When a teacher comes to your house...

[plain jane]

I know I have another thread already going but this is a slightly different question (and teacher, actually) so I wanted to start a new thread.

 

Does having a teacher come to your home vs. going to their place of business (or their home) change the professional dynamic substantially? Does it automatically allow for more lenience to be given and is this part of the idea behind having a teacher come to one's home?

 

Let's use this as an example: (this isn't true but is similar to my IRL situation)

 

I have my kids in art classes at a local studio. The time of the class is 1:00-2:30. They are private lessons (with the same teacher each week) but held at the local art store. I pay the same amount for the hour and a half class whether or not we get there on time or whether or not the kids are ready to go for 1pm or not. The teacher is there at 1:00pm and if we are not, that is not his problem and we need to pay him for his time. I have learned to account for traffic patterns and weather and plan my driving accordingly.

 

Now, I have several teachers who come to my home to teach/tutor my kids in various areas. I have one teacher who is always on time. Always. We can have flooding on the roads (which happens now and then), snow, hail, thunderstorm, you name it. This teacher is always here on time for the lesson. In fact, this teacher sits in their car for 15 minutes before each lesson so that they can ensure they are on time and not making us wait. They are never late.

 

Other instructors seem to think that weather and traffic are valid excuses for being late. I get the "sorry, the roads were horrible" or "oh wow, there was a big accident' and have heard these more than once. No big deal, I get it, and they're only 10-15 minutes late so it's not the end of the world. But, what I don't get is, if the situation were reversed- if my kids and I showed up to a class 10-15 minutes late, it would be my mistake and my kids would be out that class time (and out that money I paid). The art teacher, or their baseball coach, or their swimming instructor, isn't going to say, "oh the roads were bad, let me stay 15 minutes late for you."

 

So, why is it when teachers come to my house I still pay them the full amount and they can be late whenever they see fit? Is my money less valuable because they come here? Are they in their minds doing me some sort of "favor" by coming to my home (btw, these teachers advertise they go to homes and have other families so it's not a special circumstance just for my family) and it doesn't matter if they are not on time?

 

Why can't I just pay the teacher less money for every time they are late? Why do I have to put up with it when I know they wouldn't were the situation reversed? Is it just one of those things of human nature? What changes when someone comes to my home vs. us going to theirs?

[Catwoman]

No.

 

Rules are the same.

 

It's up to you to enforce those rules, and to make sure the teacher understands your expectations.

[happypamama]

No, the rules should be the same. If the teacher is late, you shouldn't pay her the full amount, and otoh, you should likewise pay the regular amount if the teacher shows up and has to wait 15 minutes past start time for your kids to be ready, for instance.

 

Editing because that did not come out the way I intended -- brain blip.

[Jean in Newcastle]

When I interview the teacher, I make sure that they know that punctuality is very important to me. I expect a call from the road if they are unavoidably late and I expect this sort of thing to be very rare.

 

That said, I am more lenient with it with our Latin tutor. For one thing, she comes late at night and we don't have anything else going on after her. For another thing, she travels about 45 minutes to get to me and I do take that into consideration. If she comes ten minutes late, she goes ten minutes late, so gives me a full hour's worth. She is also an excellent teacher and gives me my full hour's worth in content. The fact that she is only one of two available Latin teachers in the area and I"ve already rejected the other one carries the most weight!

[plain jane]

No.

 

Rules are the same.

 

It's up to you to enforce those rules, and to make sure the teacher understands your expectations.

 

 

I don't want to be rude to a teacher. I understand that things come up. I want to be kind and understanding and I typically am. I just don't get why teachers expect me to be understanding when they would never be if the situation were reversed. I've never had a ballet teacher delay a class because my dd wasn't there at the start.

 

Aaaaaa. I can't imagine ever telling someone that I won't pay them the full fee if they are late. I don't have big enough guts for that! :scared: I wish I did but I couldn't do it. How does one have THAT conversation? :001_unsure: I'm a big chicken. Actually I wouldn't even want to have that conversation. I don't mind accommodating others for the most part. I find it interesting how things change when roles are reversed, however. Sigh.

