Tuition class cancellations are seldom a good thing for anyone. It leaves a bad impression for at least 1 party involved, and the long-term viability of private tuition arrangements are often jeopardized.
The Tutor’s Perspective
Cancelled tuition classes represent financial losses to tutors. If this is done just once a year, most tutors may understand and get by. However as we know, students often go on holidays at least once a year during the holidays, causing holiday classes to be stopped. This already represents a big enough loss for tutors on an annual basis. Besides, some students may ask for the re-scheduling of lessons. This may be possible if tutors have the extra time to spare. However for most full-time tutors, their schedules are very packed and your postponement may mean dislodging another poor student from his/her regular slot. Students and parents are definitely advised to stick to pre-agreed tuition schedules for the rest of the year and should cancellations be absolutely unavoidable, do explain the reasons nicely to tutors.
The Student’s Perspective
Most students whom we have come across do care a lot about their tuition lessons. Many secondary and JC students even call us up of their own accord requesting for tutors. Disruption to tuition classes may jeopardize the revision plan of students and cause a fair amount of distress. There are homework and assignments for which students require the assistance of tutors to understand and complete. The last thing we need is for students to put blame, consciously or otherwise, for their poor grades on their tutors. Tutors should therefore never cancel any tuition lessons closer to exam and test periods.
The Parent’s Perspective
A major component of the tutor’s professional image is derived from the very attendance of the tutor. Tuition disruptions in the first 3 months of any tuition assignment taint the image of any tutor; worse so, if cancellations occur within the first 4 lessons. We have had many cases of parents requesting an immediate change of tutor just because the tutor failed to turn up on the very first lesson. Some dedicated parents take leave off their work to supervise the first tuition session, and any lesson cancellations cause parents a huge amount of upset. If strictly necessary, tutors who wish to postpone any of the first 4 lessons should inform parents or students 3 days or 1 week in advance. The least that tutors can do is to allow parents to make alternative arrangements.
Schedule Discipline
Students, parents and
tutors all stand to benefit when schedule discipline is maintained. The tuition world will definitely be a brighter place if everyone was mindful of this basic fact.
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