Lessons for children of friends/acquaintances Options

[Impressionist]

I've just dipped my toe back into the waters of instrumental teaching after many years of doing other things. I have around a dozen students, most of whom attend regularly, pay up on time and are keen.

But... I have a couple of children I've taken on as I know the parents and, to be honest, they're a pain in the backside. They frequently cancel at the last minute (or don't turn up at all), want to rearrange time slots each term depending on the other activities the kids do, pay late and seem to regard my teaching as a "hobby" rather than a job.

Does anyone else teach anyone with whom you have a personal connection or do you keep business and personal life separate? I'd always thought that you'd treat those you're friendly with the same respect you'd give anyone else but it doesn't seem to be the case here.

[Misterioso]

I teach the daughter of a couple with whom OH and I are friends, and it's often nothing but hassle. They cancel last minute, or the daughter forgets, or turns up without books, and they always pick her up late after the lesson. Late cancellations are usually not paid for, and because they are friends, I feel awkward about chasing. The irony is that I had cause to consult her father over a healthcare matter (the sector in which he works) and treated the whole thing as a business transaction from beginning to end, paying the going rate for work he did. But I have not received the same courtesy back, and the situation is ongoing.

It's always a difficult situation, so I would endorse what others say about getting them to sign your T&Cs to put it on a business footing straight away.