Is it cheeky to ask to be paid over the holidays?

[Dogswimmingcompetition]

I work as a tutor. I work for three different families.
Over the summer holidays, one family like me to keep working, one family don’t have tutoring at all over the summer, but pay me year round. The final family is the family I work with the most, I’ve taught their child for almost three years. For the first year it was year round, last year they went away last minute for summer (I didn’t realise this was the plan) and I wasn’t paid all summer. I get the majority of my income from them and found it a real struggle for a couple of months.
Their child finishes their exams in a couple of weeks and mentioned something about our last lesson being in a couple of weeks (much earlier than I expected) This will leave me without pay for 3 months, which will set me back a lot.
I’m unable to commit to other families who have asked for tutoring as they would want all the time, not just in the holidays.
Would it be cheeky to put this to the father and ask if there’s any way they can pay me over the holidays and explain the situation?
I enjoy working with this family and would rather stay with them if possible, I know that i’m valued there also as the mum has told me in the past that they’re keen to keep me/continue with me.

Ah seriously every tutor I ever came across is term time only . No one is going to pay for you the summer months unless you’re Mary Poppins.

Yes, they are wrong. OP is not a ‘cheeky fuck’ for wanting to be paid for holidays, if they want to retain her services.

And by the way, if you’re going to correct OP’s grammar, you should also have corrected @Mrsttcno1 - the correct term is ‘cheeky fucker’, not ‘cheeky fuck’. OP is not proposing to fuck anyone.

The question in the OP was whether it was cheeky. I happen to think it is, given the actual circumstances where she wants this now, and hadn't prepared for it professionally in advance.

I don't think you can take exception to the choice of words when someone reads that you expect to be paid for no work and have opened up judgement of this on a public form. Given her complaint about 'language', it had struck me that she herself had repeatedly made a particular mistake (indicating an underlying misconception about language), which shouldn't be present in someone teaching children.

I highly doubt PP will be tutoring other people's children in the various differences between 'fucker' or 'fuck', each employed as a noun.

Totally depends where you are clearly, where I am we all say cheeky fuck! Which is exactly what it is to expect to be paid when you’re self employed & not providing a service :)

If OP wants to be paid holidays then she needs to either work as an employee somewhere, or state a retainer in her contract. She has done neither of those things and now wants to ask to be paid for nothing, that’s the definition of a cheeky FUCK :)

Uneven income is part and parcel off being self employed. You can't expect people to pay for you when your aren't working. Being blunt, you might get away with it when you are a very very experienced tutor, with a waiting list, if you are good enough that people would think it's with overlooking the cheekiness, but not many are in that position (and it doesn't sound like you are anywhere near being able to make those demands).

Your choices are to either even up your income by diversifying how you work, doing summer work camps, doing online tutoring abroad for students with a different exam session or get a summer job.

Or you accept that summer is quiet, save for it throughout the year, and enjoy the down time. Plan DIY jobs, give yourself a (cheap/ garden project. Go backpacking for a month. Enjoy that you have what very free other people have, with a long summer off.

You're self employed, so seize control of your own destiny.

You can definitely say either and it's nothing like thinking you're right regarding taking GCSE's / buying apple's / having dog's!

@Mrsttcno1 is obviously very confused, as she thinks 'fuck' is wrong because OP doesn't want to fuck anyone, but thinks 'fucker' would be better - because that's clearly not about fucking anyone??

Either way, based on no provision for additional payment outlined at the start, asking to be paid for no work is cheeky, and arguably trying to fuck the the client over.

What an unpleasant person you seem to be. What a shame.
Does it make you feel good to be nasty to others? Does it fill your life up a little more?
I feel sad for you, I hope you can find happiness and embrace it.

You've quoted me replying to someone else (not you) who did not like that I agreed with what another person (obviously not me) said.

I'm not being nasty to anyone. You asked if you were being cheeky. You are. It's not the end of the world someone turns that into (a version of) CF on a forum that allows swearing.

