Parents not paying for tutoring, getting beyond a joke now

[Sashavelour65]

This is where I should probably have a written agreement rather than relying on the goodwill of parents as I have done until now.

Started tutoring a GCSE pupil just after Christmas, agreed duration, rate and method of payment were agreed in a phone call before the Christmas holidays.
At the end of the lesson, we verbally agreed to continue the following week.

At the end of the very first lesson the father asked for payment methods and I sent over my bank details immediately after the lesson.
No payment sent, still nothing the next day. I sent a polite reminder, still nothing. 2 days after that I got a 'So sorry I totally forgot!' And a payment that evening with the wrong amount.

I advised on the correct amount, after the next lesson same thing happened. No payment after 3 days, so I texted saying going forward I will require payment within 24 hours of each lesson. They apologised and sent the payment and said they'd set a reminder.

The following week they sent it within 24 hours, so I thought the issue was resolved.

2 days late the week after. This time it's been 4 days and I haven't had the payment.
I've had enough now, they wouldn't do this with another paid service. I am still waiting on Thuesday's payment and I shouldn't have to be chasing up every week. Aibu to just tell them I won't be returning? I feel like they do not respect my time, I don't want to let the pupil down as it's not their fault.

Get them to pay in advance of the lesson or it doesn't go ahead. I had to do that with DD2's maths tutor and it seemed entirely sensible to me!

First post nails it. No idea why OP didn’t acknowledge this.

So at least 4 out of 5 occasions they have messed you around OP. It's not going to change. What's that saying... "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me". I would just replace the client.

Grow a pair and tell them their constant delayed payment is unacceptable and from now on you’ll expect payment in advance or you won’t be providing the tuition. OK it’s not the kid’s fault but you aren’t running a charity and the kid is their CF parents’ responsibility, not yours

Set up new terms - payments to always be taken in advance of the session - and I would do at least a month’s sessions to be paid up front in advance.
the payment once received is then confirmation of their booking.
taking payment for each session each week is a huge lot of admin to be doing, even without having to chase up multiple times!
(I have learned to always take payments upfront as solo self employed)

When DD had a tutor he wanted prompt payment on a friday afternoon for the hours he'd done that week (home education). He was really honest from the word go and said he loved teaching the children but not having to deal with the parents and payments - so it was a "pay up by Friday 6pm or I don't come back" situation. Funnily enough, it made us quite neurotic about paying him...

Money in advance or you dont deliver the tutoring

Most people I use (therapists tutors,etc) now require payment a minimum 48 in advance or the appointment is cancelled. Sad this has to be done, but they mortgages and utilities bills can’t be paid when they feel like it.

Take it as an opportunity to smarten up (or to write!) your business' T&C and get some sensible systems in place. You could use a calendar app to manage bookings, (e.g. Acuity) and get everybody to book their slots on there and the app forces them to pay at the time of booking. Or you could send a Stripe or Paypal payment link as soon as they request "In order to confirm your tutoring slot". I would imagine though that there is software specifically aimed at the tutoring market.

Thank you everyone, just reading through the messages. I've messaged about 2 hours ago stating there have been several late payments and so as of now I'll need advance payments or tuition cannot continue.

I've also messaged the other parent I had to decline due to lack of space, to see if they still need anybody.

I’m not a tutor but I have a similar set up with clients paying per appointment. As others have said you need payment up front and a very clear set of terms that you ask them to sign and return to you so you can demonstrate you’ve made things clear at the outset. This helps if you need to use the small claims process which I’ve used once for a client who was referred to me via an insurance company so was required to pay after the session but didn’t. If people really decide not to pay it can be difficult but it’s much easier to push back if you’ve been very clear from the outset. I ask for payment 24 hours in advance to secure a session, cancelling with less than 24 hours or no show means the full fee for the hour is payable (they’re paying for your time and skill and you can’t use that time to replace the income if you’ve had no notice). If they don’t like it they don’t have to sign up for it.

TBH most people are fine, the ones who are going to mess you about will be easier to tackle. It’s really unfair of people to mess you around. To be honest, the clients I have found are the most casual about paying are the ones with plenty of money as it doesn’t occur to them that the session fee might actually represent quite a lot of money to me.

The point of a "proper" contract is that it's easier to legally enforce if the parents break it.

If you don't have a proper contract they can always say "Oh - the tutor didn't make that clear" or "The tutor never told us" or "We never agreed to that" etc etc

I do online postgraduate tutoring and my students pay in advance. No payment, no session. Sometimes they ask for extra time and the money must be in my Paypal or bank before the session begins. Those are my terms of trade.

@Sashavelour65 I tutored for 20 years- GCSE and special needs. At my busiest I had 15 hours a week which included some adults and home - ed pupils.

Can you imagine if I'd not been paid by even half those parents?

I had cast iron T&Cs.

It was payment for half a term, paid in advance.

It was my income to pay the mortgage and my kids uni costs!

I had written T&Cs which each new parent received and I gave them all an invoice at the end of each term for the next term.

I expected a cheque for 6 lessons at the first lesson of each half term.

If you want to make this a business, you need to start running it like one.

My dog trainer has started enforcing her payment policy after a few no shows. It's specialist training, two dogs and handlers plus trainer . But I had a one-to-one the other week, due to the other pair not turning up. It isn't your fault the pupil will lose out, it's the parents.

I don't want to let the pupil down as it's not their fault.

I would suggest asking the parents to pay 24hrs in advance. If they agree, great, but if they say that won’t work for them, sack them off and remember it’s their parents letting them down, not you.

Most tutors I know now charge up front some are 4 weeks in advance others are 6 mainly because of the problems you are having I know one of them had a nightmare of a time chasing payments and then refusal of payment it’s awful and so annoying they wouldn’t do it for other services like a hair dressers/barbers or petrol station

Tbh i think you should make them pay the full half term in advance so you don’t have any on the day cancellations that you can’t make the money up elsewhere

You’re a business. Start acting like one.

written terms/contracts signed.
payment up front or sessions don’t happen.

All of mine have to pay for a block of 5 lessons in advance. During the last week of the block I send out the invoice for the next block. No payment, no lesson.

I don't have the time nor inclination to be chasing up people who can't/won't pay on time. There are plenty of others waiting for lessons.

You have to be really tough and have terms and conditions in place so that it's clear to everyone and then if someone doesn't pay repeatedly like this person hasn't, they are out the door.

I have to admit I might struggle to remember to make the payment each week, and would prefer to pay for a block (say 10 sessions or per term) upfront. Can you agree this with them?

I'm having Physio at the moment, i pay up front, we know each other socially but the idea of paying him after the session just wouldn't occur to me or him, its payment in advance.

I think paying per half term is a bit silly though, what if something happened to you?

This.
I have paid for all music lessons and tennis coaching in advance for the past 20 years.

Respect yourself OP or no one will.
In advance from now on.

No one would tolerate that messing about.

Of course they would if they could get away with it.

The reason they don't "forget" those things is that they are reminded, usually physically as well as being told - shops put their checkouts right there, everything leads you to pay, and security on the door. Coffee shops take your money before they even make your drink. Haircut - right there. Garage give you your keys after you pay.

Retailers and service providers have to deal with this. It is part of doing business. Stop whining about it and get on with putting a process in place that ensures you get treated better.

I tutor too. I do ask for payment to be made 24 hours beforehand, and I usually have to send a reminder. However I offer a discount of £5 per session if they buy a block of 10 lessons, so they tend to do that then it’s sorted for the next 10. If I had to remind them every single lesson, I’d probably stop tutoring them!