Self-employment is really hard. (JAWM)

[egao_gakari]

I lost about half my students this month... nothing I did, I don't think, but they were all students I'd begun lessons with since raising my prices. So I still have all the earlier students whom I grandfathered in paying less, but none of my new folks who were paying more. So my September earnings are only about 1/3 of my August earnings.

 

This would be a lot less frustrating if people would just give me some notice. I traveled out to the library for a lesson today, and the students just never showed up. I'm not surprised, because these ones have a history of late payments and flaking out at the last minute, "Oh I thought I remembered texting you...." They still have not paid me for September's lessons. Other people say, "Oh I have a family situation and need to take a few weeks off." I've learned that this means, "You will never hear from me again." I'd rather people just tell me, "Sorry but my situation has changed and I no longer need lessons." At least then I know where I stand and I'm not holding their timeslot for several weeks waiting for them to let me know they're ready to begin again.

 

People don't seem to realize that my family relies on my income. Especially right now while DH is still in the middle of a long, long recovery from major surgery. How hard is it to make the mental connection that a missed lesson for them is a missed or late paycheck for me?! The month I made the most money, we were still just scraping by. Now... it's only by the mysterious grace of God that we are paying our bills. We literally have no idea where money will come from, and when. So far, it's always materialized somehow, in the nick of time. But it's a dreadfully stressful way to live.

 

And no, I don't live in an area where full-time employers need my skills, or I'd be applying everywhere. I am applying places, but you can't get a minimum-wage job when you have an M.A. The hiring managers know that as soon as you find a job commensurate with your actual qualifications, you're out the door.

[Jean in Newcastle]

When I had a tutoring business, I required payment up front for the month. If they quit then I was already paid.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[egao_gakari]

When I had a tutoring business, I required payment up front for the month. If they quit then I was already paid.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Yep, I've started doing this. But doesn't it get complicated when they miss a lesson? I get people being like, "Well I paid you for 4 lessons and I only had 3 this month so I'll pay you for an additional 4 on the second week of the month instead." And then I start getting confused about who owes what when. I haven't figured out a good record-keeping system.

[waa510]

That sounds incredibly frustrating. People are often too self-centered to realize that their flakiness directly impacts your income stream. A friend of mine who tutored had to start having people sign agreements, like a contract that stated her cancellation policy and all those annoying details about flaking on her costing them a percentage of the tutoring session fee, etc. It was upsetting for her to have to do that, but I think it helped in the long run so that she'd at least be able to recoup some money for her inconvenience. 

 

I know this is a JAWM, but as a Japanese learner with a Japanese learning kid:

 

In your signature, it states that you're a Japanese teacher/translator. Have you considered teaching on an online platform like italki? I imagine that you'd have an easier time getting students who speak English needing lessons online (like mine!) b/c of the lack of a time difference (compared to native speaking teachers living in Japan). There's also a Japanese society group in the major metro area near me that uses services like yours to help in their advertising campaigns and such. Meet-up groups for Japanese learners may also prove to be a good way to find new students. Just trying to help; hope I didn't sound unsympathetic to your situation. 

[LarlaB]

I'm sorry and I understand. I'm also self employed (as a massage therapist, also with an MA) and it's hard.

 

It's nerve racking and exhausting to navigate the ups and downs all by yourself - all without a safety net. That's the hardest part for me- no security.

 

I agree with PP- in your case, maybe implementing a policy of "1 month advance notice of termination" could give you a way to make sure you still get paid at the start of a month WITH ample time to work ahead to fill the schedule when changes come.

 

But people are self absorbed most days and frankly aren't thinking about how it affects you personally.... as it's a business. I'm sorry. You're in a tough, draining spot as your DH recovers and it's a heavy burden.

 

I pray you fill those empty spots soon and without great difficulty. Keep your head up- obviously you have great skill and are good at what you do.

[regentrude]

Yep, I've started doing this. But doesn't it get complicated when they miss a lesson? I get people being like, "Well I paid you for 4 lessons and I only had 3 this month so I'll pay you for an additional 4 on the second week of the month instead." And then I start getting confused about who owes what when. I haven't figured out a good record-keeping system.

 

Let them pay for the month. The monthly fee entitles them to four lessons during that month. If they show up for all four lessons, they make the most of their tuition. If the choose to show up only for three lessons, their loss. You can offer rescheduling based on availability if you want to be nice, but it has to be during the month.

