mathytutor@yahoo.com
Over the many years that I have been a tutor, I have learned that it is best to be clear about my policies. I have developed the following list of policies over time because each policy has unfortunately proven to be necessary at one time or another. I am a professional tutor; my clients expect professionalism and respect from me, and I expect the same from them toward me and my policies.
Payment
• Currently I charge $55 per hour (I may charge more if I need to travel for more than 15 minutes) and usually schedule sessions for 1 to 2 hours per week.
• Cancellation Fees
o Due to the large number of cancellations people make, I will charge a cancellation fee of:
• $15 for a cancellation within 7 days of the session
• $27.50 for a cancellation within 24 hours of the session
• $55 for any time that I arrive at a home to find that no one is there and
no one called to cancel
• Nothing for a cancellation one week prior to a session or earlier
o However, if a make-up session is scheduled (most likely for a weekend or time when
another client has cancelled), I will waive the cancellation fee; instead, I will
only charge my regular hourly rate for the make-up session.
o It does not matter what the reason is for cancellation; I will still require a cancellation
fee OR make-up session.
o There are two reasons for the cancellation fee:
• I have other prospective clients whom I decline to tutor because I have a limited
number of openings available for tutoring
• My family and I depend on a regular income
o The cancellation fee should be paid on the date of our next tutoring session.
• Usually I prefer to be paid on the day of the tutoring session. I realize that this is sometimes inconvenient, but I have several reasons for this. I have learned over time that it is better for all involved to pay each session. Furthermore, this helps to ensure that I am not misled into tutoring a person who does not intend to pay me.
• I prefer checks (made out to Stephanie Vergara) but accept all forms of payment. However, I will discontinue the acceptance of personal checks if one bounces and will ask to be reimbursed for any bank fees incurred.
• Any refusal to pay will result in immediate and permanent termination of all tutoring sessions.
Other Information
• It is helpful to have the homework ready to be begun when I arrive. It is also helpful for me to know what has been taught all week long in the classroom. I appreciate it when students are prepared with their textbook, homework, class notes, pencils and paper.
• It is not my responsibility to make lesson plans for the student. The student must already know what we will cover during a session. If I choose to give supplemental assignments it is because I wish to do so. If an agreement is made concerning a supplemental assignment (e.g. promising to finish an assignment by the next tutoring session or to buy supplemental material) then I expect such an agreement to be upheld.
• I am a math tutor only; homework pertaining to other subjects should not be done during the tutoring session unless it is verbally agreed upon beforehand.
• I will tutor only one student per hour to ensure the best possible results from a tutoring session unless another arrangement has been verbally agreed upon.
• I cannot guarantee a passing grade in a mathematics course. The reason for this is that I do not give daily tutoring sessions and therefore cannot teach the entire subject matter nor monitor the student daily, but mainly because it is the student who is responsible for completing homework and tests correctly. I can only guarantee that I will do my best to instill confidence, factual knowledge and problem solving skills in the student.
• Often students who struggle with math have low confidence in their abilities. While I try to help raise this confidence, sometimes a student maintains a serious attitude problem. I am not a psychologist and cannot help someone who is not receptive to learning, so I may choose not to tutor a student with significant attitude problems.
• I reserve the right to cancel a weekly session or stop tutoring altogether at any time for any reason.
Thank you for your understanding.
Stephanie F. Vergara
Signed: ______________________________ Date: ___________