Tutoring - block booking

[Socrossrightnow]

DD had a trial session with a GCSE tutor last week. She got on really well. She emailed me before the trial to outline the cost at £50 for an hour. I’ve agreed to continue but she has emailed back to say could I pay for a block of 10 before continuing. Is this usual? I don’t really have the funds to pay £500 up front. Was going to try and budget the money for each week.

10x £50 is £500...

I've never paid for block booking.

It’s fair for the tutor to do this. What if you try but fail to find the money some weeks? Is she just supposed to forgo that income and keep a space open for you whether or not you use it?

She sounds desperate for fast cash!

We paid for 3 upfront

I'm a tutor.

10 sessions is quite a lot in one go. Would the tutor allow you to pay for 4/5 maybe? Or do they take card payment so you could put it on a credit card and pay that bill off weekly? I do this for some parents, or I allow them to pay for the half term in 2 parts, especially if the due date falls just before a pay day.

My weekly students pay for each half term up front for the reason Celestialmoods gives - this is usually max 7/8 sessions. Most people want their weekly slot guaranteed and that means the tutor is keeping that slot for them and turning others away.

Those who want to pay as they go with me can book any adhoc sessions or holiday tuition.

The tutor isn't being unreasonable. Did you not discuss payment terns before booking the trial at all?

No mention of the block session before the trial just the weekly cost. Would I be unreasonable to request a 4 week payment?

But did you ask about payment before agreeing to the trial? Most of my clients ask about this (I do make sure I make it very clear of they don't, to be fair).

Is the 10 sessions the only thing that's been offered? Have you been sent any terms and conditions or an agreement? Absolutely ask about smaller block. I wouldn't be offended but I would only agree to an arrangement I was happy with.

You need to know about cancellation policy etc before going any further. You need to ask some questions OP, that's just common sense.

Not at all

Just be aware that decent tutors do get booked up and can basically pick and choose their students. The tutor is within their rights to give the space to someone who is going definitely to pay each week and block bookings are a way to ensure this.

Having said that, a professional tutor will also be very upfront about how they run their business. I'm surprised they didn't mention anything about block bookings up front.

I’m a GCSE and A Level tutor. I’d never ask for that kind of money. I offer a reduced rate if I know it’ll be a long term thing…for example I’ve got a kid at the moment who I started tutoring after October half term for a June resit. Because I knew I’d be seeing her for 8 or so months I knocked off 10% and keep that time each week free. But I’d never ask for money up front or block booking like that. Life happens and sometimes sessions can’t take place because of things that come up for families and for me.

I would say that’s an unusual request and I know lots of teachers who tutor…. None of them would’ve wanting the money for ten lessons up front.

I don’t know about academic tutoring but it’s common to pay for music lessons termly or half termly, I’ve never paid weekly and always upfront too (except when it was a friend)

Block bookings for tutors are becoming increasingly common. That being said, I think the norm is either four weeks in advance or half termly in advance. 10 seems quite excessive.

I'm a tutor (used to be a classroom teacher for 30 years) and I don't know any other tutors like me who offer paying weekly. I do think that is common for those in the classroom who are tutoring on the side though.

That said, 10 weeks is a lot of money up front.

Crikey, that sounds like a lot of money up front and there is no way I would pay. You need to make sure there's is something in her terms as well about what if SHE is the one who cancels lessons? I had it in the past for lesson money (it was £8 a lesson for my son's group sport coaching) and we paid for 11 lessons upfront, so £88, but then after 5 sessions the coach lost the use of the venue it was at with no viable alternative. We all lost £48 as he gave us a 'voucher' to use with him instead of our money back, but of course we couldn't use it because he still had no venue to conduct classes at!!!!!!!!

With our tutor for our daughter, we pay once a month, at the end of the month. That way I can see what lessons she has had and pay that way, but my sister who uses the same company pays after every lesson instead once a week.

With clubs or music lessons, you pay in advance so I don’t see how this is so different. It is a business at the end of the day and the tutor can set their own terms. I wouldn’t dream of asking them to change their terms to suit me. 🫣

With our tutor we pay for the month in advance (which helps me from a budget perspective!) and if we need to rearrange a session there is a degree of flexibility there to have the session a different time, though she’s so busy that there are very set times as an alternative. It shows commitment from both sides.