TheReader Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 Assume it's legal in your state. You'd meet all requirements for your state. Person asking wants 3x/wk, in their home. This amount of time won't interfere w/schooling your own child, your own house upkeep, etc. What rules/guidelines/agreements all need to be hammered out before agreeing to this? I'm thinking: ...agree on what form of testing/assessment/how to monitor progress so that mom is assured child is on target ....how often would assessments be given, what would we use for them, etc. ....what goals does mom have for the child? ....does mom have an "amount of time per day" requirement or a "number of subjects done per day" requirement? (ex: do I stay until the work for the day is accomplished....or if child flies through, does Mom want me hanging around/filling in with extra until a set time requirement is met?) ....what will Mom want to happen if child is not progressing? Add more/different work? Scrap the whole idea? ....does mom want to do this long-term, or on a semester-by-semester basis? Year-by-year? All the way through, or just elementary, or not sure yet? ....what subjects does Mom want covered? Extra-curriculars? Does Mom want me doing that also or just the academics? ....what is the 'child or teacher is sick" policy/idea does Mom have? (I would not want to go teach if child was sick, b/c I also teach a K & a 1st class; I'd not want to carry germs from one to the other and risk getting sick myself so I couldn't do one or the other) (and would Mom be fine with me cancelling if I was sick) ....would pay be based on per session, or a set amount per month regardless of # of sessions, or....? (they have asked me what rate I would need to charge; still thinking through that) ....is Mom choosing curriculum, or asking me to choose? Is she then paying for what I choose, or asking me to supply? What about other materials? Anything I"m missing?? What else would I need to think about before agreeing to do this??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 I'd be concerned that if child needed to do some work at home, that parents might not be supportive and helpful. I don't know how to word that tactfully though. I'd charge per month - like a private school/college - it doesn't matter if child is sick, they still pay for his place in your schedule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted August 30, 2019 Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 9 minutes ago, Bambam said: I'd be concerned that if child needed to do some work at home, that parents might not be supportive and helpful. I don't know how to word that tactfully though. I'd charge per month - like a private school/college - it doesn't matter if child is sick, they still pay for his place in your schedule. Those are good points. In this case, I feel comfortable with the role the parent will take with the child, but that is a very valid point, for sure. I was leaning towards monthly fee vs. per session, so it's nice to have that confirmed. It's not something I ever would have advertised to do/sought out, but a friend has approached me about doing this, so I'm trying to think through all of the pros/cons/what-ifs (or as many as I can foresee) before deciding yes/no and what to charge. I want to really make sure before I say yes that I've considered all the ways it could go badly, and worked through preventives for that/plans for how to deal with all of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 What are the tax implications of this move? (E.g., Do you need to register as a business locally, pay self-employment tax, etc.?) How much notice will each of you give if you decide to discontinue? Are progress reports wanted at a certain interval, or will your feedback be informal? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 A lot of learning can occur through playing games. If you feel similarly, I'd ask the parent how she feels about the topic. Likewise, how does the parent feel about you reading aloud to the child? I like your list of thoughts. I agree it's important to have a policy in place for illness. Regards, Kareni 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 Three times a week sounds like a pain as far as teaching skill subjects go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 29 minutes ago, Seasider too said: Not in a million years, short of a parental loss or some other tragedy. I agree. It can become an emotional minefield tutoring kids of friends. I did tutor two elementary school kids short term when they had chickenpox and their regular tutors refuse to take the risk as they were my then classmate’s nephew and niece. I had recently recovered from chickenpox then and the risk of me getting chickenpox from the kids was low. Also, my classmate wasn’t going to be offended if I thought her niece and/or nephew was underperforming. The parents paid me market rate per hour for tutoring plus a goodwill bonus at the end of the short term. The kids have all the materials and parents were willing to purchase any materials if needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 23 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said: Three times a week sounds like a pain as far as teaching skill subjects go. I have taught Algebra 1 twice to bonus students. Three times a week works great if they do homework on the off days. FWIW, I consider tutoring and teaching to be two different things. Tutoring (IMO) is when you backfill behind the actual teacher. Teaching is when you are responsible for the whole thing. I recommend charging 1.5-2x for teaching what you would for tutoring because prep time is significant. That said, I vastly prefer teaching. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted August 31, 2019 Author Share Posted August 31, 2019 22 hours ago, whitehawk said: What are the tax implications of this move? (E.g., Do you need to register as a business locally, pay self-employment tax, etc.?) How much notice will each of you give if you decide to discontinue? Are progress reports wanted at a certain interval, or will your feedback be informal? Good questions to ask; thank you. 17 hours ago, Kareni said: A lot of learning can occur through playing games. If you feel similarly, I'd ask the parent how she feels about the topic. Likewise, how does the parent feel about you reading aloud to the child? I like your list of thoughts. I agree it's important to have a policy in place for illness. Regards, Kareni Very good questions/topics to discuss with the mom; thank you. I believe from what I know of mom/grandma (I'm actually friends with the grandma of the mom of the child in question), we hold similar views on things and this is why grandma wants the mom to have me doing it. But I will definitely double check. It's also important, on that note, that all parties agree and understand who would be decision maker on things. 