I think you need to calm down. Don't bother feeling sad for me comma splice hope I can find happiness. Spend the summer drawing up contracts and brushing up on general subject knowledge.

You've ignored every question about whether you've got a contract, so I'm assuming that means you haven't got one.

Number 1 - start using contracts.

I suppose you have a few options in terms of how you improve this going forward - a retainer, like other people have suggested, or maybe increase your rates a bit and divide the annual figure by 12, and they pay you monthly (though of course that won't work if it's not set hours each week/month).

Could you market yourself more over the summer, for catch up 'summer school's type session for kids that might need it?

If this is your only income, you really need to be a bit more clued up about your business.

There’s no harm in asking. If my kids tutor (who is great and it took some effort to find someone who’s a good fit) just unilaterally stopped working for me because of money I’d be really irritated that she didn’t approach me and ask for more money first. I’d probably pay more to keep her, depending on the amount. And if I say no then we both know where we stand.

OP: please speak to your clients and don’t expect them to somehow be kind readers. They can always say no. That is fine. And then you decide what to do with that no. Which is also fine.

If you haven’t asked for payment over the summer or a retainer fee before then I don’t think you can expect to suddenly introduce this. You’re not working so shouldn’t be paid. Surely you budget throughout the year to cover lost earnings. Or get a summer job.

This. Without a contract the parents can stop sessions whenever they want. Maybe that’s one of the reasons that they chose you, for the flexibility?
You can ask for a retainer but nothing more than that. You’ve learnt a harsh lesson here, OP.

I know you were replying to someone else.
I’m referring to the way your comments are, not constructive or helpful and just rude, patronising and nasty.

You just sound like a bit of a dick tbh.

Yes, I will do this after the last lesson, thank you 🙏

If you would do a better job all round, there wouldn't be any criticism.

What on earth do you mean do a better job all round? You have no idea how well I do my job or anything about my life.
Go out, enjoy your life, it’s ok, practise being happy and kind…it’s nice to be nice, it will make you feel good I promise.

You expect something unrealistic and it's rude.

You ignore advice you don't want to hear (I was the third reply within 5 minutes of your OP, and over thirty others have endorsed what I initially said on my post, with far more others echoing the same opinion throughout this thread. I also answered your later questions about logistics and next steps, in good faith).

You have the audacity to take issue with taboo language (which, let's face it, was mild in its sentiment) and then take issue with me thinking that's a bit rich in the face of basic errors that an academic tutor / qualified teacher shouldn't make.

Your whole business needs some serious thinking about it you're running out of money, but apparently so good and in demand.

You think it's okay to refer to a stranger as a 'dick' for pointing out where you could be going wrong on the thing you've publicly asked for comment on.

I didn't ask for, and don't need, your advice. I've never had these problems in miscommunication or expectations when tutoring, I'm paid annually for my full time permanent job too, and I don't resort to namecalling when I disagree with someone.

Hi OP, I have tutors x2, we are pre-GCSE so will keep a few online sessions going over summer hols with occasional F2F which is better;I think summer hols are just too long to stop sessions completely, little & often as I tell kids.

But you called me a cheeky fucker 😂

That wasn't me.

I said your punctuation could use work alongside your business skills.

Just asking again because you haven't answered but are you actually a teacher?

Yes, it’s such a long time, one of my families I continue with all summer long. This family will be away in various countries the majority of the summer and want her to have a complete break. They do really want me though, are very casual in their approach and very wealthy (I don’t mean this is the respect that being wealthy could be taken advantage of, more that it would likely be a non issue with them regarding the amount of money it is)
It’s a lot for me though and really makes an impact. I don’t want to lose this pupil as a client though as I enjoy working with this family.

The problem with marking for examiners is that they normally require proof of continuous years having taught in mainstream education. If you've been self-employed for a while, that's hard to get round.

Yes, sorry I don’t remember you asking, I haven’t read every post. Why do you ask?

Simply because 26 seems very young to be relying on tuition rather than teaching as a FT job