I currently teach 2 evenings a weeks and 1 day at the weekend. Since having DD in August, this has been my main source of income and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. I am looking at taking on more students over the summer to increase to 2-3 full days worth.
At the moment, I have no contract with any students. They often cancel last minute with poor excuses or turn up early/late. I can no longer be as flexible now as I have in the past and looking at implementing a contract to coincide with both our house move and the new laws on storing personal information.
I've also been looking into using an online booking system (my music staff) and thinking about asking students to book for a term in advance.
Just wondering how other teachers tackle this and how parents feel about the level of commitment I'm asking for. Most weeks I end up £50+ down from students not turning up and we just can't afford this anymore. It also hinders the progress of the students and in turn, their interest in learning.