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.

You're right. There isn't a lot you can do if they breach the contract but I find that it does put some piss-takers off in the first place. Also, you've decided in advance what to do if someone doesn't show up to the lesson, so they then can't complain when they are charged for that lesson. Mine have to pay in advance which means you're not trying to chase people up to pay for the missed lesson they don't want to pay for.

With a contract I find that the majority of people do actually stick to the terms and conditions and give sufficient notice. There has been the occasional one who has done a midnight flit as it were but if they don't respond within a couple of days I just fill their slot with someone else.

I also agree with you that too much flexibility leads to people taking the piss. If you give the impression that it's some kind of side hustle for pin money then people behave accordingly. Being fully booked and only being able to rearrange a lesson occasionally is a good thing, or giving that impression, even if you aren't completely fully booked.

@Dogswimmingcompetition
Why are you completely ignoring what everyone is saying about how tutoring works?
It goes by term or by block of 10 at a time and is paid in advance, with a notice period for renewing or choosing not to renew.

You can offer holiday tutoring, or get another job. But people don’t pay retainers to keep their spot; they just book for the next term in advance and pay so he should already have booked the next term after summer and paid for it. That’s how people keep their spots with you.

You’ve been given plenty of advice on how to fill the summer time and ways to make money from tutoring during the holidays but you’ve completely ignored it. As you said yourself, it’s quite rude to ignore people.

Agree with all of this

So the dad paid me up until the end of term, but the mum sent a message saying they’d like to pay me but don’t feel comfortable paying me over the holidays.
Tbh it all feels too awkward to return to them in September

*Like to KEEP me, not pay me, that meant

It's only awkward if you continue to blur the lines. If you make it professional like people have advised then awkwardness doesn't come into it. You're paid for your work and do that work by the terms agreed. You don't make your income stream their problem when you're not working for them and you don't see their money as 'my money' that they owe you. Just agree the hours of work and get paid for those, and arrange other work for the rest of your time. The dad has gone beyond already by paying you for the rest of the term so for you to not go back would be the awkward/flouncy/rude thing. If you have another job by then and can't go back, then so be it. But to just not tutor their DC any more because of this issue you've created with unrealistic pay expectations, that feels a bit off.

You have your answer. Find other employment to fill the time and decide if you have space for them in September.

Won’t it be awkward come September?

What do you mean? You think they will be unhappy because you suddenly tried to get them to pay for work you hadn’t done? I mean possibly, but clearly not unhappy enough to decide they don’t need your services.
what would make it “awkward”?? If you find deciding on, communicating and enforcing terms of service awkward then self employment seems like a difficult option!

Not if you're professional and turn up and tutor the DD. That's really all they care about. They probably won't give it another thought if you don't bring it up. And you shouldn't give it another thought either. It's June. Just reply nicely saying you understand and focus on your own stuff for the next three months. If you still have space available by the end of the summer (or sooner if you want it sorted), let them know and if they still want you, you can sort arrangements going forward so everything will be clearer. No awkwardness needs to come into it.

Why would it be awkward? You either fill the spot with another family and give this family your apologies in September or it's business as usual. It's only awkward if you take it personally instead of as the flawed business relationship it is.

You really need to see this for what it is, a business arrangement. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I honestly don't think you're cut out for having your own business, you need to stick to being a full time employee. There's nothing wrong with that, most people are more suited to one that the other.

Sorry to hear that @Dogswimmingcompetition but you've got a myriad of excellent advice from self-employed tutors, who have shared their business models, plus all the general advice. You're taking yourself round in circles now. Gently.

Absolutely. You asked them to pay to hold the slot over the summer. They don't want to and I can absolutely understand why. You dropped this on them when that had never been the arrangement previously.
That means you can now go ahead and find some other people to tutor. If you happen to have a spot for the original family in September you can offer that to them and if you haven't, then you haven't.
There's no need for anything to be awkward.

But before you start lessons with anyone else, for goodness sake, get some terms and conditions in place. Re-read the thread and make some notes on what others do. Also, you can google tutors' websites and see if some of them have their terms and conditions on there. Often they do. That will give you a good idea of what sort of thing is normal.

I think you need to drop the idea of getting people to pay over the summer. People do not want to pay for a service they are not using. What you might find is that if you insist on it, even if it's in your new terms and conditions, people will give notice a month before school ends and then try their luck getting a place with you again in September. I'm sure you do a good job tutoring but I very much doubt that you are so good that you are irreplaceable and so good that people would be happy to keep paying you for months just to keep a place with you.

Dear parent
Thanks for your payment until the end of term. Hope you enjoy your holiday. If you want to get in touch when you come back, I will check my availability.
Kind regards

What's awkward about that?

Yeah, but because of you, not them.

Yup, use that.
It's professional, polite and clear.

Was this reply ok? Obviously said ‘Hi X’ at the start

Why are you putting kisses on business messages?

She did two on mine, always does, we’ve known each other for three years and speak aside from just work things when I go to the home.

Ofgs, leave her alone.

Thank you 🙏

Why the comma splices, when you're meant to be tutoring the daughter academically?

There's some horrible bullying going on here.

No there isn't.