I felt that I had to address this question because a parent had ask me to have a meeting with her but was not interested in being tutored. She wanted to just interview for ten minutes. I do not drive to a location and wait for an hour for someone to meet me there to interview me and then call me back to decide if they would like to hire me for a tutor.
I had a parent call today and booked an hour of my time but did not tell me she was just interviewing me. I booked her in my schedule and then she emailed me that she was going to be late. I said I would charge her the full hour if she was late because I had booked a tutoring session. She emailed me back saying she was interviewing me for a tutor and wasn't planning on paying me! I clarified to her that I do not book interviews but just tutoring sessions. She was upset? She explained that she was a potential customer.
I have come across sneaky parents and I just don't want to have them as my client. They will say they are interviewing but they bring their daughter or son and of course the math book and then ask me if I can teach their child to see if they like me. They don't pay and the result is that they are just plain rude, difficult, and feel your time isn't worth anything. My answer is I don't book free time. OF COURSE, THEIR STUDENT IS RECEIVING AN F IN MATH!
My advice is that if your a difficult parent not even your child's teacher is going to want to help your child and the money isn't worth it! Lesson: DON'T BE A DIFFICULT PARENT.
