olympic torch!, missed lessons! Options

[chraze1]

As wonderful as the whole olympic torch thing is, it's just cost me 55 pounds tonight in cancelled lessons!
"It's a oncein a lifetime thing", "oh we didn't realise it was going to be here tonight....blah blah blah
Grrrrr!

[owainsutton]

Surely it's a great advert for having T&Cs?.....

[hammer action]

Charge them for the missed lesson. You shouldn't have to suffer financially. I make it very clear in my T&C's that all missed lessons will be chargeable unless adequate notice is given. I'll try my best to re-arrange the lesson at a later time in the week, but that isn't always possible. When i started teaching many years ago, i soon got fed up with the last-minute cancellations because of birthday parties, swimming lessons, cinema visits or whatever. It's amazing how organized parents become with their forward-planning when they know missed lessons are chargeable.

[chraze1]

Surely it's a great advert for having T&Cs?.....

I have and they clearly say fees should be paid on first lesson of each month. last wed would have been the first lesson for one particular pupil but she had a lesson to be carried over from the month before, so the remainder of fees should have been due tonight, but I got a text from mum to say everything i quoted in my last post! Guaranteed next week they'll walk in with two weeks fees!
Time for a change to the terms and conditions me thinks!
Two other pupils who only come two weekly for lessons usually do pay as you go and are normally fine but one decided to hop out the country last night and another was ill today. I know sometimes things can't be helped but tonight just seemed awful!

[barry-clari]

As wonderful as the whole olympic torch thing is, it's just cost me 55 pounds tonight in cancelled lessons!
"It's a oncein a lifetime thing", "oh we didn't realise it was going to be here tonight....blah blah blah
Grrrrr!

This is going to sound dreadful : but the arrival of the Olympic torch in Clari-land is already being heavily publicised : it might have been worth checking to see when the torch was arriving in chraze1-land, and asking if they were going to see the torch and planning as necessary? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

[lorraineliyanage]

This is going to sound dreadful : but the arrival of the Olympic torch in Clari-land is already being heavily publicised : it might have been worth checking to see when the torch was arriving in chraze1-land, and asking if they were going to see the torch and planning as necessary? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/unsure.gif)

Morning Baz. I would say that if a student wants to bunk off to see an event, it is their job to inform the teacher, not the teacher's job to keep up with every possible event that students might want to go to. I had a student dock my invoice 1 lesson when she went trick or treating which happened to fall on the first lesson of the half-term when payment was due. Unbelievable! However, they promptly paid up when I pointed out this was taking the p**s and I couldn't possibly run a business if I allowed that sort of carry on! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[barry-clari]

Morning Baz. I would say that if a student wants to bunk off to see an event, it is their job to inform the teacher, not the teacher's job to keep up with every possible event that students might want to go to. I had a student dock my invoice 1 lesson when she went trick or treating which happened to fall on the first lesson of the half-term when payment was due. Unbelievable! However, they promptly paid up when I pointed out this was taking the p**s and I couldn't possibly run a business if I allowed that sort of carry on! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

True : but I think the torch is one of the very few things that may be an exception. Perhaps teaching in an area that's even more Olympic drenched than yours, lorraineliyanage, makes me slightly biased, I don't know! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

I can't bear Hallowe'en : I know what I'd have done about your situation there...

edit : I'd be asking if they wanted to see the torch, I'd be equally miffed if they just told be out of the blue that they were going to do that.

[Alicia Ocean]

When we knew the torch was coming our way I had several pupils who were planning to go and see it - until we worked out it was not actually being run all the way but was spending much of it's time in a security van. It took the shine off the idea. I had thought it was being run round the country night and day in a continuous relay - there'd certainly have been enough volunteers for that, and had it been passing our way at 3am we'd have still got up to see it.

[ExpressYourself]

Guaranteed next week they'll walk in with two weeks fees!

And when they do, make sure they understand that this week's fee is also due. Just because you cancel the lesson on pay day doesn't meant that lesson isn't chargeable. They can pop it through your door the following day.

It doesn't matter if the torch is once in a lifetime or if you're meeting the queen. The problem here is the lack of notice.

Sometimes an event doesn't get much notice, such as funerals, and for those I use some discretion. But for other events where it's only lack of organisation and/or courtesy which leads to a lack of communication then it's tough t*tty (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blush.gif)

[Scooby Doo]

I had a day of cancelled lessons due to the torch, but all gave me plenty of notice, and that was fine and lessons were re-scheduled or carried forward. Don't allow students to get away with last-minute no-shows - it's not fair, and in this case they will have had plenty of time to get organised, won't they? I agree that it isn't up to the teacher to anticipate problems (unless it's something obvious like a bank holiday).

[Norway]

When we knew the torch was coming our way I had several pupils who were planning to go and see it - until we worked out it was not actually being run all the way but was spending much of it's time in a security van. It took the shine off the idea. I had thought it was being run round the country night and day in a continuous relay - there'd certainly have been enough volunteers for that, and had it been passing our way at 3am we'd have still got up to see it.

I agree - it has blown out several times too, so it's not as if it has been continuous all the way from Greece or anything (continuity is the key concept here - when you consider the amount of money being spent, this is surely achievable?) They should either do it properly or not at all. When I cycled from Land's End to John O Groats, I didn't catch the train at Taunton!

[lorraineliyanage]

Luckily mine have all paid up now for this half-term in advance, so if they really must go and see the torch, then so be it. I have no idea when it's coming this way but out of curiosity I may look it up!

[barry-clari]

Luckily mine have all paid up now for this half-term in advance, so if they really must go and see the torch, then so be it. I have no idea when it's coming this way but out of curiosity I may look it up!

Thursday 26th July (IMG:style_emoticons/default/tongue.gif)

[gabriellej]

invoice half termly or termly - in advance...

[DaisyChain]

Sorry to gate crash this thread, but I had two lessons cancelled on Monday and one this evening, all for the bloomin' England football matches! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif) Only one has offered to pay. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)