 

As for record keeping, a simple excel sheet would suffice. You'd log their payments and their lesson dates.

Edited September 29, 2017 by regentrude

[LarlaB]

Let them pay for the month. The monthly fee entitles them to four lessons during that month. If they show up for all four lessons, they make the most of their tuition. If the choose to show up only for three lessons, their loss.

Yes. To soften it a bit, you can offer one "grace/makeup" session per 6 months. Meaning they pay for 4 per month and if they have to miss one for Aunt Petunias wedding, you allow them to make it up that one session- as in a credit. Bit no refunds.

 

That probably feels tougher than you want to enact, but I believe it would help protect you.

[scholastica]

You need a cancellation policy and a contract. Our piano teacher would only give credit for two missed lessons per year. For any reason. She also figured out the number of lessons for the year, multiplied by her rate and divided it over the number of months of teaching. The student paid on the first lesson of the month. If you used one of your excused absences, it was deducted from the next month's lessons. Payment always on the first lesson.

 

People are taking advantage of you.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Yep, I've started doing this. But doesn't it get complicated when they miss a lesson? I get people being like, "Well I paid you for 4 lessons and I only had 3 this month so I'll pay you for an additional 4 on the second week of the month instead." And then I start getting confused about who owes what when. I haven't figured out a good record-keeping system.

I told them up front: if they called me to reschedule then I would accommodate them but if they flaked on me then they lost the money. If they knew of a scheduled vacation before the month then they can just pay me for the times that they would be there.

[SereneHome]

You HAVE TO take pmt upfront.  I've never heard of any schools, lessons, activities that allowed to pay AFTER the lessons were done.

 

And you HAVE TO have a cancellation policy.

 

And yes, it is hard being self employed.  Very very hard!

[Guest]

Neither my son's piano, harp, or violin teacher allow payment deductions for missed lessons.  You pay on the first lesson of the month - for the ENTIRE month - and if you miss, too bad.  Makeups are only allowed at the teacher's discretion; if they don't have any time available, or just don't want to, then you're out a lesson.  Guess how many lessons we miss? :)

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

Let them pay for the month. The monthly fee entitles them to four lessons during that month. If they show up for all four lessons, they make the most of their tuition. If the choose to show up only for three lessons, their loss. You can offer rescheduling based on availability if you want to be nice, but it has to be during the month.

 

As for record keeping, a simple excel sheet would suffice. You'd log their payments and their lesson dates.

 

 

Yes. To soften it a bit, you can offer one "grace/makeup" session per 6 months. Meaning they pay for 4 per month and if they have to miss one for Aunt Petunias wedding, you allow them to make it up that one session- as in a credit. Bit no refunds.

 

That probably feels tougher than you want to enact, but I believe it would help protect you.

 

 

I told them up front: if they called me to reschedule then I would accommodate them but if they flaked on me then they lost the money. If they knew of a scheduled vacation before the month then they can just pay me for the times that they would be there.

 

As someone else who's self employed, I completely agree with these posts. This is not an unreasonable policy at all!

 

:grouphug:

[kiwik]

Yep, I've started doing this. But doesn't it get complicated when they miss a lesson? I get people being like, "Well I paid you for 4 lessons and I only had 3 this month so I'll pay you for an additional 4 on the second week of the month instead." And then I start getting confused about who owes what when. I haven't figured out a good record-keeping system.

No. When I pay for a terms worth of gym or tennis lessons if I miss one it is my problem. It would be a nice gesture to offer a make up class in the same month but otherwise fees are due on the xth of the month regardless.

[GoodGrief]

Let them pay for the month. The monthly fee entitles them to four lessons during that month. If they show up for all four lessons, they make the most of their tuition. If the choose to show up only for three lessons, their loss. You can offer rescheduling based on availability if you want to be nice, but it has to be during the month.

 

As for record keeping, a simple excel sheet would suffice. You'd log their payments and their lesson dates.

 

This.

 

My daughter's saxophone teacher texts me prior to the start of the month with a total and a direct link to the website where I can pay for lessons via Paypal using a credit card. If my daughter misses, he offers a makeup (usually extends the time of a currently scheduled lesson), but there are no guarantees. A past vioiin teacher required payment for a semester at a time.

 

Create a contract with your attendance and payment policies for new students, to be signed prior to the first lesson. The first lesson or two could be a trial, where they pay for a single lesson, but after that, payment must be made prior to the start of the month.