'

[Saddlemomma]

I would dock their pay for the time they missed and document each instance with the excuse. When asked why there is a pay discrepancy, provide them with a copy of the time documentation.

[redsquirrel]

Does the teacher stay late to make up the extra time?

[plain jane]

Does the teacher stay late to make up the extra time?

 

 

 

They do. And I am glad for that and not complaining.

 

I simply don't understand why if a teacher comes to me for a 1:00pm class and they are 15 minutes late it is expected we will stay late and accommodate their lack of preparations (it's alway a traffic or weather excuse). However, if I take my children and bring them to a 1:00pm class and we are late, the teacher never has told me, oh, I know there was an awful storm, the roads were horrible. I'll stay 15 minutes late for you. Never.

 

It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I am getting value for my money. I was just wondering what about a dynamic changes when someone comes to your house that makes being late all of a sudden tolerable?

[Arcadia]

We have done both teacher coming to our home and we going to the studio. If a teacher had a unforseen traffic jam or previous student taking longer and are held up by 5-10 mins, they would usually stay overtime. If there is a traffic accident and the roads are clog up from their place to mine, they would call and ask if the lesson could be postponed. There is no point after all in being later by more than 20 mins for a 30 mins lesson and the teacher having to rush to another student's home. When we went to the studio and the teacher is late, the teacher does go into overtime.

[Lolly]

 

 

I don't want to be rude to a teacher. I understand that things come up. I want to be kind and understanding and I typically am. I just don't get why teachers expect me to be understanding when they would never be if the situation were reversed. I've never had a ballet teacher delay a class because my dd wasn't there at the start.

 

Aaaaaa. I can't imagine ever telling someone that I won't pay them the full fee if they are late. I don't have big enough guts for that! :scared: I wish I did but I couldn't do it. How does one have THAT conversation? :001_unsure: I'm a big chicken. Actually I wouldn't even want to have that conversation. I don't mind accommodating others for the most part. I find it interesting how things change when roles are reversed, however. Sigh.

'

 

You deal with it, hopefully, when you are hiring them. Since they are already hired, that would be a difficult conversation.

 

 

 

 

They do. And I am glad for that and not complaining.

 

I simply don't understand why if a teacher comes to me for a 1:00pm class and they are 15 minutes late it is expected we will stay late and accommodate their lack of preparations (it's alway a traffic or weather excuse). However, if I take my children and bring them to a 1:00pm class and we are late, the teacher never has told me, oh, I know there was an awful storm, the roads were horrible. I'll stay 15 minutes late for you. Never.

 

It's not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I am getting value for my money. I was just wondering what about a dynamic changes when someone comes to your house that makes being late all of a sudden tolerable?

 

If they are staying late to make up the time, it wouldn't bother me so much. The dynamic changes because the circumstances have changed. (I am assuming that the teacher is not meaning to be late.) They owe you a full hour or half hour of teaching. They stay late to make it up. If YOU are the one late to the lesson, the teacher does not owe you that 15 minutes. Your fault, you pay the price in less lesson time.

[emcap]

Do they stay to make up the extra time? Maybe I missed that in your post, but if I am paying for a certain length of time, I would expect to get that amount of time. So if the teacher is 10 mins late, I would expect them to stay 10 mins past normal end time.

[Miss Tick]

Assuming they make up the time, I am willing to overlook a ten minute tardiness. With 3 dc it saves me a lot of hassle that the teacher is coming to me, plus it doesn't impact any following activities since I try to leave plenty of cushion between.

 

Does the "art" teacher push you out? Or can the kids finish up while he cleans or gets the next thing ready?

 

I think it is a losing battle to let it bother you. I don't think you can change it. I also think you are more conscientious than many about being on time.

[Catwoman]

I don't want to be rude to a teacher. I understand that things come up. I want to be kind and understanding and I typically am. I just don't get why teachers expect me to be understanding when they would never be if the situation were reversed. I've never had a ballet teacher delay a class because my dd wasn't there at the start.

