I am posting this on behalf of a friend as she isn't a member on here. She is looking to give up teaching piano for a while so that she can concentrate on herself and her family. She has recently gained a full time office job that is paying quite well and she has voiced that she would like to give up teaching, even if just for a year whilst she sorts out her new house and prepares to get married next summer. At the moment she has no contract with the pupils as she teaches on a week to week basis and gets paid per lesson. As she has no contract with any of the families, we have come to the conclusion that she doesn't technically have to give them any notice. Obviously she doesn't want to end on bad terms with them so she is looking for advise on how much to give them? I had thought possibly 2-3 weeks, but she had hoped 1-2! Does anyone have any suggestions that I can pass along? Have you ever had someone be quite angry with your notice period even though no contract has ever been signed? She only does this a couple of hours a week, so this is not a full time job.
Thank you for reading!

Maybe if she could provide the name(s) of other teachers when she gives notice that could take the sting out of it a little? Not always possible I know.

No contract = no obligation. If she wants to go back to teaching at some point in the future, then perhaps she could try to help them find someone new, as suggested. Otherwise, she has no commitment from the pupils either, so they shouldn?t be too surprised by a short (or no) notice period.

I get paid week to week, but my contract states 4 weeks notice on either side. I think I would feel a bit miffed if I were told my lessons were to cease without a reasonable time to find a new teacher. But if, as you say, it is only a couple of hours a week, it can't be many pupils, so the best thing to do is to talk to them. Technically I suppose if you get paid week to week, then a contract is implied and a week's notice is all that is required. But if your friend doesn't want to get on bad terms, (and people do talk), she needs to tell tham asap. The fact that it is not a full time job is not relevant. It's still a business whether you have four or forty pupils and should be run as such. Your friend may want to start up again sometime - so she needs to preserve her goodwill.

I would feel very guilty (and unprofessional) if I didn't give 1/2 terms notice.

Not a teacher but a rather shocked parent.
I cannot imagine the consternation in the tonedeaf house if any of the teachers announced that as of 1 or 2 weeks they would not be available for lessons!

I think a teacher has a professional responsibility to her students and I would have thought a month's notice would be the very least anyone expected - or, even better, a half term. It's not easy to find a suitable teacher (with a suitable slot in their timetable) at short notice and the pupils' musical progress could well be hampered or even derailed. Presumably your friend did not come to this decision overnight? A heads up to the parents would have been courteous. I'm afraid that if I were employing her I would feel that she had behaved dishonestly, stringing us along to keep her weekly money coming in as long as possible, knowing that if we had had more notice we might have made alternative arrangements.

No, your friend has no legal responsibility to these people but if she intends going back to teaching next year then a month's notice and, as BadStrad suggests, a list of potential teachers (if possible) would be more likely to ensure good will. Word of mouth advertising is usually the best kind and the 'music parenting' community is a suprisingly small one.

Staggered by SueHM's assertion that parents who pay week by week shouldn't be surprised at being dumped without notice. I pay each of our music teachers in the way they ask me to and one of those has been having cash from the family kitty every week for 2 and a half years but I consider him no less committed as my child's teacher than any of the others!

When my daughter's 1st piano teacher gave notice because he was going back to University he was beyond wonderful! He warned me that a move was 'possible' when I first phoned to arrange lessons so we never had a contract. In the end he gave me a list of 'recommended teachers', gave us a reference, and continued with lessons up until there could be a smooth transition between teachers. What a guy! Not suggesting that other teachers are obliged to do the same but it's worth remembering that I still praise this teacher to the skies and would recommend him to anyone.

I'd be devastated if one of my teacher stopped without warning.
The one teacher I had who stopped teaching was happy to keep me on until I found a new teacher if I chose.

I really don't think it is fair to give such a short notice period. My last piano teacher gave half a term's notice and a list of teachers.

I think it would be very wrong if someone was nearing an exam to give such short notice.