 

Make it clear that payment holds their lesson spot. No pre-payment, they risk losing that time slot.

 

I agree though, self employment is hard. "People" are one of the reasons I quickly lost interest in doing my photography hobby as a business. They are flaky and cheap :-)

 

Edited September 29, 2017 by Gr8lander

[egao_gakari]

In your signature, it states that you're a Japanese teacher/translator. Have you considered teaching on an online platform like italki? I imagine that you'd have an easier time getting students who speak English needing lessons online (like mine!) b/c of the lack of a time difference (compared to native speaking teachers living in Japan). There's also a Japanese society group in the major metro area near me that uses services like yours to help in their advertising campaigns and such. Meet-up groups for Japanese learners may also prove to be a good way to find new students. Just trying to help; hope I didn't sound unsympathetic to your situation. 

 

I'd actually never heard of italki! This was originally just supposed to be a side gig for a bit of pocket money, so until recently I've been relying on word of mouth and local advertising. It suddenly became our primary source of income when hubby got sick. I'll definitely set up an account there.

 

The JAWM was mainly to prevent condescending people from asking me if I've considered finding an employer :P of course I have!

[Murphy101]

Yep, I've started doing this. But doesn't it get complicated when they miss a lesson? I get people being like, "Well I paid you for 4 lessons and I only had 3 this month so I'll pay you for an additional 4 on the second week of the month instead." And then I start getting confused about who owes what when. I haven't figured out a good record-keeping system.

No. You have a little contract that explains you are paid for the month, not per lesson. Usually the rule here is they can make up the lesson within 7 days if they schedule it with you, but otherwise no make ups.

 

I also wouldn’t hold slots. I’d tell them up front that the only way to hold a slot is to pay for it. This is how it is every here here I think. There’s some places that don’t but ime they don’t last very long.

[Murphy101]

And yes. Self employment sucks. We are dealing with similiar issues and it’s no comfort to know corporations do the same type of things to contracted/self employed.

[fairfarmhand]

All the lesson teachers we have had have a prepayment. Also, we don't get credit for canceling. The teacher offers a rescheduling time. Usually the option of 1-2 other time slots but if that conflicts with something else and you can't make it, you're out the money.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[crazyforlatin]

I'd actually never heard of italki! This was originally just supposed to be a side gig for a bit of pocket money, so until recently I've been relying on word of mouth and local advertising. It suddenly became our primary source of income when hubby got sick. I'll definitely set up an account there.

 

The JAWM was mainly to prevent condescending people from asking me if I've considered finding an employer :P of course I have!

If you are going to register with italki, also consider registering with verbalplanet and takelessons. Languageconvo might have included Japanese, but if not, approach them about it. I would also ask livelingua as well. We've used all of these places for languages. It's so much easier if a company is involved. It does mean that you'll have to have a good internet connection.

[ElizabethB]

:grouphug:

 

I have no personal experience nice with them, but several local homeschool moms said they have made a bit of money with VIP kid and said they like doing it.

[Arctic Bunny]

Just to agree with everyone about pre-payment...

 

Piano lessons were paid in September, with a post-dated cheque for January at the same time. She had two weeks set aside at the end of the year, in June, for makeup lessons or extra lessons (max 2). We were with her for 4 years; still would be if we hadn't moved.

 

After moving, the next piano teacher did it per lesson. *She* was the one who canceled all the time. Quit after 3 months, with a total of 3 lessons actually happening. Still don't know if I underpaid or overpaid or not.

 

Sports, the same. Pay in advance.

 

Best of luck branching out! I hope you find success and steady income!

[mommyoffive]

That sounds incredibly frustrating. People are often too self-centered to realize that their flakiness directly impacts your income stream. A friend of mine who tutored had to start having people sign agreements, like a contract that stated her cancellation policy and all those annoying details about flaking on her costing them a percentage of the tutoring session fee, etc. It was upsetting for her to have to do that, but I think it helped in the long run so that she'd at least be able to recoup some money for her inconvenience. 

 

I know this is a JAWM, but as a Japanese learner with a Japanese learning kid:

 

In your signature, it states that you're a Japanese teacher/translator. Have you considered teaching on an online platform like italki? I imagine that you'd have an easier time getting students who speak English needing lessons online (like mine!) b/c of the lack of a time difference (compared to native speaking teachers living in Japan). There's also a Japanese society group in the major metro area near me that uses services like yours to help in their advertising campaigns and such. Meet-up groups for Japanese learners may also prove to be a good way to find new students. Just trying to help; hope I didn't sound unsympathetic to your situation. 