15 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said: Three times a week sounds like a pain as far as teaching skill subjects go. I'm thinking of it in a sense of the homeschool enrichment stuff I teach already; I only get those kids 1x/week and parents follow the schedule I assign the rest of the week. So I think 3x is a lot for this situation, assuming likewise this mom/child will follow the schedule on the off days. 15 hours ago, EKS said: I have taught Algebra 1 twice to bonus students. Three times a week works great if they do homework on the off days. FWIW, I consider tutoring and teaching to be two different things. Tutoring (IMO) is when you backfill behind the actual teacher. Teaching is when you are responsible for the whole thing. I recommend charging 1.5-2x for teaching what you would for tutoring because prep time is significant. That said, I vastly prefer teaching. Yes, this. Thanks for weighing in. Figuring out the rate is the hard part.....I am not sure what market rate is for tutors in our area, but I do have a few people I can ask (who teach hs'ers stuff). I'd far rather teach than tutor. I'm leaning strongly towards at least meeting with the mom and discussing all the details, and go from there. Assuming the answers are all mutually agreeable, I think I'll probably do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myra Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 Also, unfortunately, you need to ensure that the responsible adult/parent is present at all times - at least that is a requirement at the local school has for tutors. They recommend that you also tutor at a public place such as a library for your legal safety/precautions and for the child's physical/mental safety. That's the day and age we are living in right now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted August 31, 2019 Author Share Posted August 31, 2019 1 hour ago, Myra said: Also, unfortunately, you need to ensure that the responsible adult/parent is present at all times - at least that is a requirement at the local school has for tutors. They recommend that you also tutor at a public place such as a library for your legal safety/precautions and for the child's physical/mental safety. That's the day and age we are living in right now. That's a good point; thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 I would want to know the specifics about why tutoring is needed, but also why they want someone outside the school system in which the child is enrolled. Not because I don't believe in tutoring and not because I don't think homeschool moms (especially with experience and even degrees in a particular subject area) are qualified, but because I always want to know upfront if I'm being brought in because of an inability to work with others. I wish this hadn't happened to me a lot, in life, but it has. I'm wanted after they've exhausted friendly relationships with the people they should be working with (not just schooling but in other realms), and they're really hoping to pay me a LOT less. Sorry for the cynicism and I hope it's unwarranted. Better to be very clear about motivations up front, though. 🙂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassenach Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 I tutored a middle schooler once a week last year, but it was way less intensive than what you're describing. We would meet for about 1 1/2 hr, I would review any math problems that I could see she was getting consistently wrong (teaching textbooks and I had the teacher log-in), go over her writing and science, then we would set her schedule for the following week. I was guiding and tutoring, but not teaching. I didn't charge. It was a favor to my single mom friend. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 On 8/30/2019 at 8:36 AM, TheReader said: Assume it's legal in your state. You'd meet all requirements for your state. Person asking wants 3x/wk, in their home. This amount of time won't interfere w/schooling your own child, your own house upkeep, etc. What rules/guidelines/agreements all need to be hammered out before agreeing to this? I'm thinking: ...agree on what form of testing/assessment/how to monitor progress so that mom is assured child is on target ....how often would assessments be given, what would we use for them, etc. ....what goals does mom have for the child? ....does mom have an "amount of time per day" requirement or a "number of subjects done per day" requirement? (ex: do I stay until the work for the day is accomplished....or if child flies through, does Mom want me hanging around/filling in with extra until a set time requirement is met?) ....what will Mom want to happen if child is not progressing? Add more/different work? Scrap the whole idea? ....does mom want to do this long-term, or on a semester-by-semester basis? Year-by-year? All the way through, or just elementary, or not sure yet? ....what subjects does Mom want covered? Extra-curriculars? Does Mom want me doing that also or just the academics? ....what is the 'child or teacher is sick" policy/idea does Mom have? (I would not want to go teach if child was sick, b/c I also teach a K & a 1st class; I'd not want to carry germs from one to the other and risk getting sick myself so I couldn't do one or the other) (and would Mom be fine with me cancelling if I was sick) ....would pay be based on per session, or a set amount per month regardless of # of sessions, or....? (they have asked me what rate I would need to charge; still thinking through that) ....is Mom choosing curriculum, or asking me to choose? Is she then paying for what I choose, or asking me to supply? What about other materials? Anything I"m missing?? What else would I need to think about before agreeing to do this??? If I'm hsing and someone else's child is joining us, then we're hsing and that child is going to do what we're doing. There's only one of me, and I cannot do whole separate courses for another child. If I'm going to the parent's house and she's paying me, it's tutoring. Seems to me she would tell me what subjects she wants me to tutor her child in, and after that, it's up to me, including which instructional materials. Monthly progress reports would be good, but not requirements on how much time per subject. She could tell me how much she'll pay me per hour, and how many hours she's willing to pay for, but it's up to me to decide how to divide my time between multiple subjects. Don't tutors charge per hour? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alewife Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 On 8/30/2019 at 9:36 AM, TheReader said: Assume it's legal in your state. You'd meet all requirements for your state. Person asking wants 3x/wk, in their home. This amount of time won't interfere w/schooling your own child, your own house upkeep, etc. What rules/guidelines/agreements all need to be hammered out before agreeing to this? I'm thinking: ...agree on what form of testing/assessment/how to monitor progress so that mom is assured child is on target ....how often would assessments be given, what would we use for them, etc. ....what goals does mom have for the child? ....does mom have an "amount of time per day" requirement or a "number of subjects done per day" requirement? (ex: do I stay until the work for the day is accomplished....or if child flies through, does Mom want me hanging around/filling in with extra until a set time requirement is met?) ....what will Mom want to happen if child is not progressing? Add more/different work? Scrap the whole idea? ....does mom want to do this long-term, or on a semester-by-semester basis? Year-by-year? All the way through, or just elementary, or not sure yet? ....what subjects does Mom want covered? Extra-curriculars? Does Mom want me doing that also or just the academics? ....what is the 'child or teacher is sick" policy/idea does Mom have? (I would not want to go teach if child was sick, b/c I also teach a K & a 1st class; I'd not want to carry germs from one to the other and risk getting sick myself so I couldn't do one or the other) (and would Mom be fine with me cancelling if I was sick) ....would pay be based on per session, or a set amount per month regardless of # of sessions, or....? (they have asked me what rate I would need to charge; still thinking through that) ....is Mom choosing curriculum, or asking me to choose? Is she then paying for what I choose, or asking me to supply? What about other materials? Anything I"m missing?? What else would I need to think about before agreeing to do this??? Another question I would add to the list is who is responsible if the child does not complete the work you assign? In my experience, I would not work with another person's child if his parents held me responsible for making sure work was completed. I work with a handful of homeschooling families, meeting with their kids either twice a week or three times a week. We will go over new topics in our sessions, and I will assign problem sets for the kids to work on between sessions. However, I stress to the parents upfront that I am their child's math tutor, and whether or not the child does the homework I assign is up to the homeschooling parent to monitor. I charge an hourly rate per session. I provide a weekly progress report via email. This setup has worked well with the vast majority of the families. A few years ago, I had a student who was not completing their homework assignments. The dad was not happy with me because I did not hold his wife responsible enough for making sure the child did the work. I reminded him that I was not the one homeschooling his child and had absolutely no control over what his child did when not in my presence. Luckily, I had set the expectations prior to starting the tutoring sessions that I was not homeschooling the child and was acting in the role of a tutor. Good luck! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 I would charge a lot for the service. Locally tutors charge between 50 and $60 an hour. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6wildhorses Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 I've just been looking into this myself. It appears that you should be hired as a household employee, so your employer should pay the "nanny tax." I encourage you to look into this because it will benefit you tax-wise. Plus, it would be illegal for them to hire you as an independent contractor since you'll be working in their home and making more that $2100. I would recommend checking Wyzant.com to see what tutors with your experience charge in your local area. Personally, I offer a deep discount on my rates for homeschoolers who hire me for a lot of hours a week (6+). It's hard to find students during the day, and I'm too busy in the afternoon to tutor. I like tutoring, and I would much prefer to work with one or even a few homeschooling families than to have a revolving door of students after school. So it's worth it to me to offer a discount. Tutoring prices vary a lot depending on where you live, which is why you really need to check your local rates to come up with a fair price. You definitely need to have a discussion about curriculum, educational philosophy, what subjects you will be covering, if you'll be assigning homework, etc. Personally I would set a certain time every day instead of making that flexible. It will help you and the kids to have consistency. I would not pay for curriculum or supplies. They need to know upfront that this is part of the cost of homeschooling. I'm writing up an outline of curriculum and supplies I recommend, and when I meet with the family, we'll decide together. Since you're going three times a week, I think I would call myself a tutor who is supporting their homeschool and not say that I'm homeschooling them. That's a lot of pressure and responsibility to put on yourself. I would be concerned about the family following through with homework if they feel like you have it all covered and the responsibility is on you. In my situation, I'll probably charge hourly with payment being made weekly. There are a lot of things that could go awry, and I'd rather have the flexibility to walk away than to have set up a long-term commitment. I believe a lot of laws about nannies apply in this situation because you're a household employ like a nanny. Knowing this can help you search for information and ideas of how to set this up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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