 

Aaaaaa. I can't imagine ever telling someone that I won't pay them the full fee if they are late. I don't have big enough guts for that! :scared: I wish I did but I couldn't do it. How does one have THAT conversation? :001_unsure: I'm a big chicken. Actually I wouldn't even want to have that conversation. I don't mind accommodating others for the most part. I find it interesting how things change when roles are reversed, however. Sigh.

'

 

I hate to say this, but if you really are a "big chicken" and have trouble politely confronting a teacher who is messing up, you may be better off just ditching the in-home lessons and driving your kids to lessons instead.

 

If in-home lessons are your only option, you probably need to loosen up your expectations and learn to let it go when the teacher does things that upset you; otherwise, you'll just be annoyed all the time.

[Slipper]

We've had numerous people in our home for both tutoring and therapy sessions. I pay them for time worked. I have occasionally paid full-time when they didn't work full-time. One example would be if I saw a really nasty storm heading our way, I might tell them to leave early for safety but pay for the full time. I want them to know that I care about them and their safety. It doesn't happen often.

 

Otherwise, I make my home as inviting as I can, make sure we're ready on time, offer snacks (especially if I know they are coming straight from work and probably hungry) and take a moment for social chit-chat. The second they knock on my door is when the clock starts. Sometimes (if they were really late), I might talk out loud while I write the check "Let's see, you were here at 10:45 and left at 11:30, so not quite an hour, so that's $15. Thanks so much! I think the girls really learned a lot today, see you next week!" (Big sincere smile).

 

I love the convenience of having people come to our home, but I'm not paying for work they didn't do.

[somo_chickenlady]

Bad traffic or especially car accidents that clog the roads can rarely be known about ahead of time. Expecting someone to be psychic is expecting a bit too much, IMO, and I would cut them some slack, particularly if they stay late to make up for it. Pick your battles.

[Truscifi]

When I tutored if I was late I stayed late to make up the time or I reduced my fee, parent's choice.

[Truscifi]

I hate to say this, but if you really are a "big chicken" and have trouble politely confronting a teacher who is messing up, you may be better off just ditching the in-home lessons and driving your kids to lessons instead.

 

If in-home lessons are your only option, you probably need to loosen up your expectations and learn to let it go when the teacher does things that upset you; otherwise, you'll just be annoyed all the time.

 

:iagree:

[*Michelle*]

If the teacher is late, I would ask, "Will we be making up the time at our next session?" Sure, it's nice that she's staying late that day, but what if you have other things planned? And, if you permit make-ups on the same day, you're sending a signal that your start time is flexible.

[KungFuPanda]

If they stay late to make up the time, I'd be OK with that. If they were arriving late, but leaving on time I'd have to suck it up and have the uncomfortable conversation. If I had somewhere to be, or a critical (as determined by me) schedule to keep, I'd have the conversation. I would NOT pay for the full hour if they were there only 45 min.

[MrsBanjoClown]

They should start their lesson time when the teacher arrives. We have had the issue of a teacher talking on the cell phone to other students and/or taking personal calls during our lesson time. The lessons were only 30 minutes, so 10 minutes on the cell phone was a large portion of the lesson time. Dh told the teacher on more than one occasion that they were staying an extra 5-10 minutes to make up for the time she took from them. It made her behind on her other lessons, but that was her fault. She also was usually so booked that she would try to call and change our lesson time on the day of the lesson and griped at me for not answering my cell phone (I was working at the time and we were not supposed to use our phones at work. We went straight from my job to the lesson).

[unsinkable]

When we've arrived late at lessons bc of weather or an accident or something out of our control, the teacher is very accommodating. They understand that these things happen and will work with us to make up the time.

 

I try my best to pick people with whom my kids and I click...and I guess we click with people who understand that we do our best to arrive before or on time and when it doesn't happen due to circumstances beyond our control don't penalize us for it.

[Lisa R.]

I would dock their pay for the time they missed and document each instance with the excuse. When asked why there is a pay discrepancy, provide them with a copy of the time documentation.

Saying the above would likely result in losing your teacher. Not many teachers will put up with this sort of attitude or relationship.

