Troubleshooting Common Problems As a Tutor

All businesses have issues that arise repeatedly. Here are some common issues that repeatedly arise as a tutor and how to overcome them.
How do you deal with uncooperative tutors?
It’s your job to make sure that a tutor you hired is qualified to teach in the subject you hired them for; it’s the tutor’s job to teach and give you the necessary feedback. If a tutor you have hired consistently does not give you the following:
1) feedback either through email or phone after the tutoring session,
2) is late to tutoring sessions,
3) is rude to the student and/or parent, or
4) is insubordinate to you,
Terminate the independent contractor agreement with that tutor. It is pointless putting up with someone unwilling to work in a professional manner.
How do you deal with uncooperative students?
Believe it or not, students do not always want to be tutored. Whereas it’s the tutor’s job to motivate the student, sometimes students just don’t want to be taught. If the tutoring is becoming counterproductive to spite you and your tutor’s best efforts, tell the parent that he or she needs to seek tutoring someplace else.
How to you dead with late payments from parents?
Accept credit cards as your primary means of getting paid-it makes life and collections a lot easier. Payment problems do occur because of a credit card being declined, bankruptcy, etc. The best way to handle this is to just give the parent a call, explain the issue, and resolve it the best way possible. It may be that you have to work out a payment plan. If all else fails, call a collection agency.
Should I do Background checks on my tutors and how much does it cost?
Never hire someone without doing a background check first. Background check usually cost around $25 per background check.
What if I have a tutor who wants to steal away a student from my tutoring service?
This is the reason we have the tutors sign non-compete agreements. Violation of your non-compete agreement could be grounds for a lawsuit.
Should I charge for academic assessments prior to tutoring?
Charging a flat rate for academic assessments prior to setting up a student with a tutor is a good way to make an additional source of income for your tutoring business.
I hope this has been a helpful article on common problems that arise in tutoring. Good luck!