Sorry if I have offended anyone. It?s just that the arrangement described sounded pretty casual. I am used to signed contracts and agreed notice periods and there seems to be nothing of that sort in place here. If the teacher has not agreed to any such terms, even verbally, then why would anyone expect them to exist? Would the pupils themselves expect to give notice under these circumstances?

We don't have a contract with our private teachers and pay on a week to week basis. I would be shocked if they did this to us.

I would treat them wiht respect and forewarn them if daughter was intending to give up and I'd expect the same sort of respect in return.

It saddens me to think that forum teachers who often shout the loudest about parents have so little regard for thier pupils and families. To make it clear I'm not just saying this based on the opinions expressed on this thread.

So what are you referring to then? Not wishing to stir up a big argument here - I think we are basically in agreement. I?m sure that most weekly paid/paying teachers and students do have some sort of notice agreement and other terms agreed and respect each other?s arrangements, even if there has only been a verbal discussion. I wasn?t suggesting that weekly payers shouldn?t be given notice or expect to be dumped any time, merely that in this particular case, no arrangements seem to have been made and the commitment therefore seems rather casual on both sides. Perhaps I have read too much into the original post.

I?ll shut up now.

In the case of the OP I think a period of 4-6 weeks would be the decent period to give although as others have said, theres no commitment in law without a contract.

Sorry - no, definitely not offended - just frightened! man is an essential part of our lives and I assumed he knew that he was committed to us at least until B1 leaves school (illegally abbreviated daughter is currently in Year 6).

I have just booked Grade 5 piano exam - we really would be up the chocolate creek if he doesn't turn up next week.

I had previously always thought of the contract as something that protects the teacher's livelihood - maybe I should be seeing it as protection for the children (and my not inconsiderable investment in them) as well?

I've never had to consider what sort of notice period I would give a teacher - because my children never seem to want to quit anything.

I certainly don?t see contracts as simply a way of protecting my income! I use the standard EPTA contract and it includes expectations about practice, provision of a practice instrument, and various other items. I definitely see myself as having obligations towards my pupils that I sign up to at the same time. A contract is a two-way agreement - it isn?t all about what the pupils/parents have to do.

Perhaps you should have a conversation with your children?s teachers about your long term plans. I don?t think you can assume that everything will always continue as it has done. Teachers have plans too you know...

I don't think it's a matter of contracts, more a case of knowing when your students really value their lessons and respecting that. Ok, some might not be too bothered about lessons stopping or having a break to find a new teacher but for others it's a very important part of their lives.

Things to do when teacher has to give up teaching...... cry for a week...... find new teacher......

I haven't ever had a contract with any of my teachers, and I haven't considered any relationship to be casual.

My first piano teacher was my friend before she was my teacher, and we stopped having lessons when she moved abroad with her family. I was shocked to receive one week's notice. The family had been considering the move for several months, but it came together in the end very quickly, which is why the notice was so short.

I was sad mostly because I was in the middle of learning some technical points to do with the physical aspect of playing. It hadn't fully sunk in, and consequently I don't understand it now. If I had a longer notice period, then I would have ensured that I had written these technical points.

She was an excellent teacher, and I would recommend her to anyone, but I was very disappointed at the short notice period. That said, we are still friends.

4-6 week's notice, with a reference and list of recommended teachers would be a lovely way to finish.

Surely not? What more could they want out of life than to listen to my little darlings murder a different grade's worth of scales each year?

I have employed 7 and a 1/4 music teachers over the years and have never seen the sort of contract you describe. Yours would appear to contain more promises and obligations than my wedding did and, in the early days, may well have frightened me off! I think you're right though that now I know roughly where we're all heading it might be time to talk things over with a couple of the teachers.

I think though that there is a difference between legal obligations and moral or assumed obligations (even in these days of the Home/School Agreement - my pet hate.) Until I started posting on this forum it wouldn't have occured to me that parents would sign up for lessons for their children without possessing a musical instrument! I have learned better now!

