4th June 2014 9:00
By Blue Tutors
Many private tutors are graduates who are seeking to earn extra cash whilst in their first job out of university, or while they are looking for work. Others are career tutors who rely solely on their students for their income. Given that tuition arrangements are often quite informal, even if managed through an agency, it is important that tutors develop a good system of ensuring that their income is regular, and that they have a good understanding with their students about what is expected. Usually, tuition arrangements work out satisfactorily for both parties, but it is in the interests of both the tutor and student to have some guidelines in place.
Tutors who work on an ad hoc basis may find that they enjoy a deal of flexibility, but this also means that they cannot enjoy any degree of security. If a tutor is brought in for a couple of sessions, or comes along now and again when a student needs help, then it is more likely that the student will treat the lessons informally, and cancel at short notice. Cancellations can be very frustrating; tutors expect to receive a certain amount of income and it is suddenly not there anymore, leaving the tutor without any recourse. Once or twice this is fine, but tutors who consistently take on ad hoc jobs here and there may find that they experience a lot of hassle and a particularly unstable income.
The best way to deal with this is for tutors to ensure that they have a basic agreement with a student, even if the work is ad hoc. Whilst tutors who work in this way cannot enjoy the same level of security as career tutors, they can still make it clear that there are basic guidelines which must be adhered to by tutor and student. Tutors must ensure that they are clear about their availability and not cancel lessons except in cases of illness. This allows students to be confident that they will have the help that they require for upcoming projects or exams, and are not let down at the last minute. The same rules about schedule and cancellations should apply to students, so that the tutor can be confident that they will not lose their income at the last minute. The thing for tutors to remember is that if they are inconsistent, they are inviting their student to be the same, which can leave both parties feeling hard done by.