 

Outside classes typically run on time as there are students waiting directly after each class. Starting one class late would lead to a domino effect making each class late.

 

Having had teachers that come to the house, I can tell you it is a very convenient service. Not having to load kids up in the car, drive, wait for the lesson to end, etc. is really freeing.

 

I'd be willing to put up with 5-10 minutes of delay at home as I'd waste much more time driving to and from the same class elsewhere.

 

Punctuality is very important to some and not so much to others. As long as the classtime is not shortchanged, I would put up with the inconvenience.

 

 

[somo_chickenlady]

 

 

Yes, but what is interesting is that these things always seem to happen to the same people. Do these people have a little black cloud that follows them around and constantly rains on them? They are just unlucky? No. They are poor planners, don't have respect for people's time, and are self centered. Period. Of course any reasonable person would cut slack for the occasional problem. That's not what the OP is talking about. These things appear to be happening regularly. Totally not the same issue.

 

Then find new instructors.

 

I have a job outside of the home, of which I am usually 10 minutes early getting to. Sometimes, though, I run into bad traffic due to a school and it sets me behind. It has happened more than once, and it is unpredictable so I never know ahead of time when I will have the issue and when I won't. Going another route is not an option, as this happens at the intersection right before the only entrance to their subdivision, and traffic backs up in all four directions. I have used that "excuse" a few different times, but that doesn't mean I'm not planning my time correctly or that I am lying.

[AHASRADA]

I am an ESL tutor whose students normally come to my home, but in the past I did travel to a few students' homes to give lessons.

 

IME, I am being paid for my time, but also for a particular time slot. When I traveled, I made every effort to arrive on time within 5 minutes or so. Whenever I walked in and sat down with the student, I began counting my hour. If something were to delay me beyond 5 minutes, I would call to let the parent know and find out if adjusting the hour ahead by the amount of my time delay would work for them. This would be a rare occurrence, though (actually never happened :).

 

As I mentioned, all of my students currently come to my home. They have a set time slot. If they are late, their hour still ends at the assigned time. I may have another student coming immediately after them, or I may have less than an hour to throw dinner together before the next student arrives, and I cannot throw my entire schedule off because they were late. However, I frequently have parents call a couple of hours before the tutoring session to ask if it's OK if the student is 15 or 30 min. late due to an appointment, staying late after school, lack of transportation, etc. As long as my schedule allows for it, I usually accommodate them. In the case of the art teacher, I would expect him to give you some leeway if the weather was particularly terrible, etc., but his schedule may not allow that. He also might just be really strict about not giving away any of his time for free. I try to be flexible when I can, it creates a good relationship with clients and results in word-of-mouth recommendations, but if he is in high demand he doesn't necessarily need to extend those courtesies.

 

While the situations are similar, there is a slight difference. The teacher is being paid for his/her time. If you are traveling to them, they had to get to the location themselves (art studio) or, as in my case, stop whatever else I have to do (homeschooling, laundry, cooking, etc.), prepare the workspace and materials, get my teens set up to babysit my toddler, and wait. Whether the student is there or not, the teacher's time has been blocked out for them and is being spent either way.

 

If the teacher is a few minutes late to your home, it can be an inconvenience, but as long as it isn't chronic and you are still receiving the full instructional time you are paying for (teacher staying late to make up the time), it should even out. If your schedule is tight (ie: need the teacher to leave right on time due to other commitments) you should communicate that to the teacher, divide their hourly rate by 60 minutes, and pay them for the time they actually teach. If the timing isn't so critical, but you just hate wasting time waiting for them to arrive each week, discuss adjusting the class time. Say something like, "It seems like you are having a hard time making it here for 6pm, but you are usually always here by 6:15. Could we change the session time from 6:15-7:15? This will make it easier for us to plan our evening." If they continue to be late for the new adjusted time, then you will have to set an ending time in stone and pay them by the minute, giving "we have other activities afterward" as an excuse, even if you don't (family time can count as an activity!)

 

HTH and good-luck with your tutors!

[Lisa R.]