Legally this lady's pupils have no right to expect anything.
Morally I think 4-6 weeks is appropriate notice and best professional practice.

To the OP - I think it could be said that a teacher has a spoken contract with her pupils even though there's nothing written down. It doesn't have to be written down.

In terms of teacher giving notice, I would say a week or a fortnight is too short. She should go for the longest time she can and it's an excellent idea to give a list of local teachers, or refer the pupils to the ISM or EPTA or whatever is relevant - one would give the proviso that it wasn't a particular recommendation, just a list. It depends on what kind of area it is. If there are instrumental teachers round every corner then maybe a shorter notice period would work ok, but if she's in the middle of nowhere then a longer time would be better so people have longer to sort out their arrangements, travel, opportunity to have lessons in school etc.

Why does she need to give such short notice? - if she only has 4 pupils, it shouldn't be too much to give 5 or 6 weeks notice - I used to work full time (not in music) and had 2 or 3 private pupils too.

My four weeks notice period is designed to protect both me and the student. Me - to give me a chance to fill the slot before student leaves. Student - well, I've only once given the notice when someone was messing me around - actually no communication from the parents and letting me down. If I were actually giving up teaching I would give several months notice to ease the way for people to continue and find someone else or consider their options. It's only fair.
So - a legal issue - or a moral dilemma?

Same here!



I think this kind of weekly paid "casual" arrangement is probably more common in real life than a reading of these boards might suggest. We have never discussed notice periods with our out of school teachers at all and never had contracts with any of them. But we have been with all for several years so would certainly expect reasonable notice of termination of lessons.

The only teacher who ever dumped us without notice was one with whom we did have a contract, but clearly she believed the provisions about notice periods only worked one way!

I take your point over the teacher in question but I would expect some reasonable notice though possibly not half a term. I think generally, as I've said before, some Forum Teachers seem to think parents are from another planet when a lot of the time the are simply doing their best. I've no time for late payers or those who dictate exam schedule for the ###### of it or the other reasonable things that are moaned about.

Like tonedeafmum it would scare me if one of our teachers cut lessons with no notice. I'd have difficulties replacing either of them.

In your situation I would hope to be given four weeks notice but maybe say if they wanted to stop them sooner then that would be fine.

I've never had any sort of contract with any of the teachers we've employed privately, but when we stopped flute lessons I gave half a term's notice. Any less would have been embarrassing and I would expect the same consideration from the teacher. Giving up must have been on her mind for a while, the only case when a sudden stop might be excusable would be if the teacher were suddenly taken ill and could no longer teach. I'm with those that say four weeks minimum, preferrably half a term.

Whether you have a contract or not you still expect the teacher to act professionally.

'Nuf said.

To be honest, I think if she plans to ditch them at such short notice, she may find no takers, certainly not decent ones, when she decides to teach again. Word gets around, and memories are long, as I've seen happen in my local area a few times.

It might interest the OP to hear my Mother's experience when she gave up teaching when she moved to a new area. She planned to stop at the end of the summer term and told everyone at Easter of her intentions, so gave a whole term's notice. She didn't have much choice in the matter as the For Sale sign was a bit of a giveaway, but even so she would have given at least half a term's notice. She also did all she could to find local teachers who would be prepared to take on students she could reccommend.

Anyway, out of around 20 pupils all but around 2 or 3 continued lessons with her until she stopped even having given so much notice. She lost little income as a result in that final term. Of course, most teachers will take on new students in September as it is a common time for students to have left, so if notice is given early in the summer term, hopefully the majority will most easily be able to get a space with a new teacher from September.

And while I'm here I'll just add my voice to the argument that giving your students reasonable notice is simply a matter of human decency and I cannot believe a teacher would consider keeping secret their definite intention of stopping until the eleveth hour. Basic standards of decency and goodwill flowing between students, teachers and parents are the lifeblood of our profession. We have no doubt all enountered instances where we are not treated with such respect, but the only way to beat it is not to act in the same manner!

