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.

sounds like you don't have contracts, is that right?
It would be a good idea to start introducing contracts. It will remove all this uncertainty.

You need contracts in the future with all your families.

It is possible he is working and this is not as urgent for him. You can give him 48 hours and say, ‘I am sorry not to have heard back. As discussed earlier I will be taking on new clients to fill up X’s slot. Please do get in touch in September and I will see if I can accommodate you, but I can’t promise this. Hope you have a good summer. ‘

Most kids doing 11+ and grammar school exams will need summer tutoring right?

Can’t not have the income from them too, I teach part time, a large bulk of my income comes from them

Yes, I am introducing a contract in September, but for summer I can’t

Yes in September I will make changes, but I need to sort the summer

Yes maybe he’s been tied up or forgotten, it’s obviously much more important to me as has been on my mind all day.

Do you think his reply seemed positive..or negative…?

I wouldn’t be expecting him to come back and agree to pay you OP.

Ok, but it's not the case that you aren't earning at all for 3.5 months is what I mean.

Anyway, there have been dozens of suggestions of how to diversify your tutoring on here, which you've mostly ignored. Perhaps it ought be worth looking over them again.

From his response do you mean?

I haven’t ignored them, I will be going in this direction from September onwards
I was just wondering about opinions about this immediate situation, it’s okay.

i do think they should have paid you something at least 50%. They will need you back from September so what do they think you will do over the summer where no one else is going to need a tutor? This is why a contract is so important.

You can't really take anything from his response, other than he didn't say no, on the spot. At least you're getting it all sorted from September, moving forwards.

If you need money now, you need to chase new opportunities now. You're currently waiting for ONE client to fill your wallet over the summer. In all likelihood it's not going to happen.

You're an experienced tutor. Do a Google search of tutoring agencies and do a mail shot, asking about work. Send them a copy of your CV. You may think the hourly rate will be lower through agencies, but I get the same rate, agency or private.

Look for tutoring companies, and see if they have work available (I'm thinking along the lines of Kumon) although THIS will be lower paid.

Get on tutoring groups on Facebook. There are always parents on there, asking for tutors. Check them daily and JUMP on any posts ASAP. Have your spiel ready to go.

Currently, you're sitting there, bleating about ONE client. I'd be bankrupt if I relied that much on one client.

Currently, you're sitting there, bleating about ONE client. I'd be bankrupt if I relied that much on one client

Absolutely. It's a dangerous position to be in. They could, at any time, decide they don't want to continue the lessons for whatever reason. They might decide the child doesn't need support any more, they might decide your teaching isn't bringing the desired results, they might move away, they might find a cheaper tutor, they might have a change in family circumstances and not be able to afford it etcetc. That's what tutoring is like. People come and go so you need to have strategies to replace people quickly and also always have extra money in hand for lean months.

I won't be working much over the summer but I've made sure to save money during the year so that it doesn't matter. Some students are coming towards the end of the holidays to get ready for a smooth start next year. There are always people looking for tutors for short periods of time over the summer to revise work from the previous year or to get a head start on the next year.

It's a good idea, as others have suggested, to read through the posts again for advice on how to boost your income for the summer, and how to set clear expectations with all your clients.
The following threads, coming up in the similar threads section, also contain very useful advice. Worth reading through and taking the advice on board.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5224671-when-would-you-expect-to-get-paidwhen-would-you-pay?reply=140343789

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5033763-would-it-be-fairer-to-be-paid-for-these-days?page=1

Hi OP. I might be wrong but it sounds like you have asked this client to pay you over the summer and are waiting to see if he agrees, possibly explaining that you need the income? If so, I feel there is something that you still haven’t quite taken on board. You needing the income is neither here nor there, and not relevant to your discussions with the client. You need to put a very simple choice: to hold your spot for September, you will need to pay a retainer fee of £X. If you wish not to pay this then I cannot hold the spot and may have committed to other clients come September but you are of course more than welcome to get back in touch late August and I will let you know my availability.

apologies if I have got this wrong!

OP, as you don't have a contract in place you don't have a leg to stand on asking for current clients to pay you over the summer when they don't need you.

Get a contract sorted asap and look to take on new clients for the summer. Unfortunately this is a lesson to learn about running a business and agree that you shouldn't be so reliant one one client.

Yeah, I wouldn’t say he sounds positive & if I was him I wouldn’t be impressed with you asking for more money last minute for your own poor financial planning so on that basis I’d be happy to stop using you anyway

It isn’t my poor financial planning though. It’s a pause by them of 3.5 months, last minute, without warning and earlier than expected (my other families I tutor for either stop in over a month or continue through the summer)
I can’t stop for 3.5 months, then they just call me when they’re ready again (which was 2-3 weeks after term had started last year.
Due to this, I think it’s a fair request

Yes this is what I said to him.

Of course it's poor planning. You've worked with them almost 3 years and left it until the very last minute to have this conversation. They're doing the same thing they did last year, so it isn't a last minute change.

It is poor planning. They did the same last year so you should have foreseen this same scenario happening and broached the subject with them a lot earlier.
You've never mentioned this as being an issue before and you don't seem to have a notice period that parents are aware of either so that means that under the current system any family can stop, any time they want.

Even under a system where they have to give a month's notice, or they have to pay until the end of the summer holiday, or they have to pay a retainer to keep their place, any one of your families can give notice and that means your financial planning also has to be good to cover any times when you have fewer students which could happen if two or three give notice at the same time (eg. at the end of the school year when they don't need lessons any more). You can then take on new students but sometimes even if you have a waiting list, the people waiting can't come in the slots you have free, or people don't want to start until September.

If I was the Dad in this scenario I'd be pretty pissed off that you suddenly sprung this change on me without notice and were asking to be paid a retainer over the summer to keep the place which comes across very manipulative. Pay up or you lose the slot. It's fine to have that as part of your terms and conditions when people sign up because they can then decide whether to start the lessons or not, but it's mighty annoying if a tutor does that last minute as you have done.
If it were me I'd be ringing around tutors to see if I could get a place for the child for September and only if I couldn't would I pay your retainer.

Of course it is your poor planning, you do not have a contract or clause in place for this, therefore they are completely within their rights and allowed to choose. YOU now last minute want them to pay you for providing no service. That is your poor planning. I wouldn’t be impressed and I wouldn’t keep you on for that reason.

If you get the bulk of your income from this family- what will you do if you just don't hear from them again? Can you realistically fill the slot?

It honestly doesn't look like you'll hear from him. Though I hope I'm wrong. As others have said lots of good advice for your business going forward and everything is a learning curve. Hopefully you'll not have this type of situation again

You think they just won’t reply to
me after me writing them a nice message, working with the daughter and building a relationship with them for three years and being extremely flexible with them many times.
If so, then I am better off without them tbh and it will be upsetting