Mum told me on the day of tutoring that there is no more tutoring

[Thatyachtmusicsong]

Can anyone help please?

I do private tutoring and have tutored one student twice per week for three years.
She has had some health issues and we changed from tutoring at her home to online 6 or so months ago.
We tutored over summer until the last few weeks of August when she said she was taking a breaj for summer and would tutor again as always in September.
Today I messaged in the morning checking that all was okay for tutoring in the evening and the mum told me that they decided to take her out of school and have signed up to an online school.
The mum said she doesn't know about the future and how things will go and she would take a pause for our tutoring as it may be too much for her.
I feel sad for her and understand the situation, but this has come as a real shock to me as we rely on those lessons financially. I had done tje planning for September and feel shocked they only let me know on the day of tutoring, which leaves me no time to find something else.

Stupidly, I don't have a contract.

What would you do about this situation?

Would it be fair to ask for a months payment since I had no notice etc?

Feel like I've really been left in the lurch

I'm glad the dad paid you. Even though you weren't strictly entitled, I do think it was the right thing for him to do and there was definitely no harm in asking! Not rude or cheeky, you asked politely and explained why. The worst that could have happened is that he ignored you.

I'm surprised that posters were telling you that you shouldn't have asked. On another thread a poster wants to cancel her hairdresser with more than a weeks notice and people keep saying she should pay for the slot anyway. I wonder what would gave happened if the mother posted here and said she'd cancelled her child's tutor indefinitely with 2 hours notice but there are no t&cs for cancellation payments so not planning to pay. Posters would be falling over themselves to call her a CF!

Have a look at getting some t&cs in place for your other clients.

They are moving on with their lives and you have to do the same, there's no point in dwelling on this, or wondering if they'll ask you to come back.

Please ensure you clearly outline your terms and conditions to any new families you agree to tutor, so that you don't end up in this situation again, and have enough students on your books so that if any cancel you still have an adequate income to get you by until new students start. It's also important to keep your relationship with your students and their parents professional - the lines seem to have become blurred with this family.

How are you “out of a job”, was she your only client? If you’re so reliant on the income, why haven’t you built up a proper client base?

Out of a job with them...the largest bulk of pay came from them

For dd's tutors we agreed start dates at the end of the last school year. Then yesterday the tutors checked in hoping we had had a lovely summer and confirming the dates already agreed. I feel terrible if I have to cancel a session because of illness but tutors are paid if cancellation within 24h of lesson. I think you need a contract and to agree Ts&Cs before taking on more students.