 

 

Yes, but what is interesting is that these things always seem to happen to the same people. Do these people have a little black cloud that follows them around and constantly rains on them? They are just unlucky? No. They are poor planners, don't have respect for people's time, and are self centered. Period.

 

This shows the difference between people that highly value punctuality and those that don't.

 

When people don't show up to meet you on time, there isn't a need to take it personally. Some people are more laid back about time. It drives punctual people crazy. But there is no need for offense. It doesn't make them selfish or disrespectful people. It could mean they are poor organizers.

 

I just think it is good to relax a little and extend some grace--especially if someone is showing up at your house on an I.V.

[Jean in Newcastle]

This shows the difference between people that highly value punctuality and those that don't.

 

When people don't show up to meet you on time, there isn't a need to take it personally. Some people are more laid back about time. It drives punctual people crazy. But there is no need for offense. It doesn't make them selfish or disrespectful people. It could mean they are poor organizers.

 

I just think it is good to relax a little and extend some grace--especially if someone is showing up at your house on an I.V.

 

I've taught both at separate locations and at people's homes and I don't agree with this. (Though I do agree with grace for someone on an I.V.) Punctuality is a business skill and tutors are employees of a business or are running their own businesses. It is different than a friend dropping by.

[unsinkable]

..

[msjones]

I was an in-home tutor for many years. I went out of my way to arrive early to ensure that we could start on time. I don't remember ever being late! That may be hard to believe, but it came from building an extra 30 minutes into my schedule. I planned to be early and would stop for a cup of coffee and enjoy it in my car as I reviewed the day's lesson. It made for a nice break in my day. If there was traffic or what-have-you, the extra 30 minutes did the trick.

 

Had I been late I would certainly not have expected to be paid for time during which I had done no teaching! That's nuts.

 

I think you could bring it up frankly but kindly. Just say you notice she's been late quite a few times and you'd like to make up that time since you did pay for it. I bet she'll understand. (It not? Hmmmm...kinda unprofessional and a little on the dishonest side...)

 

Acknowledge that it can be hard to be on time (for her, anyway) and that it would be helpful for the two of you to decide how to handle the 'business' side of that. Makes sense. It doesn't have to be some weird, uncomfortable thing. It's just business.

[plain jane]

I was an in-home tutor for many years. I went out of my way to arrive early to ensure that we could start on time. I don't remember ever being late! That may be hard to believe, but it came from building an extra 30 minutes into my schedule. I planned to be early and would stop for a cup of coffee and enjoy it in my car as I reviewed the day's lesson. It made for a nice break in my day. If there was traffic or what-have-you, the extra 30 minutes did the trick.

 

Had I been late I would certainly not have expected to be paid for time during which I had done no teaching! That's nuts.

 

I think you could bring it up frankly but kindly. Just say you notice she's been late quite a few times and you'd like to make up that time since you did pay for it. I bet she'll understand. (It not? Hmmmm...kinda unprofessional and a little on the dishonest side...)

 

Acknowledge that it can be hard to be on time (for her, anyway) and that it would be helpful for the two of you to decide how to handle the 'business' side of that. Makes sense. It doesn't have to be some weird, uncomfortable thing. It's just business.

 

 

I believe it. :) One of our teachers is in his 4th year with us and has never once been late and only has has had to cancel a lesson. Same for another one of the teachers. 2.5 years and late once. I guess that's what I've been used to. :o It's also how I would treat my clients if I were in a similar situation. People pay their hard earned money for services. It's not like these tutors have little kids to lug around or whatnot. We have four teachers come to the house regularly. 2 are always ALWAYS on time (if not early). 2 are quite the opposite. I must have lucked out (no sarcasm in this comment) because I found the first two in the beginning and that's what I have become accustomed to. These last two have definitely not been as dependable and when I first hired them it didn't occur to me to discuss promptness. I sort-of assumed it was a given that they would show up on time. (I know, I know, never make assumptions).

