To tell clients to just leave

[selfemployedwwyd]

I"m self employed with clients who pay monthly. I work 12 months of the year and take 4 weeks a year holiday which are unpaid - this is all explained upfront.

This year I've had an unprecedented number of clients who've informed me that they're not prepared to pay for my services over the summer as they're 'going on fancy holidays' and won't get the use of my services.

But they want me to take them back on in September once the summer holidays are over and the children are back in school.

AIBU to tell them they're free to go in June but I won't be giving them their space back in September?

I simply cannot afford to not be paid for 2 months. When I go on holiday (unpaid and only UK) I still pay all of my monthly bills (swimming, nursery etc)

I realise the cost of living affects even the wealthy, but it's the wealthiest clients who are doing this to me! For context, last year I earned £15k if that matters. I can't afford to take my children abroad (not that that's their fault I might add, but it does irk!)

AIBU to feel really pissed off and a little bit used/undervalued?

I'm a tutor and I wouldn't dream of charging over the holidays or for their sickness. I just would feel bad.

YANBU. I'm probably going to remove my son from nursery for a month but am still going to pay the fees as after that I'll need childcare again. I can't expect them to hold his place for a month without paying. If your clients want to keep your services in September they need to pay throughout the summer.
Do they tell the council they won't be paying council tax in the summer as they're on holiday?

I'm a tutor as well but I think it's unreasonable not to expect tutees to want a break and to expect parents to still pay when not having lessons. I can't imagine my students not wanting a break over holidays. I expect my families to want a break and factor that into the fees so I accrue holiday pay each month to cover breaks.

This

If I work term time only, I would have to increase my fees just to stand still so to speak.
In your place I'd start by getting everyone up to £40pw, that'll fill a lot of gap already if some are still on £30. Then see how many actually want holiday sessions if they are optional and whether current or non current clients might be interested in holiday intensives (you could survey your current clients for a start), there may not be as much gap to fill as you fear.

The thing you are trying to do is not an easy thing, making a living wage on what, 15 hours or so work per week. Rather than say you need current clients to pay you x, think about what the market can sustain and who you need to sell to. You could also think about looking for clients who are doing GCSE retake in 6th form/FE college and may have free periods during school hours.

Too late for present clients but put into future contract that if there is a break in the contract, then resumption of contract will mean an increase in the rate or a rejoining fee of £150.

It's up to you if you want to charge for holidays - sure they could find an alternative service that dosent otherwise. Or you could consider offering a different charging structure where they don't pay for the summer holidays but they pay a bit more all year around?

You could just add a stipulation that proline that leave are more than welcome to come back but they would need to be on your waiting list to make things fair.

Confused how you earn 15k if you teach 48 wks a year to roughly 15 kids sometimes more sometimes less at 30 to 40 per lesson. Works out nearer £20 a lesson.
I would thank the parents and say yes you could come back in September if there is space. Also let them know in advance that you will be increasing the fees. As you have said you can easily fill the spaces sounds like a good opportunity to get everyone paying the going rate.

I was self employed but not a tutor and was the exact same if I did not have anything to show then I didn't charge ! But I can see it from the other point if people keep cancelling on you makes it hard to know your monthly income. What do you tutor ? 🤣 might be looking for one !

Ask for a retainer over the summer to hold the space ?
I agree with you it would piss me off being dropped & taken for granted not to mention the money

Actually the extra pay for holidays needs to be built into your pay. Raise your prices and they’ll them they may or may not be taken back their risk to leave.

It really depends how much they need/value your service. If they think it’s worth paying to hold a place then they will, if not, they won’t. How you respond is up to you dependent on whether you will be better off losing 2 months or losing the client.

Is that your main income? Presumably you can’t fill their spot at short notice so how do you pay your bills if people randomly cancel on you?
Obviously up to you how you do it, but whatever class I pay for DD, I pay for terms and it doesn’t matter if she misses some. Same with her nursery fees.

More like £18k for the financial year just gone - the year before was about £15k. It varies tbh. That's net after expenses have come out. May/June was £1000 a month, October was £1700 ish. It's always quiet after the exams and then perks right up around October when people realise their kids actually are struggling. It's good money for not an enormous amount of worked hours and works well alongside my husband's work and our home needs.

What are you an escort?

As you say you get excellent results, and receive great reviews and are well-qualified you need to make sure that is all really obvious on your website at first glance.
Perhaps, because you are tutoring school-age children, people may tend to expect you to charge for term-time as standard and that holiday periods will be different.
Maybe you could think about charging for 3 terms of 10 or 12 weeks a year - on a full term or a half term fee as you prefer - and that clients pay for all lessons in a term regardless of any they miss.

You could also think about what amount of tutoring you would be prepared to do through school holidays and, again, offer that as a fixed contract - for example a block of 6 (or 4 or 8 as you prefer) weeks of lessons in the summer holidays that are all booked and paid for, regardless of whether any are missed. Fees for booking one term only might be higher than the fees for classes booked for all three terms.
As everyone has said - you probably need to put your fees up. If you have more expertise than most, maybe you could even charge a little more than the top rate. You can explain to potential clients that yes, they will be able to find tutors who charge less, but those tutors may not have your level of experience and success rates.
As you know you get committed to
your pupils and will work hard for them, it’s also important to know that you will feel adequately paid for the very good job you will do.

Yet they get paid holidays. I always pay my cleaner when I go on holiday.

Me too, I don’t understand why people wouldn’t.

Put your fees up - assume you might be a tutor of some sort? So you charge them the same amount over a shorter period of time.

Plus charge to secure a place like schools in an upmarket place do. The security deposit being paid on last day of June of £300 per child otherwise place is forfeit.

Thank you, I was expecting to get vilified 😬

You probably still will 😂

I tutor. I get paid only for the hours I work, nothing more. Whilst I might take some younger clients on a pay in advance basis, it would only be per half term. I wouldn't expect to be paid for holidays at all. This would mean I wouldn't get paid during August unless I was tutoring then. I have a client who wants August tuition so this covers the loss of students from July.

I've just had a client tell me they're going on holiday so won't need a session. Very frustrating financially but I wouldn't expect payment for a planned non-session.

Maybe charge yearly split into monthly payments.

Just tell them that’s fine but you can’t hold a place for them so if you haven’t got space then they’ll have to join the waiting list again after the summer.