Well said!

I think 4 weeks notice is sufficient, giving the student plenty of time to find another teacher.

When I left the UK I contacted local teachers to let them know that I was leaving and to find out who had availabilities, what their teaching focuses were etc. That way I was able to compile a list of potential teachers that I knew would be suitable and who would be expecting the call, rather than just giving students a random list of numbers.

When my elder son was quite a lot smaller than he is now, his piano teacher stopped his lessons very suddenly. She announced at the end of a lesson one day that she was moving soon. When I enquired about the soon-ess of "soon" she replied: "Actually this is the last lesson". I was very taken aback that she had not, apparently, thought it might be helpful to give some notice! All that she did was to give us the phone number of another piano teacher, adding that he tended to get booked up very quickly, and that was that.

I have recently had to give up teaching (hopefully just for a couple of weeks) whilst I recover from surgery, and thought very hard about how best to manage the time ahead. Every student / parent was given a letter with dates, and at least 4 weeks notice; in addition, I also offered lessons during the "Easter" holiday for those who were around to make up for having to take the time off right at the beginning of the summer term, which would have meant a 4-week break.

I think, in this instance, that that was enough notice. I was not asking anyone to find a new teacher! But I am with the camp who feel the OP's friend should give 5-6 weeks notice minimum. There are arrangements to be made, and if she knows herself that she is stopping teaching, why not give her students the maximum opportunity to make them? I don't really think this is a moral dilemma - more (as someone else pointed out) a matter of common human decency.

Legally, this is correct. A contract can be entirely oral, or it can even be implied from conduct. Where there is no agreed notice period, "reasonable" notice would be an implied term, and what would be reasonable would depend on circumstances (eg giving up with no notice immediately prior to a student's exam = unreasonable!)



I don't have a written contract or agreed notice period with either of our current out of school teacher either, nor with a previous teacher. In my experience, from speaking to other parents, this is very much the norm - written contracts are the exception.



The first piano teacher we had fixed up for Son No.1 when he was moving from school-based keyboard lessons to out-of-school piano lessons agreed before the start of the summer holidays to take him on, and then phoned up only a few days before the first lesson date to say she wasn't going to take him after all, and with no suggestions for alternative teachers. I was absolutely fuming at her discourtesy and lack of consideration (in fact I still get cross just thinking about it, or I would do if it weren't for the fact that the net result was we ended up with our current teacher, who is wonderful (and comes to the house!)). I'm afraid I would have no hesitation in describing this to anyone who asked for my views as to her suitability as a teacher, since I think it speaks volumes about key questions such as commitment, responsibility etc.

Thank you everyone for your replies. I spoke to my friend last night and she didn't realise that it would get such a big response! I agree with you all that very short notice is not professional and could affect her potential for new pupils should she decide to start again. She has come to the decision that she will give them a month's notice to find another teacher, if they want to finish earlier then that's fine, but if they are struggling to find someone else, she will take the school age pupils up to the summer holidays and then call it a day. I don't think it's what she wanted originally but when she looked at the big picture and considered the parents, as most of you pointed out, she has seen that the 2-3 weeks wasn't a good way to finish up. Thank you all for your posts, and I'll be sure to pass on any further comments to her. Many thanks!

Just read through all this and glad she came to that conclusion.

I've been teaching for just over 4 years and have never had a contract - this has caused some problems but it was my choice and I stand by it for my and my pupils' circumstances. However, I knew that when I graduated and got a full time job I would need to cut down the number of pupils I was teaching. In the October before I graduated (June) I told the ones who I would be stopping, giving them effectively 8 months' notice. I gave them some recommendations and told them if they wanted to leave sooner than June to start with a new teacher I was more than happy to do that. 8 months may seem like a long time, but many teachers here have waiting lists of over a year (so I've been told) and since I knew by the October that I'd be stopping in June, I saw no reason to keep that information from the pupils until nearer the time.