 

I also get what a PP poster said about putting up with lateness because it is still less of a hassle to have someone come to me than to pack everyone up and go there. I totally get that but I am paying these people good money and I could get these same services for less if we were to go to them. I am paying for people to come here so while they are providing a value-added service, it's not a free "favor" to me. I do pay extra for them to come here. :)

[Catwoman]

Jane, if it's hard for you to be confrontational, maybe you could tell the teacher that your schedule has changed and that you need her to be on time because you have something else scheduled for shortly after she leaves. You might even mention that if she needs extra time to get set up for the lesson, she's welcome to arrive 10 minutes early so the actual lesson can begin on time.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I guess it wouldn't bother me too much as long as they are making up the time. However, if my schedule is tight and I need them to be on time, I tell them so. I had this very issue with a piano teacher. The only time slot that worked for us both finished about 10 minutes before I had to be out the door for another activity. I told him that I needed to start lessons on time due to my time constraint. At first, he was punctual. However, after he lost a few playing gigs, he was forced to take a 2nd job working the graveyard shift. He began to show up more and more late. He also began to show other unprofessional behavior (like takiing phone calls about gigs during my kids lessons - hello- ever heard of voice mail??) I had to let him go. I think he was chronically sleep deprived due to his schedule change. I did feel bad about it, but I gave him plenty of opportunities to change.

[lmrich]

I travel to tutor. I have never been late. I also teach classes at my home. The same people are always late. Always. Late. As a professional I refuse to be late. If something prevents me from being punctual I would call; I would offer to make up the time at my client's preference. But again, I have never been late. I live in Atlanta near construction and cross a very busy train track as well. Never late. Not going to happen.

 

Once I had a true emergency. I called my client on the way to the ER to apologize and reschedule. She thought I was nuts, but appreciated my dedication.

[OSUBuckeye]

We've had numerous people in our home for both tutoring and therapy sessions. I pay them for time worked. I have occasionally paid full-time when they didn't work full-time. One example would be if I saw a really nasty storm heading our way, I might tell them to leave early for safety but pay for the full time. I want them to know that I care about them and their safety. It doesn't happen often.

 

Otherwise, I make my home as inviting as I can, make sure we're ready on time, offer snacks (especially if I know they are coming straight from work and probably hungry) and take a moment for social chit-chat. The second they knock on my door is when the clock starts. Sometimes (if they were really late), I might talk out loud while I write the check "Let's see, you were here at 10:45 and left at 11:30, so not quite an hour, so that's $15. Thanks so much! I think the girls really learned a lot today, see you next week!" (Big sincere smile).

 

I love the convenience of having people come to our home, but I'm not paying for work they didn't do.

 

Exactly this. If you're upset, you can address it non-offensively by mentioning their arrival/departure times when you're cutting the check. It will let them know that you're not pleased, while not risking offense at all (you'll sound like you're just doing the "time math"). If that polite trick doesn't work, when they arrive late you should tell them you have somewhere to be - like Girl Scouts or choir - and sorry but that your family has to leave at the end of the hour and that "this will just have to be a short session, sorry." Then you can pay them shortened pay, because they didn't deliver fully on their end in the pre-scheduled hour of time. When they see that their pay is being compromised for their tardiness, they'll be arriving promptly to their sessions.

 

I tutor, and on the occasion where I was unexcusably late (it was 20 minutes late), I called in advance and offered the mother that I would perform a full 60 minutes from 5:20 to 6:20 to make up for my tardiness but would only charge for the forty minutes of time that were remaining in our scheduled hour. Now, while I offered her that discount to keep my reputation clean and a new client happy, I would have immediately ended my tutoring relationship with her if she had made that same proposal to me (of paying for 40 when I've worked for 60min). Although I may be soft-hearted and be willing to forego some pay, tutors have a right to be paid for a full hour if they work a full hour even if that hour started late. If you as the client want to dock your tutor's pay, you have every right to do it BY not letting them tutor past the pre-arranged time slot. It's totally reasonable and not at all rude for you to stick up for yourself by saying, "Sorry, we have a busy schedule so we can't stay past 7pm, so I guess we're just going to have to make this a 40 minute session.." and then paying them pro-rated for the amount of time they were present.