 

Tell me more about italki.  Have you used it? 

[mommyoffive]

If you are going to register with italki, also consider registering with verbalplanet and takelessons. Languageconvo might have included Japanese, but if not, approach them about it. I would also ask livelingua as well. We've used all of these places for languages. It's so much easier if a company is involved. It does mean that you'll have to have a good internet connection.

 

Tell me about the places you have used.  Pros and cons?  

[Rebel Yell]

Agreeing with prepayment, and very few make up lessons, and even then, only if it is convenient for you- meaning, you will not reschedule your life so they can have a makeup lesson.

 

Our voice teacher collects payment at the beginning of the month based on how many lessons (usually 4, occasionally 5, maybe 2-3 in December) there will be. She only schedules makeups if she has time available or someone is willing to switch. High school students have some leniency during musical rehearsal season, but she requires a copy of the schedule from the school.

 

Also, agreeing that self employment is hard.

[catz]

I'm sorry.  That stinks.  I think if you set firmer policy, over time you'll actually end up with higher quality students with less flaky families.  I am working with 4 music teachers right now and have worked with many over the years.  I never get a lesson unless I have already paid.  Our one self employed teacher uses this tool to bill us once a month.  We pay online and the due date is 1 week later.  So I think I get billed like Sept 15 for October's lessons and then I have 1 week to pay. 

 

https://www.mymusicstaff.com/

 

This teacher does allow cancellation with 48 hours notice.  But he will just drop off a lesson from next's month's billing.  I also have teachers who don't allow cancellations and might just allow swapping.  The teacher that does allow cancellations is also a frequent performer so he needs us to be somewhat flexible as well, so it is nice that he allows that.  But I see why other more structured teachers do not.  I have 2 teachers in a large music school that have a no cancellation policy and have only been a little bit flexible now that I have teens and have been with them for years. 

 

ETA - I'm sorry for assuming you are a music teacher here, but I think many of the same policies and procedures can work and apply!

 

Edited September 29, 2017 by WoolySocks

[Wheres Toto]

Let them pay for the month. The monthly fee entitles them to four lessons during that month. If they show up for all four lessons, they make the most of their tuition. If the choose to show up only for three lessons, their loss. You can offer rescheduling based on availability if you want to be nice, but it has to be during the month.

 

As for record keeping, a simple excel sheet would suffice. You'd log their payments and their lesson dates.

 

:iagree:   Definitely this.

 

My kids do TKD.  We pay a set amount each month regardless of how many times the go to class.  Some months they go a lot, some months due to illness or vacations or whatever, we may go a lot less.  Doesn't matter.  It's a monthly fee.

 

All my kids activities have worked the same way.  Dance, swimming lessons, bowling, gymnastics, etc.  They ALL have a monthly fee and usually mention that it's a yearly fee divided by the number of months so people don't get bent out of shape over holiday breaks ("But February only has 4 weeks and December has the holiday break".  Nope, same price every month).

[JenneinCA]

Tell me more about italki. Have you used it?

I am not this poster but I am using italki for my son. He talks to a native Japanese speaker for an hour on Tuesday mornings and it is amazing. I pay the italki service and then pick a time from her schedule that works for us.

 

It was a big deal for me to find a native speaker that also speaks English and is in the continental United States. Japan itself is a so far away time zone wise that it was difficult. His teacher is, I believe, in North Carolina. That works because she is only three hours off and the morning slot that he wanted is possible.

Edited September 29, 2017 by JenneinAZ

[historically accurate]

I agree with getting your payment up front. We've done chess coaching, piano lessons, and gymnastics that are set up similar to how I would do it if I were a language teacher.

 

Chess: He charged an amount per hour. On the first of the month, I paid for 4 hours (or 5 if it was a 5 week month). He only allowed make up lessons 2x per year. 

 

Piano: She ran on 3 trimesters a year: Fall, Spring, Summer. Payment was due at the beginning of the session for the full 12 - 16 weeks. One makeup lesson per session allowed during the final week. 

 

Gymnastics: Payment due the 1st. Pay for a month of lessons (pro-rated if you join in the middle of a month). No makeup lessons allowed.

[StephanieZ]

FWIW, we use iTalki and LOVE IT. 

