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 thought it was understood that tutoring is never the same as earning a salary where an employee gets 'holiday pay' and benefits like sick pay @selfemployedwwyd ?

The school year is approx 38 weeks (depending on whether state or independent schools.)

What's your position on all the other school holidays? Christmas, Easter, half terms? Are you charging for those weeks too?

Are you relatively newly qualified as a teacher and in working as a tutor? You mention your child at nursery so I'm assuming you are a younger tutor (rather than an older tutor who's tutoring post-retirement.)

I'm only asking as I tutored for many years, after years as a teacher in schools.

I never knew any tutor who worked 12 months of the year and neither did they expect parents to pay for those weeks. All 'extras' in schools- both state and independent - are charged by the term. Those teachers are not being paid for holidays when they don't give lessons.

The fact parents are complaining about your 'contract' shows you've got it wrong.

If you are desperate to earn more, your choices are -

• Get a teaching job in a school maybe a 0.4 post and do tutoring as extra.
• Be innovative and create some group classes over the summer for children who need some intensive tutoring but who are not your usual students.

You can't expect parents to fund what is your lifestyle choice (tutoring rather than a salaried teaching post in a school.) And it's really not great to say 'Pay me for all the holidays or I won't keep your place in September.'

What you can do is make your contract a half-term commitment (I asked for that payment upfront every term.) You could ask for payment for September at the end of the summer term, to secure their place.

it doesn't help earn you more money but if you want that, why not get a job in a school?

I still pay all of my monthly bills (swimming,nursery...)

Really? If you are holidaying in normal school holidays, why are swimming lessons a) still running and b) not charged by the lesson?

My DCs had swimming lessons and they were like school terms- 10 lessons and no fees over the holidays when lessons stopped.

Surely people book for a session of Tuition on the basis of a number of sessions on specified dates? If you keep to term times this is easy, you can say that pupils may be booked in per term or per year. That payment is for a term's worth of tuition, each term the cost would depend on the number of tuition sessions that term, and full payment in advance would be due by the second week. Late payment means the Pupil is dropped from the Tuition list unless there is a special arrangement, [which would be a rare exception]. Once dropped, a Pupil will go to the end of the Waiting list if they ask to return.

In School holidays you can offer set days for different types of tuition. E.g. revision course with up to say 3 Tutees together for five mornings of 2 hours each over one week to be paid in advance. Or single child tuition for an hour twice a week on specified dates arranged with the Parent and paid in advance. It would mean you could arrange to teach when you were free and plan according to what your Pupils need while being able to earn during the school holidays. The parents can book their child's tuition with you around their holiday if they are going away. But I advise you treat the school holiday tuition on a 'booking in advance' basis with, if not full payment on booking, then a deposit and full payment before commencement of the tuition.

As far as fees are concerned, I only know two examples. One, not a qualified Teacher but has a degree, giving individual tuition in London 6 years ago, charged £80 per hour for a 10 year old and came to the child's own home. The other is a qualified Teacher but been out of the classroom for over 30 years, charging £90 to £100 per hour for children between 8 and 16 in Oxford recently - probably still doing so. Imho this is extortionate but the parents would pay (and do?) just about anything to get their child in to the prestigious schools in Oxford.

I assume that, as you are using your home for your work and seeing clients there, you have all the appropriate insurances in place, e.g. Public liability insurance and Professional indemnity insurance.

My children did swimming courses and you booked them in to the whole course, paying in full in advance before it began. Most courses were 1 hour a week, led to a qualification and lasted 10 to 12 weeks. They were so popular you had to book in on opening of booking or you would miss out.

This. It makes sense and has been tried and tested. By an Expert I think.

@PhyllisFogg

I never knew any tutor who worked 12 months of the year and neither did they expect parents to pay for those weeks.

Our son's tutor didn't work on termly basis at all - he continued through school holidays as normal, but then he wasn't an active teacher, he'd taken early retirement so didn't work to school terms/holidays at all.

I've left this thread for a while.

Really appreciate all the replies.

However, it just shows that threads do run like Chinese whispers!!!

Just to clear up a few points that someone seems to have whispered and everyone has run along with :

I do not charge for holidays. No one pays me for my own holidays. They're unpaid. I do not ask for 8 x£40 over the summer holidays and not tutor (saying this for about the third time!)

The vast majority of my clients have been with me for years - I've taught siblings, cousins, neighbours you name it. I build very strong relationships with my pupils and their families.

No. I'm not newly qualified. I"m an highly experienced classroom teacher and I still do the odd day of supply in school. I also pay for my own self development courses to ensure I'm trained and up to date. I'm not the type of tutor who simply hands out a worksheet. I make a life changing difference to my pupils.

I moved to monthly payment after consulting my parents. It wasn't something that I did on a whim and it's worked very well over the years as it reduces my admin massively (one invoice for the month to send over to the client instead of four) Also, given that a lot of my pupils are children struggling academically, it makes much more sense to continue teaching over the holidays to avoid the learning loss.

I'm incredibly flexible with accommodating holidays (even though technically the contract says that holidays aren't covered, in reality I absolutely do where I can) it's never been an issue before now.

Every job in reality is a lifestyle choice.

With relation to the comment about my income and how many hours I work - It's not that simple. I've already explained due to fault of my own that I have people on different rates. It will all be streamlined this September.

Yes - I have all of the relevant public liability and professional indemnity insurances

I absolutely do pay for all of my own children's swimming lessons etc. They are not term time only. They go through the entire 52 weeks in 10 week blocks. If you don't miss, that's your space gone. My older child is an elite swimmer. I can just imagine her club's reaction if I informed them I was going on holiday that I didn't intend paying for squad swimming whilst I was away! I mentioned nursery from when mine were in nursery - one year I went abroad for 3 weeks. My payment to the nursery continued as normal. The following year he'd moved to a childminder. Same thing except I also paid for her holidays and received no service.

The tutor I use for one of my own children works all year round too.

Anyway. Amazing input all round.

I'm going to go to term time only tutoring but offer holidays to the dedicated who still want it (I'm guessing the majority will but it gives the option) In the longer holidays I will run intensive booster camps. During the summer I will actively focus on 11+ booster sessions. Costs will go up for all in September and I will explain to those on a lower initial cost that I'm simply bringing them in line with everyone else. If I lose them, I will move to my waiting list.

Thank you all for helping me take the emotion out of all this.

Quite right. It's a business not a charity.

And it's really not great to say 'Pay me for all the holidays or I won't keep your place in September.'

Whyever not?

It's not a public service, as teaching arguably is. OP offers a service at commercial rates. People are free to take up that offer as suits them.

Anyone who does not recognise this I would encourage to give their head a wobble.

Not to mention that the OP is willing to continue tuition through the holidays but it's the parents who don't want to. It's not as if she wants to be paid for weeks when she is on holiday herself and not available for lessons. It's the parents who don't want tuition during the holidays.