed a session it was tough she was sat waiting.

@PrivateHall

Mine sends me a message 48 hours in advance of the class asking for payment. Once paid, you won't get it refunded, however you just don't pay if you don't want to attend that week. If you miss a couple of lessons, she won't guarantee your spot anymore. I personally wouldn't use someone who asks for several weeks up front as I simply couldn't afford it. I also wouldn't use someone who insists we continue over the summer holidays.

Just to be clear to anyone wondering, I’ve never insisted parents pay over the holidays. They’ve all been free to cancel for the full six weeks. The problem has been some parents also cancel the last week or two or term and the first week or two of the new academic year, meaning I can’t allocate their place to another parent but they are ‘reserving it’ for a period of something like 10 weeks.

I want to be very fair to parents but also need them to know I plan my diary and timetable around them so need firm arrangements.

*week or two of term

some parents also cancel the last week or two or term and the first week or two of the new academic year, meaning I can’t allocate their place to another parent but they are ‘reserving it’ for a period of something like 10 weeks.

But why couldn't you allocate their place to another student?

You were under no obligation to hold the place of a student who didn't attend classes, the issue is you need to be up front with your terms and then stick to them.

So, if you're going to do classes 52 weeks a year then you need to make that clear, along with your policy for missed lessons over holidays. If you're going to do term time classes then you need to have a clear strategy for the summer - whether that's a % fee to retain a slot, a deadline to confirm next year's classes etc - and stick to it ... if someone skips the last two weeks then that should be covered under your cancellation policy ... if they also don't pay during the summer and dont attend their first lessons back I the new term then they forfeit their session. If you're at the point of having a waiting list then you're at the point where you can afford to drop difficult/awkward students, you have no obligation to any student but especially not to one's who are costing you money.

You need to be very clear and unemotional with very explicit Ts&Cs when this is your business. I just did tutoring as a side gig for extra cash and I still made sure my Ts and Cs were ironclad as I had no intention of being messed around and losing money because people didn't respect my time and the effort I put in to their children's classes.

@AnotherCancelledLesson

Thanks everyone. Having read all of your ideas, I definitely think I need to be charging for a half term in advance, assuming holidays will be taken off and won’t generate income, and offering refunds on a discretionary basis.

I’m still not sure what to do about not seeing pupils for two months over summer and then having them resume their slots in September. It means I’m holding slots open (unpaid) despite having a waiting list of pupils keen to start.

Option 1: no fees or retainers over summer. Just book them in on a ‘first to confirm and pay for the half term’ basis in September.
Option 2: after a month of no lessons, charge them 50% of the cost of remaining lessons (probably a couple of weeks) to reserve their slot.
Option 3: charge a retainer deposit over the whole of summer to hold the slot in September, deductible from the first half term’s payment
Option 4: once they’ve missed 4 consecutive lessons over summer, allocate the slot to another pupil

If you are going to be charging them a half term in advance and you have a long wait list, probably the easiest way to maintain loyal customers but not be left hanging is to give returning families first dibs on sign up (with half term fee) for each half term with a deadline after which you will open up spaces to your waitlist.

Set the deadline a few weeks before the new half term is due to start so you have time to go through your wait list to fill spots. Email any family that hasn't re-upped 3 days before the deadline to remind them they will lose their slot if they don't make payment.

Dealing with partial payments and keeping track of who has missed and if it's a genuine reason or what ever just creates accounting headaches for you.

@melj1213 I think I’ve let them keep their slots and not reallocated them because I’ve developed a rapport with those children and wanted to keep them booked in to see them through their exams / to the end of the academic year etc. I do see that I need to be more unemotional and have crystal clear terms, so that’s why I posted to ask if my ideas for new ts & cs were reasonable.

@NumberTheory Good idea - thanks. This makes financial sense to me. I think that is what I’ll do in September.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply. It’s been so helpful and people were very kind. I’m glad I posted!