 

My 14 yo is taking Spanish lessons this year using iTalki . . . mostly we do it once a week. It's super convenient and wonderful. For Spanish, pay is pretty low, so we get our lessons for just 10/hr (50 for 5 1 hr lessons) for our particular teacher. Rates run from 8-15/hr mostly for Spanish. HOWEVER, I've seen *much* higher rates for other languages. I think it just so happens that many Spanish speakers live in low wage countries. If you're teaching Japanese, I'd imagine the rates are higher. Plus, you can set your own hours and work from home. 

 

Anyway, just a plug for iTalki from a consumer. 

[waa510]

Tell me more about italki.  Have you used it? 

 

No, but close friends of mine have as teachers/tutors and have loved the platform for ease of use. It's a great way to connect with a lot of different people from all over who may need your services. The italki lessons are also affordable compared to most others, which draws in students as well. 

 

We had the advantage of immersion for a while (and I have Japanese friends I can message on Facebook with complex questions) so I don't have the need...at least at Dd's current level. I'm trying to learn with her so that I won't ever need to outsource to a tutor but that might be wishful thinking on my part. She probably could use some more outsourcing and would love to use an italki tutor. 

[EKS]

Let them pay for the month. The monthly fee entitles them to four lessons during that month. If they show up for all four lessons, they make the most of their tuition. If the choose to show up only for three lessons, their loss. You can offer rescheduling based on availability if you want to be nice, but it has to be during the month.

 

As for record keeping, a simple excel sheet would suffice. You'd log their payments and their lesson dates.

 

This.  They can cancel as much as they want during the month, but they still have to pay the same.  If you cancel, you need to give a refund for 1/4 of a month.

[bethben]

When I had a tutoring business, I required payment up front for the month. If they quit then I was already paid.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

My son's guitar teacher required payment for the month up front.  She too had the weight of supporting her family on her income and people were cancelling too often.

[crazyforlatin]

Tell me about the places you have used. Pros and cons?

I've used them all, including Homeschool Spanish Academy. I gravitate towards italki because their platform is more user friendly, and I have found such excellent teachers there that it's just easier to stay with the same place as we learn new languages. I have found enough teachers at italki who charge a fee that I can afford without having to buy a huge bundle of classes in order to pay around the same price. Italki, however, does have people who are not certified to teach but who offer conversational practice. Languageconvo and livelingua have teachers with a lot of experience, and since there aren't a hundred teachers to scroll through, it's easier to choose and stay with one.

[lmrich]

I am also a self-employed teacher and understand your frustration. I bill by the semeser now and on Paypal. It is such a problem getting money from some people. I have my husband send them email reminder so it does not like I am nagging and nagging. I have a policy that you can drop after the first two weeks if you are not satisfied for a refund but after that you finish the semester. 

[happypamama]

I would require payment up front for the month. If they miss a lesson, the onus is on them to reschedule. But they pay no matter what. Our martial arts studio works that way. It's a small business too (and I like knowing that our tuition payment directly helps our instructor and his family), and if we have to miss a class, it's up to us to make it up or not.

[mamajag]

I'm so sorry. 

This is why my kids' piano teacher requires payment in advance and has you sign a contract for a 1-month notice if you stop taking lessons. People took advantage of her good nature far too much.

[KungFuPanda]

I charge my students by the six week session before the first class. If they pay before taking a class there is less to keep track of. They are paying to secure their slot. I only provide a make-up class if I miss, but if they miss a class, they just miss it. I also charge a late fee if they pay after the first class. If I have to process late payments mid-session I want to make it worth my mile. I started taking Paypal a few years ago and that's been easy for everyone.

[egao_gakari]

This is a bit off-topic, but as I'm exploring people's recommendations, one thing I notice about livelingua and languageconvo (as opposed to italki) is that they advertise "native speaker teachers only." Alas, I'm not a native speaker--and as a person with extensive experience in language learning (since age 6) as well as language teaching (more recently), the conventional wisdom that a native speaker will always be preferable as a teacher to a non-native speaker doesn't really hold up to the available evidence. Not that I'm bashing native speaker teachers at all--I've had some great ones, and some terrible ones, same with non-native speakers. The key is, are they trained as a language teacher, or not? Do they understand the differences between first language acquisition and second language acquisition, or not? Even a couple semesters of teaching methodology classes in college make a huge difference in the ability to teach languages effectively.

 

It looks like livelingua and languageconvo require their teachers to have teacher certification, which is a good method of quality control, so this is not me attacking them for having hiring requirements that I can't qualify for. All I want to say is, to any homeschoolers out there who are frustrated with a native speaker teacher who doesn't seem very effective: consider taking a chance on a non-native speaker! Check into their qualifications to actually speak and teach the language, obviously. But don't discount us just because we may not have perfect command of the language in every conceivable situation. (Of course, some do come close to that ideal! I've been mistaken for Japanese on the phone before, and I know others who have as well.) Particularly for beginner-level, a non-native speaker has some true advantages over a native speaker. We remember what it's like not to be able to speak the language well! We remember the study strategies we personally used to excel! We probably teach using the same curriculum we learned the language from, meaning we know that program inside out and sideways. And we do have perfect command of our native language, which can be helpful in making complex and unfamiliar grammatical structures clearer for beginners. Please don't count us out from the get-go!

 

So, again, thanks everybody for your helpful input! I'm definitely going to start working on a cancellation policy for my students to sign, and possibly invest in a business management program to send invoices and whatnot.

 

(And if anybody's looking for a Japanese teacher, you know where to find one!  :laugh:)

[mommyoffive]

This is a bit off-topic, but as I'm exploring people's recommendations, one thing I notice about livelingua and languageconvo (as opposed to italki) is that they advertise "native speaker teachers only." Alas, I'm not a native speaker--and as a person with extensive experience in language learning (since age 6) as well as language teaching (more recently), the conventional wisdom that a native speaker will always be preferable as a teacher to a non-native speaker doesn't really hold up to the available evidence. Not that I'm bashing native speaker teachers at all--I've had some great ones, and some terrible ones, same with non-native speakers. The key is, are they trained as a language teacher, or not? Do they understand the differences between first language acquisition and second language acquisition, or not? Even a couple semesters of teaching methodology classes in college make a huge difference in the ability to teach languages effectively.

 

It looks like livelingua and languageconvo require their teachers to have teacher certification, which is a good method of quality control, so this is not me attacking them for having hiring requirements that I can't qualify for. All I want to say is, to any homeschoolers out there who are frustrated with a native speaker teacher who doesn't seem very effective: consider taking a chance on a non-native speaker! Check into their qualifications to actually speak and teach the language, obviously. But don't discount us just because we may not have perfect command of the language in every conceivable situation. (Of course, some do come close to that ideal! I've been mistaken for Japanese on the phone before, and I know others who have as well.) Particularly for beginner-level, a non-native speaker has some true advantages over a native speaker. We remember what it's like not to be able to speak the language well! We remember the study strategies we personally used to excel! We probably teach using the same curriculum we learned the language from, meaning we know that program inside out and sideways. And we do have perfect command of our native language, which can be helpful in making complex and unfamiliar grammatical structures clearer for beginners. Please don't count us out from the get-go!

 

So, again, thanks everybody for your helpful input! I'm definitely going to start working on a cancellation policy for my students to sign, and possibly invest in a business management program to send invoices and whatnot.

 

(And if anybody's looking for a Japanese teacher, you know where to find one!  :laugh:)

 

You make some excellent points. 

 

 

Did you get on one of those platforms then?   

[egao_gakari]

You make some excellent points. 

 

 

Did you get on one of those platforms then?   

 

Italki accepts non-native speakers who have teacher certification, so I'm working on applying to that one, as well as TakeLessons. I'm already registered on Wyzant and Prep.ly, which are easier to register for.

[mommyoffive]

What ages do you teach?   

[RoundAbout]

I tutor math and for my afternoon/after school clients I require payment at the beginning of the month via PayPal. I have a few homeschool clients that I'm more flexible with on scheduling (the flexibility works both ways, sometimes I can't fit them in, sometimes I can't) but they pay in cash right when they come.

 

My son's piano teacher charges a monthly tuition fee. It has 3 built-in absences during the course of the school year so if you have perfect attendance you get a few "free" lessons.

 

 

[egao_gakari]

What ages do you teach?   

 

I PM'd you some details so as not to derail the thread!

[Jenn in FL]

I just saw a job posting and I thought of this thread...  (Reason 99,362 that I love this board!)

 

It appears that Amazon is specifically looking for Japanese speaking Customer Service employees to work at home.

 

That is all.   :coolgleamA:

 

Good luck in your search.